The Thanksgiving Surprise Read online

  The

  Thanksgiving Surprise

  Hmm, Nancy thought. Hannah didn’t lose her ring at the grocery store or leave it lying around the house. She left it in the kitchen—and someone stole it!

  Nancy hurried home. The sun was still shining brightly as she opened her front door.

  “I’m home,” Nancy called as she went to the coat closet.

  No one answered.

  “Is anyone here?” she called as she put her hand on the closet doorknob.

  But before she could pull it open, it flew open! And something large leaped out at her!

  Contents

  Chapter 1: Thanksgiving Visitors

  Chapter 2: Snoopy Nancy, Snooty Guest

  Chapter 3: Caught in the Act

  Chapter 4: Danger in the Dark

  Chapter 5: Boy Trouble

  Chapter 6: The Closet Monster

  Chapter 7: After-Dinner Tricks

  Chapter 8: Lost—and Found!

  1

  Thanksgiving Visitors

  She hates me,” Nancy Drew said. She was walking home from school with her best friend Bess Marvin. “Totally hates me.”

  “How can she hate you?” Bess asked. “She just met you.”

  “I know, but she does,” Nancy said. “She’ll hate you, too. Just wait and see. She hates everything here.”

  “That’s not fair,” Bess said, shaking her long blond hair.

  It isn’t fair, Nancy thought. But it was true. Pamela Morgan was from England. She and her family were visiting Nancy’s family. Her parents, Charles and Julie Morgan, were friends of Nancy’s father. Nancy liked them. She liked their son, Derrick, too.

  But Nancy didn’t like Pamela one bit.

  “She’s so snooty,” Nancy said. “She made fun of our cereal this morning—just because it wasn’t oatmeal. And she asked for a cup of hot tea. For breakfast!”

  Nancy pulled her jacket more tightly around her. She tucked her long reddish blond hair inside the collar.

  It was a cold November day—the day before Thanksgiving. School had let out early. The sun was shining, but the air was cold.

  Usually Nancy and Bess walked part of the way home with George Fayne. She was Bess’s cousin and Nancy’s other best friend. But George had gone away to visit relatives for Thanksgiving.

  Nancy slowed down as she neared her house.

  “There she is,” Nancy said, lowering her voice. She nodded toward a girl who was playing hopscotch in the driveway.

  “Hmph,” Bess said. “What’s her name again?”

  “Pamela,” Nancy said. “Pamela Morgan.”

  “And she’s going to make cookies with us?” Bess asked.

  “Yes,” Nancy said. “And so is her brother, Derrick.”

  Just as Nancy and Bess reached the driveway, the girl looked up. She was eight years old—Nancy’s age. She had long brown hair, pink cheeks, and big blue eyes. Her navy blue wool coat had gold buttons down the front. It looked too fancy to wear for playing outside.

  “Hi,” Nancy said halfheartedly. “Pamela, this is my best friend Bess.”

  “Hello. Ever so nice to meet you,” Pamela said in her crisp British accent.

  “Hi,” Bess said, shivering. “Nice to meet you, too. But aren’t you cold? Let’s go inside.”

  “We’re supposed to play out here,” Pamela said. “Your nanny just sent me out.”

  “My nanny? Who’s that?” Nancy said. Then she realized. Pamela meant Hannah Gruen. Hannah was the Drew family’s housekeeper. She had lived with the Drews and taken care of Nancy ever since Nancy’s mother died.

  “Oh, you mean Hannah,” Nancy said.

  “Yes,” Pamela said. “And her friend, too. The one who’s baking the pie.”

  Who could that be? Nancy wondered.

  “The house is full of people,” Pamela said.

  “We’ll be right back,” Nancy said. She and Bess hurried in through the back door.

  In the kitchen, Nancy saw what Pamela meant. Hannah and her friend Ann D’Angelo were there. Ann was talking to Hannah.

  Ann’s two children were sitting at the kitchen table. Ten-year-old Shelley was eating a peanut butter sandwich. Her dark hair was cut short, like her mother’s. Her eyes were brown like her mother’s, too. Her charm bracelets jangled as she ate. She had two bracelets on each arm.

