chameleon

Nancy woke with a sharp inhalation, rolling onto her back. She was exhausted. She and George had been playing tennis that afternoon, and when she had come back home, Hannah had reminded her that she had agreed to help with the yard work. After a long refreshing shower and dinner, Nancy had tumbled into bed, blissfully bone-tired.

Ned was home from Emerson for the summer, but she hadn't really heard from him in nearly three weeks, and keeping busy helped her stop dwelling on the worst possible scenarios. Bess and George had just been happy to spend more time with her between cases, and when Nancy made excuses about his absence, they seemed to accept them.

But, she knew, she was going to need to talk to him. Every time she called his house or his work, though, his parents and the secretary said he was out, that he would return her call—and when he didn't, Nancy didn't know what to think.

Scrip.

Nancy's eyes had been closed; they popped open again, her brow furrowing as she tried to make sense of the sound. It had been too quiet for her to place; maybe it was some insect or animal in the garden...

Ned. She sighed. Now that she had started thinking about the problem, she had a bad feeling it would keep her awake for a while. Until she decided what to do, she wouldn't be settled. She had thought—

Scrip.

Nancy's brow furrowed again. It seemed to be coming from the window.

She heard it twice more, as she glanced over at her alarm clock and blinked herself awake. Three-oh-four. She tossed back the covers, telling herself she was being foolish, but she couldn't resist it; she went over to the window, slowly hooking a finger in the blinds and parting them so she could peer out.

At first she didn't see anything. Then she saw a glint in the moonlight, a silhouette as the figure shifted its weight from one foot to the other.

Scrip.

The sound was a pebble scraping against the screen covering the lower half of her window. Nancy reached for the flashlight on her desk, directing it through the window and down at the figure, and she saw Ned holding his hand up to keep the light out of his eyes.

"Ned," she whispered, and she was shocked at how her heart rose. She had been so worried, so afraid, but he was here.

He gestured for her to come outside, and Nancy clicked the flashlight off and on to show she understood. She glanced around the room, moving as quietly as she could, sliding her feet into a pair of old sandals, pulling a thin cardigan around her. Before she left her room, she darted to her purse, digging around until she found a breath mint, and popped it into her mouth. She flew down the stairs, avoiding the one she knew creaked, almost holding her breath. She paused with her hand on the front doorknob, but she would be less likely to disturb anyone in the house if she went through the garage.

Ned was waiting on the front porch when Nancy circled around from the garage; she had needed to shift a box out of her path, and she had bumped into the bumper of her father's car, so she knew that was probably going to leave a bruise. Ned was pacing, and as soon as he saw her, he moved toward her, sweeping her into his arms.

"Ned," she started to say, but the whisper was muffled when he kissed her, and she melted into his arms, careful to keep a grip on her flashlight as she wrapped her arms around him and returned his kiss. Warmth rose in her cheeks, and she threaded her fingers through his dark hair, her heart in her eyes when he pulled back.

"Hey," she said softly.

"Hey," he murmured, and she saw the glint of his teeth in the dimness as he grinned at her. He leaned forward and kissed her softly again. "I don't want to wake anyone up... want to sit in my car?"

"Sure."

She was dying to ask him what had kept him from contacting her or coming to see her, but she followed willingly as he took her hand and led the way to his car. Once they were inside, he rolled down the windows, and Nancy relaxed. She was able to see his face in the dim glow of a streetlamp, and here they could speak to each other without fear of waking her father or Hannah.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I wanted to talk to you, but I wanted to know what to say first..."

Nancy tilted her head, her blue-eyed gaze locked to his face.

He ran his hand through his hair, then met her eyes again. "So, the day I came back from Emerson for the summer—this girl started flirting with me."

Nancy opened her mouth. Ned held up his hand in a "give me a minute" gesture, and she closed her mouth again. She put down her flashlight and realized she was crossing her arms, then laid her palms on her knees.

"I was just polite to her. Mom asked me to run an errand for her and I saw this girl jogging by the house; she stopped and said she was new to the area, and asked me a few questions. I didn't think anything of it. And then she was telling me that she didn't know anyone in Mapleton and she wanted me to recommend somewhere to eat, and then she invited me to go with her, as a favor, since she didn't feel comfortable eating alone."

"You told her you had a girlfriend, right?" Nancy interjected, when Ned stopped to take a breath.

"Of course I did," Ned said, shooting her such a baleful look that she had to chuckle. "Several times."

"Hmm. Pushy dame, then."

"Sure thing, shweetheart," Ned drawled, and Nancy chuckled. "Yeah. She didn't want to take 'no' for an answer, but it felt like more than that. I mean, boy, can she turn on the charm."

At that, Nancy didn't stop herself from folding her arms. Ned smiled a little and reached over to touch her arm.

"Not that I fell for it."

"Mmm-hmm," Nancy said.

"I didn't. But... I guess it's from being with you on your cases for so long... I smelled a mystery. I didn't have anything to go on, though. This beautiful woman starts flirting with me..."

"Oh, so she's beautiful now?"

Ned shrugged, opening his hands. "She is, babe. Glossy dark hair, big eyes, beautiful. Sadly for her, though, I'm already taken—and she could never hold a candle to you."

"Hmm," Nancy said, only slightly mollified. "So do you have some idea now what this femme fatale is after?"

That was when Ned hesitated. "I thought... well, it was ridiculous. She kept dropping these insane hints. We should spend a lot more time together; we would be good together. She said that all her friends were married, and this afternoon she even took me by that little bridal boutique downtown, and said that she would love to get my opinion on a wedding dress. And when we were in there and I was joking and trying to get her out of there—I could just imagine how angry you would be, if you found out that some girl was with me in a place like that, giggling and making jokes about monogrammed towels and things like that... I realized. I know you and I are young, that we're not ready for that kind of thing yet, but I wished that you were there. Seeing those wedding dresses and tuxes and everything, it didn't make me think about her. It made me think about you, and how I was sick of whatever game she was trying to play with me.

"So tonight, after dinner at her hotel—she's staying at the Royal, in town—she invited me up to her room, and I went up there—"

Nancy's heart started beating harder; she felt all the blood drain out of her face as she studied Ned's expression.

"I was going to tell her that I couldn't really see her anymore, outright this time since she wasn't taking my hints, she just kept on talking about how much fun we had together and what a great couple we were—and as soon as I walked in, she grabbed me by my tie—"

Nancy bit her lip, her fingernails digging into her skin as she pictured it: her boyfriend, dressed well for a date with another woman, going up to her hotel room—and she could just imagine the way things would go from there. Her eyes pricked a little, and she drew a slow breath, praying that he wasn't about to say what she imagined he was.

"She came onto me stronger than she ever had before. She said that ever since she had seen me, she had felt like we were soul mates, that she never wanted to be away from me again. She told me she loved me; she asked me to take a trip with her, to go meet her relatives."

"While fully clothed?" Nancy asked slowly.

"I—she did manage to get my tie and jacket off," Ned admitted. "But that was it. She took her dress off, and... I told her we were moving too fast, I needed to leave, I'd call her..."

Nancy's sight was shimmering with tears. Ned glanced up at her and cupped her cheek. "I'm not telling you this to upset you," he said, stroking her cheek as he gazed into her brimming eyes. "You're the detective. I want you to help me figure this out."

"Wh-what?" Nancy sniffled.

"It's been three weeks. Brunch and dinner every day; she's glued to me all the time. I've barely seen anyone else. Less than a month and she's talking about soul mates and getting married?"

Nancy sniffled again, tamping down her raging jealousy long enough to try to consider it impartially. "Gold digger?"

Ned shrugged. "I'm hardly the best candidate, even in this area," he pointed out.

"Maybe all the other ones were too cynical and suspicious, and she picked you as an easy mark."

"Gee, thanks, Drew," Ned said in mock disappointment, and Nancy sniffled again as she gave him a little smile. "But I'm not loaded; my parents are well-off, but they aren't millionaires, by any stretch of the imagination. There's bigger fish out there."

"Maybe she really did see you and want to have you," Nancy suggested. "You are very handsome."

"So now she's a stalker." Nancy tilted her head, and Ned explained. "The first day I met her, when she was just 'out jogging' in Mapleton? Way away from her hotel? She hadn't even broken a sweat."

"Mmm," Nancy said, and patted his knee. "You really are thinking like a detective."

He smiled. "I try. It's just... I can't figure out her angle. It's not that she's really in love with me; it can't be. And I missed you like crazy, Drew. Every minute I spent with her, it felt like a minute I was wasting because I wasn't with you—especially when I knew that you were home and not on a case, and I've been dying to see you for weeks now."

"And I've been dying to see you, too." He took her hand, and she squeezed it. "I wasn't sure why you weren't returning my calls or coming to see me..."

"It definitely wasn't because I didn't want to. Believe me." He stroked his thumb against the back of her hand. "Let me make it up to you, okay? Friday night, Chez Louis? We can brainstorm and eat fancy French food."

"You sure your girl on the side won't get jealous?"

Ned shrugged. "I told her I have a girlfriend," he said. "I'll tell her that I have a reservation... which I do, in fact. Have."

Nancy raised her eyebrows. "Hmm. Good thing I didn't have anything going on Friday night."

"I was hoping you didn't." He leaned forward, searching her eyes. "Please?"

She nodded, smiling again. "As long as you promise that I won't have to wait until Friday to see you again."

"Well, we are together now," he pointed out.

"Yeah, and it's three a.m. Why'd you wait until so late?"

"After the date, I had to go home and change," he defended himself. "And when I went home, I thought I saw her car on my street, like she was spying on me... I didn't want to tip her off."

Nancy couldn't help it; she was already starting to treat it like a case. "Well, if you turn this girl down and she sinks her claws into some other guy who isn't as smart, who knows what'll happen."

Ned nodded. "Whatever it is that she's thinking—it must be a short con. That's why she's so impatient."

"Maybe if I get a look in her hotel room, I'll be able to get a handle on this."

Ned grinned at her. "C'mere," he said, and opened his door.

Nancy opened her door, too—just in time to see Ned open the back door and climb in. She raised her eyebrows and followed.

"What are we doing in the backseat of your car?"

"This," Ned said, reaching for her, and she shivered as he drew her into his arms. She draped her legs across his lap, her arm around his shoulders, and shivered again as his breath touched her lips. His hand touched the small of her back, and her lashes fluttered down as he kissed her.

There was no hesitance in his kiss, none at all; he smelled clean, like soap and his familiar cologne, and she tasted spearmint on his tongue. She blushed again, running her fingers through his hair, and when they broke the kiss, his lips brushing her cheek and his forehead touching hers, Nancy's heart was beating faster.

"I've missed you."

"And I've missed you," she breathed, closing her eyes as he kissed the tip of her nose, her other cheek, the point of her chin, her jaw. He nuzzled against her neck and she felt his fingertips flirt with the hem of her shirt, the bare skin above the waistband of her cotton shorts.

"Mmm," he murmured. "Now I feel like I'm really back home."

She smiled, tipping her head so she could brush another kiss against his lips. "We have a lot of missed time to catch up on," she murmured. "And, as much as I'd love to do that right now..."

"It is late," he sighed, and kissed her again. "I love you, Nancy. We'll figure this out... and, once we've unmasked her..."

"What's her name?"

"Jessica. Jessica Thorne." He traced his lips down her neck in a slow, deliberate caress, and Nancy shuddered. Her skin felt deliciously sensitized; that warm flush had spread to her torso. "Who might wish I felt this way about her... but if I have a soul mate, it's definitely not her."

By the time Ned's lips touched hers again, Nancy felt lightheaded; maybe she was delirious, still exhausted, but she didn't care. She didn't want to let him go; she didn't want to return to her bed... at least, not alone.

At that realization, Nancy's eyes popped open, and a flush spread over her cheeks. She believed his reassurance, but she still hated the idea that he had been with another woman, even though he had technically been involved on a case at the time—and even though Nancy had been put in similar situations herself. If Ned was going to be alone in a hotel room with a woman, though, Nancy wanted it to be her.

"I love you too," Nancy murmured, stroking his cheek. "And I'll wait to hear from you, if anything new happens—otherwise, I'll see you Friday night?"

He nodded. "I'll pick you up at six-thirty. Okay?"

She nodded. "Sounds great," she replied.

She knew she should leave his car, but when he tipped forward again, his fingertips drifting against the small of her back, she couldn't make herself pull away. While she would never ask him to come up to her room—too much risk that he would be found there, for one—she still didn't want to leave just yet.

Finally, Ned sighed. "Okay. I'd better get home before my parents start freaking out."

Nancy nodded, cupping his face, and kissed him one last time. "Thanks for letting me know what was going on," she told him. "I mean, you could have told me earlier..."

"I know." He kissed her lips again. "Sorry. I'll find some way to make it up to you..."

"You'd better." She grinned.

By Friday afternoon, Bess and George—George a bit more reluctantly than Bess—had helped Nancy pick out the perfect ensemble for her date with Ned at Chez Louis. Bess had sworn that the perfect high heels would be just the right final touch, and Nancy had to admit she was right. After a thorough beauty routine, Nancy's legs were smooth and sleek, face exfoliated, hair shining. She put her hair in curlers just to give it some more body, then slipped into the turquoise sheath dress they had helped her pick out. It was perfect for a summer night; it dipped low in the front and daringly low in the back, leaving her spine bare. Nancy felt a little exposed without the support of a regular bra, but Bess had told her the dress was worth it. She took her time with her makeup, and she had just started on her eyes when her private line rang.

Sighing, she put down the primer and crossed to the phone. Her heart sank when she thought that Ned might be calling to tell her their date was off; she wasn't expecting him for another forty-five minutes, but she had been looking forward to seeing him. "Hello?"

"Nan! Mind if George and I stop by to see you before your big date?"

"Sure. It'll help calm me down, I hope," Nancy admitted. "I'm really nervous."

Bess said they would be over in a few minutes, and before she crossed to the vanity again, Nancy paused and looked at the bouquet that had been delivered the day before. The cut-crystal vase held a dozen blood-red long-stemmed roses, just blooming; they were absolutely beautiful. The attached card read, in Ned's handwriting, "To my beautiful girlfriend, who deserves a million roses; this is just a start. I'm so sorry I've made you upset. Until Friday night... Love always, Ned."

By the time Bess and George arrived, Nancy had finished her makeup and started to take the curlers out of her hair. She heard the cousins bounding up the stairs, and opened her bedroom door in greeting.

"Nan! You're a total knockout!"

"Ned won't know what hit him," George agreed, sitting down on Nancy's bed. "And oooh, those really are some nice apology flowers."

Nancy smiled as Bess admired them too, reaching for the next curler. "He really is being a sweetheart," she said. "Maybe he has the case figured out..."

As much as Nancy hated the idea of Ned spending time with Jessica, she couldn't deny that she was intrigued by the mystery. She wanted to help solve it, and she was delighted to be seeing Ned again, especially knowing that they would be able to brainstorm.

She slipped into her peep-toe platform heels, praying that she wouldn't need to chase anyone at dinner, threaded a pair of long dangling fishhook earrings through the lobes of her ears, and Bess helped her arrange her hair with a silver hair clip. She found a delicate silver bracelet Ned had given her in her jewelry box, and fastened that around her wrist. After a few spritzes of perfume and one last check of her makeup, Nancy pronounced herself ready.

"Chez Louis, though?" George had picked up a magazine and was flipping through it; she always let Bess handle makeup and outfit preparations, claiming she would just get in the way or mess something up. "Are you sure this is just to discuss a case?"

"And to make up for being out of touch with me the past three weeks," Nancy said. "I don't know; it'll be nice to go somewhere really dressy with him. I was so disappointed not to hear from him..."

"Oooh! And it's Friday night. Maybe you two could take a little mini-break..." Bess wiggled her eyebrows.

"If Ned's wrapped up the case, maybe," Nancy considered. The thought made her both excited and a little sad. Maybe they could plan to take a little break after the case was over, anyway.

The case. It was so strange that Ned was the one who had discovered it.

Nancy had just glanced at the clock when she thought she heard a car pull up outside, and soon after, the doorbell rang. Her stomach flipped, and she smoothed the skirt of her dress. "All right?" she asked Bess and George.

George gave her a thumbs-up. "Go get him," Bess said with a grin.

Hannah was just announcing Ned's arrival when Nancy, a semi-sheer wrap draped over her shoulders and a small clutch purse in her hand, began to descend the stairs. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw Ned waiting just inside the front door, dressed in a tailored charcoal suit, his shirt a snowy white, his tie navy. His eyes glowed when he saw her, and she searched his face. He was freshly shaved, not a hair out of place; he looked incredibly handsome, and when she was close enough, she wrapped him in her arms.

"Mmm," she murmured. "I missed you."

"Missed you too, Nan. You look beautiful. The roses?"

"Were incredibly sweet and thoughtful, and they're upstairs so I can see them when I wake up and go to sleep." She kissed his cheek, then gently brushed the trace of her lipstick away. "You look very handsome tonight, Mr. Nickerson."

He smiled, then offered her his arm. "Shall we?"

Their meal was incredible, and Ned was careful to avoid discussing the case while the server or anyone else was in earshot. Nancy ordered the salmon entrée, and the fish was delicious, perfectly flaked and rich with a garlic butter sauce. Ned ordered a gorgonzola-crusted steak with sautéed spinach and parmesan, and when Nancy asked for a bite, Ned smiled and said he would trade a bite with her. The waiter suggested crepes suzette for dessert, and Ned raised his eyebrows at Nancy, who nodded in agreement.

Ned said that Jessica hadn't eased off with her advances; she had seemed very jealous when Ned had told her he couldn't have dinner with her Friday night, and had practically insisted that he meet her for dessert afterward. Ned had refused, and then Jessica had pouted and told him that she expected to see him for brunch on Saturday morning, and that he make amends for not spending Friday night with her.

Ned reached for Nancy's hand. "It's so frustrating. She's so clingy and possessive and needy... and I guess I wouldn't mind it so much, if she were my girlfriend, but she isn't. Being around her just makes me miss you. Part of me wanted to tell her that I'd see her again Monday morning, that she could just take the weekend to relax and get her priorities straight—but I'm almost afraid that in two days, she'll have moved on to someone else and we'll never figure out what her game is."

"And, if you're meeting her for brunch tomorrow morning," Nancy pointed out, "she won't be in her hotel room, so I can go check it out. She's seriously kept a room at the Royal for three weeks now?" Nancy pursed her lips in a silent whistle.

"Another reason I don't think she's gold-digging. But it's really the only thing that makes sense." He shrugged, and when his thumb stroked against the back of Nancy's hand, she shivered a little.

"I've thought of a way to test it," he admitted, and when he looked directly into her eyes then, Nancy felt that same warmth, that attraction, bloom in her. He was still stroking her hand, and part of the reason she had been eager to wear the turquoise dress tonight was knowing how much skin it revealed—and imagining the way it would feel when his fingertips drifted up her bare spine. The romantic restaurant, the quiet intensity in his dark-eyed gaze, the mystery... all of it was incredibly seductive, she had to admit.

"Oh?"

His lips quirked up in a crooked, sardonic smile. "Not sure if you'll like it. I don't know if I like it."

"Well, you're always more cautious than I am, Nickerson." Nancy couldn't help smiling as she rubbed the ball of her thumb against his hand, too.

"I could..."

Just then, the server arrived with their plate of crepes suzette, and Ned cut himself off, glancing up at the server with a smile and thanks. Nancy was impatient to hear his plan, but he waited until after the server had asked if they needed anything else.

"You could what?"

"I could ask her to marry me."

Nancy wasn't sure what she had been expecting to hear, but that wasn't it. "I—I misunderstood you," she said, tilting her head. "You..."

"Yeah. I could ask if she wants to get married. See if she jumps for the bait."

Nancy glanced down at the dessert. She suddenly didn't feel hungry at all, even though the thin golden crepes, topped with strawberry slices, citrus sauce and a dollop of whipped cream, smelled and looked fantastic. She took a deep breath, reminding herself that it wasn't real, it was for a case, it was to catch the suspect...

But Jessica wasn't a suspect. She was a woman, and she had set her sights on Nancy's boyfriend, and it was hard for her to see past that.

Nancy swallowed, then gave Ned a small, weak smile. "Wow. So... that seems extreme."

"It would go along with all the hints she's dropping." Ned squeezed her hand gently. "Don't worry. I don't plan on walking down the aisle to her." He gave her a smile, too.

"That's a relief."

Ned tilted his head, studying her. "Come on," he said softly. "I'd hate for the crepes to get cold before we try them."

Nancy tried a bite, and they both pronounced them excellent. Nancy used the time to try to talk herself out of the terrible sinking feeling, the jealousy she felt. Was this how Ned felt, she wondered. Whenever she had flirted with men on cases, to find out information, had he burned with jealousy? She had thought that he exaggerated, that he had to understand, but this—oh, it felt like it was eating her alive.

Ned swallowed a bite of the crepes, then reached for her hand again. "If you have a better idea, I'd love to hear it," he said. "You look really upset right now, honey."

She forced a smile. "No! No, it's not that. I guess it was just a surprise. I—I'll be fine. And you're right. It's just... it's just so we can figure out what she's trying to do."

"And it doesn't bother you that I'll be proposing to her?" Ned was studying her face again, and Nancy felt her cheeks warm as she glanced down, unable to meet his eyes.

"Of course not," she murmured, and she felt him stroke the back of her hand with his thumb again. "I mean, will you have a ring?"

She forced herself to look up at him again when he didn't immediately answer, and he shook his head. "I do have a ring," he said. "But I won't give it to her. I don't trust her... and I don't think it's the ring she's after, anyway."

"Will you get down on one knee?"

"I don't think so," he said. "Here, you can have the last bite..."

She shook her head. "I'm stuffed," she told him with a smile. "Couldn't possibly eat another bite. You take it."

Ned swirled the last bite of crepe through the sauce and popped it into his mouth. "Well, I promised you that I'd make up for some of our lost time," he said. "How about a walk by the river?"

Nancy thought about her heels. "As long as the path's pretty level, I should be okay."

He paid the check, insisting even after Nancy offered to split the cost with him, and Nancy gathered her wrap and her purse. The river was bathed in moonlight, only the occasional ripple cutting a black dimple in the pale reflection, and the banks were lined with walking paths, lamps and iron benches. The effect really was rather romantic, Nancy had to admit, her arm linked through Ned's as they slowly began to stroll down the gravel path. The air was still warm, and a gentle breeze occasionally touched her reddish-gold curls.

"Nan, I meant what I said," he told her. "If you have a better idea..."

"I don't," she admitted, and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear as it fluttered in the breeze, brushing against her lips. "Like you said, it's not... not like it's real."

They were nearing a bench, and Ned's steps slowed even more. Nancy glanced up at him. His face in the moonlight was pale, the angle of his jaw in sharp relief.

"Well, if you're sure you're all right with it," he said, slowing to a stop as they stood together in front of the bench. "Then I will... and I know this is going to sound a little... foolish, I guess. But I don't want the first proposal of marriage I ever make, to be the one I make to her. I don't want to waste it on something empty.

"Nan, you don't have to say anything, all right? Just don't laugh. That's all I ask. Okay?"

Nancy nodded slowly, watching him as he took her hand in both of his.

"I mean every word I'm about to say," he said. "This isn't a joke, not to me. I know that it's... that maybe the timing isn't right, but..."

He sighed, shaking his head a little, and she kept her gaze locked to his face. He looked into her eyes again, and her stomach flipped at the love she saw in his own.

"I love you, Nancy Drew," he said, his voice low and intense, and her heart started beating harder. "I've loved you for a long time now, since we met. I don't know if I believe in soul mates, but if I have one, you would be mine. You're fascinating and beautiful and an incredible woman, and I could never spend enough time with you; I could never be tired of being with you. We've been through a lot together, and when you aren't with me, when we can't be together, I feel—almost incomplete, until we talk to each other again. You're my best friend, and when I look at my future, I don't know everything that will happen, but I do know that whatever does, I want you to share it with me."

He paused for a second, and she saw a faint tremble in his lips, felt a dampness in his palms as he held her hand. Then he released her hand, reaching into his pocket, and Nancy's eyes widened. Surely he wasn't...

Slowly he went down on one knee at her feet, opening a black velvet box he had pulled out of his pocket, and Nancy felt tears spring to her eyes as she saw the sparkle of a ring in the moonlight, shimmering against the darkness. "You are the only woman I can ever imagine presenting this ring to," he told her softly. "And I know we're both young, that I need to finish my degree, that we aren't ready to settle down, not yet. But I want to ask you..." He licked his lips. "If, once I've graduated and found a job, and we can be together and independent... if you would make me the happiest man on this earth, and marry me."

Nancy blinked, sending a pair of tears down her cheeks, her lips parting in a soft gasp. "Ned," she whispered.

He smiled up at her, and even though she knew that he had meant it when he said he didn't expect her to answer, it still felt real. "I mean it," he said, his voice soft. "I mean every word."

Nancy sniffled, then glanced behind her and saw the bench. Her knees felt weak, and she sank down onto the seat gratefully, sniffling again. "Come sit down," she told him, patting the bench beside her. "That can't be comfortable."

He picked himself up, dusting the knee of his pants before he sat down beside her. Nancy's heart skipped a beat as she picked up the black velvet box, gazing at the ring.

"Is this...?"

"My family's heirloom ring," he confirmed quietly.

"You said you weren't going to give her a ring."

"I'm not. But this proposal is real, Nan. If you tell me that you need time, or that you want me to ask you again in a year or two... or even if you tell me nothing at all, that's all right." He touched her hand. "I just didn't want the first marriage proposal I ever made to be empty."

"So you won't propose to her this way."

"Oh, no. God, no. I couldn't." He reached for her chin and gently tilted her face up so he could look into it, and smiled. Her eyes were still shimmering with tears. "Thanks for not laughing."

Nancy sniffled again, and despite herself she chuckled. "I would never have laughed," she told him. "Ned, that... I don't know what to say. I feel the same way about you. Everything you said... about only feeling whole when we're together. And you're right; we are too young to settle down, while you're so far away, while I'm traveling on cases..." She tilted her head. "I've never really asked you this—I guess I was a little afraid to hear your answer, but... if we did... settle down together, would you want me to stop being a detective?"

"Well, if we're being honest..." He tucked the strands of hair that had come out of her clip behind her ear again, stroking her cheek as he did. "I'd prefer that you stop being an amateur detective. If you wanted to be a professional detective, or find a career that used your skills, I would support you one hundred percent."

"Really?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

"It's just... I guess I... I thought that you just kind of put up with it."

He smiled. "In a way, I guess I do," he replied. "In a way... but it makes you happy, and the only reason I've ever been upset when you've been on cases is when you're hurt—or when you're spending time with other guys. I can be a jealous guy. But I have this feeling you're kind of understanding how that is, tonight anyway."

"Yeah," she said with a smile, and sniffled again.

"Maybe because I've always been afraid that you'd meet some exciting guy while you were on a case, and I wouldn't be enough for you anymore. That you've been keeping your options open..."

Nancy reached up and cupped his cheeks, gently brushing her thumb against his lips to shush him. "How do you think you're not an exciting guy?" she asked, tilting her head.

He kissed her thumb, and at the feel of his breath on her skin, she couldn't help shivering. "I'm not Frank Hardy," he murmured, gazing into her eyes.

Her gaze dropped from his eyes to his lips, then rose again. "You're not," she confirmed. "But you are the guy I love. You keep me grounded, Ned. I feel safe with you, and when you kiss me... well, no other guy has ever made me feel the way you do. It's not that I'm keeping my options open. But we're apart so often, and we're young..."

"And we're not ready to settle down."

She leaned forward and kissed his lips gently, and when he slipped his arm around her, when his fingertips trailed against her spine, a delicious shiver answered his touch. "And this," she whispered against his lips, "this is definitely exciting..."

He returned her kiss, and she tasted sweetness in his mouth from their dessert, her lashes fluttering down as his tongue stroked against hers. She ran her fingers through his hair, and when his fingertips trailed just beneath the edge of the back of her gown, she shivered, again acutely aware that she wasn't wearing much underneath.

He stayed close to her, his lips brushing her cheek. "I think so too," he murmured.

She chuckled softly, then felt a sudden, almost painfully intense wave of warmth, of arousal, in her belly as his fingertips traced circles against the small of her back. "Ned," she whispered.

"Hmm?"

She closed her eyes, her lips parting, as he nuzzled against her neck. His lips brushed her shoulder and she shivered. "I don't want you to do this," she whispered. "To propose to her. I know it's the logical thing, that it's the fastest way to figure out what she wants, but in my heart I don't. I don't want to see some other woman on your arm, telling everyone that she's going to be your wife, not even when you and I both know that will never happen. I don't. I want..."

Ned kissed the join of her neck and shoulder, then pulled back, and Nancy's lashes fluttered up again as he gazed at her. "What is it you want, Nan?"

"I want you," she said, gripping his forearm, gazing into his eyes. "You and no one else. I know you said that you're okay if I don't answer, but—I don't want the first 'yes' you hear to be on another woman's lips, either.

"When you—" Her voice trembled a little, and she felt her eyes begin to prick with tears again. "When you're graduated, and we can be together... yes."

"Yes?" he repeated, his eyes widening.

She nodded.

"Nan... are you being serious? Are you just—is this just a gesture, are you trying to save my feelings..."

She shook her head, cupping his face again as she smiled at him. "If you asked me seriously, and you said you did," she murmured, "then my answer is just as serious. In two years..."

He pulled her into his arms, both of them laughing, her heart lifting. "Nan... oh, Nancy..."

He kissed her again, kissed her and kissed her, his lips turned up, and she wrapped her arms around him. She was trembling a little inside; she had just taken a huge step in their relationship, even if that step technically wouldn't happen for a few years. She was a little scared, but she didn't regret it.

She loved him. She had loved him for so long, and they had time before they would start building a life together, and he was hers...

He kissed her cheek. "I love you," he murmured.

"I love you too," she whispered, and she couldn't help grinning as she held him. "I can't believe it..."

The breeze returned, and gooseflesh rose as it touched Nancy's bare skin. Ned noticed her shiver and rubbed his palm against her back. "We should celebrate," he said.

"I think we just did," she pointed out. "That meal was incredible."

"It really was," he agreed. "I just thought that if I was going to do this, I should do it right."

She tilted her head as she looked into his eyes. "So you were thinking about doing this when you saw me a few days ago, when you made the reservations?"

"Yeah. I mean, you deserved it anyway..." He smiled as he rubbed his palm against her back again. "I wanted to treat my girl right." He kissed the tip of her nose. "My future wife," he whispered.

Her smile widened into a grin, and she giggled. "Yeah," she murmured.

"We could go back to my house," he suggested.

"As long as Jessica isn't staking it out."

"Even if she is, I don't care. Some things are more important."

Just in case, though, Ned drove Nancy back to her house to pick up her car, and she parked across the street from his parents' house, and three doors down. Her shoes were making her feet hurt a little, and before she locked her car, she pulled her emergency overnight bag out of the trunk. From a brief glance in the rearview mirror, she knew she had ruined her makeup, and she carried cleanser in the bag.

As she walked up to the Nickersons' front door, she did her best to wipe away her smudged mascara anyway. Ned had already made it home, and he opened the door for her—and his parents were in the living room, watching television. Edith had a bag of knitting beside her chair and an in-progress piece in her lap; James had a folded newspaper in his hand, the lamp beside him was on, and his reading glasses were perched at the end of his nose. Nancy deduced from long experience that he was working on the crossword puzzle.

"Nancy!" Edith cried happily. "Honey, it's so good to see you! Ned, tell her that I told you when she called. I did, every time."

"She did," Ned confirmed, holding Nancy's hand.

"You know that you can come see us even when Ned is out," James commented. "We love to see you."

"Thanks," Nancy said, to both of them. "I'll remember that. Not that I hope there's a next time."

Ned made a face, but his eyes were warm. "There won't be," he told her. "Mom, Dad, I think we're gonna watch a movie in the den, okay?"

Edith waved her hand. "That's fine. Did you two have a good dinner?"

"It was great," Nancy said. "I'd definitely recommend it."

"You hear that, James? Next date night."

James glanced up from his newspaper. "Anything for my princess," he told his wife with a smile.

"And Nancy—make sure Ned invites you over for dinner soon. It's been too long."

Nancy nodded, and she could practically feel Ned vibrating with anticipation. He began to pull her toward the den, and she told him she wanted to take her makeup off before they settled in.

In the bathroom, Nancy studied her reflection, considering. She and Ned had, in the haste of their departure, not really talked about what they had just done; he still had the ring, and he clearly hadn't announced their engagement to his parents. Granted, they were probably going to be confused if he told them he was engaged to Nancy, and then he was still seeing Jessica...

Nancy shook her head and finished wiping off her makeup. She took the silver clip out of her hair and the earrings out of her ears. The bracelet wasn't bothering her, so she left it on. Her hair had fallen a little, but it still curled against her shoulders.

She heard the soft murmur of conversation as she stepped out of the bathroom barefoot, her wrap draped over her shoulders. She had thought about changing into the t-shirt and soft cotton pants she kept in her bag, but had decided against it. Ned wasn't in the den, so Nancy left her bag there and went back to the living room.

Edith gave her an apologetic smile. "Someone called for Ned while you two were on your date," she said. "He's calling—them back."

Jessica, Nancy decided, and smiled at Ned's mother as she perched at the edge of the loveseat. "So did Ned tell you what we ate at Chez Louis? It was incredible."

Nancy was just describing the crepes when Ned came back in. "Sorry," he said. "Okay, now we can watch the movie."

"Everything settled, honey?" Edith glanced up from her knitting, her eyebrow raised. She didn't like what she thought was going on, Nancy was pretty sure—and apparently Ned hadn't shared his concerns with them. Then again, Ned's parents were honest, forthright people, and it would be easier for them to be kept in the dark about Jessica.

"Mmm-hmm. I have a brunch appointment at nine-thirty," he said, shooting Nancy a little wink.

Edith shook her head. "Nancy, are you free this weekend? Would you like to come over and share a meal with us, maybe tomorrow night?"

"Oh—I'd love to, Mrs. Nickerson, but there's a pool party, and Dad's taking me and Hannah out on Sunday. Maybe sometime next week?"

Ned took Nancy's hand after Nancy and Edith agreed to keep in touch about it, and he guided her back to the den. "Nine-thirty; is that okay? Jessica's already said she's really excited about the pool party, and she practically invited herself to go along with me..."

Nancy waved her hand, although the thought of a gorgeous woman in a bikini flirting with Ned made her stomach flip again. "Pool party is a good way to get into her purse without her noticing," Nancy said. "So, when are you thinking about popping the... other question?"

Ned's eyebrows went up for a few seconds. "Oh! I think on Sunday. I'll take her somewhere nice—not Chez Louis—and tell her I've been thinking a lot about what she's said. And, of course, if we're able to figure out what she's up to before that..."

That was definitely potent encouragement, Nancy had to admit. He crossed to the television and asked what she wanted to watch, and she waved a hand. They were going to be talking about the case, so she didn't care what they were watching. She smiled as she realized that Ned wouldn't be disappointed when she wanted to talk about the case instead of watching the movie, at least not this time.

He put on a movie they had watched together a few times already, then settled next to her on the couch. "Still cold, sweetheart?"

She shook her head. She had taken off her wrap—she had been nervous about letting Ned's parents see her without it—but she was sitting next to Ned, and the den was warm. "You?"

Ned shook his head. He had already shrugged out of his suit jacket, and he tugged the knot of his tie down, toeing out of his shoes.

"And you won't dress like this for her, will you?"

Ned smiled and shook his head, reaching up to touch her cheek. "Only for you, honey."

She smiled. Then Ned rose and felt in the pocket of his coat, returning to her with the black velvet box. She took it out of his hand, leaving it closed.

"I know that if I do get fake-engaged to Jessica, we can't be publicly engaged at the same time..."

"But we could be privately," she said softly, and opened the box again. The ring really was beautiful, and tears pricked again in her eyes at the sight of it.

Ned touched her hand. "Is that okay with you?"

She nodded, sniffling, then looked up at him. "I know that if—when we do go public, though, there's going to be a lot of—of everything. Planning and congratulations and parties and... things." She sighed. "Would it break your heart if we don't go public yet? Just let it be between us for a little while?"

Ned shrugged. "As far as I'm concerned, it's always going to be between us," he said, and smiled. "I'd love to shout it from the rooftops and tell everyone we know, but not until you're ready. How long do you want to wait?"

"Maybe until your senior year?"

"Sounds good." He gently took the ring out of the box, holding it in his hand.

"So your parents have no idea? How did you ask them for the ring without making them suspicious?"

Ned smiled. "Uh... they know how I feel about you. Mom and Dad told me a while back that the ring was mine, and whenever I wanted to ask you to marry me, I had their blessing."

Nancy's cheeks warmed a little. "Oh."

"Mom's been pretty unhappy about this whole Jessica thing."

"I had no idea," Nancy said, deadpan, then giggled as Ned cast a baleful look at her. "Well, I can't blame them. You're clearly cheating on me with some stranger."

"I am not."

She took the ring out of his hand, holding her breath as she slipped it onto her finger. It only went down to the first joint, and she shook her head.

"Yeah, my great-grandmother had tiny fingers, and I didn't have time to have it resized. I will, though."

She slipped it onto her pinky, and it fit that one. She chuckled as she watched the diamond gleam in the golden light. "I can't believe it's real," she whispered.

"It is," he murmured, slipping his arm around her. "Nan, you have no idea how much it means to me that you said yes."

