“I happen to like my denim miniskirt,” her cousin said defensively.
Bess tossed back her long blond hair and adjusted her wide-brimmed hat. “I hope I don’t look too dressy in this flower-print dress.”
Nancy smiled. “You look—”
“Just like Little Bo Peep,” George finished.
Nancy laughed. She herself had chosen a jade-green knit dress, which matched Su-Lin’s necklace perfectly.
“Look at that woman over there in the huge white hat,” Bess said. “You see, I’m not that overdressed.”
“That’s Margaret Parker,” Nancy said.
“Where?” George asked, craning her neck as they neared the arena.
“The young woman in the red dress,” Nancy said in a low voice. “You can’t miss her.”
“Wow!” Bess said. “I didn’t know Margaret was so pretty.”
“I want to see if she’s carrying a red purse,” Nancy said, rushing ahead in Margaret’s direction. “I’ll see you guys later,” she called over her shoulder.
Nancy wove her way through the crowd, nearly tripping over a pair of well-groomed Scottish terriers. “Hi,” she said, catching up to Margaret. She smiled brightly. “Remember me?”
Margaret Parker frowned.
“I’m Nancy Drew,” she reminded the assistant curator. “We met at Rapid Repair.”
“Oh, right,” Margaret replied, without enthusiasm.
“Did you ever find your earring?” Nancy asked, keeping up the conversation as they walked.
“No, I didn’t,” Margaret said coldly. Then, quickening her pace, she added, “If you’ll excuse me, there’s someone here I have to see.”
Nancy’s eyes followed the blond woman until she disappeared in the crowd. Margaret was not carrying a red purse, Nancy noted with disappointment, but a white one, which matched her shoes and hat.
Nancy turned toward the refreshment tent, trying to spot her friends, but Bess and George were nowhere in sight. She wandered over to the arena, where groups of dogs and their handlers were beginning to assemble. Nancy had never seen so many handsome dogs gathered at once.
Suddenly Su-Lin came up, holding two fierce-looking German shepherds on short leashes. “Nancy,” she said. “How’s your ankle?”
Nancy glanced down. “To tell you the truth, I’d forgotten all about it,” she said. “That balm of yours must have really done the trick.”
“The necklace looks great on you,” Su-Lin said.
“I love wearing it,” Nancy replied with a smile, touching the ornate silver locket.
Just then the German shepherds looked up at Nancy and growled. “Will the necklace protect me against wild beasts?” Nancy joked.
Su-Lin jerked the chain leashes. “Brutus! Caesar!” she said firmly. “Behave yourselves.” The dogs licked their lips and eyed Nancy suspiciously.
“They look pretty fierce,” Nancy remarked. “Are they yours?”
Su-Lin strained to hold the dogs back. “No, they belong to Professor Herbert,” she said. She pointed out a tall, gray-haired man with a goatee who was talking to Margaret Parker. “I’m just looking after the dogs for him.”
“Do you think you could introduce me to Professor Herbert?” Nancy asked.
“Sure,” Su-Lin agreed. “But I have to get Brutus and Caesar over to the arena right now. Professor Herbert would be mortified if they missed out on the show. I was just taking them over to their handler.”
“Okay, I’ll catch up with you later,” Nancy said. She waved to Su-Lin and headed toward the refreshment tent. It seemed the most likely place to find her friends.
Making her way through the crowd again, Nancy almost bumped into Nelson Stone. “Hello, Mr. Stone,” Nancy said. The curator looked pale and tired, with beads of perspiration on his forehead.
“Nancy!” Nelson Stone cried, sounding pleased to see her. “I was hoping you’d be here. You know,” he added in a confidential tone, “the police came to see me again.” He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his brow. “They don’t seem to be making much progress finding the Golden Horse. And I don’t think they’re taking the threats on my life very seriously. All they did was ask me pointless questions,” he complained.
“Actually,” Nancy said, “I had a few things to ask you myself, Mr. Stone. Do you think we could—”
Just then a striking dark-haired woman cut into their conversation.
“Excuse me,” she said to Nancy, “but your necklace is so unusual.” Her black eyes were fixed on Su-Lin’s locket. “May I ask you where you got it?”
Out of the corner of her eye, Nancy noticed that Nelson Stone was also staring at the necklace. “Oh, a friend loaned it to me,” Nancy answered vaguely.
Leaning forward, Stone said, “That’s a Tibetan piece, I believe. A clerk at the museum has one just like it.”
“Is it an antique?” asked the dark-haired woman.
Nancy shrugged uncomfortably. She wasn’t happy with all the attention the necklace was attracting. But before Nancy had time to think of an answer, Nelson Stone said, “It must be very old, indeed. And quite valuable, I should think.”
The woman’s coal-black eyes glittered. “My husband, Justin Todd, is a jeweler,” she told Nancy. “He makes wonderful antique reproductions.” Turning, she beckoned to a blond, well-tanned man talking to Professor Herbert. “Justin!” she called. “Come over here and take a look at this.”
