Jules if this formula is an exact match of the formula for the perfume?
âGood idea,â Nancy agreed. âWe still donât know if Louis is connected to the sabotage, either.â
While Bess and Eloise finished searching the office, Nancy tiptoed out to the reception area and made a copy of the formulas on the photocopy machine behind the receptionistâs desk.
When Nancy returned, she could see that her aunt appeared nervous. âWeâve been here an awfully long time,â Eloise said. âShouldnât weââ
Her hand flew to her mouth as the doorknob to the office rattled. âOh, my!â she whispered. A moment later they all heard the sound of a key being inserted in the lock.
âHide!â Nancy whispered urgently.
Eloise and Bess dashed for the closet while Nancy ducked under the desk. Nancyâs heart pounded in her chest as the door opened. Then a voice muttered, âUh-oh, forgot the vacuum cleaner.â
Nancy let out a sigh of relief as the door closed again and the personâs footsteps receded downthe hallway. âIt was the cleaning lady,â she whispered to Bess and her aunt. âLetâs get out of here before she comes back.â
They quickly returned the test tubes and formulas to Louis Clarkâs desk drawer. Then, slipping the copy of the formulas in her pocket, Nancy led the way back out to the housewares department. A muffled announcement told them that Clarkâs was about to close, so the three blended in with the crowd exiting the store.
âMy, that was a close one!â Nancyâs aunt said once they were out on the street. âI donât know about you two, but all of this excitement has made me hungry again.â
Bess pointed to Los Amigos restaurant down the street. âHow about Mexican?â she suggested. âI want nachos, tacos, the works.â
Nancy grinned at her friend. Bess was cheerful and hungryâshe seemed to be back to her old self. Things were definitely looking up!
â¢Â â¢Â â¢
âItâs too bad Eloise decided not to come to the club with us,â Bess said as she and Nancy entered Inverted later that night.
âI guess the club scene just isnât for her,â Nancy said, speaking loudly to be heard above the pulsing rock music. âBesides, she said herself that she was too exhausted by all our snooping around to do anything else tonight.â
After dinner, Eloise had taken a cab back to her apartment, stopping first to drop off the girlsat Inverted, a club in a deserted warehouse area. Now, after checking their coats, Nancy and Bess paused to look around the club.
There were pink plastic tables, and billowy taffeta curtains covered the walls of the large room. The place looked as if it had once been a garage for a trucking companyâseveral steel garage doors remained, blending in with the eclectic decor. A long bar stretched against one wall, and the tables were scattered around the dance floor. Platforms with more tables had been constructed at various levels, with industrial metal staircases leading up to them. Women wearing glittering dresses and men in suits stood side by side with teenagers with dyed hair and leather jackets.
âLook, thereâs Dan,â Bess said, pointing.
Nancy recognized Jillâs dark-haired assistant. He was up on one of the platforms, sitting with Bonnie and several other people. Neil was also there, talking to the actress Pam Hart. Nancy didnât see Jill or Greg Willow, though.
The two girls made their way across the club and up the stairs to the platform. At a distance they saw Jules Langley and his father. Several hellos sounded out, and Dan stood up and asked Bess to dance with him. Nancy sat down next to Neil.
âHi. Howâs everything?â she asked.
âBusy.â Neil ran his hand through his brown hair. âJillâs still back in her office at the store.Thereâs some problem
Legs McNeil, Jennifer Osborne, Peter Pavia