“Breakfast is served,” George announced, coming into the bedroom with juice and muffins on a tray.
“Do you want me to give you a manicure?” Bess asked.
Nancy examined her fingernails and grinned. “No, thanks. I’m just glad all the black washed off. It’s nice to see them clean again.”
“So,” George said, settling down beside her, “the mystery is solved.”
“Part of it,” Nancy agreed with a yawn. “We know that Elgar was the one who broke into Terry’s house and the one who kidnapped Amy. And Jimmy Thieu is pretty sure Elgar sold the tiger to his uncle. But we don’t know who stole the tiger from the gallery.”
“What about Nick Finney’s dog tags showing up in the middle of Terry’s art show?” Bess asked.
“Nick told Terry that his dog tags were stolen the day he was taken prisoner of war. Elgar must have had them all this time.”
“So now what?” George asked.
“The police have all the information we do, and after the kidnapping and arson, they’re really after Elgar. Let’s hope they get him, because”—she stood up, went to the closet, and took out a pale blue dress—“I’m going to a wedding!”
• • •
Nancy walked through the double doors of the huge barn and laughed with delight. She’d known all along that Joanne would have a memorable wedding, but what she saw was even more amazing than she’d expected. Garlands of fresh flowers were draped from the rafters. Japanese silk fans hung on the rough wooden walls. There were ribbons and bells, bows and balloons everywhere. A band was set up in one of the lofts above, playing a mix of rock, country, and jazz. Tables heaped with food lined the huge room. Although it was still early, the barn was already crowded with guests.
Beside her, Amy tugged on her hand. “Hi,” Nancy said. She looked around the room, not seeing Terry. “Where’s your dad?”
Amy smiled. “He met some artist he knows, and they’re talking galleries. What I want to know is, where’s the famous wedding cake?”
“Good question,” Nancy said. “Let’s go find it.” She and Amy made their way to the opposite end of the barn, where an entire table had been given to the cake. Nancy couldn’t quite believe it, but Joanne had turned the sheets of chocolate-carrot cake into a beautiful fairy-tale castle, frosted in pink and white.
“It’s awesome,” Amy said.
“It sure is,” Nancy agreed with a grin.
“Where are Bess and George?” Amy asked.
“I guess they’re with the others getting ready for the wedding march. Come on.” Nancy nodded toward the rows of folding chairs. “Let’s find good seats.”
But by the time Nancy had threaded her way through the crowd to the seats she wanted, Amy was no longer at her side. She turned and scanned the room, looking for the girl.
“Have you seen Amy?” Terry asked, coming up beside her.
“She was right here a minute ago,” Nancy said.
Terry’s eyes held a familiar dread. “Not again,” he said softly.
“Why don’t you take this end of the room, and I’ll take the other?” Nancy said quickly. “If we don’t see her, we’ll call the police.”
Terry agreed, and they began searching the crowded barn. This is ridiculous, Nancy thought. The wedding procession was due to start in half an hour, and the barn was becoming more crowded by the minute. It seemed as if Joanne had invited all of northern California to her wedding. Nancy caught her breath when she saw a young girl with straight black hair, but her heart sank when she saw it wasn’t Amy. After checking the musician’s loft, Nancy met Terry at the door of the barn. “No luck?” he asked.
She shook her head.
“I’m going to take the van and find the nearest phone to call the police,” he said.
“I’ll keep looking,” Nancy promised. Maybe Amy went outside, she thought, though she couldn’t imagine why. Still, it couldn’t hurt to take a look around the barn.
Nancy circled the barn and then the silo, which was a short distance away. There was no sign of Amy anywhere. Just as her friends had described it, the farm sat on a bluff overlooking the Pacific. Acres of open green land spread down toward the ocean. Nancy began walking toward the water.
She hadn’t gotten far when she noticed a stand of oak trees. They were old trees, their branches nearly touching the ground. Nancy nearly passed by them before she realized that the low branches would provide a perfect cover. They were one of the few places on the farm where someone might be concealed.
Cautiously she approached the trees and heard the sound of voices. They were definitely young voices, Nancy decided. Her fear gone, she walked into the stand of oak trees and found Jimmy Thieu handing Amy Kirkland a brown paper bag.
“What’s going on here?” Nancy demanded.
Both kids looked at her guiltily, but neither answered.
“How could you disappear like that?” she asked Amy. “Don’t you know your father’s worried sick? He’s calling the police right now.”
“Oh, great,” Jimmy muttered.
“And what are you doing here?” Nancy asked him. “Don’t tell me Joanne invited you to the wedding, too.”
Jimmy stared at a knothole on the tree, refusing to meet her eyes.
“Amy,” Nancy said more gently, “please tell me what’s going on. To begin with, what’s in the bag?”
Amy looked as if she might answer, but Jimmy said something to her in Vietnamese, and she clutched the bag to her chest.
“I’ll tell you what’s in the bag, Miss Drew,” said a strange voice behind Nancy. “It’s what you’ve been searching for all along.”
Nancy turned to look at who was behind her, but she wasn’t fast enough. A gloved hand clamped over her mouth, and another hand held a knife to her neck.
