Mabel Maney - A Ghost In The Closet

“Hello?” a sleepy lad’s voice queried at the other end of the line. Nancy took a deep breath and tried to steady her voice, but once she heard the masculine tone of her close chum Frank, her words came tumbling out all willy-nilly. “Oh, Frank,” she sobbed. “I need your help. I’ve got trouble— girl trouble —of the most terrible kind!”

“Get the paper, Gogo,” Midge commanded cheerfully. The perky terrier, who had taken up her post at Midge’s feet, hoping to catch a stray toast crumb, raced out the dog door and returned seconds later with The River Depths Defender in her mouth and laid it at Midge’s slipper-clad feet. “See how much she’s learned since we’ve been here?” Midge grinned at Jackie as she unfurled the paper and glanced at the front page. “Next I’m teaching her how to make the beds,” she joked, but her expression turned serious when she saw the news item at the bottom of the page. “Someone tried to snatch a teacup poodle from an elderly woman in nearby Battle Creek,” she gasped.

But Jackie was too busy moping to notice. Too busy, really, thinking about Cherry and last night.

Midge tried to push the distressing news out of her mind. She put down the paper and got her chum a hot cup of coffee.

“Ugh!” Jackie cried after she took a gulp of the strong brew.

“Good, huh?” Midge asked as she poured herself another cup and popped a piece of bread in the toaster.

“Like rocket fuel,” Jackie grimaced. “Where’s Velma?” she wondered. “She makes great coffee.”

“Out with Cherry,” Midge told her. “Cherry was desperate for some girl talk so they went downtown to window shop,” Midge paused and added dramatically, “The big news is that the latest fall fashions are in!”

“Goodness,” Jackie replied. “And you didn’t wake me? I simply must order my fall tee-shirts!” she grinned. Then she groaned. She wasn’t in the mood to clown around this morning, not after two bottles of champagne and three hours’ sleep—alone! “Did Cherry mention what she needed to talk about so urgently?” Jackie pumped her chum.

Midge shook her head. “I don’t know anything that goes on around here,” she admitted. “But I do know someone stayed up pretty late last night,” she teased, adding hastily, “not that I was eavesdropping or anything. It’s just that when I got up in the middle of the night to get Velma a glass of water I heard voices coming from the porch. Frankly, it sounded like an astronomy lecture out there—” Midge stopped kidding when she saw the glum expression on her friend’s face. “Didn’t the date go well?” Midge asked.

“It was the best time I’ve ever had!” Jackie exclaimed, adding, “That is, until we got home. I don’t know what happened! We dined and danced and talked for hours—long enough to make me certain that Cherry’s the girl for me! When I brought her back here, we sat on the swing for an eternity, but each time I got up the nerve to kiss her, she’d start pointing out constellations,” Jackie lamented, adding, “Although last night wasn’t a total waste. I did learn everything a girl could ever want to know about the Big Dipper.”

She put her head in her hands and groaned. “Now I want her more than ever,” Jackie admitted. She was beginning to think she would never get to Cherry, at least not while they were under Nancy’s roof.

“You mean you two were together practically the whole night and you still haven’t even kissed her?” Midge cried in alarm.

Jackie nodded gloomily. “Pathetic, isn’t it? How long were you alone with Velma before—you know—”

“Ten minutes,” Midge grinned.

Jackie’s jaw dropped open. “You kissed Velma after just ten minutes?” she cried.

“She kissed me,” Midge set the record straight.

“And you let her?” Jackie gasped.

Midge coolly lit a cigarette. Then a big grin lit up her face. “I could tell the minute I met Velma that she wasn’t just any girl. As far as I was concerned, she could do whatever she wanted.”

“Cherry’s not just any girl, either,” Jackie cried. “Why, you could safely say, when it comes to Cherry, there’s no one else like her!”

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