She rested her head against his shoulder. "Everything you said," she murmured. "It just seems foolish to deny the way I feel about you, and in a few years..." She smiled a little. "I never saw myself as a teenaged bride, but when I'm twenty, twenty-one? That sounds nice. That sounds perfect."

He gently stroked her side. "I feel like the luckiest guy in the whole world," he murmured.

With some effort, Nancy mentally switched gears. "So I'll get into her hotel room in the morning and do some checking on her," she said. "I'll check on her purse during the pool party, if I haven't found anything else by then. By Monday, you two might be..."

"Fake-engaged," Ned completed, chuckling softly.

Nancy pulled back a little to look into Ned's face. "Ned... if she's been coming onto you... don't you think that if you're engaged to her, even fake-engaged, she might... step it up a little?"

"Not really," he admitted. "Once I've proposed to her, what point would there be in trying to seduce me?"

"Because you're an incredibly handsome guy? And it would only help make sure you stay interested in her, if she puts out."

Ned leaned down and brushed his lips against the corner of hers, and Nancy's lashes fluttered down. "So you think I'm a handsome guy, huh."

"Very much so."

"Then I'll tell her that I don't believe in having sex before marriage, if she tries to take things too far." He murmured it against her neck, his fingertips gently stroking against her side. "Now, Nan, there's something else we need to talk about..."

"Oh?" She breathed the word, tilting her head at the feel of his breath against her skin.

"If I do end up—fake-proposing, since Jessica knows about you, you're going to have to pretend that I've broken up with you."

"And you think I can't do that?"

"I think it'll be hard," he said. "For me, even if it isn't hard for you. I've missed you so much, and having to keep my distance has been torture. Now that we're... engaged..." His fingertips touched her bare back, his lips brushing against her earlobe, and she shivered again. "I can't even imagine how hard it's going to be."

When his lips found hers again, Nancy lost herself in their kiss, her fingers in his hair, her other arm wrapped around him. His hand slipped beneath the fabric of her dress and stroked her bare side, and she shivered, gasping against his kiss. He leaned back, looping his arm around her to draw her with him, and she was partially on top of him as they made out, the movie all but entirely forgotten.

She had no idea how much time had passed or what time it was when they heard footsteps approaching the den, and they sprang apart, Nancy's heart beating wildly in her throat, each hastily reaching up to smooth mussed hair and disheveled clothing. A few seconds later, Edith tapped on the doorframe, then peeked around the corner.

"Your father and I are headed to bed," she told Ned, then smiled at Nancy. "Good night, Nancy, and we were glad to see you tonight. Make sure you drive home safely."

"Yes, ma'am," Nancy replied with a smile. "It was good to see you and Mr. Nickerson tonight, too."

For a few minutes, while they listened to his parents check on things downstairs and then head up to their bedroom, Nancy and Ned at least pretended to watch the movie. Nancy had tucked her hand under her thigh to keep the ring out of sight; her other hand was in Ned's. She felt nervous, almost fizzy inside, and although the hour was late and she knew she should go, that Ned's parents might wonder about why she was staying so late, they could at least claim the excuse of the movie for a while longer. And she had missed him so much.

Distantly they heard the door latch upstairs, and the downstairs floor of the house was still and quiet. Ned let out his breath in a long, quiet sigh, gently squeezing her hand.

"Where were we?" he whispered.

"I'm not quite sure, but it was nice," she replied with a smile.

He searched her eyes for a moment. "I feel like I'm going to wake up tomorrow and this will all be a dream," he admitted softly. "A really incredible dream, but a dream. When you wake up and realize what we've said..."

She reached up and cupped his cheek. "Well," she murmured, "I don't know what's going to happen when I wake up in the morning. We won't be married tomorrow, and I'll be honest with you; I wouldn't want to be married tomorrow, or a week from now, or a month from now. I feel like I have a lot I still want to experience, and I need time... because for so long, in the back of my head, I thought that this was a choice we had made, to be together but not permanently committed to each other, to lead our lives and be all the happier when they intersected. That you would resent my cases forever, that if you asked me to settle down with you the unspoken part of it would be 'and give up being a detective.' I'm not ready to be a wife yet, but when I think of you being my partner... that makes me happy. That makes me excited to learn, to experience what that will be like." She kissed him gently. "So we have time and we aren't rushing into this, and I know there will be days when you're frustrated and impatient with me, when I'm annoyed or disappointed... but I truly think that we're better than that. And I want to find out."

"How could you think I would make you give up something that makes you so happy?"

She shrugged, relaxing in his arms as they reclined on the couch again. "Maybe because it seems like you'd rather be doing this most of the time, than solving mysteries?"

He grinned just before he kissed her again. "By a slender margin," he murmured. "I just didn't think you'd make me give up something that makes me so happy..."

He kissed her again, and she sighed happily as she relaxed into it, running her fingers through his hair. His skin was so warm against hers, and when he settled against her, she was very aware of him, the weight of him and how strong he was. He nuzzled against her neck and his fingertips trailed against her thigh, and the dizzying bolt of sheer arousal that spiked in her belly was enough to make her gasp.

She made a soft noise and Ned hooked his fingertips just under the hem of her gown as he tilted his head back up, and Nancy kissed him hard, toying with the collar of his shirt, her stomach flipping before she reached for the first button of his shirt.

They kept kissing as she slowly unbuttoned his shirt, as he slid her skirt up to her upper thighs. A part of her was listening for a creak on the stairs or some other sign that his parents might discover them, but she heard nothing, and after a while she wasn't listening quite so closely anymore. Ned released a sigh when she finished unbuttoning his shirt and together they slipped it off, and then she was on the couch on her back and he had one knee slipped between hers, and oh, the feel of hard muscle beneath his warm, tanned skin almost made her delirious.

"I love you."

"And I love you," he replied immediately, brushing his lips against hers. "God, your legs are so smooth..."

He trailed his fingertips up her leg again, against her upper thigh, and she shivered. After a few more kisses, as she considered whether she should and decided that she couldn't resist, she placed her palm against his chest and gently pushed him away from her. He made a soft protesting sound, raising his eyebrows, but he moved back, watching as she sat up.

Nancy swallowed hard, reaching for the hem of her gown. She glanced over her shoulder, but saw nothing in the doorway, didn't hear even a creak from upstairs, and she glanced down for a second before she crossed her arms over her chest, gathered the silky fabric of her dress and pulled it over her head. She blushed a little as she pulled off the adhesive-cup "bra" she had bought to wear under the dress, and the low-lidded expression of desire on Ned's face made her shiver.

They had stolen a few afternoons, a few hours during parties, in his room at Omega Chi, but they hadn't found any opportunities to be together like this at his parents' house or at her father's. She still felt a little nervous, knowing that his parents were just upstairs, but she couldn't imagine going to his bedroom with him, and they seemed to be safe enough here.

When she reached for his belt, Ned hastily took it and his pants off, leaving him in his underwear, just as she was. Then he laid down on the couch, reaching for her, and she rested against him, her breasts pressed against his bare chest, her leg draped over his hips. He reached for the afghan his mother kept draped over the back of the couch and moved it over her, and she released a contented sigh as he stroked her back.

He had told her once that this way, with her on top, he was more comfortable because she could control how far they went and what they were doing. He didn't want to make her upset or uncomfortable, and she had to admit that she liked being with him this way. If she wanted to stop, all she had to do was sit up.

"So you really aren't afraid she might try something like this with you."

He brushed his fingertips against her cheek. "Apparently you are," he commented. "No. Relax, Nan."

She kissed his collarbone. "Are you still okay with waiting, with us waiting?"

"Yeah," he murmured. "I'm okay with waiting." He drew his fingertips down her spine, and she shivered. "As long as I still get to hold you and be with you like this... and we can..."

Nancy made a soft sound. She could feel him, firm beneath his underwear, and when his hand strayed down to stroke the back of her panties, she closed her eyes. She had told him that she didn't want her underwear or his to come off, but last time they had been together, they had rubbed against each other and it had felt incredible. She could sense that Ned wanted to go further, that even though he might tell Jessica he didn't believe in sex before marriage Nancy didn't think that was true. She was the one who was reluctant to go too fast, and she was pretty sure that if she said she wanted to go further, he wouldn't think twice about it.

She moved up onto her knees, straddling him as she brushed her lips against his, then kissed him deeply. The thought of Ned's parents discovering them like this was mortifying—she couldn't say that it had all been Ned's idea, not like this—but it felt so good, and three kisses later, she let him guide her hips down so they were pressed against his.

"Mmm," she moaned softly, a shudder sliding up her spine as she felt that hot, firm part of him pressed against the join of her thighs.

"Yeah," he whispered, as she just rested that way, her lips brushing his, her eyes closed. "Feel good?"

"Yeah," she breathed. He cupped her hips, and she shivered as he traced his fingers up and down the fabric of her panties.

"Me too," he murmured. "You want to do what we did last time, baby?"

It was intoxicating, to rub herself against him, to grind against his hardness and feel him arch under her in response, to feel his bare chest against her nipples. She kissed him with every stroke, her cheeks warming, and after the fourth one he brushed his thumbs up and down the mound of her sex, still over her panties, before gently parting her. He didn't directly touch her, so technically he hadn't done anything against what she had said—but she gasped at the sensation as she rubbed herself against him again.

"Nan," he sighed.

"Mmm," she groaned quietly, tossing her hair back. "Oh... oh yes..."

The delight of being so close to him, the friction, all of it, it was incredible, and she kept grinding against him, gasping with every stroke, the couch springs groaning faintly. Her panties grew damp, and Ned growled as he dragged the tips of his fingertips up the fabric covering her butt, then twisted the elastic in his fists. Thanks to the tension and her position against him, she felt the fabric slip between the lips of her sex, and she was more exposed, and she kissed him hard. The dampness made the fabric cool against her, and she felt embarrassed by it, as though she should hide it from him.

Ned slipped his hand down over her butt again, and she felt him gently stroke two fingers against the crotch of her panties from behind, and both of them groaned. "God," he whispered.

"I'm sorry," she breathed, closing her eyes.

"About what?" he whispered, and she shuddered when his fingertips gently brushed against her again. "Oh my God."

"We..." She felt weak, and she pushed herself up on her knees to put space between them. "We should stop..."

"No, please," Ned said, cupping her hips again, but he didn't put any pressure on her. "Please, we don't have to stop..."

She reached down and adjusted her panties so they were covering her again, groaning softly as she did. Ned sighed and she looked down into his face, his skin cast in blue light from the television screen.

"Please," he murmured again. "I won't touch you again if you don't want me to, I'm sorry..."

"That wasn't it," she told him. "I... it's just too much..."

"Okay," he sighed. "Here. I just want to hold you, okay?"

She bit her lip for a second, then lowered herself to him again, draping her open thigh over his legs instead of straddling him. She rested her head against his shoulder. Her skin felt damp, and she willed her heart to slow, willed herself to just calm down.

He held her, and she closed her eyes, resting her palm over his chest. "Better?" he murmured.

"Yeah," she whispered. "I'm sorry... it must drive you crazy."

"Well, yeah," he murmured, and stroked her hair. "But that's the agreement. You want to stop, we stop."

"You wanted to keep going."

"I loved what we did last time," he told her. "I love being close to you like that. And if we were both naked..."

She flushed at the thought. "We can't," she whispered.

"We won't if you don't want to."

She gently stroked her hand over his chest. "I love you," she whispered.

"And I love you, Nan," he replied softly. "Always."

"Good morning, and welcome to the Royal Hotel."

Nancy and George had waited until a little after nine-thirty to walk into the hotel, just in case Jessica was running late for her date with Ned; they had seen her screech out of the parking lot in her convertible rental car, so they were safe. Bess had already agreed to help her mother at a Garden Club event that morning, but promised she would be around for the pool party that night. Nancy and George had both come in business-casual camouflage, and Nancy carried a clipboard and pen, and a ball cap in her purse as part of her disguise.

Nancy smoothed the front of her khaki pants and glanced down at her bare left hand. Ned had kept the ring so he could have it resized, but, she had to admit, it had been nice to wear it, even for so brief a time. Once she wore it, though, it would be a public admission of their engagement.

He had been right. It felt like a dream this morning, but the roses had been waiting for her when she had opened her eyes, and the memory of the night before and all they had decided—it had been incredible, but real. It was real, and when she had called him to tell him good morning and confirm that his plans with Jessica were still on, he had addressed her, in a whispered endearment, as his fiancée.

It was real. And she couldn't tell anyone, not yet.

She had left his parents' house early in the morning, after several more kisses, after he had—half-jokingly, or maybe not even half—invited her to go with him to his room and just leave in the morning. Hannah and her father were so accustomed to her staying out late or all night on cases that they wouldn't have questioned it, but if Ned's parents had discovered her in his bed... she couldn't even imagine it. She had bid him a lingering and reluctant farewell, and the entire drive home, the air conditioning turned up, feeling slightly delirious from the late hour and all that had happened during their date, she had asked herself why she had pulled back.

She had no real answer, just a nagging feeling that Ned would respect her less if she made it easy for him. It was part of his role, and hers: his to urge her, and hers to resist, to deny even as he begged. Their future wasn't set in stone, and a month from now he might change his mind; once he finished his junior year, their relationship might be nothing like it was now. She didn't know. She only knew how she felt about him now, how their relationship had been since they had reconciled and even before their breakup, and how much she valued him and his presence and support in her life.

And she also knew that they wouldn't get anywhere until after they had dealt with the Jessica problem.

"You sure you're okay with this?"

George nodded. "I'll come grab you as soon as I've found it," she said. "Ready?"

Nancy nodded. "See you in a few."

George made her way to the housekeeping area behind the reception desk, while Nancy went up to the clerk. "Good morning, and welcome to the Royal Hotel."

"Good morning," Nancy replied to the clerk, an answering smile on her face. "I was hoping you could give me some information."

"I can certainly try. I have a brochure detailing our guest services... if you'd like to take advantage of our spacious ballroom facilities for a fundraiser or conference, a wedding reception or other social gathering..."

Nancy's eyes widened slightly at the mention of a wedding reception. "No, no. I just wanted to confirm someone's identity, and since this is a rather sensitive matter, I thought it would be better to come in person. I work for the Palm Hotel in Chicago, and we had a young woman skip out on her bill. She was going by the name Angela Parsons."

The clerk tapped on a few keys on the computer, then appeared to enter the name, scanning the monitor. "No, no... I don't have anyone registered by that name."

"Maybe she's under a different name here. She's early twenties, a few inches shorter than I am, tanned, attractive, with long dark hair and a heart-shaped face. She's very friendly and social, or at least she was at our hotel—she was in the bar almost every night, talking to other patrons."

The clerk's voice dropped to just above a whisper. "Soliciting?"

Nancy's eyes widened slightly again, but she regained her equilibrium quickly. "We don't believe so, but..." She trailed off. "Do you have anyone with that description?"

The clerk consulted with someone else behind the desk, and while Nancy waited, she saw George peek from the stairwell and give her a wink. George's task had been to locate the master key, and Nancy inclined her head. George nodded. They would meet at Jessica's room to search it.

Finally, the first clerk returned to Nancy. "We believe we might have someone here by that description, but she isn't going by that name."

"The computer says her room was comped," the other clerk stage-whispered, and Nancy's ears perked up. She wasn't meant to hear it, but when she raised an inquiring eyebrow, the clerk continued, "But I've never seen this code before."

The first clerk seemed reluctant to share information, and was glaring fiercely at the second clerk. Nancy gave them both a smile. "Well, there's an easy way to narrow this down—did she check in three days ago?"

"Oh, no! No. She's been here far longer than that." The first clerk seemed relieved.

Nancy made herself look disappointed. "And you can't think of anyone else? My manager was really hoping that I could track her down, because you know how it is. Maybe it's a misunderstanding. Maybe one of the numbers on her credit card wasn't entered in correctly or something."

"I'm sure that's it."

After she chatted with them a few more minutes, Nancy headed up to Jessica's room, pausing when she was out of sight of the front desk to put on her cap and tuck her hair under it. Ned had told her the number, along with a thorough description of their quarry, and Nancy took a circuitous route, heading for the side exit and then walking through the pool room to the elevators. Nancy hadn't wanted to tip Jessica off that anyone was looking into her current living situation, but she had learned a lot from the conversation.

If her room was complimentary, she wasn't paying for it—and it meant someone else was doing her a favor. Maybe she wasn't gold digging, but that detail didn't help prove her innocent.

"So," George said, when Nancy finally found the right room, her own cap on too. "I heard a couple of the maids gossiping. They aren't looking forward to cleaning Jessica's room. Apparently when they come in it's always a wreck."

"Did you hear anything about it being comped?"

"The room, you mean?" Nancy approached the door with the master key George passed to her, both of them acting entirely natural about it. The battered briefcase in George's other hand would pass for a technician's toolkit, in a pinch—and gave them a way to borrow any evidence they found. "Oooooh. That makes sense."

"What does?"

Apparently Jessica had done something that put a bellboy's job at risk, and she had talked him into comping her room instead of getting him in trouble, according to what George had overheard. It had looked like an accident at the time, but knowing what she did about Jessica, Nancy doubted it.

As soon as they stepped into the room, they looked at each other. The housekeeping staff had been right. Jessica's room looked like a hurricane had hit it. Dresses, tops, skirts, shoes, and swimsuits had been tossed everywhere. Nancy noticed that many still bore tags, but she didn't see any plastic or paper shopping bags or receipts. She did spot an oversized canvas bag, though.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Nancy murmured.

"Shoplifter?" George replied.

Nancy nodded. To avoid leaving fingerprints, she caught a tag by scissoring her bent fingers and turned it toward the light. "Whew. This is a really exclusive boutique."

"We better not tell Bess. She'll make best friends with this girl."

Nancy chuckled softly. "I'm not sure how we're going to find anything in all this," she murmured.

"Me either," George admitted, but she crossed to the dresser.

Nancy checked out the closet and found an empty suitcase. A plush bathrobe hung beside it. Just to make sure, Nancy unzipped the outer compartment of the suitcase and reached inside. She pulled out a very thin manila envelope. It had been addressed to a Scott O'Malley at a Chicago address, and was from a law firm in Billings, Montana. Nancy's heart sped up as she copied the address down. Maybe O'Malley could give her a lead on Jessica and whatever her plan was.

Inside the envelope, though, Nancy didn't find a letter from a law firm. Instead, she found a clipping from a Chicago newspaper. The story was familiar; Ned had broken his arm the previous spring and had been pulled from Emerson's starting lineup, and it had made the news. Ned's talent in basketball, football, and baseball had been outstanding even when he had been a varsity player at Mapleton High, and Ned's coaches had all looked forward to him joining the Wildcat rosters.

That was all she found in the envelope, though. No marks had been made on the clipping; Nancy looked at it carefully, hoping for any impressions left by a ballpoint pen, but didn't find anything. The envelope was a little battered, but she didn't spot anything else on it that would serve as a clue. The postmark was blurred, but she copied down as much of it as she could.

The newspaper was a little over a year old. Nancy chewed her lip for a second, considering, before she took her flashlight from her purse and searched the rest of the small space. She didn't see anything else; apparently Jessica thought clothes belonged anywhere except the closet.

At least now they knew that Jessica had most likely come to River Heights specifically to find Ned, but the clipping was a little confusing. It did mention Ned's prospects, and Nancy decided to call Ned's coaches at Emerson to ask about whether that could be Jessica's motive—but if she was running a short con on Ned, he hadn't signed any pro contracts yet...

Her next thought was far more disturbing. What if Jessica had noticed Ned's photo in the paper and she had decided she just had to meet him? Despite Ned's modesty about his family's money, that wasn't everything, and maybe Jessica had decided to hitch her star to him before he went pro, before all the women around him were throwing themselves at him. And if she managed to get pregnant, and then she could make sure she had her hooks into Ned for a good long time...

Nancy shook her head. Whatever Jessica's plan was, Ned wasn't going to fall for it. He had sworn that to her, and Nancy was going to make sure of it. Sooner, she hoped, rather than later.

When Nancy closed the closet doors, she noticed that the light was on in the bathroom. "Anything useful?" she called quietly to George.

"A bunch of drugstore makeup, but the fancy stuff, I think. Not sure if she has chronic headaches or insomnia or what," George said, shaking her head. "Sleeping pills, extra-strength pain reliever, allergy medication..."

"Prescription?"

The sleeping pills were prescribed, and Nancy copied down the information from the label. After that, she and George made one last pass over the room, but didn't find anything else. Nancy knew the rooms were cleaned every day, but Jessica had still managed to trash her room pretty thoroughly; all surfaces were cluttered, and when she checked in the minibar, it looked conspicuously understocked. 

Nancy felt a little disappointed, but she had some leads, and that was better than nothing. She did hate that she wouldn't be able to get in touch with the prescribing doctor or the law firm until Monday, although she knew that they likely wouldn't reveal any information. Anything she could find out, though, would be more than she knew—and her father might be able to help with the law firm.

Late that afternoon, Nancy dressed in a blue and white string bikini, then stepped into a denim miniskirt. She tugged a dark-orange tank top over her outfit, then added a swipe of lip gloss. She knew that Ned wasn't supposed to be paying attention to her at the party, but she couldn't help it; she knew he would look at her anyway, and she wanted him to remember that his flirtation with Jessica was just a cover. She wanted to look good when meeting her rival for the first time, too.

Nancy recognized the Camaro's horn sounding outside just before Hannah called up the stairs. "Nan, Bess is here!"

"Thanks!" She ran a brush through her hair, stepped into a pair of sandals, and gave her reflection one last glance. She made sure her miniature lockpick kit was in her purse, then swept up her beach bag; she had tucked a spare set of clothes, an oversized towel, and a bottle of sunscreen inside. The horn sounded once more before she slipped her sunglasses on top of her head, then rushed down the stairs.

"She sounds impatient," Hannah commented. "Will you be out late?"

"Don't know, but I kind of doubt it. See you later, Hannah!"

George was already seated in the back of the Camaro, passenger door open, when Nancy raced down the walk and slid into the car. "About time," Bess said with a grin as Nancy buckled her seat belt.

"I told Bess what we found today. She'll be lookout while we find Jessica's purse and go through it."

"I asked Ned to make a note of what it looked like so we could find it." Nancy flipped the visor down so she could check her lip gloss. "But she has such sticky fingers that she probably has a dozen purses by now."

"If we're lucky, he drove and offered to lock it in his car," Bess commented.

"Do you have a spare key?" George asked. "I thought you did."

"Yeah. Good thinking, Bess."

Bess beamed, then gestured at her outfit. She wore an open-weave cover-up of natural fibers over a purple bikini top and white denim shorts. Her nails were a perfect coordinating purple. "So, think this will work?"

"Definitely. Super-cute." Nancy smiled.

"Yeah, someone definitely has no interest in playing volleyball in the pool." George fluffed out her dark hair with her fingers.

"Oh, I could play in this. Although I'm not going to. Nancy needs my help." Bess tossed her hair.

Nancy chuckled and patted Bess's arm. "I sure do."

"And our plan is not to kill this Jessica bitch as soon as we see her?" Bess checked both ways before proceeding into an intersection.

"We need to figure out what her plan is. Then we can. Figuratively, anyway."

The pool party was being held at a mutual friend's house, and Nancy spotted Ned's car near the house. Bess and George paused nearby to provide a plausible excuse while Nancy searched the interior. Other than a beach cover-up tossed in the front seat, she didn't see any sign that Jessica had been in the car, but even that was enough to make her start fuming. Just in case, Nancy opened the trunk—and found a small clutch purse that definitely wasn't hers. "Jackpot," she murmured.

"You think she'll have slushies like last year?"

George snorted. "We'll be lucky if they aren't half-vodka. I don't think her parents are home this weekend."

The purse was too small to hold much, but Nancy found a few folded bills inside, along with a loose stack of cards. On top was Jessica's driver's license. Nancy copied down the information on it, her heart racing; the address was in Chicago, but it wasn't the same as O'Malley's address. The charge cards had been used often—the signature strips on the backs were practically rubbed away from being swiped so much—but the names on them weren't Jessica's. The last name was "Thorne," but the first names didn't match hers. Nancy copied that information down too, as fast as she could. She didn't find anything else that she considered useful, so she hastily slipped everything back into the purse and left it in Ned's trunk.

The party was already in full swing when the three girls walked into the backyard. A long table was set up with drinks and finger foods, and a beach volleyball area had been set up. Inflatable beach balls and toys floated in the pool, and Nancy, Bess, and George greeted several of their old classmates with smiles.

She had already known Ned was there, but as soon as they were in the backyard, she was able to feel it, like someone's gaze on her. He was at the other side of the deck, with Jessica—and oh, it hurt, but she knew he was a good actor when he needed to be, and he definitely looked like he was having fun. The petite brunette with him wore a flame-red bikini—shoplifted, Nancy was sure—and she was incredibly gorgeous. She didn't have eyes for anyone else, either. She just kept gazing up at him, her expression one of adoration.

The jealousy Nancy felt in that moment was so visceral, so overwhelming and violent, that her breath actually caught. She couldn't see anyone else, just Ned and the girl who was trying to take him away from her.

And that's exactly how I should feel, she told herself. That was part of the reason they were even at the party: to stage a public break-up. She already had the information from Jessica's purse, and so when Ned and Jessica went over to the refreshments table to take a break, Nancy sent George over to tell him—very quietly, of course.

"She is really pretty," Bess admitted, looking at Ned and Jessica. "That bitch. She's not nearly as pretty as you, though."

Nancy shrugged. "Thanks," she told Bess with a smile, although she knew her friend was just trying to save her feelings. Jessica was polished and smooth and radiated confident sensuality; when she danced with Ned, her hips swayed rhythmically, and she used any excuse to touch him, to press her body against his.

And the night before, Nancy had been the opposite. She had pulled back when he had wanted to keep going.

Maybe Jessica was just out to get something from Ned, but there would be other girls, and Nancy knew that. Other girls who were just as willing as Jessica seemed to be, to give Ned what he would want.

For a brief, blinding instant, Nancy was sorry that she had asked Ned to keep their engagement private for a while. She was sorry she wasn't able to wear the ring tonight, to go up to Jessica and slap her face for trying to seduce her man.

But, ring or not, her anger would go a long way toward selling the performance.

Ned and Jessica were dancing together again, and Jessica had her arms up around Ned's shoulders; she practically had to stand on her tiptoes to do it, but she drew him down to her for a kiss. Nancy immediately began to stride toward them, her shoulders tense, mouth set.

When she reached them, it felt good to grab Jessica by the shoulder and shove her hard away from Ned, so hard that the other girl stumbled back a few steps. "What the hell is going on here?" Nancy demanded, her hands in fists at her sides. "Ned, what is this?"

Instead of answering right away, Ned reached for Jessica's hand, pulling her back to his side. "Sweetie, you okay?"

Jessica nodded, brushing a few loose strands of dark hair from her forehead, her eyes glowing. Other women might shrink back from the confrontation with an obviously angry girlfriend; Jessica looked energized by it. "I'm fine. You must be Nancy."

"Yeah, Nancy. His girlfriend." Nancy glared hard at Jessica, then turned her furious gaze on Ned. "Is this why I've barely heard from you in three weeks? Because you've been spending time with this—this bitch?"

Nancy could sense that a crowd had gathered around them; she heard the murmuring. Most of the people at the party had known them since they had started dating; Nancy and Ned were legendary. This was sure to go down in history. Nancy wondered how many of them would think this had to involve a case.

"Nancy, this is Jessica Thorne. Jess, sweetie, this is Nancy."

"Your high school sweetheart." Jessica's voice was dripping in condescending honey. "Oh, how cute. I can see why you felt like you needed to move on."

Nancy's stomach hurt, and she was shocked to find she genuinely wanted to punch Jessica. Ned was still holding Jessica's hand, but he reached out and touched Nancy's shoulder.

"Look, I'm really sorry—I'm sure you don't want to do this in front of everyone."

"Do what? Show them how much of a total jerk you are? You are gonna have to work hard to make this up to me, Nickerson."

Ned shook his head, his dark eyes intense on hers before he turned to Jessica again. "I'm sorry," he said again. "I wasn't looking for this, but now that I've met Jessica, I can't imagine how anyone could ever be more perfect for me. Nan... I never wanted to hurt you."

Nancy caught the wide grin on Jessica's face before she ducked her head, trying to hide it. Nancy took a step toward her and then Jessica tipped her head back up again, her eyes dancing.

"I'm sorry, did he stutter?" Jessica tilted her head, then tugged at Ned's hand and began to guide him away. "Come on, honey. Let's dance."

Nancy grabbed Ned's shoulder, urging him to swing back toward her. She could tell her face was flushed. "This isn't over," she said. "Not like this. How could you do this?"

Ned shook his head. He was avoiding looking into her eyes, maybe because doing so would give him away, but it helped sell the guilt he would have been feeling. "Jess wants to settle down, Nan, and I do too. I know you'll find someone exciting. You always do."

The low hum from the crowd around them in response to Ned's comment made Nancy's flush even hotter, and the tears that rose in her eyes were only partially feigned. She cried out in anger and pain, and Jessica's gloating grin was enough to make her infuriated again.

By then, Bess and George had come over, and they put their arms around Nancy in support. "You're a jerk, Ned Nickerson!" George called, clearly relishing her part in the performance.

"And you'd better be watching your back, bitch," Bess added, cutting her eyes at Jessica. She sounded deadly serious, and her warning wasn't playful.

Afterwards, the party was buzzing, and Nancy didn't see any point in staying there. She loved the idea of finding a way to "accidentally" push Jessica into the pool, but after the spectacle, she couldn't be expected to just act natural, and she didn't want to. As well as Ned was performing his relationship with Jessica, Nancy didn't want to witness it.

"You know," Bess commented once they were back in her Camaro, "it's a shame that we're all dressed up and we didn't actually get to go in the pool."

Nancy shrugged. "We could go to the country club," she pointed out. "Swimming helps me clear my mind and think through the clues."

"Oooh. And some cute pool boys might be out there."

George sighed at her cousin. "Well, at least we might get some exercise in."

By the time Bess dropped Nancy off at her house later that night, the three of them were refreshed, but tired. Bess suggested that Jessica's charge cards bore different names because she had aliases, and Nancy had to admit she liked that idea. The driver's license had looked genuine, but Nancy had seen good fakes before. Nancy had already decided to drive to Chicago on Monday to investigate what she had found out so far, and Bess volunteered to go with her. George had already agreed to help her grandmother with a project at her house.

The porch light was on when Nancy walked wearily up the front steps, sweeping her damp hair from her shoulders. When she walked in, her father was in his favorite armchair, and Hannah was seated on the couch beside the lamp, working on her knitting.

"Did you have fun at the party?" her father asked, turning around to look at her.

Nancy chuckled humorlessly. "Kind of," she said. "Kind of not at all. We ended up going to the country club. It's a long story." She sighed and slipped her bag off her shoulder. "I think I'm going to take a shower and get to bed."

"Okay," Hannah said. "Ned called for you about fifteen minutes ago, but when I told him you were still out, he said he would leave a message on your phone."

"Thanks, Hannah."

Nancy had felt exhausted, but she almost raced up the stairs. The new-message indicator on her answering machine was blinking. She pressed the button, shifting her weight back and forth as the tape rewound.

"Hey, sorry I missed you, Nancy. I know it's hard, but please, if you do happen to meet Jessica again, be nice to me, try to be nice, or at least don't hurt her. You're one of my best friends, and my behavior wasn't great. At my house now. I do honestly, truly love Jessica, but I know that you will always be important to me, too."

Nancy had to listen to the message three times before she figured it out. She transcribed his message on the pad near her phone, then circled every sixth word.

Nancy please meet me at one my house love you me

She couldn't help smiling. Ned had learned a lot from her, and now that Jessica had met Nancy, if Jessica's plans were important enough, she might go after Nancy. It was always better to be safe than sorry.

Before she took her shower, she went back downstairs and told Hannah and her father that she might be heading out later to check out a lead on a case she was investigating. Her heart was light at the thought of seeing him alone again, and she blow-dried her hair, picking out her outfit carefully.

At twelve-fifty-eight, Nancy pulled up in front of the Nickersons' house. Ned was apparently waiting for her, and the car had barely come to a complete stop when the door opened and he was walking down the steps. Nancy smiled, smoothing her blue jersey dress over her thighs.

"So you got my message." Ned leaned across the center console to kiss her gently.

"I take it we're not sticking around here."

"Nah. Don't want to get caught. Maybe Flanders Field?"

"You really think I'm that cheap a date?" She wrinkled her nose at him, but put the car in gear anyway. "Hmm. Wish Fox Lake wasn't quite so far away."

"Mmm. And now I wish you hadn't said that," Ned replied with a smile. "God, that'd be perfect."

"Well, since we don't have the time to head out there, are you opposed to a bit of light trespassing?"

"With you? I'm up for pretty much anything."

The country club wasn't so far away, though it was closed for the night. Nancy pulled a heavy picnic blanket from the trunk of her car, and gestured for Ned to follow her. She had a flashlight, but she only used it occasionally; if the night watchman happened to see its beam, he would definitely be suspicious. Together they crept over the fence, then found a level spot at the edge of the trees, on the golf course. Nancy spread out the blanket, and she and Ned sat down on it, keeping a lookout. The night was warm and clear, the stars brilliant above them.

"So. Everything seemed to go pretty well, I thought."

Ned nodded, reaching for her hand. "You were really selling it at the party."

She shrugged, looking into his eyes. "I don't know," she murmured. "Seeing you with her... God, that hurt. Did she tell you anything else today?"

"Hmm. Well, I dropped a few hints about asking her an important question tomorrow, and she was very excited. And she did happen to mention to me today that she's been married before, but it was only for a short time, nothing serious."

Nancy's eyebrows rose. "Seriously? Did she mention this guy's name?"

Ned shook his head. "No, she didn't."

"And she's divorced? Or she says she is?"

Ned nodded. "She says she is. But she said it was just some youthful mistake, and the way she feels about me is..."

Nancy waved a hand. "I get it," she said hastily.

Ned studied her face, then chuckled softly. "I really feel bad," he told her. "But seeing you this jealous... it's pretty amazing."

Nancy knew she was blushing as she lightly swatted at him. "You're terrible."

"No... it's just, I'm the one who's jealous all the time. Seriously. You looked so upset at the party."

"I was," she admitted. "She's really pretty. Having to watch her get close to you... you weren't joking when you said it would be hard."

He reached up and gently stroked her hair, gazing into her eyes. "I hate that it's upsetting you this much."

"Even though I deserve it, for putting you through this before? Practically, anyway."

Ned shook his head. "I would never have wished what I felt on you," he told her, moving closer to her. "And I don't wish it on you now. So what did you find out today?"

Nancy had brought her small notebook with her, and she told him about the envelope she had found in Jessica's hotel room, the clipping, her suspicions about the shoplifting and how Jessica had been able to stay at the Royal, the names on her charge cards. He didn't remember Jessica mentioning anyone with the name O'Malley, but he was just as curious about the newspaper clipping as Nancy had been.

"Did she maybe mention that she had read about you in the newspaper or anything?" Nancy asked.

Ned shrugged. "I don't think so. But if she read about me in the newspaper, maybe she thought my professional prospects were good."

"Have you had any offers? I planned on calling your coaches on Monday, before Bess and I go to Chicago to check out the other stuff I've found out about her, but if you have...?"

Ned shook his head. "I haven't had any offers, but my coaches have all been optimistic about that happening."

"And you?" They had never talked about it before, and Nancy pulled her knees to her chest, hugging them as she gazed into his face in the moonlight.

"About going pro?" Ned shrugged, then reached over to run his fingers over the perfectly manicured grass. "I'd be flattered if it happened, but that's all. I love playing ball. But it's not a career."

Nancy tilted her head. "But it could be. And if it's something you love..."

Ned smiled. "Well, I'll put it this way. I'd rather finish my degree before I even think about anything like that, and by then, if you and I are married soon after I graduate, then it'll be a decision you and I make together."

Nancy hugged her knees a little tighter. She had never really thought about that, although Ned clearly had.

"The article mentioned how good you were, how you were likely to be drafted or offered contracts. Do you think it's possible that Jessica saw that, and that's why she chose you?"

Ned shrugged. "Maybe, but she hasn't mentioned anything specific about that. She just seems to be fascinated by everything I tell her."

"Seems to be?"

Ned smiled. "And after we saw you at the pool party, she definitely wanted to know more about you. I'd told her you were a detective. Maybe she's spooked at the idea that you'll find out whatever secret she's trying to hide."

"Yeah, 'maybe' sounds about right," Nancy replied. "She's very confident, very sure of herself. I really wanted to shove her in the pool, just to wipe that smirk off her face." She ran her fingers through her hair, considering. "The best way to find what someone's most anxious to protect is to threaten it... if I could just figure out what her game is." She sighed. "So she's been married before."

"Yep."

"Maybe that's important."

"Maybe so." Ned laid down on the blanket, looking up at the sky, then patted the place next to him. "C'mere."

"You certainly don't seem very anxious right now, Nickerson." Nancy stretched out her legs, then laid down beside him, resting her head against his shoulder.

He slipped his arm around her. "Because I have faith in us, and we're going to figure this out. Or you are, anyway. Pretending to be infatuated with Jessica is getting pretty old, honestly. I wish I could do more to help you."

"Much as I hate to admit it, what you're doing now is good. Oh, the self-satisfied look I'm gonna see on her face when she thinks she's actually fooled you..." Nancy sighed.

