Party weekend by Keene Carolyn

Author:Keene, Carolyn [Keene, Carolyn]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Drew, Nancy (Fictitious character) -- Fiction, Detective and mystery stories, Bazaars (Charities) -- Fiction, Mystery and detective stories, Nancy (Fictitious character)
ISBN: 9780671527587
Publisher: New York : Pocket Books
Published: 1996-04-08T19:00:00+00:00

ChApTER

Okay, boys, hold on to your wallets,” Nancy warned kiddingly. “Here comes the blackjack queen.”

Nancy smiled as she approached the middle blackjack table, winking at Billy. Her gaze lingered on Sam’s face. He returned her smile, chuckling.

“The competition was definitely getting too male,” he said.

Jake looked annoyed and pushed away from the table, giving Nancy his seat.

Nancy made a big show of cracking her knuckles and limbering up her neck. “Ready,” she announced, and Billy passed around the cards. Five minutes later Jake was nodding behind her shoulder.

“You’re much better at this than I am,” he admitted. “I lost twenty dollars in five minutes. You’ve only lost ten.”

Nancy patted his hand. “That’s because women are innately more intelligent than men,” she explained soothingly. “Wouldn’t you agree,” she asked Sam.

“Sam Porter,” he replied. He swept his hand over his neatly stacked towers of chips. “But I’m not sure I can agree with you.”

“Yes, well, sometimes getting the money is only the beginning,” Nancy suggested meaningfully. “What happens to it afterward is much more interesting.”

Sam didn’t miss a beat. “I agree. The fun only starts when you win.”

Nancy smiled, but she still couldn’t see a thing. What was Sam up to?

“Another?” he asked as he cleaned up on yet another hand.

Without commenting, Nancy leveled an inquiring look at him. He raised his eyes, matching the intensity of her gaze, but Nancy held steady. Sam blinked and slid his eyes away.

What are you up to? Nancy wanted to know. And how? Why? He obviously has plenty of money. Enough for a five-hundred-dollar ticket. He’s a wealthy man’s son.

Sam lost the next hand to Nancy, though she noticed he’d staked only the minimum, two dol-

lars. “Wow, you lost two dollars!” she cried with mock horror, eyeing his pile of hundreds.

“Congratulations,” he joked.

Jack and Glenn had appeared behind Sam. Glenn leaned down and whispered something in Sam’s ear. Sam nodded, checked his watch, and shrugged. “I’ll cash out now, thank you,” he said to Billy.

Billy’s jaw dropped, and he glanced at Nancy. The crowd began to murmur, and a couple of people even started to boo.

Nancy didn’t get it. Why stop now? she wondered.

“But the evening is young,” she said. “/ certainly wouldn’t stop if I were you.”

Sam chuckled. “But you’re not me, are you?”

Thankfully, Nancy replied in her head.

Sam sighed. “I have places to go, people to see. I appreciated the opportunity to hone my card-playing skills. Thank you.”

Sam slid off his stool and waded into the crowd.

“You’re welcome,” Jake grumbled after Sam was out of earshot.

“Well, excuse me if Fm not,” Nancy replied.

“But I’m glad that’s over,” Jake said. “Now, let’s forget about him and his small band of flunkies, and dance. Ray’s not going to play forever.”

“He was doing something with those cards,”

Nancy said intensely, staring at the table. The crowd had thinned out. She lifted her eyes and watched Sam until he’d stepped through the exit and out of Hewlitt into the night.

“It’s over,” Jake replied. “Done. Forget it.”

“I can’t,” she said.

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