Fellowship & Fairydust

The two stared at each other for a moment before Mary Mason took off running. Nancy blinked before taking off after her. 

“Hey! Stop! Jane! Emily! Help! Someone call the police!” 

Jane came out of her room as Nancy ran past. “What in the world is going on?” 

“The ghost was Mary Mason!” Nancy quickly shouted before dashing down the stairs. Nancy saw Mary shutting the front door behind her. No! She put on as much speed as she could once she left the house, Mary was not going to get away. Well, Nancy hoped she wasn’t going to get away. She could clearly see Mary ahead of her, racing into the forest. She was fast, really fast. Nancy gritted her teeth, it would make sense, seeing as how Mary was able to disappear so quickly after a sighting. Did the girl run track for fun or something? And the people Nancy knew who would have been able to catch Mary weren’t there! Nancy began to seethe when Mary began zigzagging her way around the trees. But then Nancy saw something in her peripheral vision. She turned her head and raised her arm right as a man reached out and grabbed her arm. She let out a shriek. “Let go of me!” 

“It’s no use trying to catch up to her, she’s obviously really fast,” he grumbled. “Best save catching her for another day.” 

“But . . .” Nancy looked into the forest. Mary was long gone now. She yanked her arm out of the man’s grip and glared at him. She imprinted the man’s face in her mind. His face was narrow and long, with a hooked nose, a faint scar running down his right cheek that was just barely noticeable in the moonlight, and he had what looked like sandy blonde hair with a thin braid in the nape of his neck. She focused on his hazel eyes. “Well she’s definitely gone now, thanks to you. Who are you anyway?” 

“Nancy!” The two turned, Jane Emily, Helen, and Jenny were running towards them. “Are you alright?” asked Helen. 

“I think so,” said Nancy, returning her glare to the man. “Jane, who’s this?” 

“This is Buddy Holmes, I hired him to watch the Inn at night.” She glanced at Buddy. “But I also hired Gil Gary. Where is he?” 

At that moment, an older gentleman came towards them, panting. “I’m sorry, Miss Jane, Buddy assigned me to watch the kitchen door. I went around to the other side of the inn, but when I realized everything was happening here, I got here as fast as I could.” 

Nancy eyed Buddy suspiciously. “Did he now?” 

Jane wrung her hands. “Oh, now what should we do. We lost our only waitress! And I can’t expect you girls to keep on taking up jobs at Lilac Inn, you wouldn’t be able to find Josiah’s will!” 

Buddy raised a hand. “May I make a suggestion? At least a temporary one.” 

“Of course, Mr. Holmes, I’m all ears.” 

“How about getting, uh, my daughter Jean to be a waitress. Sure, she’s heading back to college in the fall, but she is looking for a summer job right now.” 

Jane grasped the man’s shoulders, relief flooding her face. “Oh, you’re a blessing, Buddy Holmes! Yes, please get her here as soon as possible!” 

“Would tomorrow morning work?” 

“Would it? It would be the best! Buddy Holmes, you truly are a lifesaver!” 

Buddy gave a slight bow. “Glad to help.” Nancy’s eyes narrowed, was he really helping them out, or was he actually working with Mary Mason and this was just a way to get her back into the inn? 

“So, it was Mary this whole time,” said Jenny as she crossed her arms. 

“And we didn’t suspect a thing,” said Nancy. “She played her part quite well.” She glanced into the forest. “Really well.” 

Jane huffed. “Well, let’s all go back into the inn. I don’t think she’ll come back tonight now that you almost caught her.” She looked at Buddy and Gil. “But to be on the safe side, can you two takes turns watching the forest? This seems to be where she comes and goes.” 

Buddy nodded. “Will do, ma’am.” 

Jane smiled. “Thank you.” She turned back to the girls. “Come on girls, there’s nothing more we can do tonight. Besides, you have another clue to find tomorrow.” 

