The Suspect Next Door Read online

  Then she realized what she was looking at. In her musings, Nancy had cocked her head, so that she was now staring down at the N from one side. It was a funny-looking N, sort of like a lightning bolt.

  In fact, now that she looked at it, she saw the letter was not an N at all. It was a Z!

  Nancy ran her hands through her hair, tugging at it in frustration. Z—Z—What did it mean? None of her suspects’ names began with Z, and yet, Nancy knew it had to be an important clue. If only she could make the connection.

  The day was flying by, and there was a lot more ground to cover. Nancy filed the Z question away for the moment and quickly went through what was left of the evidence. There was nothing there. In fact, there was nothing anywhere about the envelope Dan had stuffed in Nikki’s purse. The chief thought Nikki was making it up, but Nancy believed—no, she knew—there had been an envelope!

  Now it was gone. That meant Dan’s killer had taken it. Now, why would the killer take a love letter? Unless . . .

  Unless it wasn’t a love letter at all. And if it wasn’t a love letter, why was Dan giving it to Nikki? There could be only one reason. To keep someone else from finding it!

  • • •

  Carson Drew arrived home that afternoon. By the time Nancy had briefed him, taken him over to the Masterses’, and left him in charge, it was nearly five. She barely made it to Vanities in time to tail Max Hudson.

  Max left work, got into an old sports car, and drove to what was apparently his apartment. It was in an old, run-down building. Nancy sat in her car and waited.

  After fifteen minutes Max emerged from the building, dressed in a freshly pressed shirt and slacks. He seemed to walk taller as he headed for his car. Nancy waited until she could follow unnoticed, then she pulled onto the street behind him.

  He drove for about fifteen minutes until he came to the border of Riverview Park. There, he slowed down, and suddenly a figure in a raincoat and floppy hat came out of the dark trees and ran to his car.

  Nancy’s eyes widened in surprise. Could this be it? Had she stumbled onto the big break of the case?

  Max and the person he’d picked up drove a few miles out of town to a path by the river. There, they parked and got out of the car.

  Nancy doused her headlights and quietly followed them on foot. Her flesh was prickling. Who was the mysterious person Max had picked up?

  Dodging from tree to tree, she watched as Max and his companion strolled along. Finally, the mysterious stranger took off his hat, and a cascade of curly hair fell.

  There, standing in the twilight next to Max, was Charlene Rice!

  Max put his arms out and wrapped them around Charlene’s neck. Nancy gasped, and her whole body tensed, poised to leap out from behind the tree to help Charlene.

  But as she watched, Nancy saw Max pull Charlene to him. He wrapped his arms around her and overpowered her with a sizzling kiss!

  Chapter

  Fifteen

  STUNNED, NANCY WATCHED as Max and Charlene shared another passionate kiss. In her surprise, she forgot she was hiding and coughed.

  Charlene’s eyes popped open. Over Max’s shoulder, she saw Nancy. Flying backward out of his grasp, Charlene let out a shriek. Max spun around and saw Nancy, too.

  Nancy half expected him to walk over and slug her, or chew her out, at least. But instead of anger in his eyes, she saw pure fear.

  “Please—” he begged, moving toward her. “Please, don’t tell Tony.”

  “He would be so upset,” Charlene echoed, leaning back against Max’s car fender for balance, her eyes fixed on Nancy. “He’d be really angry, too. Tony has a bad temper. I know he’d get Max fired! And there’s no telling what he’d do to me.”

  Nancy stood there dumbfounded. So this was their big secret!

  “See, I’ve been planning on breaking up with Tony for a while. I’m going to do it, too. I am!” Charlene explained. “Max and I just realized recently how we felt about each other. This is it, for both of us. It’s like a revelation or something.”

  It was all Nancy could do not to roll her eyes.

  “We had our first date just the other night—when I said I went to that movie. I didn’t really see it, by the way,” Charlene confessed.

  “I knew that,” said Nancy. “Were you together last night, too?”

  “Yes,” Max said. “Sorry I was so rude to you when you asked me, but I couldn’t tell you where I really was. Tony was nearby,” he explained.

