The Case of the Artful Crime (4 page)

“I see your point,” Nancy said. “Do the firefighters know how the fire started?”

“No, but they think it started with the linens in the cabinet,” Shawn replied.

“Those linens burst into flame awfully fast,” Nancy said, remembering that she and Bess had only stepped away for a minute or two when the fire started. “I'll bet they were soaked with something. I didn't smell gasoline, lighter fluid, or kerosene, though.”

Shawn pushed one hand through his sandy hair
and sighed. “It's pretty mysterious, all right. Another attack from the phantom restaurant wrecker.”

“It sure sounds that way,” Nancy agreed.

Shawn ran his finger along a countertop. It came up black with soot. “What a day this has been,” he said despondently, wiping his hand on a napkin. “I was counting on two things to make this place a success. One of them was good reviews. Then the biggest reviewer around, Harold Brackett, gets a mouthful of hot
wasabi
for lunch.”

“He said he'd be back,” Nancy reminded Shawn. “What else were you counting on?”

Shawn sighed. “The Dragon's Eye Ruby.”

“The
what?”
Nancy asked.

Shawn pulled out a chair and sat down. “Don't you remember that monster ruby Gary Powell gave Stella Davis the third time they remarried?”

“I don't usually follow all that celebrity stuff,” Nancy said, shaking her head.

“Well, this ruby is the granddaddy of all rubies,” Shawn told her. “It's worth a fortune. When the couple divorced again, they sold the ruby. It was bought by Felice Wainwright.”

“Really?” Nancy said, impressed. She'd never met Felice Wainwright, but she knew of her. Her aristocratic face and sleek blond hair frequently appeared in the society pages of the River Heights papers. She was one of the area's wealthiest women and lived in a Victorian mansion not far from the Arizona House.

“So how does the ruby fit into your plans?” Nancy asked.

“Well,” Shawn replied, “it seems that Mrs. Wain-wright has decided to auction off the ruby in order to fund some of her pet charities. Jewelers and anyone else interested in purchasing the ruby will be flying in from all over the country to attend the auction—along with the big preauction dinner Mrs. Wainwright is throwing this Saturday.”

“And the dinner is being held here,” Nancy supplied excitedly. “How wonderful for you.”

Shawn sighed. “Yes, it could put the Arizona House on the map. But I'll be ruined if it's a disaster. And if things keep going the way they have, it
will
be a disaster. If Mrs. Wainwright gets wind of things, she might cancel the dinner, and that alone could drive me out of business. I've already ordered pounds of lobsters and cases of the finest champagne on credit, counting on the money from this dinner to pay the bill.”

“I just read something about Felice Wainwright,” Nancy said slowly, trying to remember what it was. “Didn't someone trip her alarm the other night?”

“I read that, too,” Shawn said, nodding. “The intruder didn't get anything, and no one was caught. Maybe it was just a malfunction in the alarm. Rumor has it that Mrs. Wainwright had a super high-tech security system installed at her home just to protect the ruby.”

Bess suddenly reappeared and joined Shawn and
Nancy. “Everybody's been called,” she told Shawn. “Is it okay if Nancy and I leave?”

“Sure,” he said. “See you ladies tomorrow. I have to go upstairs and make a few phone calls. I need to contact a professional clean-up crew right away. It'll be nearly impossible to get the smoke smell out of the restaurant.” Shawn headed to the front hallway, where a stairway led to his office upstairs.

Bess turned to Nancy. “Can I get a lift from you?” she asked. “That way I won't have to bug Mom to come pick me up.”

“Sure,” Nancy said, wincing suddenly as she swallowed. “Did that smoke make your throat sore? Mine is killing me.”

“Mine, too,” Bess agreed as they walked toward the front door.

The girls were just about to leave when Bess stopped short. “Oh, I almost forgot the best part of this job! Today's payday. Shawn keeps our paychecks in his office. I'll be right back.”

“I'll go with you,” Nancy said. “It will give me a chance to see the upstairs.”

Halfway up the narrow stairs, Nancy grabbed Bess by the arm. “Listen,” she said. Raised voices were coming from the closed office door at the top of the stairs. “That sounds like Loreen.”

