Free The Case of the Artful Crime by Carolyn Keene Page A

this isn’t the place for him.”
    â€œOh, here you are, Nancy,” Shawn said, coming to the entrance to the coatroom. His blue eyes flashed between Nancy and Loreen. “Is everything okay here?” he asked.
    â€œNo problem,” Loreen said quickly as she pushed past Nancy and left the coatroom.
    Shawn looked at Nancy. “What happened?”
    â€œLoreen wants you back,” Nancy answered directly. “She told me to stay away.”
    Shawn looked sad. “Loreen and I had a greatthing going. Leaving Arizona just seems to have thrown her for a loop.”
    â€œIt must be hard to make a big move like that,” Nancy told him. “Maybe you shouldn’t be so tough on Loreen.”
    â€œMaybe.” Shawn shrugged. “So what’s the next step here, Nancy?”
    â€œI think I should discuss those paintings with Felice Wainwright,” Nancy answered.
    â€œGood idea,” Shawn said. “I have her unlisted number in my office.”
    â€œSorry to send you running up there again,” Nancy said. “I’ll go with you.”
    As they climbed the stairs Nancy considered what Loreen had said to her. The head waitress now had two possible motives for wanting to wreck Shawn’s business. One was revenge for being dumped. The more likely one, however, was that she wanted Shawn to give up and go back to Arizona with her.
    â€œHere’s Jack’s address and Felice Wainwright’s number,” Shawn said when they’d reached his office. “You can use the phone here but please don’t tell Mrs. Wainwright what’s been going on. I can’t risk her canceling the dinner.”
    â€œOkay,” Nancy agreed. Shawn left, and a moment later Bess appeared in the doorway.
    â€œHi,” she said. “I came in just as you were headed upstairs. What’s new?”
    â€œLots,” Nancy said. She filled Bess in on everything that had happened.
    â€œWow!” Bess exclaimed. “You must be completely exhausted. This case is getting creepier by the minute.”
    â€œI know,” Nancy agreed as she punched in Felice Wainwright’s number. After speaking briefly with the butler, Nancy was connected directly to the heiress.
    â€œHello,” Felice Wainwright answered.
    Nancy quickly concocted a story. She said she had seen Joseph Spaziente’s work at the Arizona House and was interested in buying a painting. She asked if Felice knew where she could learn more about the artist and his work.
    To Nancy’s relief, Felice warmed instantly to the subject. Her voice became animated with enthusiasm. “My dear, you have exquisite taste,” she said. “I believe Joseph will be a very important painter. He’s a genius, really. I happen to have an original Spaziente, which the artist himself has just finished. Would you care to come see it?”
    â€œAbsolutely,” Nancy said, trying not to sound too eager. “When can I come?”
    â€œLet me see,” Felice mused. “I’m attending a dinner party tonight. Can you come now?”
    â€œI’ll be there in fifteen minutes,” Nancy said.
    â€œDo you need directions?” Felice asked.
    â€œYes, please,” Nancy said, thinking it was unwise to admit that she knew exactly where the woman lived.
    â€œYou’re going to the Wainwright mansion!” Besssquealed when Nancy hung up. “I don’t believe it. Oh, let me come with you, please? I have to see it!”
    â€œDon’t you have to work?” Nancy asked, laughing.
    Bess frowned. “Oh . . . right.”
    Just then, Shawn came into the office. “I’m heading over to the Wainwright estate,” Nancy told him. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
    â€œCan I go with her?” Bess asked. “It’s really warm out. No one is going to have a coat today.”
    â€œOkay,” Shawn said with a laugh. “Go ahead. But