"It's a game," Ned reminded her softly. "Just trying to catch her. And if she falls for it, we'll be a step closer to knowing why she's after me."

Nancy sighed. Ned was gently stroking her upper arm. "I know you think I'm being silly, but the way she looks at you... God, it's so frustrating. Maybe she's being like this because she does want you to fall for her, before you've had the time to think about it or find out about who she truly is. And maybe she wants to seduce you... to tie you to her for the next eighteen years..." Nancy sat up, her eyes widening as she looked down at Ned. "Oh my God. If she's pregnant and the father looks like you, and she manages to get you in bed..."

Ned sat up too. "She has come onto me," he said slowly. "But... I don't know. You think she'd do that?"

Nancy shrugged, her mind racing. "It's one possible explanation," she said.

"But why not find a guy who could provide for her, now?" Ned pointed out. "I couldn't really provide for her yet. I mean, Dad could help me find a good deal on a house, but I just don't see it..."

Nancy sighed. "Maybe because you look really similar to the father. I don't know. It just doesn't make sense, Ned. Unless she spotted that photo of you in the paper, decided she just had to run into you somehow, and then became infatuated with you."

"But you said the clipping talked about my broken arm. So she held onto it for that long?"

"True," Nancy said, shaking her head before she settled down on the blanket again. "Well, I suppose that's a relief."

"What?"

"That she probably isn't just trying to get you into bed so she can sue you for fake paternity."

Ned chuckled. "One theory down, fifty more to go. Besides, sweetheart... that plan wasn't going to work. The paternity one."

"You say that now," Nancy said, and then gasped and squirmed away from him, trying to stifle her laughter, when Ned began to tickle her.

"Of course I do. And I'm right."

Thanks to her squirming, the hem of her dress had slid up her thighs. She made an ineffectual tug at it. "Ned?"

"Hmm?"

"I know... that she's very beautiful. I'm sure you're attracted to her. And she... she's throwing herself at you, and here I am..."

Ned moved onto his side, propping his head up so he could look at her. "And here you are," he said, his voice calm. "She is very beautiful. You're more beautiful than she is. I'm attracted to her, on the most basic level—and I'm attracted to you at every level. She is throwing herself at me. And here you are, with me."

He cupped her cheek, and she held his gaze. "Why am I afraid to do this?" she whispered.

"Because it's a big step, I guess," he told her.

"For you?"

"Of course," he said, and smiled. "I mean—we're talking about sex, right?"

Her cheeks warmed a little, but she nodded.

"Well, I've fooled around with a few other girls, but I never went all the way with them. And yeah, it's a big deal for me."

"And you're not just dying to—to 'lose it'?"

"Sure I am. But I'm dying to 'lose it' with the woman I love, when she wants to. Not before."

"So, if... soon..." Nancy looked at Ned's lips, then into his eyes again.

"Soon would be amazing," Ned said. "But I've never, ever wanted to pressure you into that, Nan. I'm really sorry if you felt like I was last night..."

"No—no. I didn't."

He touched her cheek again. "Why were you afraid?" he murmured. "Why did you want to stop?"

She shrugged. "I don't know," she whispered. "It's just, sometimes... it's overwhelming..."

"But you like it, right? It feels good for you?"

She nodded, closing her eyes when he moved a little closer to her. "Yeah," she whispered.

"God, if we were at the lake right now," he murmured, and when she felt his fingertips drift down, to barely brush against her breast, she shuddered. "I wish we could be together again like we were last night..."

She captured his hand, and she could feel her pulse in her neck, throbbing hot as she held it to her breast. "Me too," she breathed. "I..."

He gently brushed his thumb against her nipple, through the fabric of her dress and the thin lace of her bra, and she parted her legs a little. Her lashes were low, and when she felt his breath against her cheek, her lips parted too.

He kissed her, slowly, his tongue slipping into her mouth, and his thumb was still gently rubbing back and forth over her nipple, and she could feel his warmth as he moved over her. She slipped her arm around him and made a soft noise when his knee brushed against her leg, her inner thigh.

He broke the kiss and she whispered his name, her eyes fluttering open again. The world around them was quiet—she could hear the distant sounds of traffic, the din of insects, but the loudest was the beating of her own heart. She ran her fingers through his hair and Ned kissed her again, and while she knew she could squirm away, that he wouldn't stop her, she didn't want to.

"Here," he murmured a few minutes later, when Nancy's head was thoroughly spinning from their kisses.

"Hmm?"

"You be on top," he whispered against her lips.

"I... can we be like this?" she whispered back, looking up into his eyes.

"Mmm. As long as you're okay with it," he murmured.

He slanted his mouth against hers again, and Nancy shuddered as he shifted his weight and gently fondled her other breast. She felt it without registering it when he moved his other knee between her legs, and then she felt his fingertips against her thigh, gently trailing up to beneath the hem of her dress.

Her lips were wet and swelled from his kisses when he gently moved back, and she let out a long sigh when he nuzzled against her neck, slipping his hand up under her dress. For a few seconds she felt nervous at the thought of the night watchman discovering them like this, but then she felt his thumb hook under the elastic of her panties, just barely, and she shuddered again.

"Ned," she whispered.

"Mmm," he growled against her skin, low and sexy. "I love you, baby."

"I love you too," she murmured. "I... oh..."

She began to breathe faster when his fingertips drifted across her abs, and she felt so sensitized, so incredibly aroused. He kissed her collarbone, and then slipped his other hand under her dress, and she moaned when he brought it up to cup her breast through her bra.

She whispered his name again, wavering. She thought they needed to stop, but she didn't want to. She didn't want to stop feeling this way. It was so good. He kissed her jaw and shifted on top of her in one smooth motion, his jeans against her lace panties, and she realized belatedly that her legs were bent, knees up in the air, and his hips were between her spread thighs.

He kissed her, and her spine was arched; it was only with effort that she was able to relax her hips. She wanted so badly to rub against him. She touched his cheek and when he broke the kiss, she gazed up at him.

"Baby," she whispered. "I... we need to stop."

He stopped, gazing down at her. "I will," he said. "But can you tell me why?"

She smiled and gently brushed her thumb against his lips. "Because I don't want to get naked with you on the edge of a golf course?" she said, searching his eyes. "Because I... once the case is over, let's go to the lake house together..."

His eyes widened a little, and when he pushed himself back on his haunches, she adjusted her underwear and pulled her dress back down. "Oh?"

"If that's okay with you, with your parents."

"Of course it's okay with me," Ned told her. "And I know Mom and Dad won't mind. So let's definitely wrap the case up soon. I can probably take off Friday afternoon..."

She sat up with a grin. "Oh, you seem very confident, Nickerson."

"My fiancée is on the case. I'm sure we'll be done by Friday." Ned smoothed his shirt as he sat down on the blanket again. "Are you okay?"

She smoothed her hair. "Yeah. I meant it—I just, we're in the open..."

He opened his mouth to say something, but he was studying her face. She brushed a few loose wisps of hair out of her eyes and looked at her hands, then back into his eyes again.

"So. I... I know we should stay away from each other until the case is over, and making up codes is fun and everything..." She chuckled. "But you think maybe we could meet... I don't know, for lunch Monday or Tuesday?"

"Monday I'll be in Chicago," she said apologetically. "Besides, isn't Jessica really clingy about being at all your meals?"

Ned shrugged. "I'll tell her I have a client thing or something," he said.

She smiled again. "And we'll meet somewhere she can't possibly happen to run into us? Don't misunderstand me, I would love to eat lunch with you. And dinner. And late-night snacks..."

He reached for her, pulling her onto his lap and holding her close. "An entire weekend alone together," he murmured against her ear. "But before that... baby, I can't wait five whole days to be with you."

"What do you suggest?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "But something. If we haven't figured out Jessica's plan and foiled it by Tuesday, I say on Tuesday night... we sneak out, maybe head up to Chicago, find some late-night diner... and maybe I can call one of my Omega Chi brothers and see if we can crash at his place."

Nancy's heart beat a little harder. "In Chicago?"

"Yeah. Maybe?"

"Mmm." She ran her fingers through his hair, then leaned forward to give him a kiss. "I think that sounds like a good plan. And, since I don't want you to look exhausted tomorrow when you're proposing to another woman..."

He returned her kiss. "Have I mentioned lately how I feel like the luckiest man on earth?" he whispered against her lips. "I love you so much, Nan."

"And I love you too," she replied, looping her other arm around him. "I feel like the luckiest girl in the world, too—or at least I will, once we have some time to be alone."

Ned smiled, then tipped his head to the side to whisper into her ear. "I think I'll bring some protection, just in case," he murmured, and Nancy shivered a little. "No pressure, though."

She closed her eyes. "Can't hurt to be prepared," she murmured.

On Monday morning, Nancy rose before her alarm went off; she was restless and impatient to follow up on the clues she had uncovered so far. Only a few hours earlier, Ned had called to tell her that Jessica had accepted his proposal with a cry of delight, and had almost immediately begun talking about wedding venues and where they might live after the ceremony.

"Nothing else? Did anything else strike you as unusual?"

"Not really, except that she wanted to start planning immediately. But—there was one thing. One thing she didn't ask about, actually."

"Oh?"

"The ring," Ned had said thoughtfully. "She mentioned going by the jewelry store to look at wedding rings, but she didn't say anything about wanting an engagement ring."

Nancy had curled the phone cord around her finger, considering. "Can I just say for the record that even though I knew she would probably say yes, I'm ready to kill her right now? And very jealous."

"And if I could, I'd come over there right now and set your mind at ease," Ned had said, and she had heard a smile in his voice. "You don't have anything to be jealous about, Nan. It's not real."

"But the people who see her at the jewelry store, who saw you two at the pool party, who have seen you two going out on dates over the past month... they don't know that. And she knows I'm a detective."

"Then she's underestimated you or overestimated herself. Or both."

As Nancy dressed that morning, she considered. So far she had considered it prudent for Jessica to underestimate her. She didn't want the other woman to become more shrewd and careful about whatever her plan was, not until she had a good handle on it. Jessica seemed to have an excellent poker face, but she also seemed to be competitive. Nancy thought that competitive streak might be a good way to cause Jessica to slip up, but she wasn't sure.

Nancy had been sure to set her alarm for before her father would be leaving for the office, and when she came downstairs, he was already looking over the morning paper, his coffee half-finished. Nancy slipped her arm around his shoulders and gave him a little squeeze before she took her own seat.

"Eggs, Nancy? Juice?" Hannah asked from the kitchen.

"Could I have an omelette, Hannah? Bess and I are going to be busy this morning."

After Hannah had set to work, Nancy's father looked at her with a smile. "And why do I feel that this busy morning in front of you might involve asking me for a favor?"

"Because you're an excellent judge of human character and psychology?" Nancy said with a grin, then thanked Hannah as the housekeeper brought her some hot buttered toast. "I might only need to pick your brain, though."

"Pick away."

Nancy sighed. "First off. If your office were to send a regular-sized manila envelope to someone, what might be inside?"

"That's almost impossible to answer, sweetheart. Although, did you notice if the envelope was sent certified mail?"

Nancy paused while spooning some strawberry jam onto her toast. "I believe it was," she said slowly. "I think I saw a notation like that on it."

"Certified mail would mean some kind of legal notice, generally something time-sensitive. Am I to gain from this that you actually didn't open the envelope? Or, more likely, you did and found nothing inside."

"What I found inside wasn't the original contents," Nancy admitted with a small smile. "Okay, so a legal notice would mean..."

"Oh, many possibilities. If the recipient was named in a contract or some other kind of document."

"Maybe divorce proceedings? But wouldn't those be from an attorney in the state where the spouse filing suit lives?"

"Presumably. Remember, establishing residency doesn't take long in some states." Her father interlaced his fingers. "I do love it when you bring me a puzzle first thing Monday morning."

"I know the name of the recipient, and the name of the firm who sent it. How do I find out what was inside the envelope?"

"What makes you think it was important?"

Nancy chewed thoughtfully on a bite of buttered toast and jam. "Hmm. Because it's a clue," she said. "And it might be a dead end, but I found very little else that was out of place. That was out of place, and the fact that it was from a law office? My curiosity, it was piqued."

Carson chuckled again. "We're doing trial prep today, so I don't have a paralegal to spare, but you've been a good paralegal on occasion. You have two choices. You can call the law firm and see if the matter isn't sensitive; they might, possibly, be able to tell you. Then again, out of respect to their client, they might not. The circumstances are pretty vague, too. It's not like you can claim the envelope was misdelivered."

Nancy's chin rose slightly at that, her eyes widening.

"Second choice: it's likely that whatever was in that envelope is also on record with the courthouse in the county—the same county that the law firm is in. If you have a date and a person named, that's still like looking for a knitting needle in a haystack, but it's better than nothing."

"Thanks, Dad."

He smiled. "And if you haven't figured it out when we're finished with trial prep, I'll pass it along to one of the paralegals. I have faith in you, though, Nan. You'll figure it out."

"I'm definitely going to try."

"Now... I have to admit, I was a little surprised that you didn't invite Ned to join us last night." Carson's voice was quiet, but Nancy felt her cheeks warming a little anyway. "Is everything okay, honey? I thought he'd been home for a while..."

"He has. He's busy with something, but it should be finished soon. I'm helping."

"And this doubtless involves that mysterious envelope."

Nancy nodded, and when Hannah placed a fresh, steaming omelette in front of her, she smiled in appreciation. "Thanks, Hannah. This looks amazing."

"And both of you will be home for dinner tonight?" Hannah asked.

"Should be," Carson said, as Nancy nodded. "Unless the trial prep takes an unexpected turn."

Once Hannah was back in the kitchen, Nancy slid her fork under a bite of omelette, but didn't raise it to her lips. "Dad? Um... you like Ned, don't you?"

He nodded. "Of course I do. And I'll keep liking him for as long as my daughter likes him. Is everything all right?"

Nancy nodded. The toast had helped sate her hunger, but her stomach flipped at the thought of telling her father what had passed between her and Ned. Still, she already knew he was likely the first person she would tell about their commitment to each other, even before Bess and George. "Everything's fine. I've already thrown enough at you for a Monday morning."

Carson drained the rest of his coffee, and when he lowered the mug, he raised his eyebrows at her. "I think I can handle a little more," he commented.

Nancy ate a few bites of her breakfast. Hannah had filled her omelette with steak and peppers; she had taken Nancy's request seriously. "Ned and I were talking recently, and I know we're not ready to settle down, not—not in a legally binding way," she said, with a little smirk, and her father chuckled. "But we were talking about maybe considering it, in a few years."

"That sounds very responsible," he replied. "You two are very young... and yes, I know that it doesn't feel that way to you. I know you've been with him for a few years now, but it seems as though the distance, while he's away at school, has been a little challenging for you both. In fact, when he didn't come to see you once summer started, I have to admit I was worried."

He rose to refill his coffee, and Nancy had finished half her omelette when he returned. "I think it would be a mistake for you two to become too serious about each other too fast," he told her. "After all, Ned will still be away at Emerson for two years to finish his degree, possibly longer—especially if he decides to go to graduate school. A lot can change in two years. You've been traveling more for your cases, meeting a lot of exciting people..."

Nancy nodded, glancing down at her plate. She had. She and Ned had even broken up for a little while, and had seen other people—but it hadn't felt right to either of them. If anything, that experience had made her more sure that they were meant for each other.

"Are you all right, Nan?"

She swallowed her bite of omelette. "I am. I guess I just wanted to make sure that you were... that you were okay with that idea. So, after Ned's finished college?"

Carson gave her a small smile and sat down at the seat beside hers. "If you two are meant to be together, that's not so long to wait," he pointed out. "And if you discover that you like someone else, at least that way you won't have an infinitely more complex relationship to untangle."

Nancy finished the rest of her breakfast, then wrapped her fingers around her orange juice glass, but didn't lift it. "People are married when they're in college," she pointed out, and she was surprised to even hear herself saying it. She thought it was probably thanks to the way she and her father normally spoke to each other: they often chose either side of an argument, testing each other's reasoning for faults or loopholes.

"They are. I guess I just can't imagine you moving to Emersonville to be with him. He can only travel during school breaks, and you're traveling a lot. He can't easily provide for you. If you were both students..."

"Or if I had a job," Nancy pointed out. "Why would it be Ned's job to support me, anyway?"

Carson chuckled. "I've raised you too well, Nancy. That is a point."

"That is... well, I suppose it would be tricky to set myself up as an amateur detective. And possibly illegal."

"Yes. There is that."

Nancy couldn't help brightening a little. "But, Ned has two years left before he earns his degree, and I think that's enough time for me to get some experience under my belt."

"Your belt is full of experience, Nan. What you need is work experience you can put on a resumé," he pointed out, then glanced at his watch. "And now I'm running a few minutes late... to be continued?"

Nancy nodded, smiling as he returned the hug she had given him earlier, then dropped a kiss on the crown of her head. "Be careful today. I'll see you later, Nan."

"Love you, Dad."

"Love you too, Nancy."

Because she wanted to look more professional, Nancy wore a shirtdress that belted at her waist and sensible pumps, with her hair half-pulled back. She had to laugh when Bess slid into the passenger seat of the Mustang wearing a denim miniskirt and a loose-fitting cropped black shirt decorated with rhinestones. "What? I thought we might go shopping after," Bess said, handling her seatbelt so gingerly that Nancy knew she was still waiting for her freshly-painted glossy hot-pink fingernails to dry.

"Well, it is the perfect disguise," Nancy admitted. "You definitely don't look like you're helping me investigate Jessica."

"Speaking of, any new developments? I know the case isn't solved, or Ned would be in the car with us. And you probably would have waited until a decent hour to leave. —Oh wait, he's working this summer..."

Nancy nodded. "Yeah, he is, and no, the case isn't solved. I am going to talk to an officer in Chicago, though—I tried calling yesterday, but he was off until today. I can drop you off at Navy Pier or something, though?"

Bess shook her head with a grin. "Unh-uh, Drew. I'll never turn down the prospect of hot cops."

Most, but definitely not all, of the cops Nancy had met weren't good romantic prospects—significantly older than she and Bess were, married, or not too attractive—but Bess was determined. On the way, she filled Bess in on Ned's phone call the night before, and when she brought up the seduction and paternity angle, Bess gasped in both horror and glee at the thought.

"Oh, little does she know that Ned isn't that easy to trap," Bess chuckled. "I love the idea, but Ned's point is true. Granted, if I were pregnant and looking for a good father for my child... I think Ned would be a great one."

"It explains her impatience, but like Ned said, he's not a good prospect yet."

Bess shrugged. "Ooooh, can you imagine it though?" she sighed. "Ned cuddling a little baby? God, it would be so cute! Remember when I was taking care of that baby doll for home ec—"

"Yeah," Nancy said, and chuckled. George had ended up taking care of the baby doll, because Bess had been required to find a "baby" sitter at all times, and when Ned had shown up to see Nancy, George had happily turned the baby over to Ned so she could help Nancy and Bess with their search. When the three of them had come back, Ned had had one of his schoolbooks open—and the baby cradled in his left arm. Bess had immediately fallen in love with the sight, and George had started teasing Ned. Nancy had just been happy that Ned was there; she had missed him.

Talking about babies, though, made Nancy think about the plans she and Ned had made to go out on Tuesday night, and she was relieved when Bess squealed with joy at the next song on the radio and cranked it up to sing along. Nancy wasn't ready for a baby yet; she was sure of that. She also wasn't sure if she was ready to go all the way with Ned yet. She wanted to be alone with him, though. Maybe naked. Maybe.

They parked outside the precinct house in Chicago, and Nancy and Bess headed inside. Nancy had worked with Detective Luis Ortiz a few times, and he directed a grin at her when she approached his desk.

"Detective Ortiz! Glad I caught you."

"And we'll see if I'm glad you caught me. Good morning, Miss...?"

"Marvin," Bess filled in, reaching over to shake his hand. "Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you. Now, what can I do for you, Nancy?"

"I need some information. A woman named Jessica Thorne has moved into River Heights, and I think she has something up her sleeve."

"Hmm. Give me all the information you have about her, and I'll go look her up."

While they waited, Bess cast her gaze around the bullpen. The station was noisy and busy; detectives and officers hustled around, answering phones and calling to each other. Once she had apparently decided no one else in the room was worth flirting with, she turned back to Nancy.

"So. After this, what's the plan?"

"If Detective Ortiz gives me any leads, we follow them up. We need to check out Jessica's last address, and this Scott O'Malley person, just in case."

"Then lunch?" Bess gave her a hopeful grin.

Nancy was both relieved and a little daunted when Detective Ortiz returned to his desk carrying a thick file folder. "All right, let's see what we have... Jessica Leigh Thorne..." He pursed his lips in a silent whistle. "She's been charged with... public intoxication, driving under the influence, possession, petty larceny, burglary, fraud—grand larceny, but that was her parents' car... careless and reckless driving, drag racing, speeding, vandalism, assault... ooooh. Extortion."

Nancy's eyebrows went up. "Charged with. Convicted of anything?"

"The majority of the charges... let's see. Her lawyer pled her down to fines and community service when he couldn't just blame it on her age. She had a good lawyer, too. Hmm."

"Had a good lawyer?"

"Yeah. Not as good as your dad, but a good one. The last set of charges, though... she pulled a public defender. Sh—oot. I remember that one."

"What?"

Detective Ortiz sat back and crossed his arms. "Her lawyer said that his client was in emotional distress because her parents had recently died. They had been bankrolling that high-priced lawyer, but once they were gone, she didn't have that crutch anymore."

So her parents had been affluent. "How long ago was that?"

"Hmm. Just over a year ago, I think. I don't have anything on her for the past... two months or so."

Nancy pulled out her pad and made a note. "Thanks, Detective Ortiz. You've been a big help."

"That's all? You're not going to call me for backup tonight, and ask me to bring the riot gear?"

"Well, you know I can never guarantee that." Nancy shot him a sunny smile before she and Bess headed out.

"So. What does this tell us?"

"That her well-off parents died and left her in a position that she couldn't afford a high-priced lawyer anymore," Nancy said slowly. "And if that was about a year ago, I should be able to find something on file with the clerk's office, maybe a will. That might help us, too."

Bess wrinkled her nose. "Ugh. Digging around dusty files? I so didn't dress for that."

Nancy chuckled. "You never do, Bess. I can wait until after lunch to look that up, though."

Before they went to lunch, though, Nancy and Bess headed to the address Nancy had seen on Jessica's driver's license. It led them to an exclusive Lake Shore Drive neighborhood, a large stately home with a well-manicured lawn and a gate. Nancy buzzed at the gate, considering her cover story. She had tossed the clipboard she had carried into the Royal Hotel into the trunk of her car, and it was always a useful prop; she could pretend to be a census worker, or a survey taker, or placing orders for magazines. Bess almost always had a copy of Cosmo or Vogue with her.

After three attempts to summon someone's attention, though, Nancy gave up and headed back to the car, where Bess waited. Any house with a tall gate likely had more security measures in place, and Nancy couldn't really explain her presence on the property, inside the locked gates, if she were caught there.

"No luck?" Bess fanned herself; she had rolled the Mustang's passenger window down.

Nancy shook her head with a sigh. "I have a feeling that it was Jessica's parents' house, anyway," she said. "It probably belongs to someone else now. That would explain the different names on the credit cards—the accounts were in her parents' names."

"What did you say the other address was?" Bess asked, and Nancy passed it over, reading it. "Oh. Let's go there after lunch... and you said Ned can't come up and help us?"

"Why?" Nancy checked around her as she pulled out of her parking spot, heading toward the commercial district.

"I think the other address is in a bad part of town. And it's this O'Malley guy's address?"

Nancy nodded. "From the envelope I found in Jessica's hotel room."

"Hmm." Bess shuddered a little.

"If her parents died a year ago, even if the estate was tied up for a few months..." Nancy sighed. "Why pull that con at the Royal to get the room for free?"

"Because she could?" Bess shrugged. "Maybe her parents had a lot of debt thanks to her all her bad habits and she didn't inherit much."

"The charge accounts would have been frozen on her parents' deaths. She kept the cards anyway."

"Maybe as a physical reminder of them. Or because it looks pretty impressive to pull out a bunch of credit cards, even if they don't work anymore." Bess paused, inspecting her nails, and tched when she saw a chip in the polish on one. "Were any of the cards in Jessica's name?"

"I don't think so."

"No real place of residence. No car." Bess shook her head. "I don't like it."

Nancy had to chuckle. "What was the first thing that tipped you off?"

For lunch Nancy and Bess went to a café in downtown Chicago that was besieged by a sudden flood of tourists halfway through their meal. After some cajoling, Bess agreed to accompany Nancy to O'Malley's address.

She hadn't been exaggerating. The first house had been large and beautiful, in an affluent established neighborhood; the second neighborhood was old, but that was its only similarity. Nancy could tell it was an apartment's address before they had even pulled up, but the building's face sported some faded graffiti, and weeds grew tall in the cracks in the sidewalk and against the rough stone of the building. Opposite the building was a row of small run-down houses and a vacant lot, fenced in and tall with litter-choked weeds.

Bess shivered before they slid out of the car. "I hope you still have all your tires when we get back," she whispered.

Nancy shook her head, steeling herself. "We'll be fine. Besides, this is during the workday, and he might not even be home."

Bess was cheered by that, even if Nancy wasn't. Nancy found the buzzer for the building's super and pressed it, and it was only after their second try that a puffing, out-of-breath voice answered, "Yeah?"

"We have a few questions about one of your tenants," Nancy replied.

"You cops? Collection agency?"

"Neither. Just a few questions."

The voice sighed, and then Nancy heard the front door's lock click back. Bess hitched her purse a little higher on her shoulder as she followed Nancy inside.

A portly, balding man wearing pin-striped trousers and a dark undershirt stood in the doorway of the first apartment; a television broadcasting a tinny, hysterical argument was audible from inside. Nancy checked the door and saw the "Superintendent" notice there, and was glad that she had packed her mace in her purse as she nodded at the man. "We're looking for O'Malley," she told him. "Five-C?"

"O'Malley? Ain't been here in six, seven months." The man scratched the side of his belly as he peered at them. "Sure you two ain't sellin somethin? Girl Scout cookies, maybe?"

Nancy gave him a thin, polite smile. "Did he leave a forwarding address, maybe?"

The super shook his head. "And that bitch wife of his skipped out on the last month's rent, too. You find him, tell him he needs to make good on it."

"Wife? Was her name Jessica, by chance?"

The super squinted as he thought, then nodded. "Yeah, yeah. Jessica. Had the cops out here every other week because they were screamin at each other. Couldn't blame him for takin off. She sure is a piece of work."

"You know where he works, by chance? Maybe I can find him there."

The super shook his head, scratching his ear. "Nah. I dunno."

"Don't you keep copies of the rental applications on file?"

"Nah. Property management does that."

"Could I get their information, if you don't mind?"

The super studied her for a moment before he shuffled into his apartment, sorting through a tall stack of papers. The rest of the table was crowded with beer cans and takeout containers. Nancy took a few steps forward, and Bess did too, glancing back over her shoulder as she did. "We are not going in there," Bess hissed under her breath. "God knows if we'd ever come back out again!"

"Shh," Nancy murmured. She understood her best friend's hesitancy, though.

As soon as the super handed Nancy a fingersmudged business card bearing an address and phone number, Bess thanked him and practically dragged Nancy out of the building. "If we go upstairs, maybe we can talk to someone who remembers them," Nancy pointed out under her breath. "Maybe find some more clues."

"Yeah, but like you said, it's during the workday. And we just need to find out where he works so we can go talk to him, right?" Bess straightened her top, sighing as they walked out into the sunlight again. "Sorry, Nan. It's just, my skin was crawling the entire time we were in there. I can't even imagine Jessica living there."

Bess was right, Nancy mused as they climbed back into the Mustang. Jessica's appearance was polished and sophisticated; the apartment was in a blue-collar part of town, full of working-class people. It could hardly have been more different from the mansion they had seen before lunch.

"All right, then," Nancy said. "No apartment building investigating means dusty paper search time."

Bess sighed. "Where we have an almost-zero chance of running into hot guys."

"Did you think your odds were better in the apartment building?"

"Good point."

Thanks to Nancy's experience with her father, she was able to find the wills she needed fairly quickly. She wasn't quick enough for Bess, who wandered off in search of a snack machine, but when Bess made it back with a pack of Skittles in her hand, Nancy was making photocopies of the wills. "So what'd you find?" she whispered to Nancy.

"Something pretty crazy. Check this out."

Jessica's parents had died in a car crash, and their wills had been updated within the year before their deaths. That made Nancy a bit suspicious—while she hated Jessica for pursuing Ned, she hadn't considered that Jessica might be behind her parents' deaths—but the wills she found didn't give Jessica a motive. In fact, they did the opposite.

"'To my daughter,'" Bess read Mr. Thorne's will in a soft whisper. "'Jessica Leigh Thorne, also known as Jessica O'Malley, I bequeath the sum of ten dollars, nothing more.' Known as? Maybe she wasn't married?"

"It's legalspeak," Nancy whispered. "A way to make sure she can't protest the will, if she's definitely identified. Her mom only left her ten dollars, too."

"And the rest of it... looks like it went to charity and museums." Bess pursed her lips. "Both her parents cut her out of their wills?"

"Well, with that kind of criminal record, maybe she crossed the line one too many times."

Bess shook her head. "And then she ends up in that crappy apartment building? No wonder she's going after Ned. Anything would be better than that."

Jessica had never been anything less than syrupy-sweet toward Ned. Nancy wondered what she and O'Malley had argued about. Money? Her apparent life of crime?

"This is what we came for, right?" Bess whispered, her voice rising in happiness.

"Almost. Sorry, Bess, but I don't want to have to make another trip if I can help it."

"But what else are we looking for?"

Nancy knew it was kind of a long shot, but her hunch paid off. Scott O'Malley and Jessica Thorne had been married, in Cook County, and she had a copy of the certificate in her hands. Nancy knew that some states, like Nevada, had less stringent divorce laws and residency requirements, but the address of the law office on the envelope she had found was in Montana, not Nevada. And Nancy couldn't imagine why it would have been addressed to O'Malley in Chicago, if he were establishing residency somewhere else.

"And she says they're divorced, right?"

Nancy nodded. "Yeah, but if the divorce paperwork was filed elsewhere, I won't find it here. Hmm."

"Hmm?"

Nancy shrugged. "If Jessica hasn't really divorced him, it's a way for me to contest the wedding." She shuddered. "God, I hope it doesn't come to that."

"You told me Ned was only going to be engaged to her."

"He is." Nancy lowered her voice when a clerk shot a glare in her direction. In her excitement, she had almost been speaking normally. "I mean, he's not going to actually marry her. I just wish I could figure out why."

They headed back out to Nancy's car. Bess paused with her hand on the passenger side's door handle. "I remember something about estates being passed down to children when they were married or twenty-five or something..."

Nancy chuckled. "Happens in books and old movies, but not so much in real life," she pointed out. "Sometimes trust funds are set up that way. Still, that reminds me of something."

A quick check confirmed what Nancy remembered. No other relatives were named in the wills whatsoever.

"Huh," she said softly. "So her parents were probably her last hope for an inheritance, and they cut her off. Maybe Jessica thinks Ned's going to come into some money. I called Emerson this morning and left a message for Coach Burnett. He wasn't in yet, but with any luck I'll hear from him soon." She filled Bess in on the professional contract theory.

Bess shrugged. "I don't know, it seems like a long shot," she admitted, twirling a strand of hair around her finger. "I mean, put yourself in her shoes. You see Ned and you go after him; you come on really, really strong, trying to get him to marry you. If we're putting aside the fact that she's not just head over heels infatuated with him—which, Nan, totally could have happened, I hate to tell you—why else would you go after him?"

"If she's not in love with him, then she saved that article she found in the newspaper for some other reason," Nancy said. "She likes living well. She's at the Royal, and she dresses well. It has to be something about money."

"Which makes that crappy apartment all the weirder. If she's a gold digger, why hook up with a guy living at that place?" Bess shuddered theatrically.

"And if she's a gold digger, why pick Ned instead of some other guy?"

"Because she needs Ned."

"And now we're back to where we started." Nancy sighed. "I think I'm gonna go by Mapleton and talk to Ned's parents."

"Can I come?" Bess had brightened up. "His mom always has the best treats. I mean, next to Hannah's, of course."

Nancy chuckled. "Before I talk to them, though, I'd better call Ned."

When Nancy and Bess stopped to buy drinks before leaving Chicago, Nancy went to the phone booth and dialed Ned's work number from memory. Before, she had always been told he was unavailable or out of the office; this time, she only had to wait about thirty seconds before her call was put through.

"Ned Nickerson."

"Mr. Nickerson, I'm interested in purchasing some insurance. You think that maybe you could make an appointment for this afternoon?" She glanced over her shoulder, hoping that Bess wasn't watching her, and didn't see her friend. "A few hours? I'm blonde, so I need a lot of explanation."

Ned chuckled. "I wish I could," he sighed. "You actually caught me about ten minutes before I need to head out to a legitimate appointment. What's up?"

"Since you're officially engaged now, mind if I tell your parents that I'm suspicious of Jessica and ask them a few questions? I don't want to offend them, but I'm nervous that maybe you're someone's favorite nephew or grandchild, and you're due some massive inheritance that Jessica's found out about."

"Sure, you can talk to them. I don't know of anything like what you're talking about, but they might know more than I do. So did you find out anything?"

"A few interesting things. Marriage license, but no confirmation of a divorce—not that I expected to find that. Jessica was cut out of her parents' wills, too."

Ned whistled softly. "Is she estranged from them?"

"They've passed away, actually. As far as I can tell, she doesn't have any other inheritance coming. She also has a rap sheet as long as my arm."

"Even better." Ned sighed. "Are we still on for tomorrow night?"

"Definitely. I miss you, Ned."

"And I miss you too, baby. Every time I see you, I just feel more impatient to see you again. That weekend away we were talking about just looks better and better."

"It does," Nancy agreed with a smile. "I'll talk to you soon—call my private line when you're home for the night, okay? Love you."

"Love you, Nan. And be careful."

"What? I'm on the way to River Heights right now."

"Uh-huh. I've heard that before. Just humor me, and if you see Jessica, try not to scratch her eyes out with your bare hands."

"Bess is with me to handle that."

Because they were spinning their wheels, on the way back to Mapleton, Nancy and Bess talked about other things. Aunt Eloise had mentioned that the summer would be a great time for Nancy and her friends to come visit, and Nancy was considering whether the three of them should go—but she had to admit, she hated the idea of spending the entire summer so far away from Ned, especially when he would be working and unable to spend most of it with her. Bess wanted to go see a movie that would be opening Friday, but Nancy couldn't make plans; if they had figured out Jessica's scheme and foiled it by then, she definitely wanted to go out to the Fox Lake house with Ned so they could have some time alone together. She didn't want to mention that to Bess and hear the teasing, and while she loved her friends dearly, George especially didn't have a lot of patience for the "sappy love stuff" that was often involved when Nancy and Ned were staying somewhere close to each other.

Nancy was concentrating on her driving, and when she realized that she had mentioned going to Chicago on Tuesday night aloud, she blushed a little. That had been another trip she and Ned had planned to take together, and Bess immediately started talking about outfits and where they might go. Their options were limited when they were using their actual IDs; all three girls and Ned had fake IDs, just in case they needed to follow a suspect into an over-21 club.

And now that Bess was so excited, Nancy knew she couldn't just forget about the plans. She had been so looking forward to spending some alone time with Ned, too.

"You know," Nancy commented, "what we might want to do is go to that property management company tomorrow afternoon and ask about available rentals—and if you're dressed to go to the club, you would definitely be an effective distraction."

Instead of objecting, Bess grinned and straightened her spine so her chest was prominently displayed. "That's me," she said. "I mean, unless the guy we're talking to looks like that super today. Then you'd better work fast, Drew."

Nancy sighed when she glanced at her watch. It wasn't like she could make it back to Chicago before the company closed at five o'clock, anyway.

Edith greeted Nancy warmly when she arrived, and chuckled, inviting Bess in along with her. "It's nice to see you again. James should be home from work soon. We still didn't figure out when we were getting together for dinner," she reminded Nancy.

"I'll have to coordinate with Ned," Nancy said with a small smile. For as long as he was seeing Jessica, a dinner with Ned's parents and his "ex" girlfriend would be hard to explain. "Mrs. Nickerson, I need to ask you a few questions, and they're going to be a little strange."

Bess stood when Nancy glanced over at her. "Oh. I think I'll... take a look at the garden, Mrs. Nickerson, if that's okay?"

Edith glanced between the two of them, her eyebrows rising a little. "If you'd care for some refreshments, we have lemonade and iced tea, and I have half a lemon pound cake on the kitchen counter..."

Bess grinned. "That sounds fantastic. Shall I serve us all a slice?"

"A small one for me," Edith said, the corners of her lips turned up.

"And a small one for me, too. Hannah would hate if I ruined my appetite before dinner."

Once Bess was in the kitchen and out of obvious earshot, Nancy took a deep breath and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "I think you know that Ned's been seeing Jessica," she said, looking up into the older woman's keen eyes. "For the last month or so. Ned has told me that she's been very... well, very interested in having a committed relationship with him, and talking about marriage. I don't trust her at all."

Edith was leaning forward, and she had paled a little. "Well. I knew that Ned had been spending a good deal of time with her, and I don't mind telling you that I don't approve of it," she said. "I met her a few weeks ago, when she came by to pick Ned up for a tennis date at the country club. She seems pleasant enough... but there's just something about her I don't like. I can't put my finger on it. I encouraged Ned to stop making dates with her, but he didn't heed my advice."