Nancy nodded. “That’s right. Come on, let’s go get some sleep.” Emily, Helen, and Jenny mumbled in agreement and followed Nancy and Jane back to the inn. Nancy laid in her bed for some time, going over the recent development. She had texted her father and told him about it, telling him that she would call McGinnis in the morning and give him the report. Thinking back on the details Evelyn Walters provided, Mary Mason fit the description perfectly, well, outside of the fact that she wasn’t dressed up as Nancy all the time. How did she miss this? How could she? Her eyes widened and smacked her forehead. She knew why! She had been so focused on finding the will that she hadn’t even paid much attention to Jane or the Tophams! Well, the Tophams had been laying low for a while, it seemed, especially after they gave them the slip that one time at the mall. She let out a huff, maybe doing both would be hard since the treasure hunt took her away from the Inn, and she had only been to Riverview Manor once. She drummed her fingers, thinking hard. Maybe she should ask her dad and Chief McGinnis to look into them while she continued to look for Josiah’s will. Heck, have them look into Mary Mason, Buddy Holmes and his daughter Jean, and Gil Gary while they were at it. Best to have all their bases covered. She got up and got out her phone again to text her father. “Please look into Mary Mason’s history, as well as Jane Willoughby, Richard Topham and his daughter Isabella, Buddy Holmes and his daughter Jean, and Gil Gary. Thanks! Love you!” She hit send and proceeded to return the phone to her purse when she paused. There, laying neatly in the pocket, were Frank’s and Joe’s cell numbers. She pulled it out and glanced at her phone. Should she put them in now? She glanced back and forth between the numbers and the phone, indecisive. She closed her eyes, and Joe’s complaint that Don got her number before them came shouting into her head. She chuckled as she opened her eyes and typed in both numbers. She returned the paper and the phone to her purse before rising from the bed and stretching. She glanced at the  clock, it was almost midnight, but she was wide awake. Letting out a huff, she walked towards the window and opened the curtain just enough to peek out. She gasped as her eyes widened. Buddy Holmes was staring right back at her! He gave no sign that he was surprised that Nancy was sleeping in Emily’s room, instead, the eyes that looked at her . . . were they sad? Guilty? They were definitely holding her eyes with an intense gaze, a gaze that Nancy also interpreted to mean that he knew far more than he let on. She let the curtain fall and dashed back to bed. She quickly pulled the covers over her head as chills went up and down her spine. There was something truly sinister going on under their noses, which meant Nancy had to solve this mystery, and fast. 

The girls were up bright and early to help Jane with the breakfast crowd. Nancy in particular wanted to be present when Jean Holmes came in. Could the girl be trusted? Was her father in on the whole scheme and had included his daughter? When Jean did walk in, Nancy wasn’t quite sure. Jean seemed very shy and a bit clumsy. She wore a pair of glasses over her darting blue-green eyes and her auburn hair was pulled back into a thick braid. But Nancy was particularly taken aback by how awkwardly Buddy acted around her, like he had no clue how to act like a father. Was this all for show? Nancy checked her phone. She hadn’t heard from her father since he had texted her earlier that morning, telling her he would look into each person’s history when he got to the office. Nancy glanced up, Jane was taking Buddy and Jean into her office. Since Nancy wasn’t hiring Jean, she couldn’t be a part of the interview and had to satisfy herself by taking Jane’s place at the front desk. 

A few minutes later, the three came back out, and Jane began showing Jean the ropes. She was able to get in a good two hours of practice before the girls had to leave to get to the radio station. 

“So Nancy, what did you think of Jean?” asked Jenny when they were finally on their way. 

“Well,” said Nancy slowly, “she seems fine. But . . .” 

“But?” said Emily, Jenny, and Helen at the same time when Nancy didn’t finish for a while. 

“But, it was odd how Mr. Holmes acted around her, like he wasn’t actually her father, or he hadn’t seen her in ages.” 

“Most likely that he hasn’t seen her in ages,” said Helen with a shrug. 

“But if they are in on the scheme with Mary?” 

Helen blinked. “Oh, I hadn’t thought of that.” She shot a sheepish grin at Nancy. “Sorry.” 

Nancy shrugged. “You’re fine, it was a rather busy morning.” 

Jenny scoffed. “No kidding. So, you’re suggesting we keep an eye on all of them?” 

“At this rate, we can’t rule anyone out, even though I did see Mary dressed up as Rachel Caldwell, and I’m pretty sure she was my imposter as well. We don’t know for sure if Mary is working by herself, or if she’s working with anyone else.” 

