evening?â
âIâm not sure,â Nancy said, grabbing her coat. âWeâre going out to dinner, but I donât know whatâs on after that.â
Nancy was about to ask Susan if she wanted to join them when she remembered the run-in between Rob and Susanâs new boyfriend earlier that afternoon.
As if Susan had read her thoughts, she said, âUrn, Nancy, about that fight this afternoon . . . Iâm sorry if Greg was rude. Heâs not such a bad guy, really, but heâs never really liked Rob very much.â
That was the understatement of the year, Nancy thought to herself. The question was, did Greg hate Rob enough to set him up for the jewel theft? âAt least they didnât actually throw any punches,â Nancy said. âListen, I have to runââ
âOkay. You have your key. Have fun.â
â¢Â â¢Â â¢
On the way to the restaurant, Nancy told the others about what had happened at the shed. âAnyway,â she concluded, âone of the officers is going to come see me sometime tomorrow. Maybe Iâll finally be able to convince them that Rob is being framed.â
âI sure hope so,â Rob said.
âHey,â Ned said. âYou never told us what the police asked you at the library.â
Rob shrugged. âThe same old stuff. They kept telling me they think I stole the jewels, and I kept telling them I didnât.â
La Fleur-de-Lis was just a block from the edge of campus. Jerry gave his name to the headwaiter, who said in an accented voice, âWould you mind waiting a few moments, Monsieur McEntee? Your table is almost ready.â He showed them to a curved bench in a little alcove. A low wall topped by potted plants separated it from the dining room, which was decorated to look like a small French inn.
Nancy sat down on the bench. On the other side of the low wall, just behind her head, two men were speaking, and she was distracted by their conversation. One of the voices sounded familiar, but Nancy couldnât quite place it.
âWeâd like to make a major move into sporting goods,â the familiar voice was saying. âItâs a good fit with our other activities.â
âI donât know,â the other man said. âI know my customers. One of the reasons they come to my store is that I know them and their kids. Theyâre willing to pay a premium for personal attention, and theyâll go elsewhere if they donâtget it. I just canât become part of a chain.â The man sounded unhappy and defensive.
âLook,â the first man said, âyou know what happens to people who stand in the way of progress. They get flattened. Of course, I might consider calling the deal off, if someone comes through with something.â
âHey, Nancy.â She blinked as Jerry tapped her on the arm. âAre you still with us? You can forget about those stolen jewels for one evening, canât you?â
âAnd one morning,â Ned added. âDonât forget weâve got a skating date first thing tomorrow.â
âOh, I remember,â Nancy assured him.
âYouâll have a lot of fun,â Bess said with a grin. âYouâll be freezing your nose and toes down at the lake, while weâre suffering through a warm, delicious breakfast.â
Nancy groaned dramatically, then became silent as she realized that the conversation behind her had taken a very interesting turn. The men were now talking about the jewel theft!
âA terrible thing,â the one with the familiar voice was saying. âIâm happy, of course, that I didnât lose anything, but itâs a blow to the museumâs reputation. If the jewels arenât recovered immediately, the museum wonât attract other traveling exhibitions.â
Just as Nancy realized whose voice she was listening to, the headwaiter reappeared. âMonsieur McEntee?â he