Nancy gave Edith a small smile. "I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who disliked her on sight."

"Ned was gone for so much of the spring semester, and then when summer comes, when he's not with her, he's at work... and I was so relieved when the two of you went out last week. Finally, he was back to something like normal. Or I thought so."

Nancy wasn't sure if Edith had found out the extent of Ned's "relationship" with Jessica, but she decided to leave it unsaid. "I know this is going to sound pretty... well, calculated, but I wouldn't put it past Jessica, and I hate to ask, but—is Ned supposed to receive any significant inheritance from anyone in your family?"

Edith had risen to pace a few steps; she crossed her arms, slowly shaking her head. "I understand what you mean, and when James and I pass, Ned will be well provided for... but he won't be what I'd call 'rich.' He won't be a millionaire."

"Not even with the cabin at Cedar Lake, and the house on Merritt Island?"

Edith opened her hand and made a shrugging gesture. "That all depends on the market, of course. But those will be his. They're his to use now."

And Ned had definitely taken advantage of his parents' generosity, when it came to those homes—and the cabin they rented out on Fox Lake. "So what you're saying is that he will have assets, but..."

"But if you think Jessica is trying to catch Ned for his money, I don't see why she would have come out to River Heights when many young men in Chicago are doubtless far better prospects in that regard."

Nancy sighed. "Other than you and Mr. Nickerson, does Ned have a trust that someone might have left for him? Anything like that?"

Edith shook her head. "The relatives on both sides of our family are healthy now, and no, no one's told me about anything like that. I'm sorry to shoot down your theory, Nancy. I'd gladly take any excuse to forbid Ned to see Jessica—not that it would do any good; they're both above eighteen, and adults. If Ned chooses to spend time with that—that woman, we can't stop him."

Nancy released her breath in a long sigh, glancing toward the French doors at the back of the house as she considered. From the kitchen Bess called, "Do I need to kill some more time?"

"One more minute," Nancy called back. She stood, looking into Ned's mother's eyes. "I'm going to figure this out, whatever scheme Jessica is hatching, whatever it is that she's trying to do. I don't trust her either. And I... I just wanted to tell you that I care for Ned, very much. I have for a long time. Once this is over, I promise I'll be over to have dinner with all of you. I miss seeing you and Mr. Nickerson."

Edith smiled and reached for Nancy's hand. "Oh, Nancy. We've missed you very much, too, and whatever help we can give you, we would be glad to do it. And I don't think I'm spoiling any surprise, if I am I apologize—but whatever Jessica is planning, Ned is head over heels in love with you, and has been for the longest time. When you said marriage... well, Ned has only ever spoken about marrying you. We already consider you a part of our family."

Nancy felt tears pricking at her eyes a little, at the sincerity in Edith's face and voice. "I'm—I'm honored," she said. "I... he and I..." She swallowed. Ever since Ned had in fact proposed to her and she had accepted, despite her hesitance, the knowledge had burned in her, begging to be shared with someone else. She wanted her father to be the first person she told, but after their conversation that morning, she was less sure what his reaction would be.

"Well—thank you."

Edith was studying Nancy's face, and when she smiled, the older woman smiled in return. She didn't miss much, though, and Nancy knew that. "You're welcome, sweetheart. He's so happy to be with you."

After their snack of lemon pound cake, Nancy dropped Bess off at her house and headed home. When she walked in, still considering what she had learned and what she could do with the information, she heard Hannah say, "Oh, if you could just hold on for a moment... Nancy!"

Hannah was holding the telephone receiver to her ear, the mouthpiece covered with her hand. "Coach Burnett is returning your call."

"Oh!" Nancy immediately rushed over. "Hello, Coach Burnett?"

"Hi, Nancy. Sorry that I didn't return your call immediately. Our hours are a bit more flexible in the summer. How are you doing?"

"I'm doing pretty well. I just had a few questions to ask you about Ned."

"Anything for you. Especially since you helped the team out so much."

Nancy flushed a little, glancing down. She was glad that she had solved the case and helped the Emerson basketball team so much, but she still wished the solution hadn't come at such a terrible cost—to Mike, and to her relationship with Ned. "Thanks, Coach. My question isn't so much about Ned, as it is about his professional prospects?"

"You mean accepting a pro contract? In what sport? Football, baseball, or basketball? He's pro material in all three."

"And has he been approached, to your knowledge? Are some teams interested in him?"

"No, he hasn't been approached. He's just a rising junior, and considering his strength in academics, the scouts are probably waiting. I'd hate to lose him, though, either this coming year or next. Why do you ask?"

"It relates to a case I'm investigating," she told him. "Do you know if any newspapers have done profiles on rising stars indicating their prospects that way, or anything like that?"

Coach Burnett laughed. "Well, that's an intriguing question," he told her. "No, not that I know about."

She chatted with him for a few more minutes, smiling when he reminded her that she had standing tickets at any Emerson game, no questions asked. After she hung up, she walked slowly to the kitchen, lost in thought. Hannah was standing over a tray of salmon fillets, sprinkling dill weed over them.

"Productive day?"

"Mmm. Maybe." Nancy crossed to the cabinet, then poured herself a glass of lemonade. "Now I know that idea was a dead end."

"I'm sorry, hon."

Nancy shrugged. "It's okay. I guess it would be too easy, if I'd figured it out in basically a day." She gave Hannah a crooked smile. "Need any help with dinner?"

Her father was late for the meal—he generally was, when he was in the middle of a trial anyway—and left as soon as Hannah took his plate away; he was working on locating a witness, and needed to head back to the office. Nancy was disappointed to see him go, but she was a little relieved, too. She wasn't sure she wanted to continue their conversation from that morning anytime soon.

Her father came back around midnight, and by then Nancy was already in bed. She had put the phone under her other pillow so the ringer wouldn't disturb Hannah or her father, and she was already heavy-eyed and yawning when it finally rang.

"Hello?" she murmured into the receiver.

"Oh, Nan. I'm sorry. You sound as tired as I feel. Find out anything else?"

"Not enough." She yawned again. "Tomorrow we're going to Chicago to track down Jessica's ex-husband, or at least I hope we are. It's going to require a little... uh, distraction."

"So Bess is going with you."

"How'd you guess?" Nancy chuckled. "How about you? Find out anything?"

"I haven't, and it's making me kind of impatient. I want to try something, but I'm not sure what. Maybe if I offer her some large gift, and see if she takes it?"

"And then deducing that if she accepts a large gift, that's the reason she's after you?" Nancy rolled onto her back and closed her eyes, holding the phone to her ear. "Hmm. I don't know."

"She's been driving a rental. Maybe if I offer her a car."

"And if she takes you up on it?" Nancy pointed out. "Grand larceny's on her rap sheet. You sure you want to take the hit on that?"

"Good point." Ned made a frustrated noise. "Is there anything I can do to help, on my end?"

"Hmm. Maybe pretend she's buying an insurance policy, then run a background check and see if you can find out anything—hey..." Nancy bit her lip. "Didn't you tell me once that anyone can take out an insurance policy on anyone else?"

"Yeah. It requires that person to keep up the premium payments, but that's true."

"It would raise flags if she took one out on someone high-profile," she said slowly. "But you... if she took out an insurance policy on you, would you be able to tell?"

"Well, I'd definitely know if she had purchased the policy through my office, but I'm sure she wouldn't have." Ned paused. "There are requirements, though. A physical exam, a certain period before the policy is in effect... it's an interesting idea."

"So, Watson, what are the problems with it?"

Ned chuckled. "Hmm. Well, Sherlock... if we're playing Double Indemnity, and if you think she wants to insure my life and then collect double if she kills me and stages it to look like an accident... that seems pretty extreme. Also, this makes me not Fred MacMurray, and you not Barbara Stanwyck. I guess this would make you Fred MacMurray's boss."

"I love it when you talk noir to me."

"Mmm, then I could do this all night." His voice was low and deep, and it sounded incredibly sexy. "You're like an inverse femme fatale—but just as incredibly hot, baby."

"Well then. Maybe I can play the Lauren Bacall to your Humphrey Bogart."

"I love it. Not just because it sounds more than a little dirty."

Nancy giggled quietly. "You're a goofball," she told him. "But you're my goofball, and I love you."

"See, you were supposed to talk about—what was it, about how it depends on who's in the saddle? Because that would be hot. We're on the phone and it's after midnight, we're both in bed..."

Nancy smiled, dropping her voice even lower as she thought of something. "You know, in the novel, Marlowe comes back to his apartment and finds a naked woman in his bed."

Ned groaned quietly. "Now you're the one trying to kill me," he accused her. "How am I going to sleep, with that mental image?"

"With some very interesting dreams, no doubt." Nancy stretched her legs with a sigh. "Until we know what Jessica's up to, we can't eliminate anything. I really hope that talking to O'Malley will help."

"Me too, Nan. You're a determined, sexy detective—but you're my determined, sexy detective, and I love you."

Nancy flushed with happiness. "Well, Bogie, speaking of being in bed together..."

"Yeah... I called my Omega Chi buddy, and I didn't get an answer. I hope he's not out of town." Ned paused for a minute. "If he is, and we can't use his place... would you be totally opposed to maybe... maybe getting a hotel room?"

"I... I don't know," she murmured. "How about we play it by ear?"

"Okay," Ned agreed. "I have to get up early in the morning, so as much as I hate to do it, I have to tell you goodnight. Okay, Baby?" He slurred the last few words in his usual Bogart impression, and Nancy chuckled.

"All right, Ned. I love you, and I can't wait to see you tomorrow."

"Me either, gorgeous. I love you too. Try to stay away from any shifty-eyed mobsters."

"Same to you. And if I find any flame-red lipstick on your collar, I know exactly who's going to answer for it."

"Bess, this isn't that hard."

"Yes it is!" Bess sighed, shaking her head so her straw-blonde hair flew. "So I have to look moderately responsible and flirty. That's a little trickier to pull off."

Nancy sighed, digging through her purse for her pocket-sized notebook and flipping through it. Bess's bedroom was a total disaster zone, but it usually was. Diaphanous pink fabric was draped over the frame of her canopied bed, and cartoon hearts decorated her bedspread. Illustrated scenes of princesses lined the border just below the ceiling of her room. Her white vanity's mirror was surrounded with light bulbs, like a movie star's, and the surface of it was cluttered with easily a hundred containers of nail polish, makeup, perfumes, lotions, and cleansers. When her insatiable appetite for fashion had exceeded her bedroom's closet, her parents had bought her a wardrobe. Nancy had been fascinated by it when she had first seen it, but a thorough search had convinced her that it disguised no secret passages or compartments.

Even with all that space for clothes, the bed and carpet and Bess's plush armchair, along with the vanity stool, were draped in considered and rejected outfits. Nancy felt a little guilty when she considered that, after breakfast and once her father had left for work, Nancy had done something much the same. If she and Ned really did find a way to get away tonight, and she hoped they would—she had wanted to find a nice outfit for it. When she had visited him at Emerson, the few times she had ever been alone with him, really alone, she hadn't planned it like this.

After a lot of consideration, Nancy had decided to pack a light-pink sleeveless cotton top and matching plaid shorts. She didn't think the outfit was very alluring, but the fabric was thin—and, she had considered, her cheeks warming a little, she might not be wearing it that long anyway.

Since they would be sleuthing for most of the workday, Nancy had dressed in a white-and-blue-striped polo shirt and an olive-green skirt with loafers. The rest of the night was complicated, and Nancy had packed a denim miniskirt and a v-necked sleeveless top and sandals for their night out. In her experience, clubs were generally hot and crowded, and she wanted to be comfortable. She knew that Ned probably hadn't figured on Bess and George joining them for their date, and she still didn't know how they would handle sneaking away without being teased relentlessly by the cousins. If she said she was going to ride back with Ned, though, they would be alone.

Alone. Nancy shivered a little.

"Honey?" Bess snapped her fingers, and Nancy shook her head a little, eyes widening as she focused on her friend.

"Hmm?"

Bess smiled. "I recognize that look. I know it's hard, but tear yourself away from thoughts of Ned for a few minutes. What do you think of this one?"

Bess struck a pose, and Nancy raised her eyebrows. Bess wore a red-and-black tartan miniskirt, sharply pleated, a fitted white button-down that was open to reveal the top of a lace-trimmed tank top, with several gold chains around her neck. Her black patent-leather pumps looked great, and made her legs look longer. She had threaded large gold hoops through her ears.

"So?"

"That should work," Nancy decided. "It'll definitely be distracting. C'mon, let's go."

"Nan!" Bess whined. "Now I have to do my makeup!"

"In the car?" Nancy asked, knowing full well what the answer would be.

"Absolutely not. Just sit down and think about Ned some more."

The thought was tempting, but the quicker Nancy solved the case, the more time they could spend together—and so she reluctantly flipped through her notebook, focusing on that instead of watching Bess apply mascara. She had jotted down a few ideas during breakfast that morning.

find out where Jessica went to high school - call Ortiz and find out about known associates

someone who knew her after her parents' death

why Ned? why not Ned?

where's the money?

insurance policy?

who is she really?

Nancy had looked up the phone number for the address on Jessica's driver's license, and even that had been harder than she had expected, since the number wasn't listed. The aristocratic-sounding gentleman who had answered the telephone assured her that the Thornes had passed away, the house had been purchased by another couple a few months earlier, and he could tell her nothing about Jessica.

Nancy was just chewing her lip, considering possible leads, when she heard the Marvins' telephone ring. A moment later, Mrs. Marvin called up the stairs, "Nancy?"

Nancy rose and dashed to the top of the stairs. "Yes, Mrs. Marvin?"

"Telephone. Mrs. Gruen."

"Thanks!" Nancy picked up the extension in the upstairs hallway.

"Nancy? Oh, I'm so glad I caught you. I told Ned I wasn't sure if you had already left yet or not. He wanted me to ask you to call him—something about being able to meet you earlier."

"He's at work?"

"Yes, I believe so."

"Thanks so much, Hannah!"

Nancy was both excited and curious as she dialed Ned's work number from memory. Part of her was hoping that Ned had discovered the solution to the mystery; part of her hoped he had found another clue for her, that it wasn't all over yet.

"Ned Nickerson."

"Nancy Drew," Nancy parroted back in the same brisk, businesslike tone, once the receptionist had connected her.

"Wow, that was fast. I'm glad Hannah was able to catch you. I can't talk too long, because I'm meeting Jessica for lunch—but I found out something interesting. I told you that she usually wants to meet every meal with me, basically?"

"Mmm-hmm," Nancy confirmed, tilting her head.

"Well, tonight, we're not meeting for dinner. She told me that she's going out with a few friends in Chicago, as a little pre-bachelorette event. Something like that. So, on the one hand, that means we can meet a lot earlier..."

"But we might run into her," Nancy finished. "Hmm. Unless that's an excuse, and she's going to do something else. Man, I wish I could put some kind of tracing device on her car. That would make this a lot easier."

"It would," Ned agreed.

"You think maybe you can find out where she's going tonight, or pretending to go? It might be a clue. Especially if you can tell if she's lying or not."

"Yes, Ms. Bacall. I'll be sure to do that. And once I find out?"

"Will you be leaving work around five tonight?"

"Should be."

"Come on up to Chicago as soon as you can, after that. We'll meet you... hmm. Water Tower Place? That way we can grab a soda and talk about our plans for the night."

"Sounds great. I'll see you there." Ned's voice became a little quieter. "And the guy I was trying to call about tonight? Still haven't been able to get in touch with him."

"Oh," Nancy murmured, blushing a little. "Well..."

"We'll figure it out. I'll see you tonight, Nan. I'll probably go home to change really quick before I head up there."

George was impatiently tapping her foot, standing on the front steps of her house, when Bess parked her Camaro out front. "Oh, c'mon, George," Bess called.

George made a face at her cousin, a small duffel bag slung over her arm. Bess had packed her own club outfit and had called to make sure George was doing the same—although Nancy knew George, and George was just as likely to have a spare clean black t-shirt in her bag. "How many outfits did you try on this morning, seventy-two?"

"And let me guess, that was the first thing you saw this morning."

The cousins had bickered back and forth for a few minutes when Nancy held up her hand. "Hey. School's still in session, right? I mean high school."

"Yeah, I think so," George replied.

"You two might be in for a busy day."

Their first stop was at the property management company's office. Bess gave her makeup one last check, provoking a heavy sigh and an eye-roll from George, before they went inside. Bess was loudly chewing on a stick of gum, and Nancy was pretty sure that her push-up bra added at least one cup size.

Almost at the same time, the three of them stopped as soon as they walked into the lobby area. The receptionist was a woman, and Nancy could feel Bess mentally switching gears.

"You got this?" Nancy asked quietly.

"Sure," Bess replied. "Hey, George..."

Before the receptionist spotted them, Bess whispered something to George, and George shrugged and walked outside. Nancy saw Bess pass George her car keys. Then Bess took a few steps forward, and Nancy walked over to the cluster of hard plastic seats and picked up a magazine. The walls were covered with postings of available properties, and once the receptionist hung up the phone, she greeted Bess with a perfunctory smile.

"Yeah, hi! I just got a job here and I'm looking for somewhere... oh, I don't know, I want it to be cute? But not too expensive?"

While Bess talked to the woman, Nancy did a visual search of the office. She could see a computer on the receptionist's desk, but she also saw a large file cabinet behind the desk and was pretty sure that was her best bet. Bess asked what information she would need for the form, and the receptionist reached into a drawer in her own desk and pulled out a blank application.

George walked in a few minutes later, while the receptionist was still talking to Bess. "Uh, I was in the parking lot and I think your air conditioning unit might be smoking?"

The receptionist immediately brought herself to her feet, and Nancy pressed her lips together. Go check it out, she willed her. Go check it out so I can look at your files. Don't just call a repairman, go check it out!

After a few seconds of indecision, she came around the desk, surprisingly quickly on such tall heels, and followed George outside. As soon as the door closed behind her, Nancy sprang to her feet and dashed behind the desk. "Keep a lookout," she told Bess urgently.

"Got it."

A copying machine was set up behind the desk, and as soon as Nancy found Scott O'Malley's rental application, she hurriedly positioned it on the glass and pressed the button. "Come on, come on," she urged it, as the machine rattled to life. "Come on!"

"Please," Bess chimed in.

As soon as the copy began to roll out of the machine into the tray, Nancy snatched the original off the scanning glass and slotted it back into the folder, then grabbed the copy and hustled around the desk. Her heart was pounding as she practically flung herself back into the same chair. Bess had her hand pressed to her chest over her own heart.

"God. Well, on a positive note, I think I just burned two hundred calories," Bess commented.

Nancy smiled her thanks at Bess, then slipped the application into the magazine she had been pretending to browse so the receptionist wouldn't see what she was doing as she studied it. The application covered the usual renter's information: a list of previous addresses, income, current and past employers, personal references. O'Malley's handwriting was a little sloppy and the copy was a little light, but Nancy made it out pretty well.

To keep up her cover, as soon as the receptionist entered, her hair a little disheveled, Bess made a list of prospective properties and took a blank application to fill out. She gave the receptionist a grin and they walked out of the building. As soon as they made it to Bess's Camaro, fanning themselves in the already-oppressive heat, they spotted George crossing the lot with a bottled sports drink in her hand.

"Any luck?"

"Yep," Nancy replied. "We need to go to... Garner Construction. Where's the atlas?"

Bess only made a few wrong turns on the way, but by the time they made it to the construction company, she was complaining of hunger. "Well, if you hadn't taken two and a half hours to get ready," George retorted.

"Oh, come on," Bess sighed. "We got what we came for, didn't we?"

"Some of it," Nancy said. "Now we get to find out if O'Malley's at work today." She glanced over at Bess. "Uh... maybe you should stay in the car."

Bess raised one perfectly sculpted eyebrow. "Construction guys in tank tops and hard hats and all stubbly?"

"And sweaty, with beer bellies, and leering at you?" George replied.

Bess wrinkled her nose. "Well, let's just see."

The construction company's main office, or at least the address that O'Malley had put on his application, was a cinder-block building that was already sweltering-hot inside from the day's heat. The interior was dim and very noisy, and while some of the workers were probably the way Bess had imagined, several were more like George had described. The three of them headed to the receptionist's area, and the woman they saw there was older, with graying hair and a thin, lemon-sour mouth.

"Can I help you?" The receptionist cast a clearly disapproving glance at Bess's outfit.

"I hope so. I'm trying to find a man who works for you, Scott O'Malley? I'm a cousin of his from out of town, and when I went by his last address, they said he'd moved out—"

"O'Malley," the woman muttered, flipping through a long continuous-feed printout. "O'Malley... Scott... no. He's not workin here."

"Was he fired or something?" Bess spoke up, twisting her hands. "Oh, it's just so important that we find him."

The woman paused in her search long enough to cast a glance at Bess that would have cowed a lesser woman in her tracks, then flipped through again. With an infinitely weary sigh, she flipped through another report. The sound of metal on metal and whirring, whining machinery from outside the small office filled the lull.

"His last check was sent five months ago." The woman looked up, clearly hoping that they would be satisfied with that information and leave her alone. When the phone on her desk rang, she picked it up immediately without excusing herself—and answered it in the same barely-interested monotone. She didn't make any effort to ask Nancy, Bess, or George to wait or indicate that she wanted them to stay, and after she waited a few moments, Nancy gestured for the cousins to follow her, whispering "Thank you" to the receptionist.

Out on the floor, they sighed. "Another dead end," Nancy groaned. "God."

"He moved out of his apartment at about the same time?" George asked. "Well, that's a pretty good sign that he likely did leave her."

"But if he had moved to Montana to establish residency, the envelope would have been addressed to Jessica, not Scott." Nancy sighed again.

"Well, while we're out here," George said, as they stepped out into the bright sunlight and shaded their eyes. Around the side of the building, a group of men and women were taking a smoke break, talking quietly amongst themselves, with the occasional burst of laughter rising above the din. George nodded in their direction.

"They might be more helpful than sourpuss in there. Especially with Miss Catholic Schoolgirl USA here."

Bess stuck out her tongue at George. "You're just jealous."

"Keep telling yourself that."

Nancy approached the group of workers, and they all clammed up as she walked up to them, their gazes watchful. "Hi," she said. "I'm looking for Scott O'Malley. I'm not a cop, not a collections agent or anything. I just need to talk to him. Are any of you friends with him?"

A few people ducked their heads; cigarettes rose to lips and some of the workers took thoughtful drags as others shifted their weight between their feet. One sunburned man grunted.

"Please? I promise, I'm not trying to hurt him or get him in trouble."

A woman wearing a sweat-stained t-shirt, cargo pants and boots took a step forward. "He ain't been here in—five, six months."

Nancy swallowed her disappointed sigh, forcing a smile. "Well," she said, reaching into her purse and pulling out her notebook. She wrote her name and her personal phone number, then folded the slip of paper and handed it to the woman. "If any of you hear from him or see him, please pass along my information, and ask him to contact me. I only have a few questions to ask him."

Back in the Camaro, Nancy tried not to let the morning's dead ends get to her, but it was hard. "So, lunch?' Bess said hopefully.

"Sure. We can figure out what to do this afternoon—assuming that today isn't just going to suck all the way through." Nancy glanced down at O'Malley's stolen application form, debating whether it would be worth it to call the references Scott had listed and ask if they had a new address for him.

"Sure it won't. We're going out tonight, after all," George pointed out.

They decided to eat their lunch in a more fashionable section of the city, but they ended up at a deli anyway. As soon as they walked in, Bess was staring at the displayed cheesecake under glass. Their sandwiches were piled high with thin-sliced meats and toppings, and once she had a full stomach, not to mention a bite of the slice of cheesecake Bess had ordered, Nancy couldn't help feeling better.

Until Scott contacted her, or until she found another lead, Nancy decided to put that part of the investigation on the back burner and focus on Jessica. To that end, she put in a call to Detective Ortiz.

Jessica had attended Deering Preparatory Academy, and Nancy, Bess, and George exchanged awed glances when they approached the school in Bess's Camaro. The school was at the edge of the city, near the more affluent section, surrounded by rolling hills and lovingly manicured lawns. The main buildings were tall, impressive stone, as imposing as castles. Jessica had attended for the last three years of high school, and Nancy couldn't help imagining that her parents' motivation had been more corrective than altruistic.

Bess smoothed her skirt as they walked up the front steps. "Why do I feel like I'm going to be sent home for violating dress code?" she muttered.

"Probably because you will be," George murmured back.

Nancy wasn't even quite sure who she was trying to find, or what. She wanted to get a handle on who Jessica truly was, and here seemed like a good place to start, but Jessica had graduated three years earlier. Some of the seniors might remember her, but probably not well.

Once the three of them smooth-talked their way past the secretary, they headed to the library to look at old copies of the school yearbook. George found the right year, and the three girls gathered around it. School was nearly over for the year, and they had the library almost to themselves.

From what Nancy could tell, Jessica had been popular, and a bit of a daredevil. Nancy didn't see her in the group shots of cheerleaders, but she spotted her in other clubs: the "Sky-High" Club was one of them. In that group photo, the club members were dressed in skydiving jumpsuits, and Jessica held a poster which read "21 successful jumps & counting!" Her face was undeniably the same, but its lines weren't quite as defined in the grainy black-and-white pictures.

"She's a skydiver?" George muttered, grudging admiration in her voice.

Bess shuddered. "Then she's definitely crazy."

Jessica had been voted "most likely to become a movie star," but she hadn't been crowned prom queen or homecoming queen. Bess was the one who spotted a small image of Jessica in a crowded collage that spanned two pages: she was perched on the back of a motorcycle, her arm wrapped around a guy's neck. Nancy squinted at the man's face, but it was indistinct.

Playing a hunch, Nancy flipped through the book, then to the index, but she saw no listing for Scott O'Malley. Considering where he had lived, she hadn't thought he would have attended Deering.

"She made honor roll a bunch of semesters, and dean's list a bunch of semesters," Bess commented. "So she's smart, too."

"What's on page eighteen?" George asked, looking at the index. "She's on that page, too."

That page included a large image of the drama club; Jessica had been in that, too. She had played the lead, and in an inset photograph, taken during a performance or a dress rehearsal, her eyes were dark, face contorted with emotion as she stabbed the air with a vehement finger. Abigail Williams in The Crucible, alight with righteous anger.

"Well, a high school play is a long way from seducing a guy, but..." Bess wiggled her eyebrows. "Looks like she's done it before."

Nancy shook her head, chuckling humorlessly. "Hmm. I think we have what we need, here."

"So we're not going to break into the school office and sneak a peek at her permanent record?" George asked, and Bess shuddered dramatically.

Nancy shrugged. "If it's worse than her rap sheet, that would be pretty impressive," she said. "But this gives me a better feel for who she is. She's an actress. She likes being in the spotlight, and showing off."

"And to go from a place like this to that shitty apartment building—no wonder she's out gold digging. If that's what's going on," Bess added.

"That still doesn't tell us why she's after Ned." George ran her fingers through her dark hair. "Or that she's acting."

"She has to be," Nancy said. "I just need to find out why."

Nancy made a list of the people she saw listed with Jessica in most of the photographs, but she had no idea if they had stayed near Chicago or if they even still kept in touch with her. The comment Ned's mother had made came back to her, though, and when she was walking out of the school with Bess and George, she looked between her friends.

"You're Jessica. Why wouldn't you try to find a guy here in Chicago?" Nancy crossed her arms, considering. "After all, with a little bit of digging you'll find a few dozen handsome men with a ton of money to burn."

Bess and George thought about it. "Do you think her real intent is to marry Ned and divorce him, and claim half the inheritance?" George suggested.

"Unless she's planning on killing Ned's parents, no. Plus that would be easy enough to block through a prenuptial agreement." Nancy loosely gathered her hair into her fist, then let it tumble back over her shoulders.

"So why all the marriage talk?" Bess asked. "Either she thinks Ned's gullible enough not to sign a prenup... but like you said, he doesn't have any assets of his own to speak of yet."

"Maybe her timeline is shorter," George suggested.

"How so?"

George took a sip of her drink before she answered Nancy's question. "Well, she's pressuring Ned to marry her fast, but even if he did, even if she wanted to split and take half the community property, that would take a while, right?"

Nancy nodded. "Especially if Ned contested the divorce or accused her of fraud."

"Maybe she needs whatever she's after faster than that. Be it an adorable Nickerson baby or paternity allegations," Bess volunteered.

"But, again—why go to Mapleton? Why not stay in Chicago?" Nancy asked.

"Because she can't find a guy in Chicago," George said slowly, a questioning inflection in her voice.

"I have a hunch. Let's go to the Times office," Nancy suggested.

After their arrival, twenty minutes passed before Nancy was able to talk to Lola Brennan, a Times reporter she had met a few times. In case Lola wanted to speak to Nancy off the record, Bess and George had decided to go shopping across the street—Bess willingly, George less so.

Lola had permed honey-blonde hair, and her rose-colored lipstick had rubbed partially away during her day. Nancy walked into her office when she was beckoned in, and she smelled lingering cigarette smoke immediately. "Come in, come in," Lola said, a hint of impatience in her voice. "I need to do rewrites and my editor is an asshole, so let's waste a few minutes. Any hot leads, Drew?"

Lola immediately picked up a well-chewed pen and began chewing on the base of it, and Nancy glanced down at the guest chair, which was piled with phone books, half-filled stenographer's notebooks, and a few sheets Nancy recognized as faxes. "Oh, just hand that here," Lola said, reaching for it, and Nancy scooped up the mess and handed it over, then perched at the edge of the chair.

"Jessica Thorne," she said, watching Lola's face.

Lola blinked once, then smiled. "Yes, continue."

"You first. I'm trying to figure her out, and you clearly know who I'm talking about."

Lola glanced behind Nancy. "Mind shutting the door, doll?"

Nancy raised her eyebrows, but did as Lola asked. When she sat down again, she pulled out her small notebook and a pen.

Lola growled under her breath. "Well, on the record—if you've looked her up on the crime pages, you probably have a pretty good idea of who she is. Started on her life of crime early and hasn't shown much sign of slowing down."

Nancy nodded. "I've heard about her criminal record. So she's been mentioned in the Times a lot?"

Lola shrugged, still chewing on the pen. "The usual blotter reports. Society pages, too. She's a fun contradiction. Poor little rich girl. The real juicy stuff was when she was seventeen, and this is off the record. I mean it, Drew. Okay?"

"Okay," Nancy agreed, making a show of lifting her hands so she couldn't take notes.

"We couldn't find any good proof on this, else we would've run with it, but—Miss Thorne apparently caught the eye of a local politician, a married one. It's an open secret, but the identity of the girl in question changes depending on who you ask. There were allegations of pictures, blackmail—but any good blackmailer knows that the victim will eventually tire of the game. Not to mention if there were pictures, they would have come out already. They always do." Lola chewed furiously on the pen for a few seconds. "Anyway, she's persona non grata in certain circles, and I'd bet you a hundred bucks that's why."

"So, what you're saying..." Nancy gazed at the surface of Lola's cluttered desk. A beige all-in-one computer occupied some of it, the keyboard and mouse cords a gray tangle. "Wealthy men in Chicago might be wary of getting involved with her."

"Definitely," Lola said. "Might be. I mean, some guys love playing with fire, and from what I've heard, she was fire. Just not the good kind. You have a hot lead, then?"

Nancy explained the situation, but Lola had the same problem Nancy had: she couldn't see an obvious reason why Jessica would have gone to a Chicago suburb to land a handsome college student. "I mean, if she's out gold-digging and Chicago isn't a good place for it, why not hit Los Angeles, New York?" Lola pointed out.

"Because she doesn't have the money to get there?"

Lola snorted. "Oh, please. I know her story is that mommy and daddy left her destitute, but this girl? She can pull big-eyes and pouty-lips and con a plane ticket out of a guy without breaking a sweat. There's a reason she hasn't."

"I just wish I could figure out what it is."

Lola shrugged, then glanced at her watch. "Hey, once you do, if it's anything good—mind guaranteeing me the scoop?" The reporter grinned, extending her hand.

"I'll definitely try," Nancy said. "Thanks for your help. If I think of anything else..."

"Just give me a call."

Nancy walked across the street to where Bess and George were shopping and waiting for her, but she couldn't help feeling discouraged. Crossing her fingers, she called home to ask if Hannah had possibly heard her extension ring upstairs, and Hannah even went so far as to walk upstairs and check Nancy's answering machine, but nothing was on it. Nancy had hoped that Scott would have gotten her message and called, but apparently she would need to wait a while longer.

And he might be just as clueless about Jessica as everyone else has been, Nancy couldn't help thinking. The next day, Nancy decided, she would track down some of Jessica's high school friends, but she still wasn't convinced that would help.

As soon as they headed to Water Tower Place, though, Nancy felt her spirits rise at the thought of seeing Ned again. She hadn't seen him since Saturday night, even in passing, and phone calls definitely weren't the same, as much as she had enjoyed them.

"So what's the plan for tonight?" Bess asked. "Dinner and watching you two make googly-eyes at each other, and then going out to the club..."

"Which will be worse," George pointed out. "I don't think you ever come up for air when we're out dancing."

"Oh, come on, guys," Nancy protested. "We haven't seen each other in a while..."

"Yeah, poor girl, it's been two whole days..."

"Almost three."

Bess patted Nancy's hand. "And I'm sure Ned won't be able to stay out too late if he's working," she pointed out.

Nancy's stomach flipped. For a moment she considered telling her two best friends about what was going on between her and Ned, really going on, but she just couldn't, not yet.

After Bess had parked the car and they walked into Water Tower Place, Nancy glanced at her watch and realized Ned probably wouldn't arrive for at least thirty minutes. Bess and George were talking about a family event that was scheduled for the following Sunday, and Nancy glanced around the nearby stores—and noticed that one of them was a lingerie shop. She immediately flushed, and felt her cheeks warm.

Bess abruptly stopped talking, glancing from Nancy to wherever she was looking, then chuckled. "Yeah, girl. Want to go check it out?"

"You two are on your own," George said, her lip curling. "Ugh. I'm going to find the nutrition store."

Nancy stopped, her lips parting, but she couldn't speak. She wanted to go with George, but she couldn't deny that she was intrigued by the idea of finding something a little more sexy to wear tonight.

"I—I don't know," she finally managed to stammer.

Bess's eyes lit up, and she reached for Nancy's hand. "I've got this. Meet you back here in—what, thirty minutes?"

Nancy nodded, dazed, as George headed for the escalator and Bess guided her to the store. The boutique was all pink and lace, and mannequins in the window were dressed in satin bras and panties. Nancy bought all her underclothes at the same department stores she bought her regular wardrobe, and had never even walked into a store like this.

"So. Something you want to tell me?"

Nancy blinked, then turned to look at Bess. "I—hmm?"

"Not too long ago, you would have charged after George like your life depended on it," Bess pointed out. "Now you're okay with walking in here."

"It's—just—" Nancy shook her head. "I don't know. I thought maybe a new nightgown would be nice. But that's all."

"Uh-huh," Bess replied, clearly unconvinced. "Maybe something in satin and lace? Short and sexy?"

"Bess," Nancy muttered, blushing again. She saw a display rack with several satin slips in pastel shades, and the thought of wearing one of those, for Ned tonight...

Her heart quailed. If he saw her in a gown like that, he would think she wanted to sleep with him. That would be it.

No, she answered herself. He's not like that. Every time I say no, he stops, even if he doesn't want to.

But I've never been wearing anything like that when I've said no before.

Bess took Nancy's hand again, leading her over to the slips, and Nancy followed, her own steps slow. Her friend flipped through the rack, then pulled out a medium-blue slip trimmed in white lace, a cute dark-blue ribbon bow at the lowest point in the neckline. The slip's spaghetti straps crossed in the back. "I think this would really bring out your eyes," Bess suggested, a twinkle in her own eye.

Twenty-five minutes later, Nancy walked up to the cashier, still a little incredulous. Surely she hadn't just picked out a slip to wear for her secret fiancé—and a pair of blue satin panties too, since Bess had told her that plain cotton just wouldn't do. Nancy liked for her underwear to match, so she had picked up the matching blue satin bra as well. The cashier told Nancy the total, and she very nearly shook her head and asked if she could just put everything back; she didn't have that much in cash, and her father would totally flip out if he saw a charge from a lingerie store on the charge card bill.

"I—I'm really sorry..."

"Gone over on your allowance this month?" Bess asked from beside her. Bess had picked out a darling white-and-pink striped camisole and shorts set, and was checking out too.

"No... I just—if Dad sees a charge from here..."

Bess chuckled, then shook her head. "Here," she said, gesturing for the cashier to add Nancy's purchases to her own.

"Bess, no, really..."

"Yes, really. Trust me, you'll make it up to me at the Clinique counter later."

Nancy sighed. "Thanks."

"You're welcome, sweetie."

The cashier divided their purchases into two bags; Nancy kept the lingerie wrapped in tissue paper, but she transferred it to her purse and then tossed the conspicuous bag in a trash can as soon as they left the store. "I just—Dad would ask questions," she explained to Bess, when her friend glanced over at her.

Bess just grinned and bumped her side against Nancy's. "Mmm-hmm. I'm proud of you, Nan. And I'm sure Ned will love it."

Nancy smiled at Bess, but she felt a tingle of awareness go down her spine—and when she turned toward the entrance, she saw Ned walking in.