Emily let out a shuddering gasp. “I-I can’t believe I let myself get surrounded by such horrible people!” 

“What do you mean?” blurted Helen. “The three of us aren’t horrible! Least of all Nancy!” 

“Are you saying you’re at least slightly horrible?” quipped Jenny. 

Helen narrowed her eyes. “Shut up.” 

Emily burst out laughing. “Oh no, not you three!! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make it sound like that! It’s just . . .” 

“It’s hard to think that some of the people you’re supposed to be able to trust can’t be trusted,” said Nancy. 

Emily nodded. “Yeah, yeah, exactly.” 

“Well, they must have thought you were an easy victim or something.” Helen burst into a grin. “They just didn’t realize that you were friends with the greatest detective in River Heights!” 

Emily brightened as she glanced at Nancy. “Yes, she’s gotten so far in looking for Josiah’s will!” 

Nancy took a hand off the wheel long enough to wave it. “I had help, remember?” 

“Valuable help,” said Jenny, “and knowing all the right people to help.” She shot Nancy a grin in the rearview mirror. “And cute guys who think very highly of you is always a nice bonus.” 

Helen giggled. “Oh very!” 

Nancy scoffed, though there was a slight blush in her cheeks. “Whatever, I’m just glad to have gotten as far as we have, and to have cleared up a few misunderstandings.” The others agreed. 

Emily’s eyes widened. “Oh, oh, oh! Why didn’t I think of this earlier! And I know I can trust them!” 

“What are you going on about, Emily?” asked Jenny. 

“Jane can hire the Turner sisters!” 

Nancy gasped.” Oh, Emily, that’s brilliant!”

“That is a great idea!” chorused Jenny and Helen. 

“Do you have the Turners’ phone number though?” asked Nancy. 

“Oh, um, no . . .” 

“I think I still do. Wait until we get to the radio station, and then I’ll get it for you. In the meantime, you can call Jane and tell her about it.” 

“Right!” Emily placed the call to Lilac Inn and talked to Jane about her idea. Jane wasn’t sure at first, especially since the sisters needed to make that decision themselves. Emily said she would call them, tell them the idea, and have them call Jane. She was finishing up her conversation when they pulled into the parking lot of the radio station. “Well, we just got to the radio station,” Emily told Jane, “so I’ll give them a call real quick and have them talk to you. OK, bye!” Emily hung up and did a little jig. 

Jenny laughed. “I’ll take that as a yes from Jane.” 

Emily grinned as Nancy handed her the paper with the Turners’ information. “So far so good. Now I just need to talk to the Turners.” 

“Well, it’s time for us to be inside to get our tour,” said Nancy, glancing at the clock. “We’ll go in and explain that you’ll be in in a minute.” 

Emily nodded as she began dialing the Turners’ number. “Sounds  good. See you in a bit!” 

“OK!” Nancy led Jenny and Helen into the radio station. There was a middle-aged woman sitting at the front desk. 

“Hello, can I help you?” 

Nancy approached the desk. “Yes, my name is Nancy Drew, and we were scheduled for a ten o’clock tour.” 

“Oh yes! I remember now! I’m Mildred, nice to meet you Nancy.” Mildred stood up to shake hands with the girls as introductions went around. 

“Nice to meet you too,” chorused the girls. 

“Yes, well, you said there were four in total, but I only see three.” 

Nancy chuckled. “Yes, there are still four. The fourth member of our party is in the car right now, making some calls. She should be here soon.” 

“Alright then, how about we get things started with you signing in for us?” Nancy signed them in while Mildred got them each a name tag. They chatted lightly while they waited for Emily to come in. When she finally did a couple minutes later, her eyes were shining and she was smiling broadly. Her friends grinned back, but they didn’t get to talk about the Turners as Mildred announced right then that she had to get the tour underway so she could be back in time for the next tour. As such, Mildred led them on a tour of the radio station and showed them where and how the programs were made. A few people were in the studios, a couple were doing a live show while a few others were doing some pre-recording. All the while, the girls kept a sharp eye out for anything that might suggest Josiah had left a clue there, but they didn’t see a thing. When they got back to the front desk, all four were looking pretty down. 