Passing Bess, Nancy hurried toward the door and cocked her ear to listen. “Would you please calm down?” she heard Shawn say.

Loreen clearly had no intention of calming down. Her voice grew louder and more shrill with every word she spoke. “You've ruined my life with your lies,” Loreen shouted angrily. “You'll be sorry you did all of this to me. I'll make you pay, Shawn Morgan, no matter what!”

Nancy stepped aside as the door suddenly swung open and Loreen stormed out. Barely noticing her or Bess, Loreen ran down the stairs.

“Loreen!” Shawn called from the doorway. Then, with a start, he realized Bess and Nancy were standing outside his office.

“Uh, I came for my pay,” Bess said, smiling feebly.

“Sure, of course. Come on in,” Shawn said, looking shaken.

“We couldn't help overhearing,” Nancy said as she followed Bess into Shawn's small, plain office. “I thought you said Loreen had no reason to be angry at you?”

“She doesn't,” Shawn insisted, sighing deeply. “Though I suppose she might think she does.”

“What happened?” Nancy prodded.

Shawn shrugged. “She's still mad that I hired you.”

Bess blinked. “All those fireworks over a new waitress?”

“There's a little more to it,” Shawn admitted. “Loreen and I met when I was in culinary school out in Arizona. We fell in love and got engaged. She came to River Heights with me three months ago when I bought the restaurant. Loreen was a big help, and things were great for a while. Then I saw a side of Loreen I couldn't deal with.”

“What side was that?” Nancy asked.

“Her insecure, jealous side,” Shawn replied darkly. “Every time I hired a waitress, Loreen was sure I wanted to go out with her. Nothing I said could convince her it was strictly business.”

“Was
it always business?” Nancy asked. She smiled apologetically at Shawn's shocked expression. “Sorry, but I think I should know for the sake of the case.”

“Always,” Shawn said firmly. “Loreen had no reason for suspicion, but she drove me so crazy with her constant jealousy that I broke off the engagement.”

“So that's why she's so angry,” Bess filled in.

“I'm afraid so,” Shawn said. “I've tried to make her see that it's best for both of us. We'll never be happy together if she doesn't trust me.”

“Why does she stay on?” Nancy asked. “It must be uncomfortable for you both.”

“She wants to go back to Arizona, but no one seems to be hiring out there right now. And Loreen doesn't know anyone in River Heights besides me. All her family and friends are in Arizona. I think she's saving up to go back. That's one of the reasons I don't have the heart to fire her. Besides, Loreen's a great head waitress. For three months, she's put all her energy into helping me get set up.” Shawn sighed. “I know she still thinks of this restaurant as part hers. It would have been if we married.”

“Is Loreen angry enough to destroy your business?” Nancy asked pointedly.

“I really don't think so,” Shawn replied. “Loreen isn't the vengeful type, despite what you may have just heard.”

“On the other hand,” Bess pointed out, “she has the chance to destroy the place from inside.”

Nancy nodded. “Where was Loreen before and during the fire?” she asked Shawn.

“She was in my office from the time you spoke to her until just before the fire,” Shawn answered.

Bess looked at Nancy. “That
would
make it hard for her to set a fire.”

“True,” Nancy had to admit. “I'll just have to keep my eyes open and see what turns up. Is there anyone else who might have a grudge against you? What about Jack or Elliot?”

“Why are you asking about them?” Shawn questioned.

“They were the last ones in the kitchen before the fire,” Nancy reminded him.

Shawn's eyes wandered to the ceiling as he thought. “Elliot . . . no. I can't think of any reason. And I did Jack a favor when I gave him the job. He needed work. So I don't think he would be angry with me. Just the opposite, really.”

“I guess I'll have to keep my eyes open, then,” Nancy concluded.

“I appreciate all of this,” Shawn said, handing Bess her pay envelope.

At that moment, Roy came to the door. “Shawn, I wanted you to know something,” the bartender said. “When Loreen had us doing inventory, I discovered that I'm short two bottles of vodka. Somebody's pilfering your liquor.”

“What next?” Shawn groaned, shaking his head.