It took all her self-control not to just run to him, but she walked as quickly as she could, and Ned swept her up into his arms, holding her tight. "I've missed you so much," he murmured, and she smiled, tilting her head to meet the kiss he was lowering his head to give her. The touch of his lips against hers sent a bolt of dizzying arousal straight down her spine, and when Ned slowly, reluctantly lowered her so she could stand again, her head was spinning.

"And we're gonna be seeing a lot of that," George sighed from behind Nancy. "Hey Nickerson, you solved this yet?"

George's voice was relatively quiet, but Bess, Nancy, and Ned glanced around anyway. "Let's get a drink and figure out what we're doing," Ned suggested, reaching for Nancy's hand, and her heart skipped a beat as he laced his fingers through hers. He wore a short-sleeved collared shirt and slacks, and Nancy thought he looked very handsome. Then again, he could be wearing his most threadbare shorts and a ripped t-shirt, and she would still think he was the most handsome man she had ever seen.

Then she remembered what was in her purse, and her heart skipped another few beats.

Bess and George led the way to the food court, and Nancy jumped a little when Ned leaned over. "I finally was able to reach my friend," he murmured, his breath warm against her ear, and Nancy shivered. "He was sorry, but he doesn't have any space we can use tonight; some friends of his came in from out of town."

"Oh," Nancy murmured, her stomach sinking.

By the time they had reached the food court, Nancy had managed to convince herself that it wasn't so bad, but she was still incredibly disappointed, more than she had thought she would be. Ned had news, though, and that gave her a thrill.

"Okay—at lunch, Jessica took a call, and I managed to eavesdrop. Apparently she's meeting her friends at Michaela's, and then they're going to Terminal."

Terminal was an over-21 club in Chicago. The girls digested that information.

"Well, Ned can't go to Terminal," Nancy said. "Jessica would spot him immediately."

"And she'd probably be awfully suspicious if she saw you," Bess pointed out, looking at Nancy. "But she hasn't seen very much of me and George."

"She still saw us at the party," George said.

"Yeah, but just for a minute. Besides, after a little shopping spree? She definitely won't know us." Bess grinned, then took a long sip of her diet soda.

George shuddered theatrically. "No blue hair again, okay?"

They scouted the area around Terminal before they headed to dinner, making sure to choose a restaurant a safe distance away from Michaela's. Before they had headed off, Nancy had grabbed her bag from Bess's car and transferred it to Ned's, and she rode in his car to give them some more time together. Bess and George stopped for their brief shopping trip, and Nancy and Ned headed to the restaurant to put their names down for a table.

"Nan, I'm really sorry. I can't believe how disappointed I am. But the hotel room idea?"

Ned glanced over at her as he brought the car to a stop at a light, and Nancy sighed silently. "I... I don't know. I really want to spend time with you, but a hotel room..."

"We stay in hotels all the time," Ned pointed out.

"On cases. And not in the same room."

"We're on a case now," Ned replied. "And we'll be out late tonight... and really tired..."

Nancy patted Ned's knee. "Let me think about it, okay?"

Ned nodded. "It's just—I don't feel like there would be anything wrong with it, but if you're uncomfortable with the idea, we won't."

It was just a lot to think about, with the nightgown too... and when Nancy imagined it, it seemed real, too real. She could imagine it: a snowy-white comforter, plush carpet under her bare feet, and Ned waiting for her, seeing her in that gown...

I wish we could be together again like we were last night...

She didn't know how many times she had replayed that last date in her head, recalling the feel of his lips against hers, his hips snug between hers. She knew they were approaching a line, one that would be harder to stay behind once they had crossed it. But oh, oh God, it had felt so good, and if he had protection, and...

Nancy shook her head. She wanted to be with him, and if their best opportunity was a hotel room... but that would leave a trail. Someone who knew them—or, worse, who knew her father—might see them checking in. Given how awkward their Monday morning conversation could have turned, Nancy couldn't even imagine how embarrassing it would be if her father found out about them spending the night together.

Bess and George had stopped by a drugstore on the way to dinner, and after a nice, leisurely meal at a new, brightly-colored tex-mex restaurant in downtown Chicago, the three girls excused themselves and went to the restroom. Bess had found a couple of bottles of sprayable wash-out hair color, and she carefully turned George's hair an artificial platinum blonde that left her scrunching her nose in disgust. Bess gave her own hair a streak of hot pink, then set to work on her cousin's makeup. Nancy changed into her own extra outfit, then helped Bess with the makeup.

"So we hang out at Terminal until Jessica shows up, and see if we can find out any clues," Bess murmured. "Then we meet you guys?"

"Yeah. We'll be up at Medusa's, so just meet us there."

"So sad that Ned doesn't want to stay out late on a school night." Bess cast a loaded glance at Nancy.

"Well, it's not like we're going to be drinking tonight, anyway."

"Not at Medusa's."

They had been to Medusa's a few times, and though the club seemed to cater to the under-21s who had no fake IDs, the music wasn't bad and the place was pretty cool. Because Bess insisted, Nancy put on some more mascara and a darker shade of lipstick before they left.

"Bess!" George hissed, when she picked up the now practically empty drugstore bag. "Remember?"

"Oh!" Bess reached into the bag and brought out a small box, which she tucked into Nancy's small duffel. "A little present for you guys. George suggested it."

"Yeah. As cute as little Nickerson babies might be, we thought you two weren't quite ready for that yet."

Nancy glanced down at the small box and flinched when she read the print on the box. "Oh my God, you guys..."

"Just because it's flavored doesn't mean you need to taste it." Bess winked at her. "And I couldn't decide, so that's why we got a variety pack. Ribbed sounded pretty neat."

"Be safe, Nan."

Nancy looked back and forth between them. She knew she was blushing, and while she was still embarrassed, she couldn't help smiling a little. "Thanks. That's really thoughtful. I thought about it, but I was just... mortified, I guess."

"Yeah, but if you're thinking about taking that step? I think it's pretty important for you to get past that," George pointed out. "'Cause if the choice involves a possible baby in nine months if you don't?"

"I know," Nancy said.

"And it's easier when you aren't buying it for yourself," Bess pointed out with a grin. "The cashier gave me a look and we didn't blush at all. I felt very sophisticated." Then she giggled.

"There were other—things, on that aisle, but we were in a hurry," George continued. "And assuming I ever decide to do that with a guy, you owe me a box, all right?"

"Deal," Nancy said, and smiled. She gave them each a little hug before they headed back out to meet with Ned, and even before she met Ned's eyes, she knew that she was blushing again. In an attempt to hide it, she took her hair down and shook it out.

"Look, just be careful when you're trying to find Jessica, all right? We don't want to tip her off, so if she seems to recognize you, just back off and meet us at the other club." Nancy glanced back and forth between Bess and George.

"We've got it, okay?" Bess patted Nancy's shoulder. "It's kind of exciting, actually."

"Bess is just praying that she gets to grind up on some hot male model on the dance floor," George sighed. "Look at this hair, Nan. Look at it. The things I do for you." She tugged at one of her newly-platinum locks with a scowl.

"Which I appreciate. Very much. Honestly, blonde looks pretty good on you." Nancy smiled and gave her another little hug before George and Bess left for Terminal, and she and Ned left for the other club.

The line wasn't long to get into Medusa, and as soon as they were inside, Ned offered to buy Nancy a drink. She shook her head, shrugging at the dance floor. Several couples and groups of friends were already out on it dancing, their gyrating bodies traced by the strobing lights.

Ned slipped his arms around her waist and she slid hers around his neck, gazing up at him. The lights were dim, but she could just see him. "Mmm. I've missed this," he murmured.

"Me too," she told him, her breasts brushing against his chest, and her heart beat a little faster. "You look really handsome, Ned."

"And you look beautiful," he murmured, leaning down. He nuzzled against her earlobe. "Have you thought about us getting a room?"

She shivered at the feel of his breath against her ear. "I really want to," she told him. "I do. But..."

Ned groaned, and Nancy's stomach tensed. She had known he would be disappointed, but it still made her feel bad. "What are you concerned about?"

His tone was even, not exasperated, and Nancy was a little comforted by that. "That it'll get back to my dad somehow," she admitted softly. "That—um..."

He rubbed his palm against the small of her back. "That what?" he murmured.

She choked, and for a moment she was quiet, until Ned pulled back to look into her eyes. "That if you get a hotel room it'll be a lot of pressure," she forced out.

Ned's expression was puzzled for a moment. Then his brow cleared. "You mean, pressure on you to... keep going?"

She nodded. "I mean, if you pay for the room and we just hang out and watch movies, I know you'd be disappointed... even if I pay you back for half of it..."

He smiled slightly and shook his head, then ducked in to kiss the point of her jaw. "We'd be together," he told her. "We'd be able to hold each other and make out if we wanted, and I'd never ask you to go dutch on it. Nan, when I said I didn't want to do this until you did, I meant it, and tonight doesn't have to be the night. I just miss you too much to want to give you up after a few hours."

She smiled a little, too, still swaying in his arms.

"But, if you're still nervous... look, by the time I get back to Mapleton, my parents are going to be asleep. We could sleep at my house."

Nancy was the one who pulled back that time, her eyes wide. "Ned," she murmured.

"No hotel room. No pressure. Probably a lot of sleeping. And that way we're not rushing back to River Heights from Chicago so you can have breakfast with your dad and explain why you're in the same clothes as yesterday. I can just set an alarm and take you back before the sun's up." He reached up and stroked a lock of hair from her cheek.

"And if your parents wake up and see me in your room?"

Ned shook his head. "Nan, seriously, the only time Mom comes in my room is to wake me up in the morning if I've slept through my alarm. That's it. They sleep really soundly."

His expression was so earnest that Nancy felt herself wavering. She didn't think she was ready for a hotel room or to take advantage of the protection her friends had bought for her yet, but he was right; if they slept at his house, they wouldn't have to get up super-early and rush back from Chicago. The thought of his parents finding them together was still nerve-racking, but she couldn't deny that the prospect of spending the night in his bed was tantalizing.

They were still dancing, and he kissed her cheek again. "Just think about it," he said. "I doubt either of us is up to sneaking onto the golf course tonight."

She chuckled. "Not that it wasn't romantic for a few hours," she replied, resting her cheek against his shoulder again. "And I really do want to be with you. As much as I hate it when you're so far away at Emerson, at least there you have your own room."

He pulled her a little closer, and Nancy moaned softly when the front of her body pressed tight to his, the join of her thighs feeling tender as he slipped his thumb through the belt loop at the small of her back. "So you mean this fall when you visit, you won't be so tantalizingly close to me—you'll actually stay in my room the whole night?"

"Maybe," she murmured. "Don't count your chickens, Nickerson."

Ned groaned. "You're going to kill me, woman," he told her. "I think about you all the time—and I used to think that was true, but now?" He brushed his lips against her ear, and her lashes fluttered down. "Now that I know that a year from now, everyone around us will know about us? No more having to pretend that what's between us is some casual puppy love? I love you so much, babe. I want to be with you all the time. Other guys... during those crazy parties at the frat, they say I'm lucky, that I can have a few flings since you're so far away, but all I want is to have you there with me. I see couples walking across the quad and I feel so fucking jealous of them."

She had heard those comments, too—adults telling her that she should be carefree and take advantage of her freedom before she settled down to a career or with a spouse, or both. After twelve years in school, the past year had been like a dream, and Nancy had been free to do as she wished. She still was.

She had been free to promise him what she had, and she didn't regret it. What her father had told her was true: she and Ned loved each other, and their love could withstand two more years apart. For two more years, she would be Nancy Drew.

But even though she lived at home with her father, even though she and Ned were apart far more often than they were together, he was never far from her thoughts either. His help on her cases, when he was free to provide it, was invaluable. His support and his love, she didn't know how she could ever do without.

And because she was free, the thought of marrying him—especially once she had some experience and could contribute to supporting them and their household—was no burden at all.

When she looked at the rest of her life, when she imagined it, Ned was by her side. And being with him tonight, doing something that made both of them so happy... she didn't want to say no.

"Honey?"

Their hips were locked tight together, and her lashes were low as she looked up into his face. "I want to be with you all the time too," she told him. "I love you so much, and I don't want anyone else either. This is forever, Ned... and I want to be with you tonight."

He reached up and cupped her cheek. When he smiled, she smiled back.

The DJ took a short break, and Nancy and Ned took advantage of it to order sodas at the busy bar. More teenagers were streaming in all the time, some of them wearing a lot of makeup and glancing around self-consciously, some of them just laughing loudly with their friends, some clearly nervous. 

Even though Nancy could clearly feel Ned's impatience—after all, they hadn't planned on spending tonight sleuthing, but spending time together—they had to stay at Medusa's, and when the DJ returned and put on a new song, Nancy raised her eyebrows a little. The bass line throbbed through her, and while she didn't think the words were that bad, the saxophone and the low tone of the singer's voice brought a little flush to Nancy's cheeks.

She and Ned went back out on the dance floor, which was already becoming crowded with other couples, and when Ned swayed his hips against hers in time with the music, her blush only deepened. He was so warm and solid and undeniably masculine, and so clearly in love with her. She ran her fingers through his hair and he tipped his head down to kiss her, and the heady sensation, their closeness and the intimacy of it—it was incredible, and she thought that she could willingly drown in it.

By the end of the song, Ned had slipped his knee between hers and they were moving together, almost the way they would have in bed—and she was so glad for the darkness, for the crush of bodies around them and the relative privacy. Her breasts and the join of her thighs felt almost achingly sensitive, and she sighed with his every glancing touch, her lips pressed red and wet from his kiss. Suddenly Bess and George's little gift didn't seem like such a bad idea, after all.

Nancy wasn't sure how much time had passed when she felt a tap on her shoulder. The songs had blended into each other, and she and Ned had been dancing as close as they could, exchanging lingering kisses, joined in a tight embrace. Nancy felt a little disoriented when she turned at the tap, and saw Bess standing there. She half-expected her friend to give her a little thumbs-up and a grin, but Bess's tanned face was pale beneath her makeup.

"We have to talk," she said.

Once George had joined them, the four of them claimed a table on the other side of the club, opposite the dance floor. George looked a little spooked too, and while Nancy was still almost painfully aroused, their clear alarm was making her feel a little excited, too. The day had been discouraging for the case, and she was dying for some good news. Ned squeezed her hand gently, their fingers interlaced as their hands rested together on their thighs, and she gave him a little smile.

"Okay," George began. "She walked into the place about thirty minutes after we came in, with I think six other girls, and she's definitely dressed provocatively."

"Which, again, if she was having a little bachelorette thing..." Bess shrugged, gesturing with a fry from the basket she had ordered as soon as she had walked in. She and George both were glowing from exertion; they had definitely thrown themselves into their cover. "Anyway, she came in and spotted this big guy who would have been cute if not for the crooked nose. Plus the dreadlocks."

"Crooked nose, like it had been broken?" Ned asked.

Bess nodded. "And she hugged him and they looked really friendly. In a way that didn't involve being friends, but did involve some making out."

Nancy chuckled. "Okay. Anything else?"

"I overheard Jessica saying to her friends that soon she'd be back in Chicago, with plenty of money, and out of the 'boring' suburbs. She mentioned maybe heading out to Los Angeles. And she definitely didn't mention Ned." George took a sip of her water.

Nancy glanced over at Ned. "Has she mentioned that to you? Going to Los Angeles?"

Ned shook his head. "It's weird. She talks about the wedding, and when I mentioned maybe checking with my dad to see what real estate was available, she just said that wherever I wanted to live was totally fine with her. Near Mapleton or near Emerson, she didn't care. And then, I swear to you, she just looked at me... and I know it all has to be some kind of trick, I'm sure of it, but I didn't see any sarcasm or mocking or anything like that in her eyes."

"So she is a good actress," Bess replied. "Did she say she wanted a big house? Maybe so she could sell it?"

Ned shook his head. "I thought about that, too, when Nan shot down the car idea. She said when we were first starting out, we'd probably live in an apartment or something..."

"Just not like the one where she used to live." Bess shuddered theatrically.

"So, anything else?" Nancy asked, stealing one of Bess's fries.

Bess and George exchanged a glance. "Then she and a friend ducked into the bathroom, and I followed them," George said. "A girl friend. They went in a stall together, and when they came out, Jessica was rubbing under her nose. I heard her ask the friend of she had any of the 'stuff' she had given her before, the anxiety pills, and her friend handed something over."

"Pretty soon after that, Jessica was acting incredibly excited out on the floor," Bess added. "She looked like she was having the time of her life."

"Coke," Ned said, and all three girls glanced at him. "Uh—not from my own experience, but yeah. She probably took some coke in the bathroom."

"That's an expensive habit, I'd think," Nancy mused. Then she glanced over at Ned, raising her eyebrows.

Ned shook his head, holding a palm up. "I've never bought or touched the stuff, but from what I've heard about it, yeah, it can be. If a person has a habit. She's never done anything like that around me, and maybe she just likes to get high with her friends. Still, though. She told me that she's been in trouble with the law a few times, but she made it sound like speeding tickets, things like that."

"Yeah, there are some speeding tickets in there, I'm sure," Nancy said dryly. "So. We know that she's expecting to have some money soon... hey. You think maybe the guy she met in there is O'Malley?"

"Well, from the name, I was guessing that O'Malley is probably a white, Irish-descent guy, but if we think he's a tall African-American dude, then maybe," George said.

"Was he the guy we saw with her in the yearbook?" Nancy asked.

"I couldn't really tell," Bess admitted. "It wasn't a good photograph."

No photograph had been attached to the rental application, and Nancy tapped her fingernails on the table a few times as she considered. "Is she still there?"

Bess shook her head. "I heard them say they were going back to someone's place, and there was no way we could have snuck in there, so we left."

"Anyone else's names?"

George reached into her small purse. "One was called Sandy, and one was called Brooke. And I did write down the license plate of the car they got into."

Nancy smiled as George handed over the sheet of paper. "Thanks. And the make too, that'll help."

"It's just... from everything she was saying, she's expecting to be back in Chicago and loaded and single, soon," Bess said, glancing from Nancy to Ned. "The girl she was in the club is nothing like she's been around us. Before tonight, I would've called her cocky and a little too sure of herself. Tonight?" Bess shook her head.

"She seemed dangerous," George said frankly. "Like we were seeing the real her for the first time. When she mentioned being in Mapleton, it was like she was in purgatory or something, but it would be over soon."

Nancy's stomach flipped, and she squeezed Ned's hand. So far, Ned had done exactly what Jessica wanted. If he balked, and called off their engagement—Nancy wondered what she would do. She had already been arrested on assault charges, after all.

George was muttering about heading straight home to wash the spray-on dye out of her hair when the four of them left the club. Bess and George had parked in the side lot, and Bess nodded at her car. "So, Nan, talk to you in the morning?" she said, and while she kept a straight face, her eyes were sparkling a little.

"Yeah. George, are you free?"

"In the afternoon, yeah. Mom says I don't have a 'suitable' party dress for Saturday." She sighed.

Bess clapped. "Oooh, can I go shopping with you?"

"Over my dead body, maybe."

Nancy thanked both of them for all their help, and then she and Ned turned toward his car, his hand reaching for hers. "So," Ned said. "Stay here, or go to Mapleton?"

Nancy hesitated for a second. "Mapleton," she said. "And next time we go somewhere on a case, we'll split a room?"

He gave her a smile. "Sounds good."

As soon as Ned was behind the wheel of his car, he began tapping on the steering wheel. Nancy glanced over at his profile, and saw that his jaw was set.

"I'm worried," she admitted. "I feel like we're no closer to figuring out what her plan is—just that there's a chance she might hurt you in the process. Tell me you'll be really careful with her."

"Of course I will," Ned said, turning to cast a brief glance at her. "I did some checking on the insurance angle, and that was a dead end, too."

"There's no inheritance she could expect from killing you," Nancy sighed. "It's possible that guys in Chicago would be too skeptical to fall for her, after the scandal she was involved in." She filled Ned in on what Lola had told her.

"And if she wanted to get some embarrassing pictures of me, first off, our relationship would have to be secret—and, second, we'd have to be doing embarrassing things to take pictures of." He glanced over at Nancy again. "Which we aren't."

"Well, that's a relief." Nancy turned to watch the lights of the city pass as Ned navigated to the main road connecting it to River Heights and Mapleton. Somewhere out there, in the night, Jessica was planning something, and Nancy couldn't figure out a way to get close enough to her to find out what it was. "I'll cross my fingers that Scott gets my message and calls me—oooh, maybe he already has!"

Ned raised an eyebrow when she turned to him. "Why do I have a feeling this is going to end up with us stopping by your dad's house before we go to mine?"

Nancy began to grin, then shook her head. "It'll keep until morning," she decided. "I don't want to waste our time together."

"Well, at least now we know one thing," Ned pointed out, and Nancy tilted her head. "She wants this over with just as much as we do."

"But if it involves hurting you..." Nancy shook her head.

Ned reached for her hand and squeezed it gently. "For as long as she thinks I have no idea what's going on, we have an advantage," he told her. "And believe me when I say that I plan on sticking around for a long, long time, Drew. We'll figure it out. We always do."

The time was after midnight when Ned pulled into his parents' driveway; the porch light was on, but the downstairs windows were dark. Nancy's stomach flipped as she reached for her duffel bag, shouldering it before she and Ned went inside. She was so worried that Mrs. Nickerson would be waiting that she felt almost disappointed when the living room was empty.

Ned moved quietly up the stairs, but he didn't tiptoe. He and Nancy didn't speak to each other, although they did glance at each other a few times. Once they were in his room together, they let out the breaths they had been holding, listening intently for a creaking floorboard, bedspring, or door hinge, to indicate that their arrival had been detected. Instead, they just heard the house settling.

"There's the bathroom," Ned whispered, gesturing at a door about halfway down the opposite wall. "I'll go ahead and brush my teeth, and then it's all yours."

Nancy glanced around his room once she was alone in it, hesitating before she sat down gingerly at the foot of the bed. His bed was made, dresser surface cleared and polished to a gleam, trophies dusted—doubtless by Mrs. Nickerson, while Ned was up at Emerson. A collage photo frame was mounted near the door, and Nancy saw herself in it a few times. As part of her last Christmas present to him, she had given Ned a black-and-white print of a couple walking down a lane, the path partially obscured by a drift of fall leaves, the couple's hands joined and their heads bent together; it had reminded her of them. The print was framed in black, and displayed over his bed. As she looked at it, she imagined them recreating it during an engagement photo session, and she couldn't help smiling. In the corner of the frame, Ned had tucked Nancy's senior portrait. She had worn her hair half pulled back that day, and she wore her mother's pearls; her blue eyes gleamed in the studio lights.

She remembered the day Ned had graduated Mapleton High, and that his extended family, parents and grandparents and a few cousins and aunts and uncles, had all gathered for a photograph with him in his cap and gown—and Ned had pulled Nancy into the shot even while she had protested, his arm wrapped around her, telling her that she belonged there with him. His parents had always been so welcoming to her and so supportive of their relationship.

But would they be, if they found her here?

The hairs rose on the back of Nancy's neck, and she turned to look at his bedroom door, half-expecting to find it open. It wasn't, though—but just then Ned came back in from the bathroom, and Nancy gasped in surprise.

"What is it?" Ned asked, his voice an urgent whisper.

Nancy shook her head. "Just scared myself a little," she whispered, then rose with her bag. "I'll be right back."

Her original sleeping outfit was still in her bag, but Nancy took a deep breath and ripped the tags off her recent purchases. She brushed her teeth, took off her makeup and gave her face a quick scrub, brushed her hair—then stripped down nervously, and hastily put on her new bra and underwear. When she put on her new nightgown, though, she could see her bra straps.

Well, it's not like I would have been wearing it all that long anyway, she thought, and slipped the bra off. Then she blushed. Her nipples were hard and clearly visible through the silky fabric—and the feel of the silk against her bare skin was lovely, almost sensual.

She walked back into Ned's bedroom slowly, almost holding her breath, almost hoping for darkness—but Ned was in bed, and the bedside lamp was on, casting the room in a soft golden glow. He was propped up with his back against the headboard, and when he saw her, his lips parted a little.

"Nan... you look so beautiful. Let me see you."

Her cheeks became a little warmer as she did a slow turn for him, displaying the crossed straps over her back. "You like it?"

Ned nodded hard a few times. "Have you always had that? Because oh, the thought of you... c'mere."

She took a breath, then joined him in bed. He was on the side closest to the hallway door, and in the sheets she detected that scent she had always associated with Ned's house, the scent of the detergent his mother used on their laundry. She had always found it comforting. "I bought it today," she told him, as she propped herself up too, arranging the covers at her waist. "To wear tonight."

He reached up and touched her cheek. "Thanks for doing this," he told her softly. "For staying with me... and I promise you, we're not going to do anything you don't want, okay? If you just want to go to sleep..."

She reached up and cupped her hand over his, and gave him a small smile. "Not just yet," she murmured.

He ran the backs of his fingers down the line of her neck, then rubbed the strap of her slip between his finger and thumb. "You bought this just for tonight?"

She nodded. "And if you really like it," she teased him softly, "maybe I'll wear it next time."

"Oh, so there will be a next time?" Ned's eyes glowed as he moved closer to her, until she could feel the heat radiating from his bare chest.

"Well, the next time we're on a case together..."

"Out of town, you mean."

"Mmm-hmm." Her lashes drifted down as he kissed her neck.

"It never made sense to me," he murmured against her skin, "that you three girls would split a room and I had one all to myself... and you don't know how many times I gallantly wanted to offer to share..."

"Aren't you a real-life Prince Charming," she murmured, shivering when he kissed the skin just below her collarbone.

"I try." She could feel him smiling against her skin. "I feel so incredibly lucky right now."

She ran her fingers through his hair. "Me too," she murmured. "I love you so much. Please be careful around her, okay? I can't lose you. Not now."

He raised his head and looked into her eyes, his palm cupping her side through her slip. "I'm not going anywhere," he told her. "Normally I'm the one begging you to be careful..."

She gave him a small smile. "I can't say I like being on this side of it very much," she admitted. "What I hate most is that when you're helping me on a case, you're there with me and we can protect each other—and this time, I can't be with you. At least if we were together, I could help keep you safe."

"That's exactly how I feel," he told her. "When you're in another state, or on another continent. When you call me just to tell me that it was 'only' a sprain, or that it was 'just' a death threat. I want to be there with you."

"And I want you there too," she replied. "Ned, we can do this, can't we?"

"Do what?"

"Wait," she said softly. "Until you graduate. It's not so long..."

"To...?" He made a vague gesture, and it took her a moment to understand.

Then she shook her head with a little smile. "I mean to make this permanent," she said softly. "Not permanent—I mean, to get married. Not necessarily the..." She made the same gesture.

"Are you having doubts about it?"

She shook her head. "Dad pointed out that we're both young, and to settle down too early would be a mistake..."

Ned made a soft noise. "C'mere," he murmured, and she slid toward him, perching on his lap. He slid his arm around the small of her back, gazing into her face. "Do you think we're too young?"

She started to shake her head, then gazed back into his eyes. "No," she said. "Unless you do."

He shook his head, too. "I love you," he murmured. "And two years from now, I think I'll only love you more."

"And two years from now, I'll probably be able to help support us, at least a little."

Ned had been leaning forward to kiss her; he pulled back to look into her face again, one eyebrow up.

"At the end of the summer, if I start working at a private detective agency, getting some work experience..."

Ned's eyes widened a little. "If that's what you want to do..."

She nodded, grinning. "I really think so," she told him. "And that way I can figure out if that's what I want to do."

He stroked her cheek. "Nan, I think that's great, if that's what you want," he said. "And when I said I'd support you, I meant it."

"And when I tell you that the thought of staying home while my handsome, wonderful husband supports me—actually doesn't appeal to me at all," she admitted with a grin, "I mean that, too. If that's okay with you."

"As long as you take me along when you can," he told her, "I am more than okay with that."

She was still smiling when he leaned forward and claimed her lips in a kiss, and she wrapped her arms around him, shivering a little when her nipples brushed against his chest through her slip. He was still supported by the headboard, and when he pulled her to him, she was almost pinning him against it. At least he was still wearing his underwear, she thought, a soft moan escaping her as he broke the kiss and nuzzled against the point of her jaw.

"I love you so much," he whispered.

"I love you too," she murmured, and she shuddered when he stroked her sides through the gown. He tilted his head and their lips met again, and even though she liked being so close to him, she was across his lap instead of against it.

She shifted onto her knees and Ned made a soft protesting noise, until she twisted and straddled his lap. "Mmmm, yeah," he murmured. "I definitely like this."

"Me too," she murmured. When the join of her thighs came into contact with his lap, she couldn't help flinching a little; she felt incredibly sensitive there, and feeling how hard he was just made her even more aroused.

"You okay?"

He cupped her sides, his fingers stroking the small of her back, and she nodded, then tipped her head back up to look into his eyes. "I love being like this with you," she whispered.

"If we'd been on that dance floor another five minutes, it would've been all I could do not to drag you to some dark corner, hike up your skirt, and pin you to the wall just like this," he told her. "I was so hard for you, baby. Could you feel it?"

She nodded, searching his arousal-darkened eyes. "Yeah," she breathed.

"Move with me," he whispered, his fingers sliding under the hem of her gown to stroke her hips, then the flesh covered by her satin panties, the curve of her ass.

Nancy's heart beat once, so hard that it made her whole body tremble; she leaned forward, arching against him as their lips met again, her knees spread on either side of his hips. She rocked once, rubbing herself against him, and Ned groaned against their kiss. She shivered when she did it again, her tongue sliding against his, and she found herself maneuvering so she could brush her nipples against his chest.

"Just like that," Ned said, his voice a low rough growl, and he brought his hand up under her slip to cup her breast.

Nancy whimpered, kissing him harder as he stroked his thumb back and forth over her nipple. "Yes," she begged, gasping and then kissing him again as he brought his other hand up, too. Her nipples felt so tender, as though a sizzling line of incredible arousal connected the nerves there to the ones centered between her legs, and when he stroked them at the same time she ground herself against him, sighing when he pushed his hips forward a little to give her a better angle.

"Mmm," he groaned when she broke the kiss. "Take your nightgown off, baby, so I can kiss you..."

She didn't understand what he meant, but she hurriedly crossed her arms and gathered the hem of the slip and stripped it off in one fluid movement, shivering when she was practically naked to the air. She kissed him again and he gently stroked her nipples with forefinger and thumb, gently squeezing them, and she shuddered.

"Here," he murmured when she broke the kiss, his voice hushed. "Lie down with me?"

She moved with him, languid and pliant as a dream, her hips still pressed against his. Then he moved down under her and caught her left nipple in his mouth.

Nancy gasped, her hips trembling, head bowed as he suckled against her breast, fondling the other with his fingers still, and the warm, sweet tide of her arousal spread hot over her hips, between her legs. She forced herself not to cry out when he gently caught her nipple between his teeth and then released it, panting harshly instead.

"Good?" he whispered, his breath warm against her wet nipple.

"Mmm," she moaned, swallowing against her dry throat. "Oh my God, yes..."

"Good," he murmured, then moved to the other.

She rocked herself against him as he suckled, seeking friction, seeking that incredible delight, and when he was fondling both her nipples and she rubbed herself against him just right, she felt a bolt of pure delirious pleasure. When his other hand slid down her back and just beneath the band of her panties, she released a quiet sob, but she didn't protest.

He released her nipple, then kissed her between her breasts, nuzzling against her. "Can I take my underwear off, baby?" he murmured. "You don't have to if you don't want to..."

"Yeah," she gasped, rolling onto her back. He quickly began to push his boxers off, and her mind was still reeling as she turned to look at him, curious. She had never seen him naked, and the lamp was still on.

When she saw him fully exposed, a flush rose to her cheeks, but she didn't look away. That part of him that became hard for her, that she rubbed against through their clothes—it looked so strange, so different from the join of her own thighs.

"Is it okay?" he murmured, when he saw that she was staring at him. "I mean—are you comfortable like this?"

Her heart was in her throat, but she nodded. "What do we do now?" she whispered.

"We keep kissing each other," he murmured, moving over so he was near her again. "And touching each other, until you want to stop."

She searched his eyes, and she couldn't help it; she didn't know if she was trembling from fear or arousal or both, or if it was something else, something deeper than all of it. He reached for her and she closed her eyes, shivering when he reached down and caught her behind her knee, draping her leg over his hips, then rolling onto his back so she was sprawled over him again. She was afraid of what would happen when she came in contact with him this way, but she couldn't resist; slow, so slow, she perched over him, lowering her hips to his.

When she came in contact with his bare erection, he tensed under her, releasing a low groan. "Mmm," he hummed in approval, his hands at the small of her back, gently pressing against her. "Just like that, Nan... oh, that feels soooo good..."

She ground herself against the full length of him, moving forward and back again, over and over, shivering when her nipples brushed his chest. He reached up to cup her breasts again and she whimpered, rubbing against him faster, her lips parted. Then his lips brushed against hers, and a trembling shivered down her spine, warm in her hips.

"On top," she whispered just before she kissed him again, her heart beating so hard, like a wild caged thing. Her panties were becoming damp, and she wasn't sure if he would be disgusted by that, or what she should do, just that she really didn't want this to stop.

She rolled off him, panting, and he moved on top of her, her knees up and legs open to him, his hips snug against hers, pressing directly against her panties. Instead of grinding against her immediately, first he kissed her, slow and deep and possessive. She stroked her tongue against his, wrapping her arms around him, shivering at the feel of his bare chest against her breasts and how powerless and arousing it was, to be pinned beneath him like this.

Before, on Saturday night, she had resisted the urge to tilt her hips, to angle herself so it was easier for him to rub against her. She had been so afraid to encourage him, especially when they were exposed and so likely to be caught. But she hadn't heard any sound at all from his parents' room, and they were alone, in the comfort of his bed—and he wanted her, and she wanted him, so, so much.

She gasped when he first ground against her, his bare hips against her inner thighs, his lips against her temple. She moved to press up from her heels, angling under him, and Ned groaned softly.

"Oh, baby... you're wet for me," he whispered, and she flushed, her lips parting as he moved against her again, in a long, deliberate, firm thrust. "Oh God, yes..."

He ducked in and kissed her, and she was overwhelmed, totally lost. She didn't know what to do, just that what he was doing with her felt so good, but it wasn't enough. He ground himself against her over and over, and she sighed, tensing under him with each thrust of his hips, and she wanted more.

He shifted his weight to his side and she felt his fingertips drift down until he was touching her hips, until he had hooked his thumbs in the sides of her panties. "Please," he breathed, panting.

Her heart was beating hard enough to leave her trembling again. "Okay," she whispered, and the sheer wave of arousal was enough to leave her senseless for a moment. She whimpered when he moved back, and she reached down to help him slide her panties down her legs; she felt terribly exposed, since Ned had pushed back the covers, and she drew her legs back together.

Ned looked down at her, seeing her naked for the first time, too. "You're beautiful," he whispered. "Nan, you're so incredibly beautiful. Are you okay?"

She was shaking, and she couldn't stop. She hoped it would help her relax when she patted the mattress beside her, and he settled down there instead of on top of her again. That male part of him was flushed, curved up, and she couldn't imagine what it must be like for him, to be so uncomfortable in his clothes when he was like that.

"Are you cold?" He reached over and cupped her cheek. "You're scaring me..."

Her heart was in her throat still, choking her, and she reached down to draw the covers up over her. When she looked into his eyes, they were still dark and low-lidded with arousal, but she saw concern there too.

"It's okay," she whispered finally, moving onto her side and snuggling up to him. "I just need a minute..."

"Sure," he murmured, draping his arm over her and stroking her back silently for a long moment. His chest was firm and warm against her burning cheek. "Better?"

"Mmm." She couldn't open her legs to him again; she just couldn't. But she wanted it so much. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, Nan. Being with you like this—honestly, it's like a dream come true." He kissed her forehead. "I didn't mean to freak you out."

She let out her breath in a long sigh. "It's just a lot," she whispered. "I'm not ready."

"Okay."

Her entire body seemed to relax when he murmured that single word. "Really?"

"Yeah," he said. "I told you. We won't do anything you don't want."

When he began to move away from her, her eyes widened. She touched his arm, and he turned back to her again.

"What? What's wrong?"

"Did I do something wrong? I—I didn't want you to leave..."

He gave her a small smile. "It'll just take a minute. I have to—" He made a vague gesture. "Take care of this."

"You have to go?"

He released a quiet breath, then moved back onto his side, facing her. "The longer I'm like this... well, it's uncomfortable."

"Oh. I didn't know."

"It's okay. I think I can stand it for a few more minutes."

She looked up into his eyes. "What did you mean when you said I was wet for you?" she whispered.

A paroxysm of something that almost looked like pain crossed his handsome face. "Your panties—I could feel... I've heard guys brag about how wet their girlfriends get for them, that it apparently makes—making love, feel incredible."

"Oh," she whispered.

"Did you feel wet?"

"Yeah," she whispered. "Wet and tender and it—it's like an ache, and I feel desperate but I don't know what I want, just that I didn't want you to stop..."

"So why did we stop?" His expression was sincerely curious.

She looked away. "Because if we kept going you'd—" She choked up then, but she remembered what George had said. If they were being this intimate with each other, being so shy she couldn't even talk about it was a good sign she might not be ready. "You'd be inside me," she whispered.

"Not—maybe not," he replied. "I mean, unless you want to do that. But I—remember when I said we could just do what we were doing, but naked? That would be like—like having sex, but not actually. If I wasn't inside you."