“Why, what’s wrong?” blurted Mildred. “Are you upset that you couldn’t meet any of the DJ’s?” 

Nancy put up her hands. “Oh no, that isn’t it!” She glanced at the girls. “See, the real reason why we came was, well, Josiah Crowley left us, actually his inheritors, a treasure hunt to find his will, and one of the clues led us here. We’re sorry, the tour was fantastic!” The others echoed her enthusiasm. 

Mildred gasped. “Josiah’s will? Why, why didn’t you say so! Now everything makes more sense, especially those prying eyes of yours.” Mildred laughed. “Unfortunately, I wouldn’t be the one you should ask about that. Come on, I’d better take you to Charles and James.” The girls followed Mildred excitedly as she led them back to the offices. She knocked on the door. “James, Charles, may I come in?” There was a resounding yes from the two men in the room. Mildred held up her finger. “Give me one minute.” She slipped into the room. The girls waited patiently, though excitedly. Maybe either James or Charles would know where the clue is! Mildred opened the door and ushered them in. Two men were sitting at the desk, looking at the girls expectantly. 

“What’s this I hear about you four looking for Josiah’s will?” asked one man. 

“Who are you anyway?” asked the other. Mildred quickly introduced them James seemed to be the more pleasant of the two, while Charles seemed slightly annoyed though it was obvious his interest was piqued. 

“Ah, Emily Crandall!” said James. “Yes, Josiah mentioned you, among a few others, to be one of his inheritors.” A sorrowful look came into his eyes. “I’m sorry about your mother.” 

Emily smiled sadly. “Thank you.” 

James glanced at Charles. “We still have it?” 

Charles scoffed. “Do we still have it? Of course we do! It hasn’t been moved since Josiah left it here! What, did you think his ghost was going to come and move it or something?” 

Nancy bit her lip to keep from laughing. She liked this guy’s sass. “So, we were right! Josiah left a clue here!” 

Charles glanced at her. “Uh, duh. But first, you have to tell us the password. Or, well, more like password-lines.” 

“Oh!’ Emily glanced at Nancy. “She has them on her phone.” 

Nancy pulled out her phone. “Yeah, give me a moment.” She quickly went to the pictures of the four poems. She cleared her throat. “Oh good ones do not reprehend; Else five and eight a liar call; Naught but dreams at nine o’clock; So goodnight unto you all.” 

James smiled, a tear falling down his cheek. “That’s it.” He rose and went to a picture. He opened it, and there was a safe behind it. 

“Wow, just like in the movies!” blurted Helen. 

“In older movies,” pointed out Jenny, “which means that not many people might look for it there. Still a stupid place for it, though.” 

Charles pointed at Jenny. “I like you.” 

James sighed. “Alright Charles, enough.” He quickly typed in the code, opened it, and pulled out an envelope. He closed up the safe and the picture before handing the envelope to Emily. 

“Um, is it alright if I open this here?” 

James shrugged as he walked back to his desk. “It’s up to you.” 

Emily grinned. “Thanks.” She tore open the envelope. 

Helen groaned. “Not another poem!” 

“Wait,” said Nancy, opening it up completely, “this is on a map!” 

“It’s a map of Riverview Manor and the surrounding areas!” said Jenny. She pointed to a section of the map. “See, there’s Ariel Park, just west of it.” 

“What, like Ariel from the Little Mermaid?” asked Helen. “Is it an ocean-themed park or something?” Jenny shot her a look. Nancy knit her eyebrows. Ariel, wasn’t that another character in a Shakespeare play? She would have to look into that later. She folded up the map so they could read the poem. 

“Congratulations on getting this far; You’re one step closer to the treasure; You should now have all the tools you need to find it; And may progress at your own pleasure.” 

“Wait, we have everything we need to find the treasure?” said Helen, rereading the poem. 

“Which means there must be a fifth clock, and the key we got from Moonlit Gests should open it.” Nancy glanced at each of them. “Girls, I think it’s time we head back to Lilac Inn and look thoroughly at all the clues.”

 

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