  Shelley’s older brother, Greg, was eating grapes. Greg had brown hair and blue eyes. He was eleven years old—the same age as Pamela’s brother, Derrick.

  Derrick was standing behind Greg. He had thick copper-colored hair, a big smile, and twinkling brown eyes. He kept stealing grapes from Greg’s plate when Greg wasn’t looking.

  “Don’t take off your coats,” Hannah said quickly when she saw Nancy and Bess. “I want you all to go play outside.”

  “But I thought we were going to make cookies,” Nancy said.

  “You will—but later,” Hannah said. She put on her coat. “Right now I have to do some grocery shopping.”

  “Now?” Nancy asked.

  “Yes,” Hannah said. “We need fresh thyme and more apples for the turkey stuffing. Your father is out with the Morgans, so Ann is going to stay here and take care of all of you.”

  “And bake a pumpkin pie,” Ann said.

  Hannah gave Ann a grateful smile.

  “Now, go on outside—all of you,” Ann ordered them. Then she began to mix the pumpkin and spices together.

  Nancy gave Bess a disappointed look. She had really been looking forward to making cookies. She had a special turkey-shaped cookie cutter she wanted to use.

  “But we haven’t even had lunch yet,” Nancy complained.

  “Oh, that’s right!” Hannah said. “Okay—make yourselves some peanut butter sandwiches, and then go out. I’ve got to hurry. The stores will be crowded.”

  Nancy and Bess put down their book bags and made lunch. Meanwhile, Shelley, Greg, and Derrick went outside.

  When Nancy and Bess had finished eating, they went out to join the others.

  “We’re playing hide-and-seek,” Derrick announced. His eyes twinkled. “And you’re it!” He tagged Nancy quickly.

  Nancy laughed. “Okay,” she said. She covered her eyes and counted to twenty.

  For the next half hour, they played hide-and-seek. Nancy found Shelley easily, because she heard Shelley’s charm bracelets jingle.

  Then Shelley was it. She tagged Bess, who didn’t run fast. Bess was it three times in a row. She couldn’t find anyone. Everyone got in free while she was looking.

  Greg was the best at hiding. He never got caught.

  “Let’s go inside,” Bess complained. “I’m too cold.”

  “Okay,” Nancy agreed.

  Nancy and the others ran into the house. The warm air in the kitchen felt good.

  “Can we play inside now?” Nancy asked Ann. “It’s cold and we’re hungry.”

  “Okay,” Ann said. “But you have to stay out of my way. Why don’t you play a game in the living room?”

  “We will. Thanks!” Nancy said. Then she sniffed the air. “Mmmm. The pie smells good.”

  Quickly everyone piled their coats and mittens on a chair in the hall. Then they got out some games and some cards and spread them on the living room floor: Parcheesi and checkers and Go Fish.

  When is that pie going to be done? Nancy wondered. She thought she smelled something burning.

  Nancy went out to the kitchen. The door was closed. She began to push it open.

  But Ann stopped her and stood in the partly open doorway. Her face was red. “What do you want?” she asked sharply.

  “We want to make cookies,” Nancy said.

  “Not now,” Ann said. “Come back later.”

&n
bsp; Nancy was surprised. But she went back to the living room. They all kept playing games.

  After that, Pamela went to see if the pie was done. She was gone for a long time. When she came back, she shook her head. “Not yet,” she said.

  Then Derrick went. Nancy looked at her watch. It was a quarter past three. “She’s still making pie,” Derrick announced when he returned. “She wouldn’t even let me into the kitchen.”

  “We’ll never get to make cookies,” Bess complained.

  Finally at four o’clock Hannah came home. Nancy ran to meet her in the kitchen.

  “Hannah!” Nancy said. “We’ve been waiting all afternoon to make cookies!”

  “All right,” Hannah said. “But I can’t think about that now. I need to find something.”

  “What?” Nancy asked.

  Hannah didn’t answer. She didn’t even take off her coat. She just started looking around the kitchen. She lifted up dishes. She pushed aside canisters. Frantically, she searched faster and faster.

  Nancy thought Hannah looked as if she were going to cry.

  “What is it?” Nancy asked. “What are you looking for?”

  “My gold ring,” Hannah answered. “I left it here on the kitchen counter. And now it’s gone!”

