Free Kiss and Tell by Carolyn Keene

through one more time. Hopefully we’ll come up with something useful. Listen, I saw in the paper that Esme’s giving a reading at the Barrington this afternoon. I thought I’d drop by. Maybe we can go out afterward to discuss the case?”
    â€œOkay,” Nancy said, blushing. Bess raised an eyebrow to question Nancy. Leave it to Bess to know exactly what was going on in Nancy’s mind! Nancy hung up the phone and faced Bess’s scrutiny.
    â€œWell?” Bess asked. “What was that about?”
    â€œSam’s coming by the Barrington this afternoon for Esme’s reading,” Nancy explained. “He wants to go out afterward to discuss the case.”
    â€œI see,” said Bess. Her eyebrows arched another inch. “And what did you say?”
    â€œYou heard!” Nancy protested. “Honestly, Bess, you’d think I was going on a date with him or something.”
    â€œIsn’t that what you’d call it?” Bess asked.
    â€œNo!” Nancy insisted. She shouldered her purse and folded her arms across her chest. “There’s nothing between Sam and me. We’re working on a case together, that’s all.”
    â€œOkay, okay,” Bess said. She held her hands out, palms up. “I’ll back off. I don’t need to remind you of Ned, or that tomorrow is Valentine’s Day and that you should call him and work things out. I don’t need to tell you that Sam’s an older guy, and he’s probably just playing with you.”
    By now Nancy’s face was bright red. “I know you mean well, Bess, but it’s not what you think. Really. Now can we get back to the case?”
    â€œSure,” Bess agreed. But on the way over to the hotel, Nancy could tell that Bess was still preoccupied with Sam and the fact that Nancy had agreed to go out with him after Esme’s reading. Nancy tried to talk to her friend about the latest developments in the case.
    â€œI hope Esme is willing to talk to us about the restraining order she once took out againstTodd,” Nancy said, pulling out of the parking lot. “Do you think that could be the secret Todd wants Esme to leave out of Telling All?”
    â€œCould be,” Bess said.
    â€œI wonder, though. Is that enough to hurt Todd’s chances of a comeback?” Nancy asked.
    â€œSure,” Bess replied. She stared out the window at the passing scenery.
    â€œTodd has the motive to harass Esme, but his behavior isn’t as suspicious as other people’s. For example, what about Kim?” Nancy said. “She could have put the spider in Esme’s suitcase, and she wasn’t in the audience during the taping just now. She could have made that call.”
    â€œKim doesn’t seem to like Esme very much,” Bess agreed. “But what’s her motive?”
    Nancy reminded her friend about what Esme’s agent had told her about Kim’s writing career. “Kim may feel betrayed by Esme. She may think Esme isn’t delivering on her promise to help her out.”
    â€œI suppose,” Bess murmured, then said nothing for the remainder of their ride to the Barrington.
    By the time they got to the hotel, Nancy had to say something. She gave her keys to the valet, and when she and Bess were standing on the curb, Nancy said, “I feel like you’re mad at me, Bess, and I don’t understand why. Is it because of Ned? Do you think I’m not being fair to him?”
    â€œListen, Nancy,” said Bess. “I like Ned, but my problem is that I think you’re not beinghonest with yourself. If you like Sam, then go for it. Stop pretending.”
    Nancy was torn. Should she tell Bess she had been thinking about Sam that way or should she wait until she understood better how she felt?
    â€œThis is crazy!” she said out loud. “I don’t know how I feel, and you’re making it harder. What if I did like Sam? Would that be so