“Then you don’t actually know that she was here,” Nancy pointed out. “Think carefully. This could be important.”
“I see that,” Ms. Bowers said. “Well, I didn’t actually see her in bed, but when I went to the kitchen for a glass of milk, I noticed a glass and bowl in the dish rack, still wet. Cindy believes in letting dishes air-dry.” Ms. Bowers rolled her eyes. “It’s one of her little quirks.”
Nancy worked through her thoughts out loud. “So she apparently had a snack at about—what time did you get home?”
“Shortly after eleven,” Ms. Bowers replied.
“And Cindy was already gone when you got up this morning?” Bess asked.
Ms. Bowers nodded. “That’s right. The door to her room was open, and the bed was made,” she said. “Cindy likes to get up early and go for a run along the lake, so I assumed that that was what she had done. When she didn’t come back, I assumed she’d gone straight to the studio. The first hint I had that anything was wrong was when Charmaine called.
“I immediately called the police and the local hospitals,” Ms. Bowers went on, sounding more upset. “But they had no news of her. I called her mother in River Heights, but she hadn’t heard from Cindy, either. Do you think—”
She broke off at the sound of a key in the door lock. Bess and Nancy looked around.
For a moment Nancy thought it was Cindy coming home. The girl in the doorway was tall and slim, like Cindy, and had shoulder-length hair of almost the same honey blond color. But up close, Nancy saw that this girl’s face was quite different—narrower and sharper.
When she saw Nancy and Bess, the girl halted and frowned. “Come in, Gayle,” Ms. Bowers called. “Come meet Cindy’s friends. Is that Jason there with you?”
Gayle strolled into the living room, followed by a broad-shouldered guy with short-cut sandy hair. He tossed three shopping bags from Michigan Avenue department stores onto a nearby chair.
Nancy glanced over at Bess and caught a flash of envy on her face. It must be nice to be able to go on such a shopping spree—and even have a hunk to carry your packages home for you!
Ms. Bowers introduced Nancy and Bess, then gravely told Gayle and Jason about Cindy.
Gayle’s eyes widened. “Really?” she said. “That’s awful!” She stared at the floor, dumbstruck, for a moment. Then she looked up, swallowing hard. “What could have made her run away from such a wonderful opportunity?” she asked.
“There’s no reason to think she did run away,” Ms. Bowers pointed out.
Nancy was intrigued by Gayle’s reaction. “Why did you assume Cindy ran away?” she asked.
Gayle looked over at her boyfriend, then back at Nancy. With a troubled expression, she said, “Maybe I shouldn’t mention this, but I guess I was half expecting something like this.”
Ms. Bowers’s face stiffened. “How can you say such a thing?” she demanded.
“Cindy was doing her best not to let you see it,” Gayle said slowly. “But she was starting to have second thoughts about this new gig. For one thing, she’d have to be on the road for months and months—away from Cody. She didn’t think she’d like that.”
“When did she tell you this?” Nancy asked.
“Last night,” Gayle replied. “Jason and I were on our way out to a movie. Just before we left, Cindy took me aside and told me that she wanted to give up the Healthibits campaign, but she was too scared to say so to Ms. Bowers.
“She was talking a little wildly,” Gayle went on. “She said the only way she could get out of it would be to vanish. I bet that’s exactly what she did!”
4
Runaway Model
Nancy stared at Gayle. Had Cindy really threatened to run away? It seemed so unlike the girl Nancy knew, but then how well did she really know her, after all?
“Did Cindy say anything about where she might go?” Nancy asked.
Before Gayle could respond, Ms. Bowers broke in, “Really, Gayle, I’m astonished at you. Spreading such a rumor about your best friend! You know very well how pleased Cindy was when she won the Healthibits job. And you know how much she was looking forward to the filming this morning.”
A stubborn look settled on Gayle’s face as she plopped down on a leather footstool. “I’m telling you the truth,” she declared.
“That’s right,” Jason added. “Cindy was really nervous. She said she wished Gayle had got the Healthibits assignment instead. You know that Gayle was up for it, too.”
“Of course I believe you, Gayle,” Ms. Bowers said soothingly, “but consider the circumstances. It was the night before an important new job—naturally Cindy was nervous. Anyone would be. And maybe she did make some wild statements about running away. But saying it and doing it are very different things. Cindy would never throw away her big break because of an attack of nerves.”
“If you say so, Ann,” Gayle replied. As she turned away, Nancy saw her expression. It was boiling with resentment and rebellion.
Ms. Bowers must have seen it, too. “Wait a moment, dear,” she continued. “I know you’re just trying to be helpful. You’ve always been so supportive of Cindy—not like some people.”
Bess jumped in. “What do you mean by that, Ms. Bowers?” she asked.
The older woman hesitated. “I detest spreading gossip,” she finally said. “But I’ve seen for myself that Cindy’s friend Cody has been less than helpful in many ways.”
“I hear that he wants Cindy to give up the Healthibits campaign,” Nancy said. “Is that true?”
“I gather he’s unhappy that Cindy will have to travel a great deal,” Ms. Bowers replied. She turned in her chair and began rearranging the flowers in a vase on the side table. With her back to Nancy and Bess, she added, “I can’t believe he’d stand in the way of Cindy’s success, though. And I find it just as hard to believe that Cindy would listen to such bad advice.”
“What do you think happened to her?” Bess asked. “I mean, face it. She didn’t show up at the studio this morning. Something happened.”
Ms. Bowers paused, still facing away. “As I said earlier to Carlo Festa’s assistant,” she finally said, “I have a—a feeling that something terrible has happened. I hope I’m wrong, but I’m very frightened for Cindy’s safety.”
Gayle leaned toward the modeling agent and laid a hand on her arm. “Please don’t worry, Ann,” she urged. “I’m sure Cindy’s okay. She probably just needed to get away and think things over.”
“I hope you’re right,” Ms. Bowers said. “And if you are, I hope Stella Laporte will overlook this morning’s absence. It would be a disaster if she invoked the escape clause in Cindy’s contract.”
