Читать книгу The Case Of The Good-For-Nothing Girlfriend - Mabel Maney - Страница 11

“I’m gonna have to push this thing to town,” Midge declared as she slammed the hood of the car in disgust.

Cherry quickly consulted the map of Idaho she always carried in her purse. If her calculations were correct, downtown Pocatello was only a few miles away. “We’ll get there before it’s completely dark,” she was pleased to note.

Before Midge could start pushing, Cherry jumped into the back seat and grabbed her travel first-aid kit. She wanted it to be in easy reach in case Midge hurt herself.

Midge had to grin when she saw the attractive girl emerge holding the white metal box with the red cross emblazoned on the side. Every time Midge saw the comely, dark-haired nurse, she was amazed at the resemblance the girl had to her own Velma. In fact, the two looked so much alike that one night just eight days earlier, Midge had found herself in the embarrassing position of pinching the wrong girl! Luckily, besides being a first-rate registered nurse and crackerjack detective, Cherry had turned out to be a good sport as well.

While Cherry was girlish in every sense of the word, Midge disguised her more feminine attributes with a cool attitude. She was frankly passionate about two things and two things only: her cocker spaniel Eleanor, left at home in Warm Springs, Oregon, and “the other love of my life,” the beautiful, curvaceous Velma, who had hopped back into the car and was at this very moment using the rearview mirror to refresh her lipstick and run a comb through her shoulder-length, shiny black hair, styled in an attractive page boy.

Midge snapped back to reality just in time to hear Nancy and Cherry chorus in alarm, “Where’s Lauren? We can’t possibly go until Lauren gets here! Where could she be?”

Midge flushed a little. “A while ago she expressed an interest in the natural beauty of our surroundings, so I suggested she take a walk,” she admitted. “But I warned her not to go too far from the car,” Midge added with concern in her voice. She called for their young friend, but there was no answer. “Everyone stay here,” Midge ordered. “I’ll go get her.” She ground out her cigarette under the heel of her black penny loafers, kissed Velma good-bye, and strode off.

Cherry busied herself tidying the car, Nancy sneaked behind a bush to change into a fresh outfit, and Velma hopped up on the hood of the automobile and began applying a coat of polish to her long, tapered fingernails.

“Aren’t you at all worried?” Cherry wondered as she brushed cookie crumbs from the white leather interior of the snappy convertible. She was frankly amazed at Velma’s cool demeanor. “Lauren’s lost, we’re stuck on some back road, and, only moments ago, Nancy was on the verge of near-hysteria!” Cherry cried.

Velma grinned and patted the spot next to her. Cherry hopped up.

“Relax,” Velma said kindly, squeezing Cherry’s arm. She rummaged through her purse and tossed a bottle of Pearly Pink nail polish in Cherry’s lap. “Those girls of ours are always involved in some little adventure, aren’t they?” she added conspiratorially.

Cherry smiled. Velma was right. She hadn’t thought about the consequences of being in love with someone as busy as a famous girl detective. She hoped she was up to the task! “How did you get so wise?” Cherry blurted out. “About people, I mean?”

“I’ve lived with Midge for eleven years,” Velma laughed. “Honey, I could write a book!” The two girls laughed merrily. “You know what I think is the cutest thing?” Velma added with a chuckle. “I realized today that Lauren is turning into a miniature version of Midge!”

“It’s true,” Cherry agreed. “Earlier, when we stopped for sodas, I watched Lauren walking toward the car and thought, she’s beginning to walk like Midge.”

“That strut’s kind of cute on a kid, don’t you think?” Velma grinned. Then she got a dreamy look in her eyes. “When I see Lauren, with her scruffy clothes, tough attitude, and bossy ways, I think, that’s what Midge must have been like as a young girl. I wish I had known her then, before five years in that women’s prison made her so—”

“What do you think of this color on me?” Cherry cried loudly, cutting Velma off. “Do you think this particular shade of pink polish really complements my dress?” She flung her hands about, trying to warn Velma that Nancy was headed their way. Velma got the hint. Cherry was trying to keep unpleasant topics out of earshot of the distraught detective.

