Nancy found four five-dollar bills in her wallet. “Here, Lance,” she said. “Four, please.”
“Thanks. That helps.” He passed over the tickets, gave the girl her change, and put the twenty in a manila envelope tucked under the box. Noticing Nancy’s glance, he said, “I put the bigger bills in the envelope so I won’t mess up making change.”
“Good idea,” Nancy said.
J. P. and Cyril were at the back of the line. As Nancy, Ned, George, and Bess joined them, the line started moving.
“Be sure to take some of Dina’s goulash,” Cyril advised them. “It should be something special.”
“And don’t miss Vlad’s stuffed squash,” J. P. said. “It’s made with pine nuts and wild mushrooms.”
Nancy and her friends filled their plates with a wide assortment of foods and joined Cyril and J. P. at a big circular table.
“I wonder where Joann is,” Nancy said, glancing around. “I haven’t seen her all day.”
“I have,” Bess said. “She has a booth where she’s selling beautiful carved teak animals. You should take a look after lunch.”
“I will,” Nancy promised. She studied her plate and decided to try the stuffed squash. She took a bite, but it was so salty she couldn’t swallow.
“Did anyone . . . ?” she started to ask.
George was making a strange face. “Watch out for the goulash,” she gasped. “It’s practically straight sugar.”
At the next table a girl made a loud gagging noise. Clapping a hand over her mouth, she jumped up, overturning her chair, and ran toward the entrance.
7
Sugar and Spice
People watched the girl run out, then looked dubiously at their plates. Here and there, others got to their feet. The hubbub of voices rose in volume and pitch.
“We’d better do something, quick,” Nancy said grimly. “Before there’s a panic.”
Cyril took in the situation instantly. He jumped up onto his chair and stretched both arms over his head.
“Can I have your attention?” he shouted. “Quiet, please. I have an important announcement.”
Some in the crowd kept talking urgently. Others shushed them. Gradually a silence fell.
“Somebody has played a very nasty practical joke,” Cyril continued. “It seems that one or two of the dishes we’re serving have been deliberately ruined.”
“That stew!” someone yelled. “It tastes terrible!”
“That’s one,” Cyril said. “If you took some of the goulash from Gorvonia, don’t eat it.”
Dina gave an anguished cry. “Oh, no! My glorious goulash, spoiled? Where is that wretched Rethal? I’ll take every last bite and stuff it down his throat!”
Nancy tugged at Cyril’s sleeve. “The stuffed squash,” she said in a stage whisper. “Vlad’s dish.”
“And skip the stuffed squash from Rethalstan, too,” Cyril announced. “Did any of you notice anything else you had doubts about?”
There was an uneasy silence.
“The vegetable curry is pretty spicy,” someone said in a hesitant voice.
“Curry is supposed to be spicy,” someone else said.
“You want spicy, try the Jamaican jerk chicken,” another guy contributed. “It’ll put the top of your head into orbit!”
“Or the filé gumbo,” Penny said, in an exaggerated Cajun accent. “I guar-on-tee it.”
There was still an edge to the laughter, but Nancy could tell the moment of panic had passed.
“Ned?” she said in a low voice. “Do you know the guy who made the joke about stomach pumps? Somebody should ask him a few questions.”
Ned shook his head. “I know him by sight, that’s all. I’ll see if I can find out his name.” He stood up, and headed off to search.
Nancy turned to Bess and George. “Bess, will you go look around the kitchen area?” she asked. “The usual—anything that seems out of place. And, George, see if you can get Dina to calm down long enough to tell you all about her goulash. When and where she made it, where it was stored, whatever.”
“You got it,” George said. “What about you?”
“I’m going to try to get a list of helpers from Penny,” Nancy replied. “Then we’ll divide them up. There’s always a chance that somebody saw something.”
J. P. had been following the discussion. “Would you like me to talk to Vlad?” he asked. “His dish was ruined, too, after all. If nothing else, I can try to keep him and Dina from assaulting each other.”
“Good idea,” Nancy said. “Thanks.”
Penny was standing behind the serving table as if frozen in place. She looked near tears. When Nancy approached, she blurted out, “There was nothing wrong before. I know that. I tasted Dina’s dish yesterday, when she brought it over. It was delicious.”