Nancy suddenly felt weary. The smoke she'd inhaled had given her a headache, and the soreness in her throat was growing worse. After Roy left, she said, “I'll get to the bottom of this tomorrow. Right now, I think I need to rest.”

“Good idea,” Shawn agreed. “See you then.”

Bess and Nancy went down the stairs and headed out to the parking lot. As Nancy slipped behind the steering wheel, she couldn't believe how much had happened in so little time. It was only a quarter to seven and still light outside.

“So what do you make of all this?” Bess asked, strapping herself into the passenger seat.

“Right now, it could be anybody,” Nancy said as she started the car. “Maybe Shawn himself has been doing these things.”

“No way!” Bess cried.

“If he's in financial trouble, he might set fire to his own place to collect the insurance money,” Nancy said with a shrug. “Or maybe he's setting this whole thing up so that if he
does
torch the restaurant, it will look like this mystery culprit is responsible.”

“Shawn is the sweetest guy, Nancy. How can you suspect him?” Bess said, frowning.

Nancy pulled the car out of the lot. “Bess, I'm sorry, but everyone is a suspect until the case is solved. You know that.”

As Nancy headed toward Bess's house, neither she nor Bess spoke. Both girls were lost in their private thoughts.

Then Bess began to talk about George Fayne, her cousin and Nancy's good friend. “It's too bad George isn't here,” Bess said. “She usually has some good ideas. I hope she's having fun on that camping trip.” She shuddered. “Hiking through the wilderness sounds like torture to me, but George was actually excited about it, can you believe it. . . . ”

As Bess went on, Nancy was only half listening. Something was bothering her, like a gentle tapping on her brain. “The vodka!” she suddenly exclaimed.

“What?” Bess asked, her brows furrowed.

“If someone threw vodka on those linens and then lit them, they'd go right up in flames. And vodka has a mild smell. It would be hard to detect.”

“Oh, you mean the missing vodka,” Bess said, catching on.

“The linens would have had to be soaked right before the fire. Then the culprit would simply have to walk by and toss in a match,” Nancy went on.

“Sounds like a good theory to me,” Bess agreed. “Wouldn't a person dumping vodka on linens be pretty obvious, though?”

“Not if they did it right after Jack and Elliot left. We were busy in the back, and there was no one else in the kitchen,” Nancy pointed out. “Or Jack could have done it after Elliot left.”

“Jack and Elliot could be working together,” Bess suggested. “But Elliot doesn't seem the type. Jack does, though. What a grouch!”

As she continued to drive, Nancy noticed the Wainwright mansion sitting high atop a hill. She recognized it from a picture she'd seen in the River Heights newspaper. Gabled roofs and two rounded towers topped the third floor. On the bottom floor was a wraparound porch. Small balconies adorned the second floor windows. Although the house was over one hundred years old, it was well kept, with a fresh coat of white paint and manicured landscaping.

“Wouldn't you just love to be super rich?” Bess asked with a sigh as they drove past.

“I guess,” Nancy said, never having given the idea much thought. Then she filled Bess in on what Shawn had told her about the Dragon's Eye Ruby.

“You'd better get to the bottom of this mystery
fast,” Bess said as Nancy pulled up in front of the Marvins' house. “Shawn will be ruined for sure if Saturday night's dinner is a flop.”

“I know,” Nancy agreed. “It sounds as if he's in over his head. The only way to bail him out is by solving this case before Saturday. And it's already Tuesday night.”

After Nancy had dropped off Bess, she continued home. The house was empty, cool, and quiet. Hannah Gruen, the housekeeper who had lived with the Drews since Nancy's mother had died when she was a child, had taken the week off to visit a friend in Chicago. As usual, Carson Drew was working late at the office.

Nancy showered, then crawled into bed and fell asleep. When she awoke a few hours later, the red digital numbers on her clock said ten-fifteen. Pulling on her robe, Nancy went downstairs, where she found her father reading on the couch in the living room.

“Are you okay?” he asked when he saw Nancy. “It's not like you to take a nap.”

Nancy sat down and told him all that had gone on earlier that evening in the restaurant. “The smoke made me a little sick, but I feel fine now.”

“Be careful, Nancy,” her father said, frowning. “This person isn't fooling around.”

“I'll use extra caution,” she assured him.