“I think that color is you, Cherry,” Velma said enthusiastically. “Oh, hi, Nancy, you’re back.”

“We were just discussing nail polish,” Cherry explained. She gave her chum a quick peck on the cheek. “What do you think of this color?” Cherry asked, holding out one hand. Nancy agreed with Velma that the pale pink polish looked especially nice with Cherry’s pink taffeta outfit. “You do look good in pink, Cherry,” Nancy said.

Cherry blushed prettily at the praise. “And you look enchanting in that full-skirted, sleeveless, paisley-print, silk chiffon summer dinner dress you’ve selected! It’s darling! And I love that beaded sweater you’ve casually tossed over your shoulders. It looks like you’re ready for a gay evening.”

“I’m afraid my summer straw bag isn’t nearly fancy enough for this outfit,” Nancy admitted ruefully. It was the only purse she had with her! “Imagine forgetting to pack a dressy purse! What must I have been thinking?”

Cherry tried to steer Nancy away from serious topics. “I love your pearls!” she enthused, taking a closer look at the luminescent beads around Nancy’s neck. “You have so many nice things,” Cherry gushed, remembering the sapphire and diamond starburst brooch and earring set Nancy had worn the night they met.

“Hannah insisted I pack my portable jewelry case,” Nancy explained, pointing to her purse, where she kept the small white leather case with its assortment of fine jewelry and some fun costume accessories, besides. Her face suddenly grew grim, and the sparkle went out of her pretty blue eyes. Cherry knew she was thinking of Hannah, whose only jewelry now was a prison identification bracelet. She quickly tried to change the subject.

“Brrr, it’s getting chilly, isn’t it?” Cherry cried. She buttoned her sweater all the way up to her chin and rubbed her hands together. But her thin cotton sweater proved to be poor protection against the evening mountain air.

“Let’s see if I’ve got something warmer,” Nancy said. She went to the trunk of the car and removed the largest of her three-piece powder blue travel set. She snapped open the suitcase. “Velma, this black cashmere topper coat will look nice with that yellow sheath you’re wearing,” she said. The hip-length coat fit Velma to a tee. “And, Cherry, this is a little dressy for your summer frock, but it will keep you warm,” Nancy said as she handed Cherry a pink wool coat with dolman sleeves and a big shawl collar. Nancy shrugged on an old red car coat, explaining ruefully, “It’s this or a brocade evening stole.”

Cherry stared in amazement at Nancy’s suitcase, which was stuffed with all sorts of fashionable frocks and gay accessories. Cherry had left home in such a hurry, she hadn’t had time to pack any spare outfits, and she was frankly nervous about having to wear her lovely taffeta frock with its dressy shirred skirt and tight-fitting bodice, all the way to Illinois. Taffeta wrinkled so!

“Help yourself to anything in there, Cherry,” Nancy offered. “While your dress is pretty as pie, it might not be the best travel get-up. Besides, the weather can be capricious, and to be really comfortable while traveling, one should be equipped with two sets of day clothes and warm evening togs.”

“You mean I can wear anything in this suitcase?” Cherry exclaimed. Why, outside of a department store, she had never seen so many lovely things! Cherry squealed in delight when Nancy shook the wrinkles out of a red and white polka dot sleeveless cotton frock and handed it to her.

“Pair this with my white broadcloth jacket, lined in red satin, and a red cinch belt, and you’ve got a summer classic,” Nancy pointed out. “Or, if you’d like something more playful, how about a rickrack-trimmed, bright cotton broomstick skirt, perfect for patio parties? Or don this black linen scoop-neck sheath with a simple strand of pearls, and you’re ready for a night at the symphony.”

Cherry grew wide-eyed with wonder as she surveyed the contents of Nancy’s suitcase. A sea green creamy crepe dress with a tulle stole; long and short soft gloves in the three most necessary colors; piles of cool, zip-up-the-back ladylike shirtwaists with matching belts and coordinating handkerchiefs; stylishly simple linen shifts with matching shortie jackets lined in satin; full-skirted sundresses just right for gay summer frolics; and shoe bags stuffed with velvety mules, satiny sandals, foldable flats, canvas espadrilles, ankle-strap high heels, and cork-soled sandals with uppers of soft calf.