  “We were together the whole evening, Nancy,” Charlene said. “We went out to Woodmont and hung out at this dance club where nobody knew us.”

  “But if you ask them at the club, they’ll tell you we were there,” Max said. “We were a big hit on the dance floor,” he added, giving Charlene a smoldering look.

  Nancy saw that Charlene was blushing. “With Tony I always felt too self-conscious to dance,” the salesgirl said.

  “Speaking of Tony,” Nancy broke in, “any idea where he was last night?”

  “Yes,” Charlene replied. “I made sure he was busy before I made plans with Max. Tony was at a big family get-together. You could probably check with one of his cousins. There are dozens of them, and each one is meaner than the next.” She giggled a little and gave Max an adoring look.

  “Well, I guess that’s that.” Nancy sighed. “Oh, and don’t worry. I won’t say a word to anybody.”

  “Thanks, Nancy,” Charlene said sweetly. “This way we can break it to Tony when the time is right.” With a wave, Nancy turned and walked away from them.

  It seemed to her that everyone had an alibi for the past evening at 10:14. Everyone but Nikki Masters.

  Could the killer have deliberately set the watch back after the murder, then smashed it to give a false time? It was possible. Nancy knew that had been done before.

  But Nancy didn’t think it likely. There had been a struggle, that was for sure. And since Dan had been killed with a rock, the killing more than likely had been unexpected. Only people who plan a murder think to set watches back. People who kill in the heat of an argument don’t.

  Driving through the dusky early evening toward home, Nancy tried to imagine the moment in question.

  Dan is at the scene, and Nikki has just left. Someone else arrives. There’s an argument, a struggle, a blow. The killer sees the bag on the seat of the car, with the envelope sticking out. He or she takes it, looks inside, and decides to keep it, leaving the navy purse behind to implicate its owner, whoever she may be.

  But what had the argument been about?

  Nancy remembered that Dan had told Nikki he wanted to “turn over a new leaf.” Assuming that meant he wanted to get out of crime, Dan would have been dangerous to his former partner. Especially if the envelope contained evidence to support his story.

  It all made perfect sense! Photos, copies of receipts, anything to implicate his partner in crime. And who better to hold oft to it for him than Nikki Masters, the soul of innocence! That must have been why he’d begged her to keep it. It would also explain why he told her she didn’t even have to open it!

  Nancy’s mind was racing. The only problem with her theory was that she couldn’t prove any of it. But—if she set the right trap for the right person, she could get the killer to implicate him or herself. There was only one problem: she still didn’t know who it was.

  Nancy’s thoughts went back to that letter Z. Why had it struck such a chord in her? What was the clue?

  Z—Z—Nancy repeated to herself. Of course! Z was the designer’s mark on the back of the necklace Dan had given Nikki!

  Nancy threw the Mustang into a quick U-turn and headed back for the mall. It was Sunday night and the mall would be closed, but she hoped she could get in through the movie entrance. There was something she needed to check, and there wasn’t a moment to lose.

  Nancy parked in the farthest row of the mall parking lot and began walking toward the movie theater. As soon as the ticket sellers began talking to each other, she quietl
y slipped into the mall itself.

  Nancy hurried in the direction of Vanities, praying the electronic code hadn’t been changed since the last robbery. If it was different, a buzzer would go off, alerting every security guard within a quarter of a mile that she was breaking in.

  Nancy got to the electronic lock and punched in the first digit. No buzzer. A wave of relief flooded her. If her luck held out, she’d be in the store within minutes.

  A subtle click of the lock told Nancy that she’d succeeded. She reached in her purse for the pocket flashlight on the end of her key ring. The small circle of light was all she needed to find her way to the office.

  There, she pulled out ledger after ledger, scanning the purchase records. She wanted to track down where the Z jewelry had come from. If Dan had written that letter in the dirt, it had to be a clue about who his killer was.

  Nancy’s eyes searched the papers. Then, bingo! Every piece of Z jewelry had come from a single source: Zero’s, in Denver, Colorado!

