Danger on Parade Read Online Free Page A

Marvin,” Bess spoke into the receiver. After a short pause, she said, “Hi Jill, it’s Bess. I just realized I lost my sunglasses, and I think maybe I left them there. I was wondering if you could—”
    Bess stopped speaking. She had a confused expression on her face. “Um, s-sure. I’ll be right there.”
    â€œBess, what is it?” Nancy whispered.
    Bess slowly hung up the phone. She looked as if she were in shock.
    â€œBess, is everything okay?” Nancy asked. “What did Jill say?”
    â€œI told her that I left my sunglasses, and then she—I—” Bess broke off and covered her face with her hands. When she finally looked at Nancy, two thin tracks of tears stained her cheeks.
    â€œNancy, the detectives think the explosion at the warehouse was deliberate.” Bess swallowed hard before continuing. “They want to question me right away!”

Chapter

Three
    N ANCY STARED AT B ESS in disbelief. “They want to question you?” she echoed. “Bess, there has to be a mistake. Are you sure you heard her right?”
    â€œI’m positive,” Bess said, obviously distressed. “The police think I may have caused the explosion!”
    â€œI’m sure it’s all a misunderstanding. We’ll straighten it out when we get there,” Nancy said, giving Bess a quick hug. “They probably just want to ask if you saw anything odd.”
    During the taxi ride to Brooklyn, Bess stared silently out the window. When they arrived at the warehouse, Neil and Jill were talking to a heavy-set, gray-haired officer on the sidewalk outside the building. Two younger officers were checking to make sure the police barriers were in place.Except for two police cars, all the other emergency vehicles had gone. The fire was out, but a terrible smoky smell hung in the air.
    â€œDetective Green, this is Bess Marvin and Nancy Drew,” Jill introduced the girls to the older man. Lines of worry were etched into Jill’s brow.
    â€œMs. Marvin?” the detective asked, running a finger over his bushy gray mustache.
    When Bess nodded, the detective reached into his pocket and pulled out a plastic bag containing the charred remains of a pair of sunglasses and a book of matches from the River Heights Café. “Are these yours?” he asked.
    â€œYes,” Bess answered slowly. “How did you—?”
    â€œBess, I told them they were yours. I remembered them from the car ride,” Jill explained.
    â€œI—I don’t know how you have them,” Bess said, looking confused. “They must have fallen out of my bag.”
    Detective Green gave Bess a dubious look. He stepped over to one of the police cars and returned with a second plastic bag. This one contained a charred red-and-white plastic box with a timer attached. Nancy stared at the box in surprise. It had to be the timer that had been used to set off the explosion!
    â€œHave you ever seen this before?” the detective asked Bess.
    â€œNo. Never,” Bess replied, shaking her head.She looked as if she was about to cry. Nancy couldn’t remain silent any longer.
    â€œDetective, Bess was with me all day long,” she said, stepping forward. “I’ve known her almost my whole life, and she would never do anything like this.” She pointed at the bag with Bess’s glasses in it. “Besides, what do Bess’s sunglasses have to do with the explosion?”
    The detective shot Nancy a glare that said he didn’t appreciate her intervention. Neil Steem stepped forward and explained. “They were found lying near the acetylene torches, Nancy,” he told her.
    â€œThey must have dropped out of Bess’s bag when she fell near the tanks earlier,” Nancy explained.
    The detective jotted a few words in his notepad, then shifted his gaze back to Bess. “Ms. Marvin, why don’t you tell me everywhere you’ve been