Nancy Clue Mysteries 3 - A Ghost in the Closet Read Online Free Page B
Author: Mabel Maney
dotted the calm surface of the crystal-clear lake.
Cherry, an Idaho girl, secretly wondered what it would be like to be a Lake Resort Nurse and spend her summers cautioning vacationers about the dangers of sunstroke, or to be a Prairie Nurse in a nifty tan uniform warning people about the hazards of grass allergies. Either job, Cherry knew, would be a challenge!
"Why, I could be happy being an Illinois Nurse," she suddenly realized. She snuck a peek at Nancy, who was leaning on the door of the car, her titian-haired mane blowing in the warm breeze. Her eyes were shut, but Cherry could tell by the contented expression on her face that she was having the very same thought!
"Golly," Cherry gulped. All day long, she had wished Jackie was with them, but now she couldn't get over how lovely Nancy looked in the warm glow of the midsummer moon. Suddenly the tender feelings she had once had for Nancy came flooding back.
Just then Nancy opened her eyes and gave Cherry a winsome smile. "Lake Merrimen is everything I said it would be, isn't it?" Nancy asked softly.
"It certainly is," Cherry enthused. "Imagine seeing for myself a Midwestern lake whose water is purported to cure chicken pox and halitosis," she cried.
"Next visit, we'll use my boat, the Swift Sleuth, and I'll take you to the spire of rock that juts up from the middle of the lake. It's called Treasure Island," Nancy promised with a twinkle in her eye.
"Now I know firsthand why they call this part of the country America's Playland," Cherry chirped. "Why, a girl could spend years exploring all its natural wonders!"
Nancy gave Cherry's hand a warm squeeze. "I was so hoping you'd say that," she sighed happily.
Golly, was Nancy asking her to stay in Illinois? To spend her life bringing comfort to sick Midwesterners? Cherry quickly fumbled about for a topic that would steer the conversation away from a future of which she was still so unsure.
"Although you explained it earlier, I still don't understand how that man managed to vanish in a puff of smoke," she began. "It simply isn't possible. Why, it defies all known laws of gravity and science!"
All he had left behind was the large black trunk now safely stowed in the trunk of Nancy's convertible, and a small pile of pink powder which Nancy had scooped up in her handkerchief and stowed in her purse for later analysis.
"While his disappearing act was certainly a clever trick, it's one any professional magician could replicate," Nancy reasoned, switching in a flash from a starry-eyed romantic to the levelheaded detective known and loved by all. She added, "Why, when I was working on The Case of the Ill-Timed Illusion, I went to Professor Casmire Cardini, the world-famous magician, for help. He taught me one important lesson: things are seldom what they seem."
"But he disappeared in a cloud of smoke," Cherry insisted. "He opened his umbrella, smoke appeared and he was gone. I saw it with my own eyes!"
At this, Nancy chuckled. "That's what makes it seem like magic," she said. "He most likely used the smoking powder as a diversion so he could slip away, change his outfit and walk out of the arena disguised as your average dog lover. It's an old illusionist's trick. In fact, I've seen stage shows where master magicians have made elephants, lions and even whole houses seemingly disappear!
"Why, Professor Cardini once demonstrated an illusion in which a woman was transformed into a man!"
"Goodness," Cherry cried. As a trained nurse, that was something she'd certainly like to see!
"Many is the time I've found a mystery to be nothing but an illusion hiding the truth. This is frequently true of cases involving ghostly hauntings," Nancy told Cherry in a modest tone.
Cherry shivered. She was by nature logical and clear-thinking, but still, the thought of ghosts sent a little shiver down her spine. She pulled her thin summer cardigan around her shoulders. Nancy, seeing her distress, put her arms around her chum and held her
Cherry, an Idaho girl, secretly wondered what it would be like to be a Lake Resort Nurse and spend her summers cautioning vacationers about the dangers of sunstroke, or to be a Prairie Nurse in a nifty tan uniform warning people about the hazards of grass allergies. Either job, Cherry knew, would be a challenge!
"Why, I could be happy being an Illinois Nurse," she suddenly realized. She snuck a peek at Nancy, who was leaning on the door of the car, her titian-haired mane blowing in the warm breeze. Her eyes were shut, but Cherry could tell by the contented expression on her face that she was having the very same thought!
"Golly," Cherry gulped. All day long, she had wished Jackie was with them, but now she couldn't get over how lovely Nancy looked in the warm glow of the midsummer moon. Suddenly the tender feelings she had once had for Nancy came flooding back.
Just then Nancy opened her eyes and gave Cherry a winsome smile. "Lake Merrimen is everything I said it would be, isn't it?" Nancy asked softly.
"It certainly is," Cherry enthused. "Imagine seeing for myself a Midwestern lake whose water is purported to cure chicken pox and halitosis," she cried.
"Next visit, we'll use my boat, the Swift Sleuth, and I'll take you to the spire of rock that juts up from the middle of the lake. It's called Treasure Island," Nancy promised with a twinkle in her eye.
"Now I know firsthand why they call this part of the country America's Playland," Cherry chirped. "Why, a girl could spend years exploring all its natural wonders!"
Nancy gave Cherry's hand a warm squeeze. "I was so hoping you'd say that," she sighed happily.
Golly, was Nancy asking her to stay in Illinois? To spend her life bringing comfort to sick Midwesterners? Cherry quickly fumbled about for a topic that would steer the conversation away from a future of which she was still so unsure.
"Although you explained it earlier, I still don't understand how that man managed to vanish in a puff of smoke," she began. "It simply isn't possible. Why, it defies all known laws of gravity and science!"
All he had left behind was the large black trunk now safely stowed in the trunk of Nancy's convertible, and a small pile of pink powder which Nancy had scooped up in her handkerchief and stowed in her purse for later analysis.
"While his disappearing act was certainly a clever trick, it's one any professional magician could replicate," Nancy reasoned, switching in a flash from a starry-eyed romantic to the levelheaded detective known and loved by all. She added, "Why, when I was working on The Case of the Ill-Timed Illusion, I went to Professor Casmire Cardini, the world-famous magician, for help. He taught me one important lesson: things are seldom what they seem."
"But he disappeared in a cloud of smoke," Cherry insisted. "He opened his umbrella, smoke appeared and he was gone. I saw it with my own eyes!"
At this, Nancy chuckled. "That's what makes it seem like magic," she said. "He most likely used the smoking powder as a diversion so he could slip away, change his outfit and walk out of the arena disguised as your average dog lover. It's an old illusionist's trick. In fact, I've seen stage shows where master magicians have made elephants, lions and even whole houses seemingly disappear!
"Why, Professor Cardini once demonstrated an illusion in which a woman was transformed into a man!"
"Goodness," Cherry cried. As a trained nurse, that was something she'd certainly like to see!
"Many is the time I've found a mystery to be nothing but an illusion hiding the truth. This is frequently true of cases involving ghostly hauntings," Nancy told Cherry in a modest tone.
Cherry shivered. She was by nature logical and clear-thinking, but still, the thought of ghosts sent a little shiver down her spine. She pulled her thin summer cardigan around her shoulders. Nancy, seeing her distress, put her arms around her chum and held her
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