  What was it about Denver that rang a bell with Nancy? She thought for a moment. Then it came to her. Bess and George had told her that the man in the cowboy hat was from Denver. And he was in town the night Dan was killed! And he was Trisha Rapp’s boyfriend!

  To prove her theory further, Nancy flipped through Vanities’ employee records. Once she reached the R’s and had checked Trisha’s out-of-town references, she knew she had found what she was looking for.

  Trisha Rapp was from Denver, too.

  Chapter

  Sixteen

  NANCY WAS UP EARLY the next morning. She had a lot of ground to cover that day and the sooner she started the better. First she wanted to stop by the Taylors’.

  When Marie Taylor saw Nancy standing in the doorway, she burst into fresh sobs. From the ravaged look on her face and the dark circles under her eyes, Mrs. Taylor looked as if she’d been crying for weeks.

  “It’s sweet of you to come,” Dan’s mother managed to say.

  “I’m so sorry about Dan.” She paused. “Mrs. Taylor, I want to find his killer. Will you help me?”

  “What makes you think I can help? I can’t! I have no idea who would do something so horrible to my boy!” Dan’s mother sobbed.

  “Mrs. Taylor, you said Dan traveled for Vanities. Where did he go?”

  “I have no idea. Dan didn’t tell me very much about his business, and I didn’t want to pry,” his mother said.

  “Well, if I could have a look at Dan’s things,” Nancy urged gently, “we might learn a lot.”

  “If you think it’ll help, I’ll take you to his room.” Dan’s mother led Nancy through the living room and down a small dark corridor to a closed door.

  “This is his room. I’m much too upset to set foot in there right now. But take all the time you need” Dan’s mother turned away and headed for the kitchen.

  Nancy walked into the room and flicked on the light. An eerie feeling passed over her. The boy whose room this was would never be coming back.

  A framed mocked-up headline announced “Dan Taylor Makes First Million.” Dan couldn’t have known his name would be featured in a real and much grimmer headline.

  On the bureau was a framed photo of Dan and Nikki. They looked so relaxed and so happy together. It was obviously from earlier days.

  Nancy riffled through the papers in Dan’s desk, but nothing there confirmed her theory. Now, she thought, she’d have to proceed without it.

  Defeated, she turned to leave the room. As she did, she noticed the grip of a suitcase sticking out from under the bed.

  Dragging it out, she examined the airport tags attached to the handle. DVR. Denver. Another piece of the puzzle fell into place. It couldn’t be a coincidence that Dan’s “business” took him to Denver.

  On her way out Nancy stopped to ask Dan’s mother a question. “Mrs. Taylor, you said Dan went on a business trip a few days ago. When was that? Friday?”

  “That’s right, Friday.” The older woman nodded.

  “Thank you, Mrs. Taylor. You’ve been a great help. We’re going to find Dan’s killer, I promise you.”

  Leaving the unhappy woman behind, Nancy made her way back to the Masterses’ house. She needed Nikki’s help with the next phase of her plan. When she got there, she found Nikki in tears.

  “I’ve gotten three crank calls in the last twenty minutes!” she cried miserably. “Finally, I called Robin. I thought, at least she’ll talk to me. But her stepfather picked up, and”—Nikki burst into tears again—“and he wouldn’t let her get on the line with me! He said he didn’t want his daughter being mixed up with a killer!”

  “Don’t worry, Nikki,” Nancy comforted her. “The case is practically solved. I know who the real killer is now.”

  “You do?” Nikki threw her arms around Nancy’s neck. “I knew you’d come through for me.”

  Nancy smiled. “But I’m going to need your help to set a trap. We’re going to put on a little show. You, me, and Ned. And you’re going to be the star, Nikki.”

  Nikki cocked her head to one side. “But I’m not an actress, Nancy,” she protested.

  “That’s all right,” Nancy said. “In this show, you’ll be playing yourself. Can I use your telephone? I want to call Ned.”

  Ned picked up the phone after the first ring. “I had a feeling it was you,” he told her. “Is this the call I’ve been waiting for?”

  “It sure is, Seargent Nickerson. Can you meet me at the ice-cream parlor in the mall around six-thirty?” she asked.

  “Sure,” he said.