"So we'd just rub up against each other like we were," she murmured. "Only naked."

He nodded, and his eyes were glowing. "That's what I wanted," he told her. "And I promise, I won't be inside you. Not unless you tell me specifically that you want that. Okay?"

The box of condoms was still in her overnight bag, but it was near the foot of the bed, in easy reach if they needed it. She knew she was flushed when she nodded, slowly, and she couldn't help flinching when he touched her side. She bit her lip.

"It's okay," he told her quietly, and kissed her cheek, her temple, still only gently stroking her side. "It's okay."

He kissed her lips, and then they made out, slowly, his tongue moving against hers, until she reached up to slip her arm around his shoulders. True to his word, he didn't roll onto her and begin grinding against her again, and even though she couldn't seem to relax, the heady warmth of her arousal was rising in her again. Everywhere he touched her, her muscles constricted, and when his thumb brushed the edge of the curls between her thighs, the spasm she felt in response made her gasp.

Slowly, by degrees, he moved onto his back, and she kept kissing him. She felt terribly afraid, so nervous, so curious, and so aware of their nakedness. She moved one knee over his upper thighs, and when he cupped her hips, stroking her skin, she took a deep breath and perched over him, on her knees.

"Yeah," Ned whispered, and kissed her again. "Just like we were, Nan."

She shuddered when her inner flesh came in contact with his erection, whimpering when the tip brushed against that sensitive place at the top of her sex, the place that had felt so good when she had rubbed against him before. She kissed him deeply, grinding once against his cock in a long, firm thrust of her hips back and forward again. He released a deep groan that sounded almost pained, his fingers digging into the flesh of her ass.

"God," she breathed before she kissed him again, and when he gently pinched her nipples she cried out in his mouth, her brows drawing together. She really was wet; she could feel it as she moved against him, and she was so relieved that he wasn't disgusted by it. He had to crane his neck to kiss her, and she sighed as she moved down, grinding against him, her lips brushing his shoulder. He moved one hand to the small of her back, his other in her hair, and she heard him panting for breath.

"Oh my God," he gasped out. "Oh God..."

"Mmm," she murmured, kissing his breastbone, her heart speeding. "Oh, yes..."

He cupped her ass with one hand and she gasped, still grinding against him, her hips jolting when he came in contact with that tender place inside her. All of her felt tense, desperate, and it wasn't really sex, it wasn't, it was okay...

Ned groaned again. "More?"

"Feels so good," she gasped out, tipping her head back up to kiss him again. "Oh, mmmmm..."

"Nan," he forced out. "Baby, just—oh fuck..."

He reached between them and she jerked in surprise, her slick inner flesh pressed against him, and he gasped. She was still trembling as she stood up on her knees and he took himself in his hand, pumping his erection in his fist, straining; his fist was quick, jerking, and she watched as he tensed, his lips parting. He gasped again, harshly, and she blushed, almost as an afterthought. Maybe she shouldn't have watched, but she hadn't known...

Ned lay there for a moment, his eyes closed, catching his breath, his fist still clasped around his cock. When Nancy began to feel a little chilly, she slowly raised her knee and rolled onto her side, onto her side of the bed.

After a moment, Ned made a soft sound. His eyes opened, and he turned to see her. She was under the covers, and she felt suddenly tired. She didn't want to be disappointed, and she wasn't—but she was, too.

"You okay?"

She nodded, and when he left the bed, she didn't stop him. She wasn't sure where her panties had ended up, but she sat up, holding the blankets up to cover herself, and looked around for them.

Ned returned then, sliding back under the covers. "What is it?" he murmured.

"Just..." She shivered, closing her eyes, when his fingertips touched her spine. "I thought I'd get dressed."

"Why?" he murmured.

She shrugged, turning to look at him. "You wanted to stop," she whispered.

He shook his head. "I didn't want to," he told her, "but I couldn't help it. I'm sorry. Here."

She sighed, then laid back down, moving over to him again. She rested her cheek against his shoulder and, after a few heartbeats, draped her leg over his upper thighs. He slid his arm around her, then used his other to gently stroke her hair. "I couldn't hold out any longer," he murmured.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"No, no. It wasn't your fault. I loved being with you like that." He kissed her forehead.

She tipped her head up to look into his eyes. "Did... did you mean that you couldn't wait any more without... unless we kept going?"

He let out a long breath, then nodded. "Yeah," he murmured. "And I knew you didn't want to."

She brought her hand up and stroked it against his chest a few times, then laid back down. Her thumb brushed his nipple, and she saw it become firm at the tip, like hers. That desperation she had felt had faded and drained away, leaving her—she wasn't sure. She felt restless.

"Seriously, are you okay?"

"Yeah." She idly drew her fingertips down, tracing patterns over his abs.

He stroked her back a few times. "Do you... you wanna try something?"

"Like what?" she murmured.

"Can I touch you?"

"You are now," she pointed out, a smile in her voice.

"No, I mean..." He kept one arm looped around her, but he slipped the other down her belly, to her hips. "Here. Just with my fingers."

"I..."

She couldn't bring herself to speak, and he shifted onto his side, moving to press a gentle kiss against her mouth. "It's okay," he told her. "I'm not hard anymore... I just want to know what you feel like, Nan."

She met his next kiss, opening her eyes when he pulled back. "Just your fingers?"

He nodded. "And if you want, you can touch me too," he told her. "I cleaned up, after..."

Nancy swallowed. "What did you do?" she whispered.

"Jacked off," he told her. "Stroked myself until I came, because if you'd kept doing what you were doing, I would have done that on you, and I didn't want to..."

"Oh."

He kissed her again, and when he pulled back, he held her gaze for a long moment—and it was as though the world held its breath. Then she heard the first few drops of rain fall, and the soft whoosh as the sky opened, filling the air around them with the hush.

"Okay," she whispered.

He was kissing her as she rolled onto her back; he was kissing her as he stroked her abs, her upper thighs, her hips. She was feeling nervous, so she touched his hip, too, but even that seemed too close.

She opened her legs a little when he cupped her between her thighs, and it was as though she was drawing in, tensing, arching in anticipation. She blushed hot, her tongue slipping against his, and she had thought it was over—but the feel of his fingertips against her, against skin that was almost always covered, where no one else had ever touched her... he teased the reddish curls and the flesh beneath with his fingertips, and she gasped against his kiss, bending her leg.

He traced the slit between her legs and they broke the kiss, breathing each other's breath, her lashes low. When she opened her eyes it was to see him gazing at her face, and looking at him while he touched her made her shudder.

"You don't want to touch me," he murmured, the faintest question in his voice.

"I—I don't know how," she whispered, and her mouth dropped open when he traced a fingertip against her inner flesh. "Oh my God..."

"I don't really know how to touch you," he pointed out. "Just that you seemed to like what we were doing earlier, a lot..."

She nodded. "Uh..." she began, but then he guided his finger back up and brushed against her, and she gasped sharply.

"What?" he murmured.

"Oh... oh, right there..."

"Show me." He kissed her again, gently.

He was gazing into her eyes as she reached down, guiding his hand, his index finger, finding that tender place inside her—and when he brushed against it again, her entire body shuddered. "There," she whispered, searching his eyes.

"Nan," he breathed, and her hips jolted when he stroked it again. Other than what they had just been doing, she had never felt anything so intense, so incredibly arousing in her life, and that desperation made her catch her breath, twisting under him.

When she gasped sharply, he kissed her again, and all she could hear was her own heartbeat, the wind and the splatter of raindrops against his bedroom window, the faint creak in the bedsprings when she shifted. His tongue slipped into her mouth and he stroked her and she opened her legs fully, arching, wrapping her arm around him and holding tight as that glorious pressure kept building.

He moved his thumb to keep stroking her as he began to gently explore the folds of her slick flesh with his fingertips, still kissing her. It was so much, too much, and when his index finger dipped low and circled a place low between her legs, she cried out against his kiss.

He broke the kiss, gasping. "Okay?"

"Ned," she sobbed, tipping her head back, and her skin was flushed and damp with sweat as she writhed against his hand. 

"Shh," he whispered. "Shh, baby..."

"Oh," she moaned, and when he moved over her she buried her face against his chest, her breath coming in ragged sobs as he kept touching her. He circled that place again and she cried out, her hips shaking.

"Yes?"

She whimpered, arching, and when he slipped his finger inside her, still stroking that tender place, she choked, her entire body going still except for the trembling, and the trembling she couldn't stop. He groaned and she felt him, that male part of him, brush against her hip. She didn't think about it; she clasped him, holding him in her fist.

She had no conscious memory of it, but then he was on his knees between her thighs and she was muffling herself against his skin, her knees up and legs parted and his fingers, he was stroking two fingers up inside her while his thumb worked against that other part of her, and she couldn't stop sobbing. Her back was arched, her hips and thighs trembling, and oh God, it was too intense, too much.

And then he lowered himself to her and she felt his hardness against her inner thigh, heard him gasping the way he had been before, and her legs fell entirely open. She was defenseless, her sobs and gasps muffled by his chest...

And he would be like this, inside her.

Her hips jerked hard at the thought, and Ned hissed a curse. "Oh my God," he whispered.

She was panting, the join of her thighs slick and tender and tingling, and then he tipped his head down and kissed her hard and she returned it just as hard, and she was dying, but the sensation was more intense and incredible than almost anything else she had ever felt. Oh God, she couldn't bear it, and whenever his thumb strayed she found herself reaching down to guide him again, and if he moved...

She sobbed again, her body trembling, and she felt her inner flesh pulse against his fingers and Ned arched, rubbing his erection against her inner thigh. The pleasure was so intense that she couldn't feel anything else; she was blind and powerless, reduced to just the pure terrible sensation of answered desire, and there was nothing wrong with it—he was hers, he would be her husband and he loved her and to be with him like this, to brush her thumb against the head of his erect cock and feel him shudder against her in response...

She tipped her head back, arching under him as the pressure building in her finally seemed to release, leaving her jerking, her lips parted in a silent scream. The sensation of him touching her was overwhelming after that, and when she was finally able to focus again, still shaking, he was kissing her, his thumb still rhythmically stroking against her and two of his long fingers fully inside her, and his cock hot and firm in her fist. She made a soft sound and Ned broke the kiss, and her legs were spread and she trembled.

"Stop," she whispered, and her lips were wet and her temples were damp with sweat, and his thumb stilled. When he began to slip his fingers out of her, she shook her head. "No... just a little bit longer..."

He smiled a little, moving down so she was pinned beneath him again, and she nuzzled against his chest. "Oh my God," she whispered.

"You like it," he murmured.

"Mmmmm," she moaned, and kissed the flesh just above his heart. "Yeah..."

He kissed her temple again, and when he moved onto his back he rolled her with him, his fingers still between her thighs. "My beautiful girl," he whispered, and she flinched when he slid his index and middle fingers out of her. Her lashes drifted down, and she heard something, the wetness against his fingers—she released his cock as he stroked the slick warmth from between her thighs against his erection.

"Ride me again," he whispered. "Do it again, baby, and just think about how it'll feel when you let me inside you..."

She shuddered at his words, but she couldn't resist; she had thought she was wet before, but now—God, it was incredible. Angling her hips and lowering herself to press her inner flesh against him—she was tingling in anticipation, and she released a quiet gasp, immediately rubbing against him in a long firm stroke.

By the time she rolled off him so he could stroke himself to release, it only took a few pumps with his fist, and she had her hand on him too. They were both glowing with sweat and gloriously, happily exhausted, and when he recovered enough to slip out of bed, Nancy took a long deep breath and sat up too. They would both be useless in the morning if they didn't get any sleep, and she shivered as sweat began to cool on her skin, sweeping her hair out of her face before she slipped out of bed.

Ned had just finished cleaning himself up again when she tapped on the bathroom door, and he opened it. "You have a washcloth?" she asked, interrupted halfway through by a yawn.

He chuckled. "Mmm-hmm," he replied, opening a drawer near the sink. He handed it to her, and she waited until he had left her alone to rinse it with warm water and then clean herself off.

She saw her panties in the glow from the bathroom light, but when she returned to Ned's bedroom, he had turned the lamp off, and she could only find them by touch. "Can you turn it back on for a second?" she murmured.

"Mmm. What do you need?"

"My nightgown."

"Nah," he said. "C'mere."

His voice was slow with exhaustion, and she considered protesting, but she gave up and dove under the covers. Her upper body was cold, and she cuddled up to him, her breasts bare against his bare chest.

"Mmm. Perfect," he murmured, embracing her, and she chuckled.

"Did you set your alarm?"

He muttered a curse, releasing her just so he could roll over and set his alarm clock. She moved a little further under the covers, so that only half her face was exposed. Ned returned to her with a sigh, wrapping her in his arms again.

"So you okay?" he murmured, his lips pressed against the crown of her head.

"Yeah," she whispered. "You?"

"Definitely, definitely okay," he told her. "I love you, Nan. That was amazing."

She smiled. "I love you too," she whispered. "And I'm really glad we decided to stay together tonight."

Before she drifted off to sleep, she heard him whisper, "Me too."

--

When James Nickerson woke the next morning, it was too early—but at least the mild stomach pains that had sent him to bed early had passed. After lying awake for a little while, Edith still and sleeping soundly beside him, he gave up on trying to go back to sleep and rose, pulling on his bathrobe. He could at least go over his plans for the coming weekend's open houses.

Ned hadn't been home the night before, and when James glanced at his son's closed door, he considered for a moment before lightly tapping on it, then opening it. He expected to find his son soundly asleep, and he did; Ned's work schedule and all the time he had been spending with that new girl, Jessica, meant that James hadn't had a chance to ask if he wanted to play a round at the golf course next weekend.

James had just taken a few steps toward the bed, opening his mouth to quietly say Ned's name, when he let out his breath in a quiet sudden sigh. Ned wasn't alone in his bed. A girl's arm was draped over him.

For a second, James's stomach dropped, and he considered turning around. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know who was there; he and Edith had talked about it, and if Ned ever asked what they thought of Jessica, he knew they couldn't say they disapproved of her—but neither he nor Edith liked the girl. All they could say was that they hadn't known each other long enough.

But this—

Ned was turned onto his side, facing away from the door, and the face of the person nestled against his chest was obscured by a tangle of reddish-gold hair.

James released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding, then shook his head and silently left Ned's room.

Well. He debated keeping the information to himself, but Edith could always tell when he had something on his mind; she would doubtless cajole it out of him by the end of the day. And that meant they would need to have a talk with their son, one that was likely overdue.

Still, James grinned as he turned on the coffee machine. "Good for you, son," he murmured to himself.

In the shower the next morning, Nancy couldn't stop thinking about what she and Ned had done the night before. In all honesty, though, it had only been a few hours ago, and she was still so exhausted that she was aching and distracted as a result. Sneaking out of Ned's house hadn't been so bad, but sneaking into her father's house without waking him had been a nerve-racking proposition. She made up her mind that she and Ned needed to get better about their alibis and excuses; coming home before the sun was even up was for the birds. She would have loved to wake up with him, eat breakfast with him, and linger together for just a while longer. That trip they had planned for Fox Lake just kept looking more and more appealing.

As soon as she walked back into her bedroom, a towel wrapped around her and her hair hanging in damp red locks over her shoulders, she couldn't resist checking her answering machine. No new messages had been recorded during the few minutes she had been in the shower, though. Scott O'Malley was still a mystery.

Over her morning bowl of raisin-studded corn flakes, Nancy considered, her notepad open beside her on the table. Her father had already left for the office, and she was both disappointed and relieved by that. She had wanted to ask him a few questions, but she also hadn't wanted him to ask any questions about hearing mysterious creaks on the stairs and in her bedroom early that morning. Hannah, for her part, either hadn't heard Nancy sneak back in, or legitimately didn't care.

"Will you be here for lunch today, Nancy? Or are you going back to Chicago?"

Hannah sat down at the end of the table with her cup of coffee, and Nancy swallowed a bite of cereal and milk before she replied. "I'll probably stick around here," she told Hannah with a sigh. "I honestly don't know anything I can do in Chicago, or at least anything that can't just be solved with a phone call. I've hit so many dead ends, Hannah. If I could just figure out why Jessica is after Ned..."

"Well, tell me what you've discovered so far," Hannah said with an easy smile. "Maybe you'll make some connection you hadn't thought about yet."

Nancy smiled. Hannah worried about her a lot, and while she tried her best to keep from being overprotective, Nancy knew the housekeeper preferred her to be home and safe instead of in danger. She had even occasionally helped Nancy determine the significance of some clues.

"What I know so far is that Jessica has spent most of her life a spoiled bratty rich girl who likes thrills and most likely fell in with the wrong crowd," Nancy said, propping her chin on her hand. "She's been arrested for practically every petty crime I could name, and some that weren't so petty. She's about three years older than me, and she's been married—and it's possible that she's still married and her husband is in Montana or somewhere else establishing residency to divorce her, but I don't know that for sure. I do know that she didn't have a great relationship with him and he apparently skipped town five or six months ago. I'm hoping he'll be able to tell me about her, once I find him.

"I know that she found a newspaper story on Ned and thought it was important enough to cut it out of the newspaper and bring it with her. I know that while she's basically told Ned that she can't wait to marry him and settle down around here with him, she has no intention of doing that; she's not the sweet girl who went a little wild in high school but grew out of it and became responsible, not the way she's trying to pretend she is now.

"I know she apparently wants to get out of town soon, maybe go to Los Angeles, and that she plans on being single and loaded when she goes—although I've tried to figure out why—and how. What money? Divorcing Ned after a quickie marriage won't net her much at all, and she could easily have seduced someone else, someone with more resources. Except that she might have tried to blackmail the wrong guy, and now all the eligible bachelors in Chicago are wary of her."

"Is she supposed to inherit any money or anything?"

Nancy shook her head. "Her parents are dead and they cut her out of their wills, and I haven't found evidence of any other relatives."

"And it's nothing to do with Ned."

Nancy shrugged. "Not that I can tell," she groaned. "I mean, he is Ned. Like Bess keeps telling me, what girl wouldn't want to marry him? But I'm more interested in why Jessica specifically is so bent on landing him. I think that's the key to figuring this out."

"So it's not something long-term?"

Nancy shook her head. "Not unless Bess and George misunderstood what they overheard last night. Although..."

"Although what?"

Nancy stood up slowly, staring at the wall opposite without seeing it. "The guy she kissed last night, who probably wasn't her husband... maybe I can get him to talk to me."

"So you are going to Chicago."

Nancy shook her head. "I don't even have a name to go on," she admitted. "Not yet. But I need to talk to Detective Ortiz. That would help."

She went up to her room to call him, but she was told that he was out of the office and would return her call when he came back. As she considered, she made a list of questions to ask him. The police probably had a list of Jessica's known associates, and the guy Jessica had been so friendly with in Terminal might be on that list, or match the sketchy description Nancy had. She also considered asking Ortiz if Scott O'Malley had a record, too, and that sent her down an interesting train of thought. Maybe Scott hadn't moved to another state; maybe he had been arrested, and that explained why he had dropped out of sight. If he was in the system, though, Detective Ortiz would be able to help her discover that.

Idly tapping her pencil eraser on her notepad, Nancy pulled out the rental application again and glanced over it. Scott had listed his occupation as welder. Welders were members of unions. If Scott had moved out of state to establish residency elsewhere, he would still need to support himself. She might be able to find him that way, if he wasn't in jail or if he hadn't switched jobs.

As she looked up the phone number for the Chicago branch of the welder's union, she remembered what her father had asked her when she had been so concerned about the envelope. Scott was a clue to who Jessica was, an entire facet of her personality that Nancy didn't really understand. Maybe Jessica had married Scott when she had thought her parents would always be around and would always take care of her, but to live in what was undoubtedly a cramped plain apartment that couldn't be further from the life she had always known?

I'd do that for Ned, Nancy realized. If we were married and it was all we could afford, I'd live in some tiny apartment on the bad side of town if it meant being near him, being able to sleep in his arms and wake up to see his smile.

Jessica had stood up in front of witnesses and promised to love and cherish Scott O'Malley. Maybe their relationship had gone bad, maybe they had been too young to be married, and that was why she didn't even seem to acknowledge him now. But Nancy still didn't think that, even if Jessica had fallen head over heels in love with Scott, that Jessica felt the same way about Ned. Her behavior the night before had just confirmed it. When Jessica looked into her future, she didn't see Ned in it.

Nancy's relationship with Ned was like night and day in comparison. The prospect of a future without Ned was heartbreaking. Every second Ned spent with Jessica made Nancy's blood boil. And the worst part about it all? She had no idea what Jessica's motivation was. She didn't have the trump card she needed to pull, to surprise or shock a confession out of Jessica. She just knew, all the way down to her bones, that something was wrong.

She was afraid of spooking Jessica—but even if it meant tipping Jessica off and making her abandon the plan to marry Ned, Nancy thought it was almost worth it. Keeping Ned safe was important.

But if Jessica was spooked and if she did vanish, Nancy couldn't even call the police and report her for anything. She hadn't seen Jessica do coke in the club bathroom. Jessica hadn't coerced or blackmailed Ned into proposing marriage; she hadn't even taken him up on the offer of a lavish property. Nancy could try to talk to the bellhop or service staffer Jessica was blackmailing to keep her free room at the Royal, but the bellhop might value his job and keeping under the radar more than standing up to a pushy guest.

Nancy had no choice. She had to keep things going for a while longer, no matter how it was getting under her skin.

Finding the phone number for the welder's union took Nancy a while, and she kept hoping that her phone would ring during the search. It didn't, though, and so Nancy called the number and asked to be connected to someone in the records department. She gave the clerk a story about doing an audit of a company's records and finding that one of the former employees had missed a paycheck. Then she was put on hold for a little while, and when the clerk came back, Nancy had a pencil poised over a blank sheet in her notepad.

"The most recent employer I have for him is Garner Construction in Chicago. If you're ready, I have their contact information."

Nancy mechanically thanked the clerk, then slowly hung up the phone, considering. With every dead end, the knot of tension in her belly seemed to tighten. The welder's union would have had more updated records, if he had kept that job, even if he had gone to work for another kind of company.

So whatever he was doing now, he wasn't a welder.

Nancy tapped her pencil on the desk a few more times, then picked up the phone and dialed her father's direct line from memory. When it flipped over to a recorded message after six rings, she hung up and dialed his secretary.

"Carson Drew's office."

"Marcy, hi, this is Nancy. I know Dad's in the middle of trial prep right now, but he said he might be able to help me track down some information. Would you mind giving him a message?"

"I'd be happy to," her father's administrative assistant answered. "What information do you have?"

Nancy consulted her notebook and gave Marcy all the information she had about the envelope, the most concrete link she had to Scott's whereabouts. Marcy promised to relay the message, and Nancy sat back in her desk chair after she had hung up the phone, still considering.

Maybe Jessica would be wary if Nancy confronted her directly. But Nancy wondered what Jessica might do if she thought Ned still had feelings for Nancy, if their engagement wasn't on a solid foundation. Maybe then, in her panic, she would tip her hand—or she would give up on Ned and focus on someone else.

Out of everyone she could have chosen, though, why Ned?

Nancy picked up the phone again, but the secretary at the insurance agency told Nancy that Ned was out of the office. Nancy could have screamed in frustration. She wanted to know if Jessica had called off their breakfast date, if she was acting any differently, if Ned had discovered anything else...

Los Angeles.

Maybe Jessica wanted to launch an acting career. She was certainly beautiful enough, and a skilled liar. With the right publicist, even the police record would be excused away as poor youthful judgement. Maybe Scott was there.

Maybe Jessica needed to find him, too. Maybe there had been no divorce.

Nancy glanced down at her notepad and discovered that she had been absently drawing an abstract pattern of triangles and squares. She sat forward with a brief groan, and considered going downstairs to see if Hannah had any coffee left. It was hard for her to stay on one train of thought for very long.

Coffee. Nancy furrowed her brow. Something about coffee.

When her phone rang, Nancy was startled enough to drop her pencil on the carpet. She lifted the handset before the second ring could begin. "Nancy Drew," she said breathlessly.

"Got a hot lead for me, Drew?" Ortiz replied. "Or am I going to regret returning this call?"

"I have a lead," Nancy replied. "Not sure how hot it is. I'm not sure whether you'll be able to help me, either."

"Hit me." Nancy heard his chair creak distantly as he leaned back.

"Jessica Thorne," she began. "I'm trying to find people who knew her, and I'm hitting some dead ends. I know she was married to Scott O'Malley, but his trail went cold about six months ago, and I was wondering if maybe he's in jail and that's why I can't find him. I also am trying to locate another guy..." Nancy read the description Bess and George had given her out of her notepad. "Need to know if you've heard of him, if maybe he's on her known-associates list, if he sounds like a good lead?"

Ortiz heaved a heavy sigh. "So, we're going with the regret option, then? Let me go look that up."

"I know it might take a while, and I have a few other calls in, so—"

"So I'll call you back when I look that up," Ortiz filled in. "You'll be home?"

"Should be. If I'm not, my answering machine is open—and if you'd rather, you can call Hannah."

After Nancy had given him all that contact information, she tapped her pencil's eraser against her pursed lips for a moment. If the guy with the dreadlocks could help, Nancy might be able to approach him, but the best scenario would be undercover. He was clearly still acquainted with Jessica, and he would likely tip her off if he sensed anything was amiss. Nancy knew Bess would love to help disguise her, and George might even be game to accompany her, especially if she had managed to wash that blonde dye out of her hair.

And if Nancy was able to schedule a meeting with him that night, and if Ned was able to make some excuse and meet her for dinner, and they could be together again—

Nancy shook her head, but she was already smiling a little. She wanted to be with him again. What she had felt with him the night before... God.

Hannah would say she was counting her chickens before they hatched, too, and Nancy knew that was true. For all she knew, Ortiz would have no idea who the tall guy was, and she would be back to square one. No dinner date with Ned, no opportunity to be close to him.

For some reason that made her think of coffee again, so she picked up the cordless handset for her extension and went downstairs so she wouldn't miss any calls. She had just made herself a cup when the phone rang.

"Nancy Drew."

"Ned Nickerson," Ned replied just as briskly, and Nancy chuckled. "You rang, m'lady?"

"Yep. Just wondering if you found out anything this morning."

"Well, Jessica didn't seem any different than usual," Ned said. "She did say that after I get off work, we're going to the mall to pick up our wedding rings."

Nancy's stomach flipped. "Hmm. So no sneaking off to Chicago again, huh."

"Probably not. But... do you want me to give you a call when I get home?"

His voice became softer, and Nancy closed her eyes. "Sure," she murmured. God, she had been so reluctant to let him go when he had dropped her off at her house.

Then her eyes flew open. "Ned?"

"Hmm?"

"Do your parents really get up at five o'clock in the morning?"

"It's usually around six, unless they have something else going on. Why?"

Nancy took a deep breath. "Because I smelled coffee this morning when we were leaving," she murmured, rubbing her forehead. "Does it brew automatically or something?"

"No," Ned admitted. "I don't think so."

Nancy walked into the living room and sat down, glad that Hannah was out in the garden. "So one of your parents was awake before we snuck out. Oh God."

"Nan, seriously, it's fine. It's fine. Calm down."

"But what if they heard us?" Nancy's voice was a hiss at the end of it.

"Well, there's not much we can do about it now, is there?" he pointed out, his voice even. "But I really don't think they know you stayed over, honey. What would be worse is if Jessica saw you leaving my house with me."

"That would be worse?" Nancy raised an eyebrow.

"In a different way," Ned conceded. "But she didn't grill me about where I was or what I did last night. I asked her and she said she had a great time with her friends. No guilt or regret at all."

Nancy knew Ned was trying to distract her, but she was happy for anything else to focus on, anything other than the intensely mortifying idea that Ned's parents might know about the night before. Worse, that they might have heard something.

After Nancy confirmed where and when Ned and Jessica would be picking up the rings, Ned was called away and Nancy hung up. If she wanted to confront Jessica or cause a scene, tonight would be a good time, and she could trust Ned to keep up the charade.

Hannah had just walked in when Nancy's phone rang again, and she pounced on it as Hannah chuckled. "Nancy Drew."

Detective Ortiz didn't immediately come back with a snappy retort, and she didn't hear Ned's voice on the other end. In fact, she didn't hear anything—and then she did, a low, perpetual hush. Like cars on the interstate.

"Hello?" she tried again.

The person on the other end cleared his or her throat. "You came by Garner looking for Scott O'Malley," the person said, and though the sound was low, almost gravelly, Nancy was pretty sure the speaker was a woman.

"Yes," Nancy said, her heart beating faster. "Yes, I did. Do you know how I can contact him?"

She was halfway up the stairs, almost running in her haste to get back to her notes, when the caller said, "He's dead, isn't he."

"I'm sorry?" Nancy stammered out, arrested by those words, her left hand still on the banister.

The woman sighed. "He's been gone for six months now, and I keep hoping—but he's dead. I know he is."

"Can I ask what your name is?" The speaker didn't reply, and Nancy slowly finished climbing the stairs and went to her room. "Please. I'm just trying to help. I'm not associated with the cops or anything. Did you file a missing-persons report?"

"'Course not," the caller retorted. "Thought he was laying low, and I didn't want to get the cops involved. Then it had been so long that there was no point..."

"Why do you think he's dead? Maybe he just left town," Nancy said.

"Because I was going to go with him," the caller replied, and exhaled. From the rasping of her voice and the cadence of her breath, she sounded like she was a smoker or getting over a bad cold, or maybe both.

"Can we start at the beginning, Ms. ...?"

She told Nancy that her name was Penny, but she also said she didn't have long to talk; she was on her break. "I could come take you to lunch," Nancy offered, glancing at her watch. "When's your lunch break?"

"Twelve-thirty. I only have thirty minutes for lunch."

"That's better than nothing."

Nancy fairly flew as she tossed her notebook into her purse, slicked on some lip gloss, and stepped into her shoes. She bid Hannah a hasty goodbye, and Hannah chuckled as she did. "Detective Ortiz might call me back, or someone else—if he does, please take a message!" Nancy was speaking so quickly that her words were tumbling over each other. "Thanks, Hannah!"

"Drive safely, Nan. Please make it at least a little slower than you're talking right now."

Nancy pulled up at the appointed place at twelve-twenty-eight, and checked her watch. Bess wouldn't have been happy in this neighborhood, either. A pair of battered cones marked an area in the pavement that had started crumbling, and the next street was full of small ramshackle houses that looked like they hadn't been updated or repaired in at least twenty years, many with dirty, rusting cars on blocks in the side yards. Nancy had described her car to Penny, but she didn't know what Penny looked like.

A moment later, Nancy wondered if it was a trap, if Jessica had somehow found out what she was trying to do and Penny's call had been an elaborate ruse to get her to drop her guard. She chewed her lip for a few seconds, then sighed. She would just have to trust her judgement, and if she had a bad feeling about Penny, she just wouldn't trust whatever she told her.

The woman who came around the side of the building had olive skin and dark hair that brushed her shoulders. She was dressed in jeans and a faded t-shirt and tan boots, and she had a denim purse slung over her shoulder. When she spotted Nancy's car, she walked toward it, and Nancy kept studying her. She didn't look at all like the smiling girls Nancy had seen with Jessica in the yearbook photos. She moved stiffly, and her shirt was taut over her rounded belly.

"My name is Nancy Drew," Nancy said, taking the plunge, when the woman opened the passenger door.

"You have to tell me if you're a cop."

Nancy shook her head. "I'm not a cop," she said, keeping her gaze steady on the woman's almond-shaped eyes.

Since she only had a short time for lunch, the woman directed Nancy to a diner a few streets away. They didn't talk much in the car, and that was all right with Nancy. She was still debating what to ask.

They were seated at an age-yellowed Formica table, the booth seats patched, tall plastic tumblers of water in front of them, when Nancy leaned forward. "Start at the beginning," Nancy requested.

Penny took a deep breath. "Scott went to high school with me," she began.

The story that unfolded over the next twenty minutes—during which Nancy was able to eat her lunch, but Penny, who was talking, only managed a few bites—made Nancy's heart ache in sympathy. Penny and Scott had met at their public high school, a world away from the one attended by Jessica and her wealthy friends. Scott's parents had died soon after his nineteenth birthday, but even before that, Scott had been a little rebellious, sometimes out of control. His friends fell in with a bad crowd, and that, according to Penny, was how Scott had met Jessica.

"I mean, I get it, kinda," Penny said, dunking a french fry in ketchup. "She's pretty and wild and a bad girl..."

Nancy nodded. Penny definitely had Jessica pegged.

Penny had started work at Garner Construction a month or so before Scott did, and they had become closer friends than they ever had in high school. Scott had still been talking to Jessica, and then one Monday, he told Penny that he had actually married her.

"Why?" Nancy asked, her glass halfway to her mouth, her gaze locked on Penny in fascination at the story.

Penny shrugged. "Just one of those things, you know? For a while he worshipped the ground she walked on, and I think she liked that. And then it wasn't enough..."

Almost immediately the fights had begun, and they hadn't stopped. Jessica wanted more money, once her parents cut her off and then once they had passed away; Scott was already working all he could at the construction company, all the overtime they offered. But Jessica wanted more, and she wanted Scott to get the money any way he could. Shoplifting, scams, theft, Jessica didn't mind.

"He'd been trying to get out of all that," Penny said. "He was—he was getaway driver on something, and he didn't get caught, but he told me he hated it. Absolutely hated it. It was fun when he was eighteen. But he was ready to settle down... and we talked, and eventually, it turned into more than that."

Eventually, Penny told Nancy, their relationship had gone from too close to a full-blown affair. Scott was miserable with Jessica, begging her for a divorce, and when Penny discovered she was pregnant, Scott had promised to take that final step. He was going to leave Jessica, and he and Penny would leave Chicago—Scott had no family left in Chicago, and Jessica was the kind of vindictive bitch who would do whatever she could to mess with Scott if he was nearby—and settle down together.

"Where were you going to go?" Nancy asked, the hair rising on the back of her neck. She had that feeling, the feeling that always came when the pieces were starting to fall into place. "Was it Montana?"

Penny nodded slowly, tilting her head at Nancy. "How did you know?"

"Crazy hunch," Nancy said. "But why there?"

"Scott has—had. A wealthy aunt there, who had always liked him. He was pretty sure she could help us out until we found jobs, and then we could pay her back. And it sounded nice." Penny sighed.

"But something happened?"

Penny nodded. "He was going to do it on a Friday. The eighteenth, payday, so we'd have some gas money. He was going to tell Jessica that he was leaving her, or if he was lucky, she would be out partying with her friends and he could just take all the important stuff and get out." Penny's eyes began to shine, and she blinked rapidly. "He said he would come over to my place after, but he never did. The next morning it was all over the news—a check cashing place was robbed, and whoever did it got away. And I thought that maybe his paycheck hadn't been enough, that they had talked him into taking one last job just to give us spending money."

"And you couldn't exactly call Jessica," Nancy said slowly.

Penny smiled, a small, humorless quirk of her lips. "But there was nothing. And I swear to you, when he found out I was pregnant? No man has ever been happier on this earth. He didn't get cold feet." The vehemence in Penny's voice told Nancy that she had likely repeated those words to herself several times. "He wouldn't have missed it when I had the baby, if he could help it. But he did."

Nancy gave Penny a small smile too. "Do you have a photo of him?"

Penny nodded, digging in her purse, and pulled out a wallet-sized senior photograph. When she saw Scott's face, she almost did a double-take. At a glance, he could have passed for Ned's twin.

That was why Jessica needed Ned.

Nancy pressed her lips together. Then her eyes widened. "Did Scott break his arm a few years ago, by chance? His left arm?"

Penny nodded again, slowly. "Yeah. How did you know?"

Nancy shook her head. "God. It was staring me right in the face," she muttered. 

Penny looked down. "He was special," she said, and sniffled. "He worked as hard as he could, and he was a really great guy. She did everything she could to make his life miserable." She looked up at Nancy. "Whatever happened to him, she was responsible."

"She's trying to get her hooks into my boyfriend," Nancy admitted. When she checked her watch, she saw that they needed to go back to Penny's workplace, and signaled for the waitress to bring a box. "Can you tell me anything about her, anything that might help me get to her? She's done a really good job of pretending she's in love with him, but..."

"But the only person Jessica loves is herself," Penny said. "I mean, I know she was attracted to Scott... but Jessica's always out for number one. Boy, could she turn on the charm when she wanted to, though. Even after they would have a terrible fight, he would go back to her. It took him months to seriously consider leaving."

"I know she was arrested, but in your opinion... would she kill someone who stood in her way?"

Penny pressed her lips together. "I think she killed Scott," she said. "And I don't think she would hesitate to kill anyone else who came between her and what she wanted." The other woman sighed. "I'd give anything to have him back. My mom's been helping me out with Michelle—that's my little girl."

Penny asked Nancy to get in touch with her if she found out anything, and Nancy agreed. Her heart hurt for the woman. Penny showed her a small snapshot of her daughter before Nancy dropped her off at work, and she was clearly devoted to her little girl, but her heart had been broken when she hadn't been able to start a new life with the man she loved.

On the way back to River Heights, Nancy's mind was whirling. If she was right, then Jessica didn't love Ned at all, and never had. He had the misfortune to look very similar to Jessica's husband, to have the same height and build and the same healed left arm. It didn't matter that the resemblance was only superficial.

She had thought Ned was in danger, but she had never dreamed it would be like this.

As soon as she walked into her father's house, she called the insurance agency, but she was told that Ned was out of the office on a call and would be back later. The secretary wasn't sure exactly where he was, and everything in Nancy was screaming that she needed to find him and warn him.

