“Well, that’ll solve one problem, I guess,” Nancy said, “but it still concerns me that she thinks you and I…”
“That’s been taken care of,” Craig assured her. “I had a long talk with her last night.”
“Okay,” Nancy said. “I’ll see you at the Sturgeon Bay Restaurant one hour after the ship has docked.”
Nancy was waiting at a table by the front window of the restaurant when Craig got there. She had already ordered lemonade.
“I thought maybe Amber had changed her mind about staying on the ship,” Nancy said.
“No. I just had some extra chores to do before I could leave,” Craig explained. “Sorry I’m a little late.”
“So what’s the plan?” Nancy asked.
“I’ll continue to check out these three men, even though I’m starting to doubt any of them are our man,” Craig said. “Still, since they fit the profile, I thought I’d see if they do anything suspicious onshore.”
“That’s probably a good idea,” Nancy agreed.
“What I want you to do is check out any other suspicious activity among the rest of the passengers,” Craig said.
“Even the women?” Nancy asked, one eyebrow raised. “I thought you didn’t think the thief was a woman.”
“I don’t,” Craig said, “but that doesn’t mean a woman can’t be an accomplice.”
“Well, at least I can be with Bess and George,” Nancy said. “I think they’re beginning to wonder why they came on this trip.”
“Good,” Craig said. He looked at the half-empty lemonade glass. “I’ll pay for that, if you want to go find your friends.”
“Thanks,” Nancy said. “I’ll call your cell phone if I learn anything.”
“Okay,” Craig said.
As Nancy left she was struck by the same feeling she had when she first met Craig. She just didn’t really like him, and she couldn’t figure out why. Was it his treatment of Amber? Was it his attitude toward women? She couldn’t put her finger on it.
Nancy knew where Bess and George were going first: the Apple Orchard, a shop on Main Street. The store sold all kinds of products made out of apples, including dolls with dried-apple heads.
When Nancy got there, Bess and George were looking over a shelf of dolls with faces that were all kinds of incredible shapes. It all depended on how the apple had dried.
“My mother has always wanted one of these. Her grandmother had one that had belonged to her mother,” Bess said. “My mother saw it only a few times, but she said she could never get it out of her mind.”
“It’s amazing what artists can do with things from nature,” Nancy said, holding an apple doll in her hand and looking closely at its face.
“Remember that kid in the tenth grade who painted faces on smashed aluminum cans?” George said. “I was always amazed at the faces he could see in them.”
Bess wrinkled her nose. “Somehow I don’t think this is quite the same thing, George!” she said.
George shrugged. “Art is art, Bess,” she said. “It’s in the eye of the beholder.”
“Well, hello there!”
The three girls turned to see Mrs. Lowe and another woman, who was stunningly dressed.
“Don’t they have some absolutely gorgeous things in here?” Mrs. Lowe said.
“Yes, they do,” Nancy agreed.
“Oh, where are my manners?” Mrs. Lowe said. “Let me introduce my new friend, Laura Houston. Laura’s from New Orleans. Her husband is in Argentina for a month, so Laura decided to come on this cruise.”
Mrs. Houston extended her hand to all three girls. “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” she said.
“Now, that’s somewhere I haven’t been yet,” Nancy said. “Argentina.”
“Oh, I’ve been there several times,” Mrs. Houston said. “I just didn’t want to go this time because my husband went to the coldest part.”
“It’s wintertime down there now, isn’t it?” George asked.
“Exactly,” Mrs. Houston said.
“Isn’t she wearing the most gorgeous outfit? I’d never find anything like that in Amarillo!” Mrs. Lowe said. “Everything matches. Even her fingernail polish!”
“Well, thank you,” Mrs. Houston said. “I got this dress at a shop in New Orleans.” She twirled around. “My husband will probably make me take it back when he gets the bill for it.” She smiled, revealing teeth that almost sparkled. “Oh, well, I’ll just tell him it’s my birthday present or something like that.”
“And that gold necklace you’re wearing is absolutely beautiful,” Bess said. “I love the design.”
Mrs. Houston touched her neck. “I got this in Chicago before the ship left, and I’m getting rather superstitious about it too,” she said. “I’ve had nothing but good luck since I put it on. I don’t think I’ll ever take it off!”
“Well, I want to see some of the other shops,” Mrs. Lowe said. “We’ll compare notes tonight at dinner, yes?”
Nancy, Bess, and George told her that they thought that was a great idea.