  2

  Snoopy Nancy, Snooty Guest

  Your ring is missing?” Nancy asked.

  Hannah nodded. She kept looking behind things on the kitchen counter.

  Oh, no, Nancy thought. She knew how special that ring was. It was a gold ring with a little diamond in it. It had belonged to Hannah’s mother. Hannah always wore it on her right hand. She never took it off except when she was cooking.

  “I must have left it here before I went shopping,” Hannah said. “And now it’s gone!”

  “Oh, dear,” Ann D’Angelo said. “That’s terrible. Do you want me to help you look?”

  Nancy glanced at Ann. All afternoon Ann had been acting strange. Now she looked nervous.

  “No. That’s all right,” Hannah said. “I’m sure it’ll turn up somewhere. And you probably need to get home to make dinner for your own family.”

  “Yes,” Ann said, looking at her watch. “It is getting late.”

  Hannah smiled at Ann. “Thanks again for baking that pie. And watching the kids. It was a big help.”

  “No problem,” Ann said.

  She began to gather up her things. “This is trash,” Ann said, picking up an orange plastic bag that was sitting on the counter. “I’ll just put it in the garbage can on my way out.” Then she called to Shelley and Greg.

  “Have a happy Thanksgiving,” Hannah said, trying to sound cheerful.

  But Nancy could tell that Hannah wasn’t feeling cheerful. She knew Hannah was still very upset.

  Oh, dear, Nancy thought. How could this happen? Hannah’s gold ring was very precious to her.

  Maybe I can help find it, Nancy thought. I’m good at finding things. She hurried to the living room.

  “Can we bake cookies now?” Bess asked eagerly.

  “No.” Nancy shook her head. “I don’t think so.”

  Nancy stared at Pamela and Derrick. They were playing a card game on the floor. They didn’t even look up when Nancy came into the room.

  “Psst,” Nancy whispered to Bess. “Come here.”

  Bess followed Nancy out into the front hall and around the corner by the stairs.

  “Something terrible has happened,” Nancy whispered to Bess. “Hannah’s gold ring is missing.”

  “You’re kidding!” Bess said. “Did someone take it?”

  “I think so,” Nancy said.

  Quickly Nancy told Bess what had happened.

  “Who do you think took it?” Bess asked.

  “I don’t know,” Nancy said. “It could be anyone. Ann D’Angelo was acting kind of funny. And Shelley loves jewelry. But I’ll bet it was Pamela. She was in the kitchen a long time while we were playing games.”

  “What about Derrick?” Bess said.

  “I don’t think so. Ann wouldn’t even let him in the kitchen,” Nancy said.

  “Are you going to make a list in your notebook?” Bess asked.

  Nancy smiled. Bess was talking about Nancy’s special blue notebook, the one with a pocket. That’s where she always wrote down clues when she was trying to solve a mystery.

  “Later,” Nancy said. “Right now I want to go up to Pamela’s room. Maybe Pamela took the ring and hid it up there in her things.”

  Bess nodded. “Okay. Let’s go.”

  Just then Nancy heard footsteps behind her. She whirled around. Pamela was standing there, scowling at them.

  “What is this? Some kind of new American game? I suppose it’s called Whispering in the Hall About Your Guests,” Pamela said in a snooty tone of voice.

  Nancy felt her face turn red. “No,” Nancy said. “I was just telling Bess what happened. One of Hannah’s rings is missing.”

  “Oh,” Pamela said. “Really? Is that all?”

  Nancy’s face turned even redder. But this time she wasn’t embarrassed. She was angry.

  “What do you mean ‘Is that all?’ ” Nancy said. “Hannah’s ring is important!”

  “Oh, I just meant that my nanny is always losing things, too,” Pamela said. “And then she finds them a few days later. The ring will turn up. I’m sure of it.”

  Pamela smoothed the skirt of her green wool dress. “Excuse me,” she said coolly. “I’m going to see if there’s anything I can do to help.”

  With that, she turned and stomped off to the kitchen.

  “Whew! What a snob!” Bess said.

  Nancy nodded. “See what I mean? She hates us all. And I can’t figure out why. I’ve tried to be nice to her.”

