Free The Buried Treasure on Route 66: A Nancy Keene Mystery by Louise Hathaway Page A

building she recognizes and says,
“Look at this picture of the U-Drop Inn in Shamrock, Texas. It
looks just like ‘Ramone’s Body Art Shop’ in the movie ‘Cars’. Love
it!”
    She walks over to Hannah and
gives her a big hug.
    Nancy’s father has the
biggest surprise of all for his daughter. He puts a blindfold on
her and walks her out the front door as her chums follow. Her
father whispers to her friends, “Don’t make a sound,” as he walks
Nancy a few feet more, and takes off her blindfold.
    “Oh, my God! Dad, thank you
ever so much! This is the best birthday present I’ve ever had!” She
is now the proud owner of a brand new Toyota Prius.
    “My first
hybrid!”
    “Do you like it?”
    Oh, Dad. It’s fantastic and
it’s blue, like my old car. You think of everything. I love it,”
she says, as she hugs her father.
    He tells her, “Something new
to replace the vintage blue roadster that you’ve been driving
around since your 16th birthday.”
     
     
    ****
     
     
    Nancy is dying to try out
her new roadster, but is too polite to hurry the birthday party
along; she patiently waits until her last guest is ready to leave.
Besides, she doesn’t want to miss the “Name that French Tune”
contest that she’s dreamed up. She asks her friends to all be quiet
and listen to the music. She plays selections from 10 famous French
songs but nobody guesses the right answers. Nancy thinks, “Note to
self: next party, ask for Ned’s help in choosing songs.” Nobody
wins the prize, but Nancy gives it to Beth. “What is it,
Nancy?”
    “Open it and find
out.”
    Beth unwraps her present and
loves finding a Barnes and Noble gift card. “This is perfect,
Nancy. You know how much I like to read.”
    After Nancy’s last guest
departs, she asks her Dad, “So, where are the car keys?”
    He fishes them out of his
desk drawer, and asks her if she wants him to come with her in case
there are any problems.
    “Oh, Dad. I’ll be
fine.”
    Her father says, “You
haven’t even looked at the manual yet.”
    “I promise I will when I get
back.”
    “See that you do. You’re the
only person I know who’s not bored reading instruction manuals. I’m
sure you’ll have it all memorized by tomorrow.”
    Her father continues,
“Honey, you might want to change out of that French maid costume. I
don’t want any old geezers getting themselves or you in a car
accident while they’re ogling at you.”
    “Oh, Dad. That’ll never
happen.”
    “There’s always a first
time.”
    “Well, it’s my birthday and
I want to wear this outfit until I wake up tomorrow.”
    “Be careful out
there.”
    “I love you, Dad. Don’t
worry. I’m an 18-year-old now. I’m officially an adult.”
     
     
    ****
     
     
    Nancy is cruising out of the
city of Scottsdale, Arizona and going on the back roads, enjoying
the beautiful summer day. She says to herself, ‘This is my favorite
time of the year. My friends and I are going to have a great summer
going on road trips in this car.’ She’s been reading about Route 66
ever since she went to Disney’s California Adventure and saw the
Radiator Springs racers. She’s found a book that shows the
real-life locations for some of the buildings in the movie, “Cars”.
As she’s dreaming about some of Route 66’s landmarks, she sees a
black Mercedes speeding up ahead into oncoming traffic. She’s
afraid that it’s going to hit her head-on.
    As it’s zooming down the
highway, she sees an elderly lady waving her hands at the people in
the vehicle, and they swerve to avoid hitting her. As the car nears
Nancy’s, she has to drive onto the shoulder of the road to avoid an
accident. After she recovers from the shock, she starts wondering
what happened to the little old lady who almost got hit. There is
no sign of her anywhere.
    Nancy gets out of her car
and starts searching for her. The lady couldn’t have just vanished
into thin air, she thinks. She discovers the lady sitting in a
meadow,