“Briefcase?” Nancy said, trying to sound indignant. “I thought all I had to carry was an envelope.”
Todd looked annoyed. “You can tell that fool Herbert that I couldn’t fit half a million bucks in an envelope. And—” He stopped suddenly, as if aware that he had said too much.
“Can you drop me back at the park now?” Nancy asked. It was her only chance to draw him back to the police stakeout.
“You can walk,” he told her gruffly.
“Not with a case full of cash,” Nancy insisted.
Todd made a sharp right and headed back toward the park. He drove at a casual pace, and Nancy relaxed a bit. Todd seemed to trust her now.
Leaning down, Nancy picked up the heavy tote bag and placed it on the backseat. Just then, through the rearview window, she saw a police car making a U-turn. Then it headed toward them, its sirens wailing.
“Oh, no!” she cried. She turned to Todd, as if for help. “What are we going to do?”
Todd muttered angrily to himself, and the car accelerated forward. It swerved across the road, missing an oncoming vehicle by inches. Todd turned into a side street, but two police cars blocked the road. Another police car drew up alongside, forcing the Jaguar onto the curb. Nancy was relieved to see Lieutenant Higgins and his men.
“Get out of the car slowly, with your hands up,” the lieutenant said through a megaphone.
Nancy climbed out of the Jaguar, her head still spinning. She leaned against the car while the lieutenant slapped handcuffs on Todd’s wrists, reading him his rights.
Justin Todd glared bitterly at Nancy. “I should have known better than to—”
“So, Mr. Sharp,” Lieutenant Higgins interrupted. “I’ve been waiting to meet you in person for some time.”
“His real name is Justin Todd,” Nancy told the officer. “He’s the jeweler who made the fake for Herbert.” Running her fingers through her hair, Nancy added, “You might also want to check out his wife, Fiona.”
“Keep Fiona out of this!” Justin Todd snarled. “She had nothing to do with it.”
“Why did you do it?” she asked.
“The same reason Herbert did,” he said. “Money, what else?”
“Sounds as if you’ll have plenty to talk about with the professor in jail,” Lieutenant Higgins said, pushing Todd into the backseat of the police car. Then the lieutenant turned to Nancy and smiled. “Well done, Nancy Drew. Maybe we can work together again sometime.”
• • •
A few days later Nancy was invited to attend a celebration at the Clinton Park Museum with her father and friends.
“So how does it feel to receive a medal of honor from the Clinton Park police?” Bess asked, when Nancy returned from the podium.
Nancy gave her friends a hug. “As I said in my speech, this medal belongs to you and George, too. I couldn’t have pulled it off without you guys. Thanks.”
“Anytime,” George said with a grin.
Su-Lin leaned across the table. “Congratulations, Nancy,” she said. “It’s so nice to have the Golden Horse back in the museum. I’ll never be able to thank you enough for helping me and my father.”
“Yes, Nancy,” Lee Tung added. “We thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”
Nancy smiled. “Oh, I almost forgot,” she said, turning to Su-Lin. “Your necklace really did protect me, after all.” Nancy reached into her bag and pulled out a small box. “Thanks again for loaning this to me. But I’m afraid all the red powder that was inside the locket is gone.”
Su-Lin giggled. “You mean the cayenne pepper. George just told me how it got into Professor Herbert’s eyes.”
Nancy turned and saw Officer Jenkins approaching their table.
“Hi, Nancy,” he said, then nodded to her friends. “Lieutenant Higgins asked me to tell you that Professor Herbert has finally made a full confession. You and your friend did a great job rounding him up.”
“Thanks,” Nancy said. “By the way, I meant to ask you—did Professor Herbert know that Sharp was really Justin Todd?”
Officer Jenkins nodded. “Herbert knew it all along. But it seems that Todd’s wife, Fiona, had no idea what was going on. All she knew was that her husband had made a copy of the Golden Horse for the professor.”
“What about Nelson Stone?” Nancy asked.
“Lieutenant Higgins put him through some rough questioning,” the officer told her. “Stone finally broke down and confessed. His story jibes with Margaret Parker’s. They’re both being charged with theft and attempted fraud. Stone’s prints match the ones left on the knife that you found in your car.”
George leaned forward. “What was Professor Herbert charged with?” she asked.
“Oh, theft, kidnapping, and attempted murder,” Jenkins replied.
“What about Todd?” Bess piped up. “Nancy said you guys have been after him for a long time.”
“We certainly have,” the officer agreed. “He’s been charged with a very long list of crimes.”
“Excuse me,” Nancy said, standing up. “But I’d like to go over and congratulate Hillary Lane.”
“What for?” Bess asked.
“Didn’t you hear?” George whispered. “She’s been appointed the new curator of the Clinton Park Museum.”