  Bess shrugged. “Some people are just like that, I guess.”

  “Anyway,” Nancy said, “now’s my chance. You guard the stairs. I’m going up to Pamela’s room to look around.”

  “Okay,” Bess said. “But hurry.”

  Nancy quickly peeked in the living room to be sure Derrick wouldn’t notice. He was playing a game of solitaire. Then she hurried upstairs and slipped into the first guest bedroom on the right.

  Hmmm, Nancy thought. The room was neat and clean. Pamela had made her bed that morning. All her clothes were hung up in the closet. There was nothing much to see.

  Nancy tiptoed over to the dresser and looked on top. She saw a comb and hairbrush, a silver heart necklace on a chain, and two gold barrettes. But no gold ring.

  Maybe she hid it in her suitcase, Nancy thought. She glanced at the small navy blue overnight bag. It was sitting on a bench by the window. The top was closed, but it was unzipped.

  I could just lift it up and peek inside, Nancy thought, biting her lip.

  But Nancy didn’t want to do that. She knew it wouldn’t be right.

  “What do you think you’re doing?”

  The voice in the doorway startled Nancy. She spun around. Pamela was standing there with her hands on her hips.

  “Well!” Pamela said. “This is the most outrageous thing I’ve ever seen. Do all Americans go snooping around in their guests’ things?”

  3

  Caught in the Act

  Nancy’s face turned bright red.

  “Uh, no,” Nancy said. “I mean, I wasn’t snooping. I mean, I wasn’t snooping in your things.”

  “Well, what were you doing?” Pamela said angrily.

  “I was looking for Hannah’s ring,” Nancy answered.

  “In my room? So I suppose you think I stole it,” Pamela said. She sounded furious.

  “N-no,” Nancy sputtered. “I mean . . .” Nancy didn’t know what to say. She felt so terrible. “I mean, I just thought I’d look around. Hannah is so upset. I thought maybe she left her ring up here.”

  Pamela tightened her lips and gave Nancy an angry stare. “Did you look in my suitcase?” she asked.

  “No,” Nancy said. “Of course not.”

  “Well, good,” Pamela sai
d, calming down. “At least I have some privacy.”

  Nancy blushed. What else could she say? Pamela was right. She shouldn’t have snooped.

  But I didn’t look in her things, Nancy thought. Besides, what does she have to hide, anyway? I wonder why she didn’t want me to look in her suitcase.

  Just then Nancy heard her father’s voice downstairs.

  “Excuse me,” Nancy said. She hurried past Pamela and ran down the front stairs.

  Bess was waiting at the bottom, in the same spot where she had been standing guard.

  “I’m sorry,” Bess said. “She must have gone up the back stairs.”

  “That’s okay,” Nancy said.

  “Did you find anything?” Bess asked.

  Nancy shook her head. “No. But she caught me in her room. Now I guess she really hates me.”

  “Who cares?” Bess said. “You don’t like her. I don’t like her, either.”

  I guess, Nancy thought. But still, she wished that Pamela would be nicer.

  A moment later Nancy’s father came into the hall. He said hello to Bess and gave Nancy a big hug. Then he told Bess it was time for her to go home.

  “But we didn’t make cookies yet,” Nancy said.

  “I know, but it’s too late now,” Carson Drew said. “It’s almost dinnertime. Come on, Bess. I’ll give you a ride home.”

  Nancy went along for the ride in the car. After they dropped Bess off, she told her father what had happened that day.

  “Oh, I don’t think anyone would steal Hannah’s ring,” Carson Drew said. “Hannah probably just left it somewhere.”

  “Like where?” Nancy asked.

  “Somewhere around the house,” Carson said. “Or maybe she had it on when she went shopping. And then she lost it at the grocery store.”

  “Well, can we go to the store and look for it?” Nancy asked.

  Carson Drew sighed. “We can’t search the whole store, Nancy. We have guests at home,” he said. “And dinner will be ready soon.”

  “Oh, please, Daddy?” Nancy begged. “Hannah was so unhappy. And I know where to look.”

  “Where?” Carson asked.

  “In the fresh thyme and apples section,” Nancy said. “That’s what Hannah went to buy.”