“He said he wanted us to enjoy Cherry Creek under normal conditions,” Nancy explained. “Without a mystery driving us all crazy.”
“What he doesn’t know,” George said, “is that Nancy isn’t really happy without a mystery.”
Nancy laughed. “I won’t mind this week at all—hiking, swimming, bicycle riding.” She grinned at Bess. “We can even take mud baths. But there are still a few loose ends to be tied up.”
As the girls approached the house, they saw a white car parked outside. “Maybe,” Nancy continued, “they’re about to be tied up right now.”
Inside the house they found Terry and Nick in the living room.
“Have a seat,” Terry said to the three girls. “I’m just about to serve lemonade and cookies. We’re going to celebrate.”
“What are we celebrating?” Bess asked.
“The police have dropped all charges against me,” Nick reported happily. “And they’ve got Elgar for everything we thought he was guilty of, plus gunrunning. That’s how he supported himself after the war. He sold illegal U.S. weapons in Southeast Asia.”
“A lovely man,” George said.
“And,” Nick went on, “once I got back to northern California, I realized I’d missed it here. So I’m going to stay. I’m looking for a place to rent.”
“Where have you been staying all this time?” Bess asked curiously.
“In a motel,” Nick replied, grinning.
“What about Elgar?” George asked.
“Elgar was camping out,” Terry replied. “In the woods on my property.”
“That’s really creepy,” Nancy said. “He was the one who was watching me during the stakeout.”
“Then why didn’t any of us see him?” George asked.
“Malcolm Elgar hid in the jungles of Vietnam for years and managed to avoid the entire U.S. military,” Nick reminded her. “After that, concealing himself in a nice, safe redwood forest really wasn’t a problem.”
Bess helped herself to a cookie. “What I don’t get,” she said, “is why he kept bothering Terry after he stole the trunk and sold the tiger to Mr. Mai.”
“I’m not sure about this,” Nick admitted, “but I think he knew I’d come after him, and that I’d come straight to Terry’s. So he waited. And while he waited he realized that Nancy was on his trail.” Nick nodded toward Nancy. “He did everything he could to scare you off. And when that didn’t work he decided to scare Terry.”
Nancy shuddered. “I’m just glad he’s the one in jail. For a while there I thought it might be me. I was so relieved when Detective Brower called to say he’d no longer need me for questioning. I called Alison Sayers to let her know.”
“None of this explains who took the jade tiger from the gallery,” George said.
“That story,” Terry said, standing up, “will have to wait for this evening when Amy’s home from school.”
• • •
Nancy had just finished setting the table when she heard the unmistakable sound of a dirt bike. She looked out the window. “Jimmy’s here,” she said to Amy, who was filling a vase with flowers.
Amy smiled. “I know. My dad invited him.”
“I thought Jimmy didn’t trust grown-ups,” Nancy said.
“He doesn’t,” replied Terry, who was bringing a salad to the table. “But yesterday shook him up. I think he wants to set things right.”
Jimmy knocked on the door, and Terry let him in. Jimmy said hello and looked anxiously up at Terry.
“It’s all right,” Terry told him. “Just make yourself comfortable and enjoy your dinner. We can straighten out this mess afterward.”
Nick showed up a few minutes later, and they all enjoyed dinner. Bit by bit Jimmy seemed to relax. Afterward, Terry built a fire, and they all gathered around it.
Terry nodded at his daughter. “I think everyone here wants to know how the jade tiger wound up at the wedding yesterday. Amy, why don’t you start?”
Amy took a deep breath. “You know that Malcolm Elgar stole the trunk, and the tiger was hidden in it. Well, Jimmy pretty much guessed that Elgar stole the statue.”
“How?” Bess asked.
Jimmy shrugged. “I’ve been around that gallery for a while now. I know what real collectors look like and sound like. Malcolm Elgar sounded like he had something hot that he had to get rid of. When I asked my uncle about Elgar, he just changed the subject. But he admitted that the statue had ‘probably’ been looted from a temple. Of course, he’d never say that to anyone else. Galleries aren’t supposed to deal in stolen goods, but Uncle Mai doesn’t always play by the rules.”
“Besides,” Amy added, “Jimmy knew the trunk had been stolen from us.”
Jimmy grinned. “I figured the statue ought to go back where it belonged—to Vietnam.”
“You stole it from the gallery,” Nancy said.
“It wasn’t that hard,” the boy explained. “I knew how to shut off the gallery’s security system.”
“I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you, Nancy,” Amy said quickly. “I knew Jimmy had it, but I promised I’d keep his secret.”
“We’ll talk about that one later,” her father promised. He looked at Jimmy with one eyebrow raised. “Go on.”
