“That’s twenty-seven jewelry stores that sell things made with jade and eighteen that don’t,” Bess said the next morning as she hung up the phone. “And none of them knew what I was talking about when I mentioned the kingfisher.”
“Not true,” George said. “Don’t forget that nice man who invited you to go bird-watching with him.”
Bess laughed and threw a pillow at her cousin.
Nancy took a last look at the phone directory and consulted her list. She, Bess, and George had spent the better part of the morning calling what had to be every jewelry store in northern California. And none of them had turned up anything. “Maybe there is no kingfisher,” she said dejectedly. “Maybe that kid just said the most outlandish thing that came into his head, sure that I’d waste days trying to figure it out.”
“Well,” Bess said, stretching, “I say we all need a change of subject. I’m going to call Joanne and see about getting those decorations up to her house.”
Nancy wasn’t listening as Bess made the phone call. The more Nancy thought about things, the more frustrated she became. She just couldn’t seem to make any progress on the case.
“Nancy, I’ve got Keith on the phone. I told him about our problem, and he wants to talk to you,” Bess suddenly announced, jarring Nancy out of her thoughts.
Nancy took the phone, curious about what Joanne’s boyfriend would have to say.
“Bess told me you were interested in jade,” Keith began. “I’m not an expert, but I know that the finest green jade in the world comes from Burma. For the last seven hundred years the Chinese, the Thai, and everyone else in Southeast Asia have been trading for it. And Terry was right—they call it fe t’sui, or ‘feathers of the kingfisher.’ ”
“Could you spell that for me?” Nancy asked.
Keith did, and after chatting for a few more minutes, Nancy hung up the phone. She walked over and looked through the phone book. “Here it is,” she said, her voice low with amazement. “ ‘Fe T’sui Gallery,’ ” she read, “ ‘specialists in jade carvings. Sausalito.’ ”
George gave Bess a knowing grin. “Sounds like we’re going to Sausalito today.”
Bess looked worried. “We can’t. I told Joanne we’d help her start decorating the barn today.”
“Don’t worry,” Nancy broke in quickly. “You two can help Joanne. I can drop you off at her house, and then she can bring you back here when you’re done.”
Nancy called Joanne, who quickly agreed to the plan. When the three girls left, Terry was working in his studio and Amy was in school. Nancy drove Bess and George and the decorations to Joanne’s house, then set off for Sausalito.
Nancy had seen Sausalito before when she’d solved a case involving one of Hannah Gruen’s friends. But she was still charmed by the scenic town overlooking San Francisco Bay. She’d always wondered what it would be like to live there—either in one of the houses built into the cliffside or in one of the houseboats moored in the bay.
Glancing at the address she’d copied from the phone book, she passed Bridgeway, Sausalito’s main street, and followed a series of side streets uphill.
Nancy found the Fe T’sui Gallery and parked the car a short distance away. As she entered the white stucco building, Nancy recognized the hushed atmosphere of an exclusive gallery. She could tell at once that the objects in the Fe T’sui were not for the average tourist who just happened to wander in. This was a gallery for serious collectors of jade.
A few people strolled among the display cases. Nancy did the same, taking mental notes on the gallery’s clients. In the main room a heavyset man, wearing horn-rimmed glasses, stood studying a set of engraved jade tablets. Across from him a well-dressed couple viewed tiny carved animals.
A young blond-haired woman in an elegant sage-colored suit sat behind a mahogany desk. She nodded at Nancy, said, “Let me know if I can be of help,” and then went back to reading through a file.
Nancy began to pay serious attention to the objects on display. The first thing she noticed was the wide variety of color in the stone. Nancy had always thought jade was green. Now she saw it could be milky white, spotted yellow, pale green, or a green so dark it was almost black.
Many of the pieces were from ancient China. There were jade amulets shaped like fish and frogs. The tiny statues were even more fantastic—elephants, horses, dragons, and even something that looked like a unicorn. Nancy found herself drawn to the more modern pieces. She especially liked a mirror and brush set made at the turn of the century. The handles were silver and the backs set with carved jade.
This is all wonderful, Nancy thought, but how is it connected to my case? She pictured the boy again, standing angry and defiant in the rain. She could almost hear him telling her to ask the kingfisher. Nancy had gotten the definite impression that the kingfisher was a person. If this gallery was where the boy had meant to send her, then she still needed to find the kingfisher himself.
Nancy went over to the woman behind the desk. “Excuse me,” she said, “but are you the owner of the gallery?”
“No, that’s Mr. Mai,” the woman replied. “I’m afraid he’s not here right now. Can I help you?”
Nancy thought quickly of Keith, then said, “I’m studying Asian art history, and I’m doing a paper on jade carvings. I was wondering if it would be possible to interview him.”
The woman handed her a slip of paper. “Why don’t you write down your name and number, and I’ll have Mr. Mai get in touch with you.”
Nancy didn’t really expect Mr. Mai to call her, but she gave her name along with Terry’s phone number. Then, thanking the woman, she left.
I’d better get to a library, Nancy thought. She would never pass as a student of Asian art history unless she did some research. But outside the sun was shining on the bay, and Nancy found she couldn’t resist the impulse to spend at least a little time walking around Sausalito.
She decided to make her way down to the waterfront and look at the houseboats. Rounding the corner of the shop, she headed downhill toward the plaza. As she passed the back of the gallery building, she stopped. Behind it, on the street facing the water, was a small antique store, and between the two buildings was an alley.
Intrigued, Nancy entered the alley. It was empty except for several large wooden trash bins. Nancy saw empty cardboard boxes addressed to the Fe T’sui Gallery and wondered briefly if being a detective meant having to go through other people’s garbage. And then she saw it, leaning against the farthest of the bins—the shattered remains of a small wooden trunk.
Nancy couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Had she actually found Nick Finney’s trunk? It looked as if someone had taken an ax to it.
She went over to the bin and picked up a slab of the shattered wood. She had just begun to examine the wood when she heard the sound of a low growl. Nancy dropped the wood and turned quickly, but not quickly enough. A powerfully built Doberman pinscher raced toward her and sprang, its open jaws aimed at her throat.
5
Trouble on Wheels
Nancy raised one arm to cover her face as she tried to dodge the vicious dog. She twisted to the side and felt its jaws clamp shut on the sleeve of her khaki jacket. Nancy pulled hard, trying to free herself. Growling furiously, the Doberman pulled back.
Fortunately, the jacket had loose, wide sleeves. The Doberman had the fabric, but it hadn’t touched her arm. Nancy pulled again, desperately hoping the sleeve would tear and set her free before the Doberman decided to get a better grip on her.
“Ly!” Nancy heard someone shout. The dog stopped growling at the word but did not release her.
Nancy watched in amazement as the boy with the dragon earring strode toward her, an impatient look on his face. He gave the dog a sharp command in a language she didn’t understand. The dog released her at once and sat on its haunches, clearly awaiting the boy’s next instruction. He spoke again, and the dog walked off calmly, as if the attack had never taken place.
“Are you hurt?” the boy asked Nancy.