Hannah came out of the kitchen just then, wiping her hands. "A police detective from Chicago called for you," she said. "Nancy? Are you all right?"

Nancy nodded slowly, trying to mentally shift gears. "I'm okay. Did Ned happen to call while I was out?"

"I didn't hear from him."

Nancy was unsurprised when she returned Detective Ortiz's call and was told that he was out on a call too. That left her with some time to consider what she wanted to do, and how to tackle the problem—but she was stuck, she realized. She needed to talk things over with someone. She wanted that person to be Ned, but short of searching all of River Heights and Mapleton and the surrounding areas for him, she wasn't sure how she could do that.

It was after noon, though, so Nancy called Bess Marvin's house. Bess was breathless when she answered the call. "Please tell me you need me to do something," she said.

Nancy couldn't help chuckling. "George trying to get you to go jogging again?"

"Well, it's not quite that bad, but it almost is. Racquetball. Remember the last time we played?"

"Mmm-hmm," Nancy confirmed. "I think you said you'd put the racquet through her head if you played again."

"Pretty much. So what's up?"

"I need to brainstorm and I can't reach Ned, and I kind of can't leave the house. I've placed a bunch of calls and I'm waiting on some information. This is big, though."

"I'll be right over," Bess said promptly. "And I'll bring George, although she might try to convince you to play with her. Just so you know."

Hannah had made a lemon blueberry loaf, and the three girls took thick slices to try as they sat down at the table for their discussion. In broad strokes, Nancy explained what Penny had told her. For most of her recounting, Bess's mouth hung open.

"So what do you two think?" Nancy brought a bite of the loaf to her lips.

Bess shook her head. "I don't know what to think," she admitted. "Holy crap."

"Yeah," George chimed in. The hair dye had been washed out of her hair, and she looked much more relaxed in her close-fitting workout top and shorts. "So Penny thinks that Jessica killed Scott."

"Pretty much."

"And you think that..." Bess raised her eyebrows.

Nancy took a deep breath. "I think that Jessica's plan is to find some way to kill Ned and claim the body is Scott's," she said, and just saying it aloud made her feel terrible. 

"But how could she do that? Ned clearly isn't Scott," Bess said.

"And if Jessica did kill Scott, why wouldn't she just produce that body?" George asked.

"I've been thinking about that," Nancy replied to George's question first. "Maybe he was killed in a way that clearly wasn't an accident... and maybe Jessica had disposed of the body somehow before she realized she needed to prove he was dead. After all, she's basically been saying that they were unhappy and he left her and now they have a divorce. She didn't report him missing, and she's likely gotten rid of all his possessions to back up her story. So now she needs a recently deceased corpse with a few key qualities: Scott's height and build, the broken and healed arm."

"But no one would identify Ned as Scott," Bess said.

"If Jessica's the one identifying the body, you'd better believe that she will," Nancy replied.

"But his family—"

Nancy shook her head. "He has no family, except for that aunt—and I think that aunt in Montana is why Jessica suddenly needed to prove her husband had died. If Jessica is Scott's next of kin and Scott inherited his aunt's estate, the estate would pass to her. That's the payoff that she's hoping to get. It's nothing from her family or Ned's."

"But aren't there other ways they identify bodies?" Bess pointed out.

Nancy nodded. "Uh-huh. Dental x-rays is one of them. Jessica's already been charged with breaking and entering and theft, and I have a feeling that when I check with Ned's dentist, I'll find out that his most recent x-rays have gone missing—or they've been replaced with Scott's." She shuddered. "Two corpses, each one accounted for... and if anyone noticed something wrong, Jessica would already be gone, and the money gone with her."

Bess shivered. "You know, I wouldn't have thought she would do something like that," she said. "But..."

"Last night," George filled in. "Last night, her personality was—I don't know, it was like the mask was off and we were seeing her more like she really is. The woman I saw at the club last night? It's a lot easier to imagine her doing that."

"So what should we do?" Bess asked, lifting her glass.

Nancy propped her chin on her hand. "I know Penny's convinced that Jessica killed Scott, but she has absolutely no evidence, other than how much she hated Jessica. She's had about six months to conceal the body."

George raised her eyebrows. "But we only have Penny's word for all this, right? What if Penny is the one who killed him? What do we know about this woman?"

Nancy opened her hands. "I don't know much about her," Nancy admitted. "I'm not even sure how she knew to contact me, but she used to work at Garner Construction, so someone probably passed the information along to her. I don't even know for sure that the picture she showed me is one of Scott, but the photo bore a striking resemblance to Ned, so that checks out. Plus, every lead I try to check out on Scott is a dead end." She winced. "Bad phrasing. I checked with the welder's union, and his last place of employment is Garner Construction."

"So he switched jobs."

"Which would check out, if he did leave Jessica and start a new life," George said.

"Which leaves Penny's story," Nancy pointed out. "If he had a pregnant girlfriend and intended to leave with her..."

"I know Penny said Scott would never have gotten cold feet, but...?" Bess shrugged. "Is there any way we can know for sure that Scott's really dead? If we don't know where the body is?"

"I'd have to talk to Dad, but if Scott tried to do anything once he left—if he opened a credit account, bought a car on credit, anything like that, it would show up on a credit report. I don't have his social security number. It would take a while to track him that way." Nancy shrugged.

"Or," George pointed out, "if Jessica admitted it..."

Bess's eyes widened. "I'm pretty sure that the only circumstance under which a murderer admits a murder is right before the person listening is going to die," she said.

"Or right before they think the listener's going to die," Nancy said. "Besides, what we're talking about takes time. Jessica and Ned are picking up the wedding bands tonight. After that..." She shook her head.

"So she's going to marry Ned?" Bess asked.

George shook her head. "She can't, not if she's going to claim Scott's inheritance. She can't have another marriage on the books to confuse things."

"So this was all some elaborate scheme to get Ned to trust her enough to let her kill him," Bess said.

"Maybe. Maybe that's how it started. But I think Jessica's so confident that she can't imagine Ned might be playing her, too."

George took a sip of her drink. "So what do we do?"

"Call Detective Ortiz and tell him what we've found out?"

Nancy shook her head. "We haven't found out anything," she said. "We have a story, and Penny's very reluctant to talk to the cops. She didn't want to talk to me until I told her I wasn't a cop. But she and her baby have a hard life, and if she can prove that baby is Scott's child, and we can prove that Jessica killed Scott, or was involved in his death? Penny and her baby would get the money."

Bess nodded. "I think we should do that."

"But we have no proof." Nancy looked down. "I keep coming back to this: Jessica's going to try to kill Ned. When she does, she will have attempted murder. She can definitely be punished for that, even if we can't prove or make her confess the rest of it."

"But how?"

"She'll try to kill him in some way that the best identification will be her own, and the dental records." Nancy looked down again. "Probably a fire. That would do the most damage."

Bess and George both recoiled.

Nancy shrugged. "She could fake a car accident, somehow. Rig his gas tank or something."

Bess pushed her chair back. "What if she already has?" Bess said urgently. "We need to go find him!"

Nancy shook her head. "I'm not sure where he is, and I'm hoping that she won't try anything until after they have the wedding rings. That corpse needs to be wearing a wedding band to back up her story."

"But Ned wouldn't be wearing a wedding band before they were married," George objected.

"I'm sure Jessica just thinks she can flip her hair and ask him to wear it like an engagement ring or something," Bess said, shaking her head. "Nan, this is terrible. Like, incredibly terrible. How are you being so calm right now?"

Nancy shook her head. "Do I want to scream? Yeah," she said, standing up and wrapping her arms around her as she began to pace. "I want to get in my car and find him right now and get him the hell away from her. It was bad enough when I thought that she wanted to seduce him, or that she really did want to marry him—but this? And I can't prove anything. I keep coming back to it, that the best way to get Jessica behind bars is to let her try."

Bess shook her head. "It's too dangerous."

"It is," Nancy agreed. "I hate it. And once Detective Ortiz calls me back, maybe I'll be able to track down that guy you two saw with her at the club last night..."

Bess and George exchanged a glance, then shook their heads at Nancy. "No," Bess said. "Definitely not alone."

"I can totally imagine that guy being involved, if there was a murder," George told Nancy.

"And if they were involved in it, and they think you know?" Bess shuddered. "When has that ever gone well before?"

Nancy shook her head. "We just have to be smart about this."

"They already have been smart about it, apparently," George pointed out. "I don't like this at all, Nan."

"Me either," Bess said.

Nancy covered her face with her hands, then sighed. "I wish this had never happened," she said, and then she shook her head. "I told Ned that I'd never really realized how he must feel all the time—but now, especially. It's not that I don't trust him, or that I think he can't handle this. It's that chance that he can't—and I hate the idea of him getting hurt."

"Or killed," George said quietly.

An aching lump of tears began to rise in Nancy's throat, and she tipped her head back, forcing herself to calm down. "Okay. Okay. Worrying isn't going to change what's happened. We just need to do all we can to make sure Jessica fails."

The three of them were still brainstorming when Detective Ortiz returned Nancy's call. "Glad I caught you," he commented. "I'll start with the easy question: Scott O'Malley has a record, but he's not in jail."

"I had a bad feeling he wasn't," Nancy commented. "I think he was murdered."

"Oh?"

She could immediately hear the interest in Ortiz's voice. "I'm sorry. I don't know for sure, and I only have hearsay evidence, but I'll definitely let you know if I find out anything else. Did you find out anything about the other guy?"

"Well, we'll circle back to that, Drew. The guy you described most closely matches the mug shot for Thaddeus Nonce Jr. Nickname is Slim. His list of priors... he's only listed as a known associate of Jessica's on one incident, but it was a big one. This guy is bad news, Nancy. He's been charged with extortion, armed robbery—the problem is that the eyewitnesses are intimidated, and the victims drop their charges. If we could catch him in the act, with incontrovertible proof, we might have something. In the meantime—you saw this guy with her?"

"Yeah. Last night. Is he, by chance, a suspect in anything that might connect him with murder?"

"Assault, attempted murder, conspiracy—again, nothing has stuck to this guy yet. Either he has the most perverse guardian angel in history, or he's very well connected. He did a six-month stretch because his attorney pled him down to that. Now, you think he's involved in a murder?"

"Right now it's a missing-persons case," Nancy said. "I've been trying to track Scott O'Malley, and like I said, all the leads drop off about six months ago."

"Have a social on this guy?"

"No, but I have his last address, or at least the last one I've found," she said, and repeated it from memory. "If you try to track him down, though, can you keep it low-key? I think Jessica's involved, and if she thinks that she's about to get caught..."

"That's all the more reason to keep us in the loop," Ortiz reminded her. "Either my office or another one, but if you call us up here, at least we'll be up to speed on what's going on. Let me just do a little checking that won't tip her off, and if I find out that he's safe and happy and in the witness protection program or something, I'll let you know. Just so you don't start accusing her of killing a state's witness."

"Thanks."

Nancy only had a few hours before Ned was going to meet Jessica, and she still didn't know what to do, but she couldn't shake the idea of going to see the two of them at the mall and confronting the other woman. She picked out a short-sleeved black jersey dress and put on flats, pulled her reddish-gold hair back into a sleek ponytail, and stopped as she glanced at her jewelry box. She pulled out a locket Ned had given her soon after they had begun officially dating, slipping it over her head. It was a nice touch, to help her put on the performance of a woman scorned and begging for another chance.

But if she had been able to, she could have worn the engagement ring Ned had presented to her, could have told Jessica the truth: that whatever her plan was, it was going to fail, because Ned had never fallen for her little act. He belonged to Nancy, and she to him. And Nancy wasn't going to let him go, especially not to someone as cold and calculating as Jessica Thorne.

Bess and George wished her luck, and Nancy left with a few minutes to spare, just so she could find the best place to wait for them. She found with some dismay that she didn't have to work at appearing agitated; all she had to do was let her true emotions show. She was afraid for Ned, and she felt desperate to keep him safe and foil whatever Jessica's plot was before it could hurt him—and Jessica would likely just see that as the natural fear and jealousy Nancy would have felt anyway.

Nancy was pacing beside the fountain near the east entrance, considering what excuse she would give—maybe that she was meeting Bess and George for a little shopping trip—when she felt that familiar tingle up her spine. Her arms were crossed, and she knew she was frowning, but when she turned and saw Ned walking into the mall alone, even though his pace didn't change, his dark eyes lit up.

She had slept in his arms, and she couldn't imagine going back to her father's house and sleeping alone tonight. She had never thought of it as lonely before, because she had never known the alternative.

She whispered his name, taking a few steps toward him, painfully aware that Jessica could see them at any moment and they needed to be careful.

But the jets in the fountain rose, and when he caught her wrist in his hand and drew her to a more secluded area beside it, then drew her into his arms, she couldn't resist. She tipped her chin up and then his lips were warm and sweet against hers, her body pressed tight to his. She wrapped her arms around him, clinging to him, and she knew her heart was in her eyes when they broke the kiss.

"Nan," he said softly.

"I need to talk to you," she said urgently. "Can we meet? I—"

"Ned Nickerson."

The voice speaking Ned's name was Jessica's. The sound had barely registered when Ned was stepping away from Nancy, gently disengaging her arms from around him. Nancy ached at the loss of contact, and when she felt her eyes prick with tears, she was absurdly glad at the authenticity it would lend the scene she was about to make.

"What's going on here?" Jessica demanded, the soles of her shoes sounding sharply on the tiled floor of the mall's corridor. "Honey?"

Nancy glanced from Ned to Jessica and back again, her arms still halfway up. At the sight of the other woman, Nancy felt a roiling ball of rage spark to life in her belly.

"I told you," Ned said, shaking his head at Nancy as he took another step away from her. "I'm with Jessica now. I'm sorry that I hurt you."

Nancy shook her head. "Ned, please," she said, her voice shaking. "Please don't do this. I'll do anything. I'll be a better girlfriend..."

Jessica was smirking; she definitely enjoyed seeing her rival begging for another chance. She took a step toward Nancy. "You've lost," she told Nancy, her voice dripping with false sympathy. "Just let it go. He wants to be with a woman."

"You're not a woman. You're poison," Nancy said. "He loved me for years, and he'll come to his senses and come back to me. You'll see." She cast a sad glance at Ned, a tear streaking down her cheek.

Jessica shook her head, taking another step toward Nancy. "He's mine, and he'll be mine forever. That's what we're here to do, to pick up our wedding rings. And, just in case you have any ideas about rushing in to protest the wedding, maybe we'll just elope. Leave you here to move on with your pathetic life."

Nancy couldn't help it, and it happened so quickly that she couldn't even telegraph it. She closed the distance between her and Jessica in two quick strides and punched Jessica directly in her smug mouth.

And Jessica gasped, one hand flying up to cover her no-doubt swelling lip as she swung at Nancy with the other.

The two of them began to grapple, shrieking in rage, and by the time they were separated, they had ended up in the fountain. The pool in the base was shallow, so Nancy's arm and shoulder and some of her hair was dripping wet, while half of Jessica's shirt was wet. Ned and two security guards held them apart and they still flailed angrily for a moment, glaring daggers at each other. Ned had to go to Jessica to comfort her and ask if she was okay; Jessica took advantage of his attention and Nancy's jealousy to shoot her another triumphant smile.

And Nancy had never wanted anything more, than to say it there in front of everyone: I know you killed your first husband, and I know that's what you're planning to do to Ned, to my Ned. And I'll see you in hell before I'd ever let that happen.

The security guards asked who had started the fight, and Ned cast a sympathetic glance over at Nancy before saying that she had. Jessica linked her arm through Ned's and the two of them set off toward the jewelry store; Nancy was escorted to the exit and given a stern reprimand about proper conduct.

Ned hadn't said that he would meet her, but she hoped that he would—and that he would survive long enough to do so. Jessica's barb about eloping with Ned gave Nancy some hope, though, that she had telegraphed what her next move would be.

Nancy went up to her room to freshen up and change into some clean clothes before dinner, and her father arrived in her absence. When she went downstairs, Hannah was just setting the table for dinner.

"How was your day, Nan?" her father asked with a smile, and Nancy didn't see anything amiss in his expression or his manner. He likely hadn't noticed her very late arrival that morning. She relaxed a little, going to the cabinet to find glasses.

"It was all right. Made some progress on the case." She brought the glasses to the table. "Speaking of progress..."

"I passed on the message you left to one of the paralegals, but when he called, the office was closed for vacation."

Nancy groaned. "Really?"

"Lawyers have lives too, you know," he said, his tone teasing. "But the good news is that they should be back in tomorrow, so maybe you won't have to wait too much longer to find out about that mysterious envelope."

Talking over her father's current case at dinner was familiar, and gave her something other than Jessica's plans to focus on. It was a welcome distraction, but Nancy couldn't shake off her anxiety. If she acted too hastily, she might never have the chance to take Jessica down.

But at least Ned would be safe. And that was becoming more important to her than anything else.

After dinner and dessert, Nancy and her father and Hannah sat in the living room and talked for a while, but her concentration had been broken, and she was preoccupied, listening for the sound of her private line ringing upstairs. Neither her father nor Hannah mentioned hearing her sneak in early that morning, and Nancy knew that sneaking out later that night to see Ned would be pressing her luck, but she still wanted it.

She remembered her father cautioning her once, that entering into a physical relationship with someone she cared deeply about might be overwhelming, and she had taken that advice to heart. It was overwhelming. It was addictive and sweet and incredible, and if her feelings about him had been weaker, if she hadn't known with all her heart that he was the only man for her, she couldn't have shared what she had with him. She never wanted to be without him again, and Jessica was threatening the man she loved—and Nancy wanted to end her. She wanted to destroy her, utterly and thoroughly.

Ned's call came at ten o'clock that night, when Nancy was sitting at her desk, her stomach a ball of tension. She had wished her father a good night and had gone to her room, because she hadn't been able to focus or concentrate on anything else. She had all her case notes spread out, and given all she had learned, she was trying to decide what her next course of action should be.

"Hello?"

"Nan. Hey. I know we had talked about meeting..."

"Yeah." She took a deep breath. "I know we need to be careful, but I really want to see you. Even if it's just for an hour or two. Please."

Ned made a soft noise. "Too bad there are no movies playing. And given everything else, it's too risky for us to go anywhere in public."

"Or to any makeout spots," Nancy agreed with a sigh. "And I don't know about pressing our luck with the golf course again."

"And if Jessica happens to drive by and sees my car missing, she might pitch a fit. Uh... do you want to come over here? Maybe park on the next street? We can sit on the back porch."

"So now you don't want to sneak me into your house?" Nancy couldn't resist teasing him.

Instead of teasing her in return, Ned made a sort of choked noise. "We can talk about that when you get here. Is that all right?"

"Yeah. I'll be over there soon. I love you."

"I love you too, Nan. I was sorry we had to make that scene earlier."

"Me too."

Hannah was downstairs wearing her bathrobe, and she had just turned off the lights in the kitchen when Nancy came downstairs. "Hey Hannah. I'll be back in an hour or two," she said.

"Another lead?"

Nancy shrugged. "It's about the case," she said, and it wasn't a lie. "I'll try to be quiet when I come back in."

"All right. Be safe, Nan."

Nancy was pretty sure she covered her surprise at Hannah's turn of phrase quickly. "I will. Love you, Hannah."

Nancy's heart was beating harder and harder with every mile she drove between her house and Ned's, and she parked a block away from his house. She had dressed in dark jeans and a dark-green long-sleeved shirt, her hair tucked under a ballcap, and she found a clear path between that didn't involve hopping any fences or passing under any motion-detecting floodlights. When she passed through into Ned's parents' backyard, she could see a silhouette on the back porch. His parents had glassed the area in so it could serve as a sort of sunroom, and Edith kept more sensitive plants there.

Ned held open the door for her, and Nancy couldn't help chuckling; as soon as she climbed the stairs and reached him, Ned wrapped his arms around her and held her tight, and she clung to him, too. A delicious shudder slid down her spine as he nuzzled against her neck.

"I love you."

Nancy had no idea how many times she had heard Ned say those words. She had felt every variation of happiness on hearing them: tentative and sweet, joyful and exuberant, aching with desire. His voice was soft and low, and she grasped his shirt in her fist, her lashes fluttering down. "I love you," she sighed, and his body was pressed tight to his. "I love you so much."

A rocking loveseat had been placed at one end of the porch. They crossed to it and Nancy slipped off the long-sleeved shirt she wore; the night was warm, and she wore a tank top underneath. As soon as she had put down her purse and the shirt, Ned pulled her into his lap, and she cupped his face in her hands.

"I think I know what Jessica wants," she said, searching his eyes. "I think she wants to kill you."

She explained all she had found out, and although Ned's eyes widened a few times, he seemed to accept everything she said. He occasionally made a few interjections, when something Jessica had told him suddenly made sense or when she had directly contradicted what Nancy had found out, but Nancy felt sick at heart all over again once she finished her telling.

"Ned, I think she's going to rig something—she needs your body burned beyond recognition, so she can claim you're Scott. Please, please don't get in a car with her."

"But if she wants me dead, I'd think she wouldn't want to be in the car with me?" Ned pointed out, and gave her a crooked smile. "Maybe I'm only safe if she's in the car."

Nancy shook her head, stroking his cheek with her thumb. "Please be serious," she murmured. "If I'm right..."

"How do we know, though? That Scott didn't just get sick of her and leave her, start a new life somewhere else?"

Nancy shook her head. "I don't know. I only have my suspicions. Detective Ortiz is checking on it; he can track him down in ways I can't. Unless we find a body or Jessica admits it, we have no proof." Nancy's gaze dropped to his lips. "And if his aunt died and left everything to him—well, I won't know until my dad's able to confirm what was in that envelope from the law firm in Montana. But it makes sense. And I'm scared out of my mind for you, Ned."

While she had talked, Ned's arms had been draped around her waist. He gently traced the line of her spine, up and down the small of her back, with his fingertips. "She asked me to take tomorrow off work," he admitted. "So we can go see her family. We're leaving early."

Nancy's eyes widened. "Ned, she has no family. Not that I know of."

"So it's a trap." Ned's dark-eyed gaze was steady on hers.

"Probably. You can't go."

Ned's lips quirked up in a humorless smile. "And when did that ever stop you?" he pointed out softly, reaching up to stroke a lock of hair behind her ear. "We have no proof, yet. But we will, if she actually tries something."

Nancy shook her head. "It's too dangerous."

Ned leaned forward, and Nancy ran her fingers through his hair as he brushed his lips against hers. "And I'll be careful," he murmured. "I'll be so careful. But I want this over, Nan. I want to be able to go on dates with my beautiful fiancée. I want to be with you while we have the time, and we've been apart for too long..."

He kissed her then, slowly, deeply, until she was left trembling. He slipped his hand under her shirt and stroked her back, and she felt like she was melting against him. The join of her thighs tingled in response.

"Nan... speaking of dates..."

She was still uneasy about Jessica, but his kisses were sweet and her head was still spinning a little. "Mmm-hmm?"

Ned kissed her one more time, then pulled back to look into her eyes. "My parents told me that they want to have dinner—with both of us, tomorrow night. No excuses."

"Oh?"

He nodded. "You know how you smelled coffee this morning? I have a feeling that one of them did wake up..."

Nancy shook her head, a blush rising in her cheeks. "No wonder you didn't want me to come inside."

"It's not that. We're both adults, and if you want to come inside with me so we can... be together, like we were last night? I'd love to. But I know you were pretty reluctant last night, and if my parents do hear us, we might have that really awkward talk tonight instead."

She glanced down, then back up at him. "You think they want to talk to us about it?"

He let out his breath in a long sigh. "Yeah. I'll just say that I wish it had just been me—but I know my parents have missed you, and they really haven't understood why I keep hanging out with Jessica. They love you." He smiled. "And I do, too..."

He kissed her again, his fingertips flirting with the hem of her tank top as he gently pulled it up a few inches.

Nancy wasn't totally surprised when she found herself on top of him a few minutes later, her shirt shoved up to just beneath her breasts and Ned's hips snug between her thighs as she straddled him. She could feel him hardening underneath her, and she blushed, panting as she glanced at the back door of his house. The kitchen was dark, and she didn't sense they were being observed, but if Ned's parents were already keeping track of what he was doing...

"Nan," Ned murmured, and she looked down into his eyes again. "Are you hot for me, like you were last night?"

Her flush deepened. "Ned," she whispered.

"So, yes?"

When he reached down and began to unfasten her jeans, then unzip them, his gaze was locked to her face and she couldn't say no. Her weight was on her knees and her palms, and she arched, angling her hips so he could slide his hand between her legs.

"Yes," he murmured, and her lips parted with a gasp as he moved his fingertips beneath the band of her panties, then cupped the join of her thighs. She was slippery-wet where his fingertip brushed her, and when he drew his fingers back up, she gasped sharply, then lowered her face to his again to capture his mouth in a hard, claiming kiss.

Over the next few minutes, as he fondled and teased her, she tugged her shirt off, then opened her bra and shrugged it off, tugging Ned's shirt up too. She wanted to feel his skin against hers, and when her nipples made contact with his warm bare chest, she shuddered, pushing her hips against his touch. He was making love to her with his fingers, and she felt too warm and so, so sensitive, her hips trembling as she arched and reached for his fly, too.

"Oh yeah," Ned murmured against their kiss. "Yeah, baby. Mmm..."

He pulled back just long enough to push his jeans and underwear down, so that his erection was free. Nancy peeled her own jeans down below her hips, but that wasn't enough. She glanced at the back door again, then slipped her jeans all the way off and returned to him.

She knew it would be impossible to explain, why Ned was half-naked and she was only wearing her underwear, what exactly they were doing to each other—or maybe no explanations would be necessary. With every brush of his fingertips she felt another rush of tingling warmth deep in her belly and tight between her thighs, against the sensitive tips of her breasts, and they kissed desperately. She reached down and stroked the heel of her hand up and down his erection a few times, and Ned groaned, burying his fingers in her hair.

"Ned," she gasped against his lips, her hips bucking as he worked his fingers in and out of her, his thumb rubbing against that sensitive button of flesh. "Oh, Ned!"

"Yes," he groaned, his fingers tightening in her hair. "Just like that, baby..."

When that glorious tension began to build and build in her, she buried her face against his shoulder to stifle her moans and cries and desperately stroked him. She wanted him to feel the same pleasure she was, and she didn't know how...

"Lick your hand," he groaned, and she hastily obeyed, licking her palm before she reached down and wrapped her fingers around him again. Ned sighed, straining as his hips rose, and Nancy's eyes rolled back as he circled her sensitive flesh the other way, her nipples dragging against his chest as she moved against his touch. She gasped, and when she imagined him suckling against the sensitive tips of her breasts the way he had the night before, she felt her inner flesh pulse around his fingers.

After, Ned held her for a long moment, as they both gasped for breath. Once she had reached her climax, Ned had helped her stroke him until he reached his own, and she felt completely drained and fully sated. She nuzzled against his shoulder and he released a long satisfied sigh.

"I would ask you to stay with me tonight," he murmured.

"But you won't," she filled in. She hadn't dressed again, and her legs were tangled with his, his chest bare against hers.

"Was that a dare? Because I loved sleeping with you last night. I loved being so close to you, feeling you that way, and I loved when I felt you sleeping in my arms. I don't want to sleep alone tonight."

Nancy closed her eyes. "I don't either," she whispered. "I loved it too."

"So stay."

For a long moment she was silent, and her internal struggle over what to do actually felt like a solid ache in her chest. She wanted to be with him, like this, all night. But she had told Hannah to expect her back, and if Ned's parents heard a creak on the stairs or in his room they would likely be even angrier, and...

And she had just let Ned get to third base in his parents' sunroom.

She released a quiet sigh, her lips quirking up. She knew they were being irresponsible and reckless and impulsive. She knew that, even six months earlier, she would have been mortified by just the thought of what they had done, that a week ago she would have considered this an inexcusable lapse in her own judgement. But she craved him, and she loved him.

"I can't," she whispered, slowly. "You have no idea how much I want to be with you, but I can't stay here tonight."

Ned released a disappointed sigh. "But Friday night, we'll definitely spend together?"

"Did your parents say that we could go to the lake?" She pushed herself up to look into his eyes. "Oh God. Well, I guess now there's no way they'll let us go, huh."

Ned smiled and craned his neck up to brush another kiss against her lips. "And just a few minutes ago you were sure I was about to be murdered," he said lightly. "Let me go get cleaned up. I'll be right back."

Once he went inside, Nancy sat up, then looked down at her hands. She needed to wash up too, and in his absence she felt cold. He returned to her pretty quickly, his jeans refastened but still barechested, and handed her a wet paper towel so she could wipe her hands. She smiled at him in thanks, then slowly dressed again.

"I meant what I said," she told him. "She's dangerous. Even if it does turn out that her husband is alive and safe somewhere, I still think she wants to kill you. I'd happily leave with you tonight and spend the next week at Fox Lake, if it meant keeping you safe."

Ned's eyes widened a little. "As much as I'd love to take you up on that—you are pretty serious, huh. To leave a case unsolved like that."

She reached for his hand. "It's not just that. If we had some more time, if we were able to find evidence of whatever plan she has—but she's desperate, and I have to depend on her making a mistake. The stakes are too high, though."

"And if you were the one she was after?" Ned asked, reaching up to cup her cheek as she gazed into his eyes. "If she was trying to cultivate a friendship or a relationship with you so she could kill you, would you let me take you to Fox Lake the night before you were pretty sure she was going to show her hand?"

Nancy let herself honestly consider what he had said, then sniffled. "Damn you, Nickerson."

He chuckled and kissed her temple. "I have faith in us," he told her. "I have faith that I'll be able to get out of whatever trap she's planning to spring on me, and I have faith that you'll be there to back me up, too. When she shows up in the morning, I'll call and let you know so you can follow us. And we can do this. Remember, we have to be back here tomorrow night for the most awkward dinner in the history of the world."

Nancy couldn't help laughing a little, too, but it didn't last long and she sobered quickly. "I'm going to be really upset if they're disappointed in us," she told him.

"Would it keep you from spending time with me?"

She bit her lip. "It would make me want to be smarter about it," she said.

He leaned forward and kissed her, his touch lingering. "Good," he whispered against her lips, and she shivered. "I was so afraid you'd say that we just couldn't be together that way anymore..."

She closed her eyes. "I think I'd die for want of you," she whispered, and when he kissed her again, when he laid down and drew her to him, she came willingly. Their kiss was slow and soft and sweet, and she shivered with pleasure when he gently slipped the elastic out of her hair and combed his fingers through it, when his fingertips stroked against her scalp.

They would have this for the rest of their lives. Lazy Saturdays and Sunday afternoons, kissing without caring who was watching, feeling this kind of desire and love for him without any guilt or fear. Sleeping in the same bed with him and knowing their parents couldn't, wouldn't disapprove.

"I love you," he breathed when she broke their kiss.

His dark eyes were aglow and she melted against him, drawing her fingers through his hair. "I love you too," she murmured. Oh, she wanted so badly to take his hand and guide him up to his room, if only for a little while—but she knew it wouldn't end there.

"I have to go."

"Friday night. Promise me."

She kissed the tip of his nose. "Friday night," she agreed, gazing into his eyes. "As long as Jessica Thorne's behind bars."

"The whole weekend, if Jessica Thorne's behind bars," Ned told her, and she couldn't help smiling as she nodded.

Ned's mother was already seated at the breakfast table when Ned very carefully descended the stairs and quietly walked into the kitchen. He could smell brewing coffee, and so he wasn't entirely surprised by her presence, but he was a little confused by it.

"Morning."

"Good morning," she said, as he crossed to the coffeepot and poured himself a cup. "You weren't joking when you said it would be an early start."

He nodded. "Thanks for the coffee."

The expression on her face wasn't entirely open, and Ned prepared his cup of coffee and sat down at his customary place, unsure of what to say.

"Were you able to ask Nancy to dinner?"

Ned's stomach clenched once, but he nodded. "Yes."

"And did she say yes? I know it's short notice..."

"She said yes. We should be able to make it."

Edith's lips tightened. "Ned, if you're thinking about going out with—with that other woman tonight instead..."

It felt like playing some absurd game of chicken, Ned mused. When he had told Jessica he was in a committed relationship with his longtime girlfriend, she hadn't cried off. When he had proposed, she had been delighted. He kept trying to call her bluff, and she kept meeting it. At first, Ned had thought that Jessica would tire of him quickly and move on; now, it really seemed like she was sticking to her plan. Of course, she had to, if Nancy's theory was right. He was the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow—or, more accurately, his corpse would be.

Now he and Nancy were closer than ever, Jessica seemed just as clingy and possessive as she always had been—and his parents were upset. He didn't like lying to them, but he also thought their dismay was a mark in his favor. They weren't playing along with Ned's fake engagement; they were stunned and disapproving of his sudden engagement to a woman he hardly knew, and that was more natural.

But they were his parents, and he had never liked disappointing them. Granted, if his instinct about the "talk" they wanted to have with him and Nancy was accurate, he might have disappointed them in an entirely different way.

Ned glanced down at his coffee cup, then up into his mother's eyes, and shook his head. "No, Mom. I plan on being back here tonight, not with Jessica. I'm still going with her today, but she said we won't be gone too long—I'm planning on going to work tomorrow too, and then this weekend..."

Well. He trailed off. He would cross that bridge when he came to it.

His mother reached over and patted his hand a few times. "Nancy loves you very much," she said. "I know your relationship with her hasn't always been easy, but I know how you feel about her—or at least, how I thought you felt about her. Please don't break her heart, Ned. Whatever is between you and Jessica, I hope you figure it out soon."

Ned gave her a smile, then leaned forward and kissed her cheek. "You always give good advice," he told her.

"Prove me right by taking it. Cut this Jessica girl off."

Ned's stomach flipped, and he finished his coffee in a few gulps. "I understand—"

Edith stood when Ned did. "I know, as much as I want to, that I can't run your life for you. I just don't understand, given everything..." She sighed.

Ned wrapped his arm around her shoulders and gave her a little hug. "Everything is going to work out, Mom. I promise."

"I hope you're right." She patted his shoulder. "Love can withstand a lot, but it is possible to bend something until it breaks," she told him. "And I suppose all I can do is trust you."

Ned went back up to his room to finish getting ready; he only had a few minutes before Jessica was going to pick him up. He dressed in a casual short-sleeved polo shirt and khakis, then slipped his second-favorite summer suit, a button-down shirt, tie, and formal shoes into a garment bag. It provided him with a good excuse to come back by the house, so Nancy would be able to pick up their trail better.

He had just reached for his phone's receiver when he heard a honk outside the house. His parents hated that, too; they hated it when his friends did that, and even when Nancy was in a hurry, she generally at least came inside to say hello to his parents. Ned let out his breath in a sigh, then pounded down the stairs. His mother was in the living room, and she was clearly still unsettled.

"I'll see you in a few, Mom—we're just going out for breakfast, and then I'll drop back by here to get changed. I might need you to do me a favor..."

The horn sounded again, and Ned's mother shook her head. "I'll see what I can do," she told him.

Then Ned opened the door, and saw Jessica's rental car—and she was at the wheel, sunglasses pushed up onto her dark hair, her tanned arms bare. He took a breath, and then the mask was in place; he was the doting fiancé again.

What Jessica didn't know and never would was that his act wasn't even a tenth as affectionate or devoted with her as it truly was with Nancy. He was giving just enough of himself to keep her from seeing through the act, guarding the rest of himself, keeping himself safe—for her. For the woman he truly loved.

He put a smile on his face and went out to her car, Nancy's admonition and his mother's ringing in his head.

--

Several times, Nancy had regretted her decision to leave Ned's house the night before. She had regretted it as soon as she had left the warmth of his embrace and headed back to her car, when she had turned the key in the Mustang's ignition, when she had walked into her room and changed into her nightgown. She had slept with the telephone just beside the bed, so lightly that she had jerked awake with every creak the house made as it settled for the night. If he had called her and asked her again to stay with him, in that low, seductive voice, she didn't think she could have said no.

And if their plans didn't change, it would be two years before she could sleep in his arms regularly. She didn't know how she was going to make it that long.

She rose early, well before she thought Ned could possibly have his breakfast date with Jessica, showered and dressed and ate two slices of toast with her coffee. She read over her notes, considering what Ned had asked her, and what Bess and George had questioned, too. She had no proof that Scott was dead; she only had what Penny had told her. Nancy made a note to contact Detective Ortiz, to see if he had any information about O'Malley and whether he might have been involved in the check cashing store robbery—but she didn't know how much time she would have. She needed to stay close to Ned today, and she wouldn't have time to stay around pay phones waiting for returned calls.

And if Jessica doesn't try today? If this keeps going for another five days, a week? Through another weekend...

Nancy decided that if Jessica didn't pull the trigger, she would, as long as Detective Ortiz confirmed that O'Malley had effectively dropped off the face of the map. As she thought about it, she opened her desk drawer and found her miniature tape recorder, checking both the cassette tape and the batteries to make sure they were fresh. Then she looked for her pepper spray. She didn't like carrying a gun, although she was a decent shot; she didn't like the probability that something could go terribly wrong and people could end up permanently injured or dead, especially if one of those people might be Ned. And if Jessica wanted to use deadly force against Ned, Nancy definitely didn't want to be the person who inadvertently provided the means.

Pepper spray was only so effective, but short of rigging a slingshot, Nancy wasn't sure what she could do.

"Nancy! Breakfast!"

