014 This Side Of Evil by Carolyn Keene

Author:Carolyn Keene [Keene, Carolyn]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter

Ten

PIERRE CHERBOURG!” NANCY exclaimed.

“Well, not Mr. Cherbourg himself, of course,” the dealer added hurriedly. “I didn’t deal with him directly. Just his chauffeur—Jacques Olivier—late yesterday afternoon. Now, when can I arrange a test-drive for you?” the dealer asked smoothly. “Would today be convenient?”

“No, not today,” Nancy replied. “I have some other pressing business to attend to. I’ll call later to make the appointment.” She hung up.

“Mr. Cherbourg?” Ned and George asked in unison.

Nancy shook her head and reached for the lemonade Ned had brought. “It was the chauffeur,” she said. “The dealer lent the car to Jacques Olivier.”

“But wait, the driver had long auburn hair,” Ned reminded them.

“It could have been a wig,” Nancy replied with a shrug.

“Of course!” Ned exclaimed. “The chauffeur tried to steal Lake’s car—and when he got scared off by the alarm, he borrowed one. And then he dressed up like Lake to fool us into thinking it was her behind the wheel!”

George shook her head. “This whole thing is too confusing,” she said, frowning. “It’s giving me a headache.”

“Want to know the best cure for a headache?” Nancy asked, getting up. “Action!”

George’s frown turned suspicious. “What kind of action?”

“Come on, gang. We’re going to question a certain chauffeur!”

• • •

Jacques Olivier, Nancy learned from the personnel department at Cherbourg Industries, lived in a small white cottage behind the Cherbourg mansion. It was late afternoon by the time they got there. Nancy, with Ned and George right behind her, walked up the brick path that led to the doorstep of the cottage. To her left, Nancy could see the large garage. Inside was the Cherbourg limousine.

“I don’t hear anything,” George whispered after Nancy had knocked twice.

She knocked harder. “The car’s here,” she said. “I think he’s hiding out.”

Finally, after Nancy had knocked a fourth time, the door opened a tiny crack.

“Who is it?” Jacques asked. His voice was fearful.

“It’s Nancy Drew,” Nancy told him. “I need to talk to you.”

The door slammed shut. “Go away,” Jacques called, his voice muffled through the door. “I’m sick. I don’t want to see anybody.”

“But it’s important,” Nancy insisted. She hesitated. “If I can’t talk to you, I suppose I’ll have to go see Ms. Amberton—or maybe even Mr. Cherbourg.”

“Nancy!” George hissed. “That’s blackmail!”

“You bet,” Nancy agreed grimly. “Fight fire with fire, I always say.”

The door opened again, a little wider this time. “You wouldn’t do that, would you?” Jacques whispered.

“I will if I don’t get some answers,” Nancy replied in a firm voice. He backed up and let them in.

All the curtains and shades had been drawn. Jacques was obviously hiding out. What was he afraid of?

The chauffeur closed the door behind them. “What do you want to know?” he asked nervously.

“We want to know why you borrowed the yellow Mercedes from the Mercedes dealer,” Nancy said.

Jacques’s face paled. “But I didn’t—”

“There’s no use denying it,” Nancy told him. “We’ve already talked to the dealer. He’ll swear that you borrowed it.” She looked around. “Where’s the wig you wore when you nearly ran us down?”

Jacques sagged weakly into a chair.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.