Wings of Fear by Carolyn Keene

Author:Carolyn Keene
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Simon Pulse

Chapter

Nine

THE TWO GIRLS stared at the empty suitcase. “Who could have taken it?” Miranda asked.

Nancy had a few ideas about who—but she kept them to herself.

Miranda’s cries had woken Jennifer and Bess. They came running to her bedroom. “What’s going on?” Jennifer demanded.

“Our smugglers have discovered we’re on to them,” Nancy said grimly. “Someone stole the vase from Miranda’s suitcase.”

“Who? How?” Jennifer looked frightened.

“I don’t know.”

“But who knew about the vase besides us and Sean?” Miranda asked.

“Mr. Talbot knew,” Jennifer said. “But he’s on our side.” At Nancy’s silence, she asked, “Well, isn’t he? I mean, he is the president.”

“We can’t rule out anyone at this point.” Nancy tried to sound matter-of-fact.

“The president of the airline?” Jennifer looked at Nancy as if she’d lost her mind. “Come on. Why would he risk everything he’s worked for?”

“Power. Money,” Nancy answered. “It’s just a theory.”

“Yeah, but your theories have a way of becoming fact,” Bess pointed out. “I bet it is Mr. Talbot.”

But Nancy’s thoughts had turned to Grant Sweeney. In his presence she’d mentioned Chinese vases in general. But she hadn’t said that Rod had given one to Miranda. Would Grant have searched their apartment in the hopes of finding the vase on that slim bit of information? Or had he learned from Mr. Talbot that Miranda had the vase? That is, if he did take it, she reminded herself.

“I don’t like this,” Miranda said, wrapping her arms around herself and looking nervously over her shoulder.

“That vase was the only solid piece of evidence we had, and now it’s gone.” Nancy sighed. “It must have been the real thing after all. The smugglers brought it in from the Orient. And Rod probably lifted it from an illegal shipment, then gave it to Miranda.”

“Could we talk about this in the morning?” Bess asked, stifling a yawn. “I’m bushed, and my first day in the air is tomorrow.”

The others agreed and went to bed also.

• • •

Nancy spent most of the next morning going over the Victory printouts. Around noon she drove to the airport. She wanted to check with Blake Maxell about who had enough pull in the company to organize a smuggling ring and keep it under wraps.

She was going to ask Celia where his office was, but stopped short when she saw the man himself, talking to Celia at the flight desk.

“You can’t afford to make mistakes like that,” he was saying in a flat, hard tone. “One more time and you’re fired!”

Celia looked about ready to cry. “I’m sorry, Mr. Maxell,” she answered. “The computer went down while I was changing the reservation. By the time it came back up again, the seats were gone.”

“I told you to make that reservation yesterday! You should have done it the instant I told you to!”

“I—I know.”

“Book me another flight to New York as soon as possible. See if you can manage that without making a mistake.”

He stalked off toward the door to the offices.

Nancy walked quickly up to the counter. “That was Blake Maxell?” she asked, inclining her head in the direction Maxell had just taken.

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