Free 041 Something to Hide by Carolyn Keene

of the program altogether.”
    Ned looked startled. “Maybe she really does mean it. She always says she’s dropping out, but I thought she was just trying to get us tocoax her to stay.” He shook his head. “I’ll say one thing—we all need a break.”
    “Well, there’s always Justin’s costume party —if anyone’s still speaking, that is,” Nancy said with a laugh.
    “Do you think we should go?” Ned asked.
    “Try to keep me away!” said Nancy. “It’ll be the perfect chance to keep an eye on my number one suspect. Besides, I bet you’ll look cute in the little bunny costume I got for you. Just kidding! Just kidding!” She squealed as Ned picked up his water glass and tipped it threateningly over her head.
    “Watch out, Nancy Drew!” Ned said. “You’re skating on thin ice!”
    Nancy laughed. Their playfulness was making her feel a lot better. “I have to be getting home. It’s late.”
    “Sure,” Ned said, picking up the check and reaching for his wallet.
    A few minutes and a kiss from Ned later, Nancy was heading home. When she reached her house, she parked her car in front and hurried up the steps to the front porch. Her father was still out of town with a client, but Nancy knew that Hannah Gruen, the Drews’ housekeeper, would be keeping dinner for her, and she didn’t want to make Hannah wait.
    The porch light wasn’t on, so Nancy didn’t see anything unusual until she opened thefront door and the light from the house spilled onto the porch.
    There at the side of the door was a small cardboard box. It had no label—just Nancy’s name printed in bold letters.
    That’s strange, Nancy thought. No one delivers on Sunday.
    She picked up the box and opened it carefully. When she saw what was inside, her eyes widened with shock.
    There was no mistaking it. Nancy had seen those white plastic containers too many times not to recognize this one. Someone had left her a sample of Spotless.
    As she lifted the jar from the box, Nancy saw a card. She turned it over—and when she saw the printing, her face grew pale.
    “You’re next, Nancy Drew!”

Chapter

Eleven
    N ANCY KEPT HER COOL . She’d gotten anonymous notes like this one often enough in the past. They always meant that someone had a real stake in trying to get her off a case.
    She stepped into the house and looked closely at the card, searching for a clue—any clue to who might have sent it.
    The card itself was ordinary. The message had been printed in block letters, and there was nothing distinctive about the letters. Nothing, that is, except the color. The warning message had been printed in brown ink.
    Justin Dodd’s pen had brown ink!
    Well, Nancy decided, this certainly looksincriminating. But as she stared at the card again, she began to wonder just how incriminating it actually was. Would Justin really give himself away like this? Or was someone else trying to frame him?
    And if someone was trying to frame Justin, then Nancy was right back at the beginning— with no specific suspect at all.
    Nancy set her jaw and straightened her shoulders. Nothing—warnings, poisoned samples, the distrust of the police—nothing was going to keep her from solving this case!
    She laid the Spotless sample and the card on a living-room table, then called out, “Hannah, I’m home!” As she opened the door to the kitchen, she added, “Something smells wonderful!”
    “It’s one of your favorites—beef stew,” Hannah Gruen said. “And, yes, you have time to check your phone messages before dinner.”
    Nancy’s eyes widened. “How did you know I was going to ask that?”
    Hannah just laughed. “I know you. Besides,” she added, “I heard your phone ring a couple of times this afternoon.”
    “Okay, then. I’ll be right back!” Nancy hurried away to replay the messages.
    The first was from Bess, who said she was feeling much better.
    “Nancy, this is Chief McGinnis,” the second message began. “Please call me.”
    Nancy jotted