Free Perfect Plot by Carolyn Keene

safes!”
    George’s jaw dropped. “So we’ve found our crook! Who is it Nan?”
    â€œIt’s Julian. Julian Romarain, of Murder to Go!”

Chapter

Nine
    G EORGE LOOKED flabbergasted. “Julian?” she said. “A safecracker?”
    â€œAn ex -safecracker, as far as we know,” Nancy corrected. “But he apparently has the skills to have broken into Dorothea’s safe and stolen the figurines.”
    â€œI noticed that there was something between him and Kate,” George added. “I bet they planned the theft together, and that’s why Kate didn’t want to call the police last night.”
    Nancy frowned. “I noticed the connection between them, too, but why would Kate need to use a safecracker? She’s the only one around who knows the combination to the safe.”
    â€œOh—I forgot,” George said. “Well, maybethey’re not in it together, but she figured out that he’s the thief. If she’s in love with him, she might try to shield him from the police.”
    â€œEven after he murdered Maxine?” Nancy asked. “If the two crimes are connected, that is.”
    Nancy got to her feet. “The only way we’re going to straighten this out is to confront him—or her.” She put the cordless phone back on its base and started for the door.
    â€œWho do we talk to first?” George asked, as they headed down the hall.
    â€œWhoever we find first,” Nancy said.
    â€¢Â â€¢Â â€¢
    Kate was in the study, sitting behind Dorothea’s desk and making notes in the margin of a computer printout. The late-afternoon sun shone on her face, emphasizing the lines of tiredness and stress. She raised her head as Nancy and George came in.
    â€œCan we talk for a minute or two?” Nancy asked.
    Kate hesitated before answering. “I—will it take long? I’ve got a thousand details to take care of. Armand is coming down tonight with some important donors.”
    â€œJust a minute or two,” Nancy repeated. She and George sat down in two chairs next to the desk. Taking a deep breath, Nancy got straight to the point. “How well do you know Julian?”
    Kate stiffened. “Why do you ask?”
    â€œDo you know about his personal history?” Nancy pressed.
    â€œI know that he was once in trouble with the law, if that’s what you mean,” Kate said, her chin held high. “But he paid for his mistakes, and his past is nobody’s concern but his.”
    Clearing her throat, George said, “You did ask Nancy to investigate the theft of those jeweled figures. If one of the suspects is a convicted safecracker, I think that his past becomes her business.”
    Kate’s face was still, almost expressionless. Then unexpectedly she dropped her head into her hands and began to sob. Nancy and George sat in an uncomfortable silence and waited for the storm to pass.
    Finally Kate took a deep breath, wiped her eyes, and said, “I’m sorry. It’s just that I’ve been dreading this moment since last night when we discovered the gold figurines weren’t in their case. I knew Julian’s record would come up sooner or later. And I knew that the moment it did, he’d be accused of the theft.”
    â€œAre you and Julian, er, close?” asked George.
    Kate sighed. “Not nearly as close as I’d like,” she replied. “I know he cares about me, but he’s always brooding about his past. He told me we can’t get involved because it might ruin my reputation. It’s so ridiculous! Okay, he made a mistake, a bad one. But he’s put that behind him.He started his own business, and it’s totally legal. Who cares what happened years ago?”
    Nancy couldn’t help feeling sorry for Kate. “How did you two meet?” she asked.
    A smile crossed Kate’s face. “Dorothea was one of the first experts Julian talked into