  “And if you wouldn’t mind, could you pick up a loaded starter’s pistol, and a couple of vials of stage blood? You can get the pistol at a spotting goods store and the Party Store should carry the stage blood.”

  “That’s quite a shopping list. What’s going on?”

  “I can’t tell you right now,” Nancy told him. “But be prepared to do some heavy acting.”

  “Come on, Nan, I can’t stand the suspense,” he protested.

  “Why, Ned, I thought you loved suspense,” she said coyly. “See you at six-thirty.”

  Nancy hung up and felt in her purse for the portable radio/cassette recorder she’d gotten Ned. She’d meant to give it to him on Saturday during their stakeout of Vanities. Now it would be a late anniversary gift. Better late than never, Nancy thought. Meanwhile, the little machine was going to come in handy.

  “See you at six-thirty,” Nancy said to Nikki as she left. “I’ll explain everything then.”

  • • •

  At six o’clock Nancy made a brief stop at Vanities. “Charlene,” she said, calling her over, “can I talk to you a minute?”

  The girl nodded her head, and, despite a stare or two from Trisha, moments later the two of them were in the back of the stockroom. “I need your help,” she told the salesgirl. “Max’s, too.”

  “Sure!” gushed the now-grateful Charlene. “You’re helping us, so anything we can do.”

  “I want you and Max to be out of here by five minutes to seven, okay? And you’ve got to make sure Tony is gone, too. It’s very important, understand? I need the three of you out of the way.”

  “Okay, Nancy,” Charlene nodded. “But why? What’s up?”

  “I can’t tell you right now,” Nancy said, waving her off. “You’ll find out soon enough.”

  Checking her watch, Nancy headed over to the ice-cream parlor and waited for Ned and Nikki to show up. Ned arrived at precisely 6:30. “How’s that for punctuality?” he said, giving her a big smile.

  “Oh, Ned, what did I do to deserve you?” Nancy said, leaning over the table and planting a kiss on his lips. “Happy anniversary, Ned.” She presented him with the radio/recorder. “Sorry it’s not gift wrapped, but you’re going to need to use it right away.”

  “Thanks, Nan,” he said, turning it over in his hands. “So what’s the plan?”

  “Let’s wait for Nikki to show up. Then I’ll fill you both in on what we’ve got ahead of us toni
ght,” Nancy said. She reached out for Ned’s hand and gave it a squeeze.

  Within a few minutes, Nikki came breezing in. “Sorry I’m late,” she said, sitting down next to Nancy.

  “Do you guys know each other?” Nancy asked.

  “We’ve met once or twice. Hi, Ned,” Nikki said. Nancy saw Nikki smile for the first time in days.

  “Hi, Nikki, nice to see you,” Ned answered.

  “Ned’s going to be your costar.”

  “Okay, Nancy,” Ned said. “Enough suspense. Which play is it that we’re going to perform in?”

  “It’s sort of a melodrama, but if everything turns out right, we’ll end up with the proof we need to send Dan’s killer away for a long time.”

  Nancy explained her theory about how Dan Taylor had gotten involved in fencing stolen merchandise for Trisha and her boyfriend in the cowboy hat.

  “But we need it on tape—” Nancy pointed to Ned’s gift. “That’s where my trap comes in.”

  “So tell us what we have to do,” Nikki said.

  After coaching Ned and Nikki on their roles, Nancy looked across the mall to Vanities. She saw Max and Charlene leaving, with Tony between them. Good, she thought. They came through.

  “Nancy, it’s six fifty-five,” Ned announced softly.

  Nancy nodded. “Let’s go,” she said.

  She led them down a stairway to the loading docks, and then up a ramp to the back door of Vanities.

  Nancy’s watch read seven o’clock. The store was closing. Everyone would be up front. Nancy pressed the combination and let them all in.

  The stockroom was deserted. Ned took the minirecorder out of his jacket pocket, pressed the record button, then slipped it back in. They all took positions behind packing crates to wait.

  Seconds later Nancy heard the click of high heels on tile. Trisha Rapp came into view, then disappeared into her office. Nancy could see her through the open door, going over the day’s receipts.