Cherry fingered a deliciously soft, snow white angora sweater set with matching pearlized buttons—the exact same one she secretly longed for each time her birthday rolled around, but had never been lucky enough to receive. And there was one each in minty green, pale pink, creamy yellow, powder blue, luscious lavender, and sophisticated black, too.

“I’m afraid I was in somewhat of a tizzy when I packed,” Nancy explained in a bemused manner. “Some of these things are last year’s fashions!”

But Cherry was too busy to pay any attention. She wondered what it was like to have an angora sweater set for each day of the week. Suddenly her pink taffeta frock, which had seemed so daring and sophisticated two years ago when her mother had made it, now seemed downright dowdy!

“I may not have Nancy’s nice things, but I do have one thing that is never out of fashion,” she realized. “I have something I wouldn’t trade a suitcase full of matching angora sweater sets for—the proud uniform of a registered nurse!

“Besides, when I’m wearing my whites, I never have to worry about looking out of place,” she consoled herself as she stroked the soft angora sweaters. “My crisp uniform, cunning cape, and perky cap draw admiring glances wherever I go!”

Cherry swelled with pride as she thought of her car-trip uniform tucked securely in the bottom of her travel first-aid kit, next to a freshly polished pair of sturdy white shoes and an extra cap. Nurse Cherry Aimless was ready to swing into action the minute the call to duty came!

She almost reached for the uniform right then and there when she saw Midge and Lauren walking toward the car and realized with alarm that Midge was all bent over! To Cherry’s great relief, it soon became clear that Midge was doubled over because she was carrying a big rock and not because she had hurt herself. “Phew!” Cherry thought.

“Guess what we’ve got?” Midge groaned as she unceremoniously dropped the small boulder on the ground next to the girls.

“Midge, be careful!” Lauren hollered.

“It’s just a big dumb rock,” Midge shot back. “You can’t hurt it.”

“Can, too!” Lauren argued as she carefully placed her armload of smaller, yellow stones on the rear floor of the convertible before running to retrieve the large rock. “This is a fine specimen of a serpentine rock, and I don’t want it chipped,” she said, polishing the dark green, white-veined rock with the sleeve of her dirty red sweatshirt.

“She was mountain-climbing and wouldn’t come down until I agreed to let her bring some of the Pocatello Peaks with her,” Midge explained. She stared at Velma’s new coat with keen interest. “This is nice,” she murmured to Velma, stroking the front of her thick, luxurious wool coat. “Did you girls go shopping while we were gone?” Midge joked.

Just then, Cherry noticed the glare of oncoming headlights about a quarter mile down the road. “There’s a car coming our way,” she yelled, adding, “Maybe they’ll give us a ride to town, and Midge won’t have to push the car after all.”

They turned on their headlights and honked excitedly so the driver would see them, but, to their utter amazement, the middle-aged man wearing dark glasses and a straw hat pulled low over his face zoomed past!

“Yoo hoo! Help!” Cherry yelled as she raced after the dusty brown Impala. The woman in the passenger seat turned around, and Cherry got a good look at her frightfully over-bleached hair, garish red head scarf, and white plastic sunglasses before the car picked up speed, leaving the girls in a cloud of dust.

“How terribly rude!” Cherry cried as she took a clean hankie from her purse and wiped her face. “I know they saw us! Why, that woman looked straight at me!”

“When we get to River Depths, I’ll have Police Chief Chumley run a check on all known dusty brown Impalas,” Nancy said hotly. “I’ll bet they’ve many outstanding traffic citations. Someone needs to explain the rules of the road to them.”

The episode had lit a fire in Nancy. She traded her cork-soled wedge sandals for a pair of ballerina flats and positioned herself behind the car.

“Heave ho, girls!” she cried.