Ann Martin: Claudia And The Mystery At The Museum

Stacey pulled outfit after outfit out of my closet. I have a lot of clothes, but nothing seemed right. Most of them are fine for school, or even for special events like dances or parties. But nothing looked right for a party like this one. A grown-up party.

"You look terrific in this," Stacey said, holding up a bright blue sweater-dress.

"Thanks," I said. "But ifs not right, either."

"Do you think I could borrow it?" she asked.

"Sure," I said, falling back onto my bed. "Oh, this is a disaster," I moaned. "We'll never find anything." Mary Anne patted my arm sympathetically.

"What’s this?" Stacey asked, reaching into the back of the closet and coming out with a long, silky pale green robe embroidered in gorgeous colors.

I stared at it. "That's — that's one of Mimi's kimonos," I said. My grandmother wore regular clothes most of the time, but she had brought some beautiful kimonos with her when she came to this country from Japan as a girl. She wore them for special family occasions sometimes, and she always looked graceful and young when she did. Seeing the kimono made me miss Mimi terribly.

"This is it!" said Stacey.

"What?" I asked.

"This is what you'll wear tonight. Put it on." She handed it to me. "I just have a feeling this will be perfect."

I took off my vest and shirt, and slipped on the kimono. The silk felt soft and light against my skin. It seemed to float around me. I tied the sash (which Mimi called an "obi") around my waist and stood up straight.

"Wow," said Mary Anne softly.

"Awesome," said Stacey. "You look totally awesome."

I walked to the mirror to see for myself. The green and blue colors of the kimono set off my black hair, and the long, fluttering sleeves looked romantic. For half a second, I saw Mimi's face instead of mine in the mirror, and I felt tears come to my eyes. It was almost as if she were in the room with me, urging me to wear the kimono to the party. "I'll wear it," I

said. "Definitely." I smiled at the mirror.

"Let’s put your hair up and find some accessories that will go with the outfit," Stacey said. She started to rummage through my jewelry box. "These earrings will be perfect."

"You look wonderful," said Mary Anne. I thought I saw tears gleaming in her eyes, too. She had been very close to Mimi, and I know she misses her almost as much as I do.

I pulled my hair into a modified French twist, put on the earrings, and added a few gold bracelets. Then I put on my makeup. "Hand me that lip gloss, will you, Stace?" I said. She and Mary Anne stood behind me, watching. "Now all I have to do is figure out how to act at this party. I mean, if s not going to be like a school dance, where the boys stand around on one side and crack jokes and the girls stand around on the other side and giggle. This is an adult party, and I'll have to act like an adult."

"It's true," said Stacey. "You wouldn't want to pull any tricks like bringing a rubber tarantula to tease people with." One of Stacey's dates did that once, at a dance. Can you believe it?

"Okay," said Mary Anne. "Time for the etiquette quiz. First of all, what do you say when you meet Don Newman?"

"Urn, I guess I say 'Hi, Don,' " I answered. "He said to call him that."

"No way," said Mary Anne. "This is a fancy party. You have to call him Mr. Newman, at least at first."

"Okay," I said. "What else?"

"Watch out when you go to the ladies room. Be careful not to get toilet paper stuck to the bottom of your shoe and drag it back out to the party with you," advised Stacey.

We cracked up, but I blushed at the thought.

"Don't drink anything that might stain the kimono if you spill it," said Mary Anne. "And don't eat anything that might get stuck in your teeth."

Mary Anne had a whole storehouse of etiquette tips, from how to shake hands to how to make small talk with strangers. Stacey added a few of her own, and soon I felt ready for anything. I was still feeling nervous, though. "Thanks, guys," I said as I saw them out the door. "I couldn't have done it without you."

"No problem," said Stacey. "You look gorgeous."

"I have one more tip for you," said Mary Anne, with a smile. She leaned dose to me and spoke very seriously. "Just remember this. Have a great time!"

Chapter 14.

I tightened the sash around my waist one more time as my father and I stepped out of the car. He looked handsome in his dark suit and tie. He smiled at me. "Ready, my dear?" he said, crooking his arm so I could put mine through it.

I took a deep breath. "Ready," I said. I was feeling as nervous as a cat in a room full of dogs. But we walked up the stairs and through the main door of the museum, and within seconds I had forgotten about being nervous. "Awesome," I whispered, looking around. The main lobby was full of men and women, and every one of them was dressed to the teeth. Some of the men were even wearing tuxedos. A lot of the women were wearing floor-length gowns, and I saw plenty of expensive-looking jewelry. I glanced down at my kimono and smiled. I knew I had made the

right choice. I felt comfortable, but I looked dressed up and exotic.

"Everyone seems to be heading toward the Egypt Room," said my dad. "Shall we?" He offered his arm again. We stopped outside the room to pick up name tags from a table, and then walked into the party.

I hadn't been in the Egypt Room before, since I had spent most of my time in the rooms meant for children and in the gallery. But as soon as I saw it, I knew it would become one of my favorite parts of the museum. I saw mummy cases with painted faces and fascinating symbols drawn on them. And I saw glass cases full of ancient jewelry. Hieroglyphics were painted on the walls, and there were panels with those pictures of people who seem to be walking sideways.

I wanted to look at everything, but the room was so full it was hard to see the displays. Everyone was talking and laughing and eating pastries and drinking champagne. Waiters dressed in starched white shirts and black pants circulated among the guests, passing silver trays. I took a cracker spread with what looked like cheese from one tray, and a glass of cider from another, and then I just stood back and watched the crowd. Everyone was wearing name tags, and I had this feeling all

of a sudden that I was in the middle of a scene in a murder mystery, the part where the whole cast of characters is assembled and the culprit is about to be revealed.

I looked around to see if I recognized anyone. It didn't take long to find someone. There, next to a woman in a blue-sequined dress, was the man with one blue eye and one green eye. I felt a shiver run up my spine. He seemed to be looking around the room, as if he, too, were checking out the crowd. He wore a fancy black suit with a shiny stripe down the side of his trouser legs.

Unlike me, my dad seemed relaxed. He stood next to me, eating crackers and drinking club soda. "Do you see Don Newman?" he asked.

"I think that's him over by the small mummy case," I said, trying to sound calm. "I recognize him from his picture in the paper." At the moment, he was surrounded by people, so it didn't seem like the right time to introduce myself. Dad and I stood there for awhile. I was trying to keep tabs on the man with the funny eyes, and I was also watching out for any other suspects. Then I noticed that Don Newman was walking toward a jewelry case, and I could see that he was alone. I pulled my father's sleeve. "Come on," I said. We walked quickly across the room. "Excuse

me," I said. He turned, and I checked his name tag just to make sure it was him. "Mr. Newman, I'm Claudia Kishi," I said, remembering what Mary Anne had told me. I felt a little nervous again, but not much. Mr. Newman looked as friendly in person as he sounded over the phone.

"Claudia," he said, shaking my hand. "Please, call me Don. If s a pleasure to meet you. What a lovely kimono you're wearing."