Carolyn Keene - Stay Tuned For Danger

The Nancy Drew Files 17

Stay Tuned For Danger

Carolyn Keene

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter One

“Nancy, you’re driving me nuts! Would you please finish that sundae? Our plane leaves in an hour!” Bess Marvin looked longingly at her friend’s dessert. Then she pulled a pink beret over her straw blond hair and reached for the matching pink jacket that was hanging on the back of her chair.

Nancy Drew looked at Bess, her blue eyes sparkling with amusement. “Take it easy, Bess. We’re five minutes from the airport. George’ll get us there in plenty of time.”

Nancy and Bess were flying to New York City to visit Nancy’s aunt, Eloise Drew, and George was dropping them off. It was early, so they had decided to stop for ice cream near the airport.

“Admit it, Bess,” George Fayne said with a laugh, throwing an arm around her cousin’s shoulders. “You’re just jealous because Nancy’s eating that fantastic, splendiferous, mouth-watering—”

“Mmmm. And it’s so-o-o good,” Nancy said, licking her lips.

“Quit teasing, you guys,” Bess muttered. “I swear I gain weight just looking at something that fattening.”

“It does look good,” George said, wistfully agreeing. She and Bess were cousins as well as best friends, but they couldn’t have been more different. With her tall, athletic figure, her dark hair and eyes, and her levelheaded approach to life, George was her cousin’s opposite in every way.

“When you two get back from New York, we’ve got to come here again,” George said. “You can fill me in on your trip, and by then I’ll be able to order something disgustingly rich and gooey. Just like those banana splits we had at that wonderful restaurant, Rumpelmayer’s.” George sighed. “I wish I were going with you.”

“I’ll never understand you,” said Bess. “How can you pass up a chance to go to New York, the most glamorous city in the world, just so you can run in some stupid race? What’s the big deal?”

“Don’t be dumb, Bess. I’ve been training for this race for months. It may only be the River Heights marathon, but it’s important to me.”

“Yummm,” Nancy savored one last mouthful of ice cream before putting down her spoon. “Okay, I’m ready,” she said with a toss of her reddish gold hair.

Bess eyed the remains of Nancy’s sundae hungrily. “No,” she told herself, “I refuse to blow my diet before we even get to New York. I mean, you never know who I might meet,” she said, looking at her friends. “In New York, anything’s possible.”

Nancy and George exchanged knowing smiles. Bess was sure to find cute guys in the Big Apple, just as she did in River Heights.

“Well, if I know Nancy,” George said, “you two will probably wind up in the middle of an adventure. Remember the last time we were in New York? We didn’t even have time to go shopping!”

George was right. Intrigue and mystery seemed to find Nancy wherever she went. At eighteen, she was already a rising star in the world of detectives.

“No way,” Nancy protested. “This time I’m just going to be a tourist. I’m going to spend some time with my aunt, Eloise, do some shopping, see a Broadway show—”

“ A Broadway show? Are you kidding? There are at least six that I’m dying to see!” Bess exclaimed.

“Hey, you two,” Nancy declared, looking at her watch. “Now we had better hurry.”

And with that, the three girls paid their bill and filed out of the ice cream shop.

“Here we are,” Bess said, staring up at the elegant old apartment building. “This street always looks like a movie set of ‘old New York’ to me. Like it’s a hundred years old, at least.”

It was true, Nancy thought. The street had old-world charm, from the tall gingko trees with their fanlike leaves to the old-fashioned gas lamps along the sidewalk that fronted the many brownstone buildings.

“Did I tell you my aunt bought her apartment last year when— Oh, look, there she is!” Nancy cried, waving to her aunt, who was coming out the front door. Tall and elegant, Eloise Drew was a female version of Nancy’s father, Carson. They had the same lustrous brown hair and aristocratic features.

“Nancy!” Eloise cried, hugging her niece warmly and planting a kiss on her cheek. “I’m so happy to see you! And Bess,” she said, taking Nancy’s friend warmly by the hand. “How good it is to see you again. How was your trip?” Eloise asked as they entered the building.

“Kind of boring,” Bess admitted with a smile.

“Wonderfully uneventful is more like it,” Nancy said in the elevator up to Eloise’s second-floor apartment. “I’ve been so busy lately that it was great just to sit down and leaf through a magazine.”

“Well, here we are!” Eloise said, pushing open the door to her apartment. “I’ve redecorated a bit since you were here the last time.”

The apartment was spacious and homey. Bright sunlight splashed across the walls, which were papered in a dainty flowery print.

“I love what you’ve done!” Bess exclaimed enthusiastically as they were passing through the living room. She paused to look out the window. “I had forgotten there were trees in the backyard!”

“In New York we call it a courtyard. Unfortunately, though, as you probably remember, your room faces the street.” Nancy’s aunt led them across a small hallway to a cozy bedroom. “Don’t worry, the street is usually pretty quiet.”

Just then a fire engine came careening down the block, its siren blasting. Eloise waited for it to pass before adding, “Quiet for the city, that is.”

The room was all ready for the two girls. Both beds were freshly made with light blue comforters, and two sets of fluffy white towels were neatly folded on top of the modern oak bureau. Eloise slid open a pair of white louvered doors, revealing a nearly empty closet.

“Here you are, ladies,” she announced. “And after you’ve unpacked, we’ll have a snack. For dinner, I thought we could go to my favorite Chinese restaurant.”

“Super,” Nancy said, looking over at Bess, who seemed enthusiastic. “As long as there’s no mystery involved, I’m game for anything.”

“Well—” Nancy’s aunt said hesitantly. “I wouldn’t go so far as to say ‘no mystery,’ Nancy. I was going to save it for later, but since you brought it up . . .”

“Oh, no! I don’t want to hear another word. I’m here for a week’s vacation, and that’s that!” Nancy flung herself on the bed and covered her head with a pillow.

“Okay, okay.” Eloise shrugged. “I only thought you’d be interested because it has to do with a TV show. . . .” She stared absently at the ceiling, showing no emotion.

“What TV show?” Bess asked. Nancy’s aunt didn’t answer. “Come on, Nancy, ask her. I’ve got to know!”

Nancy peeked out from under her pillow, looking back and forth from Bess to Eloise. “Okay, Aunt Eloise,” she muttered. “I give in. What show?”

“Well, let me start at the beginning,” the older woman replied, sitting down next to Nancy. “Yesterday, I happened to tell my downstairs neighbor you were coming to stay with me. Her name is Mattie Jensen, and she’s an—”

“ The Mattie Jensen? Of ‘Danner’s Dream’?”

Eloise nodded, and Bess nearly fainted with excitement.

“I don’t believe it! Mattie Jensen is your neighbor! Is she as beautiful in real life as she is on TV? Is she anything like Serena Livingstone?”