Nancy took the cordless handset downstairs with her, and asked for an orange for breakfast; when Hannah turned to her in surprise, she explained that she needed something quick she could take with her, just in case Ned called. In fact, she was considering just driving over to his house and waiting for Jessica to drive up so she could follow them more easily, but then, her car wasn't very inconspicuous. She loved the Mustang, but it did stick out. George's car blended in better, though.

Nancy called George to see if she was up for some sleuthing, then smiled at her father as he came to breakfast. "Good morning, Nan."

"Good morning," Nancy replied. "In court today?"

"Maybe only half a day. I'm guessing I should call Whitaker and make sure he calls that firm for you again soon?"

"If that's okay," Nancy said. "I think I already know what they're going to say, but we'll see."

"Nancy, will you be home for lunch?" Hannah asked, coming to the table with Carson's mug of coffee.

Nancy shook her head. "Probably not. And Ned's parents invited me over for dinner tonight."

Carson's eyebrows rose. "Well, that's good," he said. "I'm glad to hear it. Please tell them I hope they're both doing well."

Nancy swallowed as she nodded, wondering whether they might call her father and talk to him. Just the thought of it made her blush a little. "I'll pass that along," she said.

George had agreed to rush over to Nancy's as soon as she was ready, and she pulled up five minutes after Carson had left for work. "So? Do we need to go ahead over there?"

Nancy cast a glance back at the phone, then at George. The sky was a perfect, beautiful blue overhead, and only a few bare wisps of cloud floated through it. "Ned hasn't called yet, but I'm starting to get nervous," she admitted. "Come on inside."

"George! Breakfast?" Hannah called in greeting.

George chuckled. "No, thanks, Hannah!" she called back. "But I will grab a water, if that's okay."

Nancy picked up the television remote and stabbed the button as she flicked through all the channels; she wasn't able to concentrate on anything. George came back with her glass of water and shook her head.

"So Ned and Jessica are supposed to spend today together?"

"Most of the day," Nancy confirmed, idly jogging her knee up and down before she forced herself to stop the nervous movement. "We're supposed to be back for dinner at his parents' house tonight, though."

"And how is Jessica going to take that, I wonder," George commented, her eyebrows up.

Nancy shrugged. "I don't really care," she admitted, then tossed the remote onto the couch in frustration. "Why doesn't he call? What if something's going on—"

The phone rang and Nancy immediately pounced on it, answering breathlessly. "Nancy Drew."

"Good morning, Nancy. I have the information you asked for yesterday."

"Oooh! Thanks!" Nancy replied, reaching for a telephone message pad and a pen. "Okay, I'm ready."

"The envelope contained the copy of a will for Cecilia Schaeffer, who died approximately six months ago. Her nephew, Scott O'Malley, was named as the only heir; the rest of her estate was to go to charity. The executor has been trying to find Scott O'Malley, and I said I'd pass along any information I had, but I didn't have any. Do you need the details of the will?"

"Only if they cover what will happen if Scott is deceased."

"Then the estate would pass to his next of kin."

Nancy couldn't help grinning. "Oooh. Thank you so much!"

"Good news, I suppose?" George asked when Nancy turned to her.

"The good news—well, I suppose it's only medium news. If Scott really is dead, the estate passes to his next of kin. So, Penny's child."

"If Penny's child belongs to Scott."

"Of course." Nancy gently nibbled on the end of her pen for a moment. When she placed a call to the Chicago precinct house and tried to reach Detective Ortiz, she was told he was in court and would be back later. She couldn't help being a little disappointed, even though she wasn't surprised. To be honest, she didn't need that last piece, not really; the rest of the puzzle was all too clear.

"George, I'm really sorry, but I can't wait around here any more. Do you mind if we head over to the Nickersons'? I'm sure Ned's mother won't mind feeding us some lemon pound cake or something if we need to wait around there."

"Well. Maybe a little."

After they bid a goodbye to Hannah, they set out in George's car. "You said last night was pretty interesting?" George prompted Nancy.

Nancy chuckled. "Oh. At the mall last night, Jessica said some crap about how Ned wanted a 'real woman' and she was it, and I was pathetic, and then I punched her in the face."

"Wow. Kinda wish I could have been there for that."

"Then we ended up in the fountain. The worst part was that Ned had to take Jessica's side in the fight... and then spend time with her. I was able to talk to him last night, though. I just wanted him to know what Jessica had probably done, and to be careful." Nancy sighed.

"What is it?"

Nancy shook her head. "I wish I could've found some excuse to be with him today," she said. "I don't know of one that wouldn't have broken the cover. The thing about estates and inheritance—they come with a time limit. Jessica will have to prove that her husband is dead and that she's next of kin."

George cast a quick glance over at Nancy. "Nan—what if she just admits that Scott is dead? Wouldn't she inherit?"

Nancy shook her head. "And that's why I think she's going after Ned. If she admits that she knows Scott's dead, and that she didn't report it—which probably means she was either responsible or an accessory—she can't profit from his death, so she can't inherit his aunt's estate."

"Well, that's good," George replied. "And bad."

"More bad," Nancy agreed. "I wonder if she smelled a rat and called off their date for today."

"If she did leave Ned alone, that would be good, right?"

"If she decided to try this con on someone else, it would take time, time she likely doesn't have at this point. But it would also give us more time to find out what happened to Scott."

George swallowed. "Nan, what are we going to do if she's sabotaged a car or set up something that we can't stop?" she asked quietly. "Like you said, at least if you were in the car with them, you could do something..."

Nancy sniffled. She just couldn't believe that she would never feel him in her arms again, that the two of them wouldn't be sitting at the Nickersons' dinner table that night. He had told her that he had faith they would figure out what Jessica's plan was and foil it; she had to believe him. "I don't know," she admitted. "But I can't just sit at home."

"I understand."

Once they reached the Nickersons', Nancy knocked at the front door and rang the doorbell, but the door wasn't answered. She and George waited another moment, and then Nancy glanced around. The day was warm and bright, but it would be much warmer later—and Nancy knew that Ned's mother liked to garden when the temperature wasn't brutally hot.

She and George circled around the side yard and peered over the fence into the back yard. It took a moment, but Nancy spotted Edith Nickerson's wide-brimmed hat as she bent to inspect some hosta plants.

"Mrs. Nickerson!"

Edith glanced up. "Oh, hello, Nancy! Come on in. Hello, George."

Nancy unlatched the gate and she and George came into the backyard. Edith beamed at them, brushing loose soil off her gardening gloves. "It's so nice to see both of you. Would you like something to drink? Lemonade or water? It really is getting rather warm out here."

Nancy remembered then that Ned's mother might be upset at her, but when she followed the older woman inside and took the offered seat at the breakfast table, Edith didn't cast any suspicious glances her way. Then again, maybe she didn't want to embarrass Nancy in front of George. "Thank you so much—we actually came over to speak to Ned. Is he here, by chance?"

Edith shook her head. "No, he isn't. He... he had a breakfast appointment."

Nancy recognized the pause. "Do you know when that was?"

"Oh, I think it was about two hours ago. He did tell me before he left that he intended to be home for dinner tonight—and I apologize for the late notice, dear."

Nancy blushed a little. "That's all right," she reassured Ned's mother. "Thank you for the invitation. I know he's out with Jessica today, and I wanted to follow them, if possible—do you know where they were going for breakfast? Maybe I can catch them there."

"I know they usually eat in the restaurant at her hotel," Edith said, "but I can't really say for sure. I'm sorry. I don't think he left a note..."

Nancy and George exchanged a worried glance as Edith began looking around. "Why wouldn't he have called you?" George murmured.

Nancy shrugged. "He forgot, or he couldn't," she replied softly. "Either way, I don't like it."

Edith returned to the room holding a small message pad. "Apparently he called while I was out in the back yard. Does this mean anything to you?"

She passed over the pad, and Nancy saw, in scrawl that looked similar but not identical to Ned's, the words "River Heights airport - Nancy."

"That's James's handwriting."

Nancy bit her lip so hard it hurt. The local airport rented out small crafts, and Jessica had been in the skydiving club in high school. Nancy knew how to skydive, and she also knew how to pilot small planes. So did Ned. She hadn't considered whether Jessica might know, too; she had been so focused on the idea that Jessica would fake or stage a car crash. If she managed to get Ned to board a plane with her...

When Nancy looked up at George, she saw the same dismay she felt mirrored on her friend's face.

"Mrs. Nickerson," Nancy said, trying to keep herself as calm as possible, "I need you to call the airport. Ask them to stop any plane taking off with Ned or Jessica in it. Tell them that they aren't cleared for takeoff. It's very important that we keep this from happening. George?"

"On it," George said, standing.

"I'm so sorry, but we need to head out there and catch up with them," Nancy said. "Do you understand what I asked?"

Edith nodded, already hurrying to the phone. "Go! I'll call the airport."

Nancy and George raced out to George's car, and George pulled away from the curb with a screech of her tires as soon as she was able to put the car in gear. "I wonder when he left that message," George commented, almost under her breath.

Nancy had already thought the same thing, and she had the terrible sinking feeling that it had been an hour or more. "Ned, why didn't you call me," she muttered, shaking her head.

A plane. Tracking a plane was going to be a hundred times harder.

As soon as they reached the airport, Nancy approached the rental desk at practically a full run. The clerk glanced up at her, eyes wide with alarm. "I'm trying to find Jessica Thorne," she said breathlessly. "Has she rented an aircraft, by chance?"

George had dropped Nancy off at the entrance before finding a parking space and running in herself. "Are they still here?"

The clerk was checking through his records, and Nancy had almost managed to catch her breath. "They're checking."

"Ahh—yes. She took out a Cessna forty-five minutes ago."

A forty-five minute lead. At least it wasn't two hours. "Did she have a man with her? Tall, dark hair, dark eyes—"

"Yes. Ned Nickerson."

Nancy forced a smile. "I think she's transporting him against his will," she said. "I think he's in danger. Did she file a flight plan?"

The clerk went through another set of records to find that, leaving Nancy at the point of screaming in frustration. She wanted desperately to pace; so much adrenaline was running through her that she was jittery with it. The flight plan indicated that Jessica would be flying north.

"You think it's true?" George murmured.

Nancy shook her head. "If I had to bet, I'd bet she would go south," Nancy said. "But I have a hunch. Sir," she said, addressing the clerk, "I need you to call ahead, call the traffic towers in a radius of what she could have reached if traveling at maximum speed. They need to use whatever excuse they can to bring her down—tell her the aircraft is damaged or she's flying toward bad weather, whatever they can. Do you have anything that's faster that I could rent?"

The plane they were able to rent to Nancy was a comparable craft that was a year newer, and Nancy hoped that the advantage would be enough. She did her preflight check quickly but thoroughly, making sure the craft was fully supplied in case of emergency. As soon as she called the tower on her headset, the controller replied.

"I've been told that the FBI will be notified—the plane you're trying to find has crossed state lines. Iowa."

Nancy's hand closed into a fist. "Please also inform the Chicago Police Department," she asked rapidly. "Detective Ortiz is aware of the case, but someone else in the office should be alerted. Thank you. We'll be headed that way."

"Iowa?" George asked, tugging her seatbelt to make sure it was secure.

"She's headed toward Montana," Nancy replied. "If the plane crashes there, the death certificate will be filed there and she'll be able to claim the estate faster."

"So how much time do we have?" George's eyes were wide.

"Not enough."

The flight was nerve-racking. With every tower they approached, Nancy prayed for news that Jessica had been detained, but she soon discovered the last tower that had made contact. Though Jessica's Cessna had passed the next tower, she had been radio silent. The excuses the controllers made to her to land immediately were ignored.

"Shit," Nancy breathed after the last conversation, shaking her head. "Shit."

She was already traveling as fast as she safely could, and though flying was usually one of her favorite ways to relax, every muscle in her body was tense. She was racking her brain, trying to come up with some plan, but if Jessica wasn't going to respond to any of the towers' calls, she didn't know what to do. She couldn't exactly shoot the other woman's plane down like a World War I fighting ace—and she definitely didn't want to put the plane in danger with Ned on board.

"But Ned's not going to let her crash a plane with him in it," George said. "Or—oh. Oh shit."

"What?"

"The sleeping pills," she said. "Whatever she was trying to get from her friend Tuesday night. Oh no."

Nancy's lips thinned. "If she put them in a drink or something..."

George shook her head. "Nan, what are we going to do?"

Nancy shook her head. "I don't know. I don't know what to do."

She had been straining, leaning forward in her seat, as though the sheer force of her will could drive the plane to go faster; Jessica's plane hadn't yet reached Montana when Nancy caught up to it. Immediately Nancy tuned the radio.

"Alpha Foxtrot three-nine-eight, this is Sierra Tango four-four. Land immediately. Repeat, land immediately."

No voice broke the static. Nancy and George glanced at each other, as Nancy flexed her cramped fingers. She felt such pressure in her chest, and she couldn't seem to catch her breath. Ned was on that plane and Nancy had no idea what to do.

"Nancy, look!"

George was pointing, and when Nancy saw the tiny figure detach herself from the plane, she let out a loud gasped cry. Jessica knew how to skydive, and she had left the plane—and no male figure followed hers. Nancy stabbed the transmit button again.

"This is Sierra Tango four-four calling Alpha Foxtrot three-nine-eight. Ned, if you can hear me, wake up! Please, Ned! Please! No one's flying the plane!"

No answer came. The plane continued over the horizon as the small figure drifted through the air. Jessica's parachute deployed, unfurling and slowing her descent.

Nancy's eyes blurred with tears.

Well, she had sworn that she would see Jessica in hell if she hurt Ned.

Gritting her teeth, Nancy began to manipulate the controls to send them into a rapid spiraling, controlled descent. George gripped the edges of her seat, grimacing. "Shouldn't we go after him?"

"And do what?" Nancy asked, reaching up to wipe away the tears that were streaming down her cheeks. Soon they would see a black plume of smoke on the other side of the horizon, and Nancy was going to lose her mind.

She heard George frantically trying to hail the now-pilotless plane, with no response. As quickly as she could, Nancy touched down near where Jessica had landed. Jessica was unfastening the parachute from the harness strapped around her, and Nancy's stomach hadn't even quite settled yet when she killed the power and dashed for the plane's exit, her entire body cold and thrumming with anger.

Maybe Jessica hadn't been caught for Scott's murder, but Nancy would see her destroyed for causing Ned's.

Jessica was already running when Nancy's feet touched the ground, and she might have been desperate, but Nancy was fueled by rage and grief. She ran as fast as she could, and she heard George's feet pounding behind her as she followed. Together they streaked toward Jessica, and with a final burst of speed managed to tackle her.

Jessica fought as hard as she could, her fingers bent to claws as she scrabbled at them, and Nancy yanked Jessica's hands behind her back, planting her knee in the small of the other woman's back. Jessica was still writhing and bucking, and a few times almost managed to break Nancy's grip, before George returned with a rope to bind her wrists.

The plane had landed in a large overgrown field near a small cluster of houses. "George, please go call the police," Nancy said, her voice deceptively calm. "I'll wait here."

"Nan—"

"I'll be okay," Nancy said, still glaring at Jessica. "Go."

George patted her arm, then set off at a jog toward the closest house. Jessica was glaring daggers back at Nancy, and Nancy slipped a trembling hand into her pocket so she could turn on the tape recorder without Jessica seeing it.

"What did you do? Did you give him sleeping pills? Something else?"

Jessica tossed her hair. Her face was flushed and gleaming, and a few loose strands stuck to her damp forehead. A terrible fierce light was in her eyes, and Nancy knew she was finally seeing the true Jessica for the first time.

"We had an equipment malfunction," she told Nancy, a smirk on her face. "I begged Ned to jump, but he said he was going to stay and try to land the plane. Begged and cried the way you're crying now."

Jessica had covered the bruise Nancy had given her the night before with a layer of concealer. Nancy took a step forward and delivered a stunning brutal uppercut that made Jessica stagger on her feet, coughing.

"I'm going to find him," Nancy said.

"I'm sure you will. Just look for the smoke cloud."

Nancy shook her head, her movement slow and controlled, her adrenaline so high that she ached with the need to just tear the other woman apart. "I'm going to find Scott," she said, watching for the giveaway, for the tell. "I'm going to find him wherever you buried him. Because you weren't careful that time, were you. Why'd you kill him? Because he would never have enough money for you? Because you found out he had fallen out of love with you a long time ago?"

Jessica sneered. "You don't know what you're talking about. He never fell out of love with me."

"He was ready to move on and start a new life without you, and you just couldn't stand it."

"No."

"He saw you for what you are, just like Ned did. A spoiled selfish little girl who would never be satisfied. He wanted a woman, too. And you couldn't handle it."

"No."

"So it was an accident?" Nancy crossed her arms. "Did he find out you were on the crew that was about to rob that check cashing place?"

Jessica's eyes widened again. "I would never—"

"He wanted to go clean and you couldn't let him."

"Clean." She snorted. "Like he could ever be clean. Like I'd be happy with a fucking welder the rest of my life. He was a sap."

"Just like Ned?"

"Yeah. And if my parents hadn't died, if they hadn't cut me off for marrying him, I would've been somebody. We barely had enough money for groceries. I was never going to get to L.A. with that stone around my neck."

"So it was an accident?"

Jessica shook her head. Nancy heard a drone in the distance and wondered if the police had sent their own plane in pursuit. "Nice try, Drew. No, Scott's in the plane that just went down. It was a tragic accident and you're just his jealous ex-girlfriend."

"Penny, you mean? The woman he was going to leave you for? But you just couldn't let him."

"Shut up!" Jessica roared at Nancy, her eyes flashing. "No!"

"Where is he, Jessica?" Nancy asked, taking a step forward.

Jessica glanced up, and Nancy registered that the droning sound was louder. When she glanced up, she saw the plane Jessica had been piloting overhead, and she almost collapsed to her knees. Somehow, Ned was okay. Somehow he had managed to fly the plane back.

As soon as Jessica realized it, she dropped to her knees with a loud anguished cry, and Nancy felt its twin in her heart, but hers was a cry of joy.

Her voice was shaking as she said, "We have you on attempted murder, now. Tell me. Tell me, Jessica."

Jessica shook her head, her head bowed and hair swinging.

"You're not going to see a penny of the money. Tell me."

"You'll never find him," Jessica spat. "Look all you want and you'll never find him."

"So you destroyed the body. That's why you needed Ned." Nancy's voice was shaking again, but this time it was with happiness. The other plane was just rolling to a stop near hers.

George ran up to Nancy. "Oh my God," she panted. "He—"

"Yeah," Nancy said. "Thank God."

Jessica struggled to her feet and charged toward Nancy. "You bitch!" she screamed. "You fucked everything up!"

"You did!" Nancy shouted back at her. "You're a murderer, and you picked the wrong man to be your victim."

Jessica glared at Ned, her face twisting with sheer hatred, as he approached. "You guys okay?" he asked breathlessly.

Nancy threw herself into his arms, and he crushed her to him, his cheek against the crown of her head. "Oh my God," she whispered. "I thought... when you didn't answer..."

"Jessica smashed the radio panel when she realized they were onto her," Ned said. "I couldn't reach your plane when I tried, either. Are you okay?"

"I am now," Nancy said, and sniffled. "George?"

"The cops are on the way," she said, just as the four of them heard sirens approaching. Jessica had been edging away from them, but George grasped her elbow and kept a grip on her. "Boy, that was crazy."

"Oh, and here." Ned released Nancy and pulled off the wedding band on his left ring finger. "She put it on me when she thought I had passed out."

Jessica shook her head. "You should've been out, Nickerson."

"She tried to drug you?"

Ned nodded. "I took a sip of the coffee she bought me and it didn't taste quite right. When I poured it out I saw some pill fragments. If I hadn't known, I would've thought they were sweetener." He sighed.

"Why didn't you call me?" Nancy whispered. "I was waiting for you."

"I told her that I wanted to come back to my parents' house and pick up an outfit to wear, and I was planning to call you then," Ned told her. "After we left the restaurant, though, she headed out to the airport. I tried to call you from there, but I couldn't reach you; I called my parents' house, but my dad was on the way out and said he would leave a message for Mom. I hoped that would be enough."

Nancy shook her head. "I guess I was on the phone when you called," she sighed, and ran her fingers through his hair. "God, I'm just so glad you're okay."

He smiled as he brushed his lips against hers. "Me too," he said. "When she figured out you two were chasing her, she started to get flustered—and it's over now, Nan."

He picked her up, and she couldn't help giggling as he brushed the tip of his nose against hers, then cupped her cheek. "I hate that you cried."

She kissed him. "You're about to see me cry again," she told him. "I'm so glad you're all right."

Jessica made a disgusted sound. "Should've known," she muttered.

George chuckled. "Yeah. You really did pick exactly the wrong guy."

For the rest of that day, Nancy hardly let Ned out of her sight. Once the police showed up, they took statements from everyone, including Nancy and George, and Nancy turned over the tape recording too. A pair of FBI agents showed up as well, and over a pack of peanut butter cheese crackers, Nancy spoke to them about their careers and what their typical day was like, which made George and Ned both roll their eyes. As soon as they could, they called Mrs. Nickerson to assure her that everything was all right. 

They flew Nancy's rented plane back to River Heights—Jessica's plane was still being examined as part of the investigation—and George dropped Ned off at his parents' house, then Nancy at her father's house so she could clean up for dinner. Nancy was utterly disheveled—her hair was a mess, her shirt was streaked with dirt and grass stains, and sweat and tears had dried on her skin. When she saw Hannah, though, she gave her a smile.

"Looks like you had a productive day," Hannah said. "You all right?"

Nancy nodded, her smile turning almost delirious. "Ned's all right," she said. "Jessica's under arrest. All's right with the world."

Even the nervousness she had felt about dinner with Ned's parents was swallowed by her happiness. Ned was all right. Jessica couldn't hurt him or go after him now. And she and Ned could spend every day for the rest of the summer together, if they wanted.

She took a quick shower, then slipped on the blue dress she knew Ned loved, over a blush-pink bra and panty set. She had blow-dried her hair, and she brushed it and pulled it back with a pearl clip. She finished the outfit with a pair of wedge sandals and the locket Ned had given her.

When she headed downstairs, Hannah was in the kitchen. "Much better," Hannah told her with a smile.

Nancy patted her shoulder. "And what is this?" she said, looking at the pan on the counter.

"These are praline cheesecake bars. I thought you might want to take some over to the Nickersons'... as long as you don't tell your father."

Nancy grinned. "Thanks. I'm sure they'll love them."

Before she went over to Ned's house, she called him. "I didn't want to come over too early," she told him.

"Come over now. I want to see you," he told her. "Mom's already told me to set the table, so I'm sure dinner will be soon."

"All right." Nancy paused. "Do they seem..."

"Weird? Upset?" Ned filled in. "Well, Dad's not home yet, but Mom seems pretty okay. Are you coming over now? Please say yes."

Nancy chuckled at his impatience. "Okay. Hannah's sending some dessert with me, too."

"Perfect."

Ned's father's car pulled up at the same time Nancy's did, and Nancy had to laugh when the front door opened before she even had time to knock. Ned was standing there, and he gave her a smile, reaching for her hand and lacing his fingers between hers. "You look beautiful," he told her, and she melted a little. "Definitely a sight for sore eyes."

Ned's mother wore a red and black polka-dotted apron over her day dress, and she smiled when Nancy and her son walked into the kitchen.

"Nancy, so nice to see you again. Surely you didn't bring anything."

"Hannah sent them over," Nancy explained. "Cheesecake bars."

Ned patted his stomach in anticipation as Edith took the pan and put the bars in the refrigerator. "I'm sure they'll be lovely," she said. "Now, please, have a seat. Ned, if you could find out what she would like to drink?"

Ned's lips were turned up in a small indulgent smile. "Nancy?"

Once the table was set and all of them were seated, Ned's father glanced over at Nancy, and she saw a little shift in his features; his gaze dropped to the tablecloth. Nancy flushed. So he probably wasn't looking forward to this dinner, or the conversation they were about to have, either.

Nancy took a deep breath and put a smile on her face; she knew her cheeks were still a little warm. "Mrs. Nickerson, everything looks incredible. Thank you so much for inviting me over."

"Well, it had been too long since we had seen you," Ned's mother said, and exchanged a glance with her husband even as she smiled. "And thank you so much for coming over to eat with us. I told James that you and Ned probably have a very exciting story to tell us, given this morning."

Ned glanced over at Nancy, reaching for her hand and giving it a little squeeze before he said, "Well, this all started when break did, when I met Jessica."

Finally, after so long, Nancy knew Ned had to be relieved to tell his parents what had actually happened and why he had been seeing so much of Jessica. When Nancy heard Ned say that it had driven him crazy to keep up the charade for so long, that he wished he could have told his parents what was going on, his mother shook her head and put her fork down.

"Ned, you know you could have told us. We—well, I'm not sure we would have understood... because an engagement is a serious step to take with someone else, especially someone you suspected of being a criminal, and—" She shook her head again. "It just seems too much."

"But the very fact that she agreed so easily meant that something was wrong," Nancy said, her hand brushing Ned's. "And if she had decided Ned wasn't a good candidate for her scheme and moved on, we might never have caught her."

Describing the case to his parents took the rest of the meal, and when they were finally able to tell James and Edith what had happened that morning, Nancy and Ned had their full attention. Their plates were only half-finished, while Ned's parents had already finished their dinners as they listened. Nancy described seeing the plane disappear at the horizon, carrying a presumably unconscious Ned to his likely death, and she felt tears prick at her eyes again.

James shook his head once they finished the story. "It sounds incredibly dangerous," he admitted. "So you two had to talk and coordinate without Jessica finding out."

Nancy nodded, blushing a little again. "We had to make sure she didn't suspect that Ned knew she was up to something."

"And, Nancy—you knew the whole time?" Edith asked, leaning forward.

Nancy nodded. "Well—Ned told me what was going on a few days before our date last week." She chuckled softly. "That feels like a year ago, almost. So much has happened..."

Edith let out her breath with a sigh. "So what happens to Penny and her little girl?"

Nancy tilted her head. "Tomorrow I'm going to talk to my father and see how Penny can try to claim the estate for her daughter, since she would be the next of kin. I think it will be difficult, but I also think he can help her, especially if whoever's in charge of the estate now has any sympathy whatsoever. I don't want to get her hopes up, but I think I'm going to go up to Chicago tomorrow and tell her. At least now she'll know what happened to Scott."

"Hmm," James said. "I'm glad you two were able to figure out what was going on, even if your methods might have been a little—unorthodox."

"And I'm just glad it's all over," Edith said. "It's been very strange, not to have you around, Nancy. Now, if Ned will help me clear the table, maybe we could retire to the den?"

"I'll help too," Nancy volunteered immediately. "Mrs. Nickerson, the roasted zucchini was delicious, and the pork roast was too. Thank you so much."

Edith beamed. "I'm glad you enjoyed them, dear."

Despite her praise, the food felt heavy in her stomach, thanks to her anxiety; clearing the table didn't take nearly long enough, and no one felt equal to tackling dessert yet. The four of them went to the den, where Nancy remembered spending time with Ned—and that brought a blush to her cheeks, too. She sat down with him at the edge of the couch, and immediately they joined hands.

James cleared his throat. "I suppose it's best to just be forthright about this," he said. "I'm glad to know that your relationship with Jessica was a pretense, but a few days ago, your mother and I believed that you honestly were contemplating marrying her. We didn't understand, but we hoped to talk some sense into you before you actually went through with it. And then I—well, I went into Ned's room early one morning to ask him something, and I..."

Nancy was pretty sure she had flushed scarlet, and she felt so mortified that she didn't know what to do. Ned's hand was still joined to hers. Neither of them said anything.

Edith took over when her husband had trailed off. "He found the two of you together."

Nancy raised her head, looking at Edith's face. She had paled a little, and her arms were crossed, but they were low, over her belly. "Mr. and Mrs. Nickerson," she said quietly, "I am so, so sorry..."

Ned gently squeezed Nancy's hand. "No, I apologize," he said. "It was my idea. I honestly didn't think..."

James smiled slightly. "You didn't think we'd find out," he filled in for his son. "I understand."

"But that's no excuse," Nancy murmured.

"It isn't," Edith replied. "But it was much worse when it appeared that Ned was dating both of you at once—engaged to Jessica and... clearly still in a relationship with you, Nancy."

"You're both adults," James said. "I know you're often able to spend time together when you visit Emerson, Nancy. But now that we're... aware..."

"We just want to make sure that you're being safe," Edith continued. "That you're taking precautions."

Nancy's mouth opened, and no sound came out; she knew her face had to be red as a tomato. "Oh my God," she finally managed to whisper. "Oh—we—"

"We're not—" Ned cleared his throat. "We haven't... we were just..."

James's eyebrows rose. "Given your state of undress," he said, "I'm given to believe that the two of you were closer to making that kind of decision, than not."

"You've been together a long time," Edith said. "We understand. I'd be happier if I knew that the two of you had made a lasting commitment to each other, but that doesn't change your feelings."

Ned glanced over at Nancy, and she read the question in his eyes. She tried to will her speeding heart to slow; she could feel her fingertips trembling faintly with heightened adrenaline. She took a deep breath and looked at Ned's parents again.

"Ned and I talked about that," she said softly. "We... well, I, really. Next summer..." She swallowed. "Next summer I thought we could start planning... our wedding."

Edith immediately clapped her hand to her mouth, her eyes shining. "Oh!"

"So you're... are you engaged?" James asked.

Ned glanced at Nancy again, then nodded. "We are. And actually, the jeweler told me that the ring will be ready for me to pick up tomorrow. Since we're finally free to spend time together without tipping Jessica off, we were hoping that we might be able to use the cabin up at Fox Lake this weekend. I know maybe this isn't the best time to mention that..."

Nancy looked down at their joined hands again. She didn't dare look at Ned's parents. She had no words for what she was feeling; she had never honestly considered what might happen if their parents discovered them—together, as they had. She had only known it would be mortifying, but it was so much more than that. She was expecting his mother to be disappointed, and maybe his father, too.

"That would be fine," James said.

Nancy couldn't help it. Her head jerked up.

"As long as we can go golfing next Saturday morning. You've been spending so much time with Jessica that we haven't been able to go."

"That's okay with me," Ned said with a smile. "Nan?"

"Um... thanks," she said. She still wasn't quite sure what had just happened, or if it was some kind of trap. "That's—yes, that's good."

"And as long as you two take protection with you," Edith said. "I know that you may not intend on—being together that way, but I'd much rather you have it and not use it than need it and not have it."

Nancy and Ned nodded. They were all quiet for a moment, and then James smiled and let his palms drop onto his knees. "So, I think someone said something about cheesecake? And since you worked so hard on our dinner, Edith, I'd be happy to serve dessert."

Ned squeezed Nancy's hand. "I'll help," he said, rising as his father did, and casting a glance back at Nancy, his eyebrows raised. "Would you like some coffee too, Nan?"

"Yes," Nancy said, her breath coming out as a little sigh. "That would be good. Thank you."

"Bring me a cup too, if you wouldn't mind," Edith said with a smile.

As soon as Ned and his father had left the room, Nancy cleared her throat and smoothed the skirt of her dress. "So you aren't mad at me?" she said softly.

Edith shook her head, then rose and came over to sit beside Nancy. "No, dear. I was pretty angry at my son when I thought he was dating both of you, and I was a little surprised when James—told me. But no. I know you two are young, but you love each other, and I was eighteen once too."

Nancy smiled slightly. "I swear to you, we... we haven't taken that step." But we've thought about it, she thought.

"Have you ever taken that step? Even with someone else?" Edith's gaze was steady on Nancy's when she glanced up. "Frankly I'd be a little surprised if you said you had."

"No," Nancy whispered. "I haven't."

Edith patted her hand. "Well, tomorrow, why don't you come over for lunch? We can have a little talk. You can say no," she added when Nancy didn't reply immediately. "I could tell you were embarrassed during our conversation."

Nancy searched the older woman's eyes. "All right," she said softly. "I think I can only catch Penny at lunchtime, so it might need to be a bit later, perhaps a little after one." She glanced down again. "Mrs. Nickerson... are you... going to talk to my father?"

"No, dear." Edith was smiling slightly when Nancy glanced up at her again. "I was eighteen once. And as long as you and Ned are careful, as far as James and I are concerned, what happens is between the two of you."

From what Nancy could tell after they finished their dessert, Edith was telling the truth. They played Scrabble together at the kitchen table, and Ned's mother won, as she almost always did. Since their conversation was over, Ned's father seemed completely at ease again, and he even challenged his wife a few times, and refilled her coffee when she finished the cup, taking the time to brew decaf when she asked for it. Nancy and Ned kept their hands joined under the table, and after they finished the game they just sat around the table talking.

"Now, Nancy—I know you and your family might have plans, but if you don't, you're welcome to come to the big family Independence Day picnic. I think Ned invited you last year, but you weren't able to make it..."

Nancy smiled at Edith. "I think I should be able to make it this year," she said.

"Mom—when Nancy and I were talking, she said specifically that she didn't want our engagement to turn into a big thing," Ned said. "Not yet, anyway. So if you feel the urge to make a big announcement, just save it until next year, okay?"

Edith nodded. "And I suppose that if I have any... suggestions? I should save them for next year, too?"

Ned groaned. "Mom..."

"No—well, I would be happy to hear whatever you're thinking about," Nancy told Ned's mother. "It's just that I don't want to make it public and start planning anything until next summer." She smiled. "I know that might sound strange..."

"And I've told Nancy that I wouldn't feel comfortable with marrying her until I have the means to support her," Ned said, and Nancy could tell from the way he said it that his parents had likely planted that idea in the first place. "So we won't be getting married the day after graduation or anything."

"That's very responsible," James said.

"And it will be a lot easier for us to support a household when I'm holding down a job, too," Nancy said, glancing at Ned.

"What are you considering?" James asked, leaning forward.

"Being a detective, of course," Edith said. "I mean—I'm sure that's an option you're considering."

Nancy was happy to share her tentative plans with Ned's parents, and she was heartened by their encouragement and support. After their conversation, Edith and James excused themselves to watch one of their regular television shows, and Nancy and Ned went back to the den together.

"So that went about a thousand times better than I was expecting," Ned admitted as Nancy leaned against him, his arm around her shoulders. He kissed the crown of her head. "What did you think?"

Nancy smiled. "I think that your parents are pretty awesome," she said. "And that I definitely want them in the room if I have to have that talk with my dad."

Ned shuddered. "I think it helped that we told them about the engagement," he pointed out. "I'm sorry if you didn't want to do that so soon."

Nancy shrugged. "Well, your mom told me that you've been wanting to marry me for a long time," she said, and her eyes were sparkling when she glanced up into his own. "So I'm not sure if this was all that surprising to them."

Ned chuckled, then leaned down and kissed her. "And now we have the weekend together," he murmured. "Will I sound incredibly greedy if I ask you to stay over tonight?"

Nancy hesitated. "It's one thing for them to tell us to be careful, but another to just—to do that, right under their noses."

"So you think it's too soon?"

"A little."

He kissed the corner of her mouth. "But I don't hear you saying no."

She closed her eyes. "Because I don't want to leave you either," she murmured. "Today, when I thought..." She couldn't finish the sentence.

"I'm really sorry," he told her. "And when I knew she was trying to drug me, I was pretty sure that whatever she wanted to do, as long as I pretended I had passed out, I'd be all right. No small thanks to those flying classes we took together."

"If you hadn't..." Nancy shuddered.

He cupped her head, his fingers brushing against her hair. "But I knew what to do," he murmured. "And it worked."

Even so, her eyes were swimming when she gazed into his. "And if something had gone wrong—Ned, nothing in the world would have been worth losing you."

He kissed her gently. "That's the same way I feel about you," he whispered.

After a few more minutes, her dread of leaving him had grown so much that she couldn't bear it. She called her father's house and told Hannah that she would be back in the morning, and Hannah didn't question it. When Nancy hung up the phone, Ned was grinning.

"Oh, hush, you. And don't think that it's always going to be like this. Consider it punishment for letting me believe I'd lost you earlier."

"If this is punishment..." He wrapped his arms around her again.

"Well. Maybe not punishment." Her lashes fluttered down as he kissed her, and soon her fingers were buried in his hair, her body pressed tight to his.

Once his parents had bid them goodnight—they sprang apart, straightening their clothing as soon as they heard the obvious footfalls approaching—they waited an hour in the den, half-watching TV between kisses, with Ned on his back and Nancy leaning on him, his arm wrapped around her waist and her head against his chest. She felt weightless and almost strangely drained, but happily so. She felt like the world had shifted under them. She had thought that his parents would be angry or disappointed, or both, if they found out Nancy and Ned were sleeping together—even if they were mostly only sleeping. And now they knew about the engagement, too.

"Ready to go to bed?" Ned murmured against her hair.

"Mmm. Yeah," she murmured, and she giggled quietly.

He offered to let her use the bathroom first, and she took the t-shirt he offered her to change into. She let down her hair, combing her fingers through it, and when she saw herself wearing Ned's shirt, she had to admit that her heart did skip a beat.

She paused at the door before walking into his room, though. She could hear his voice, low and familiar, and he was laughing. It sounded like he was on the phone with someone.

"Yeah... Thanks, man. I owe you one... Yeah, around six should be great. I'll see you then. Bye."

Nancy opened the bathroom door and raised an eyebrow at Ned once he had hung up the phone. "Hmm?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing, really?"

He smiled. "Nothing that important," he said, and kissed her cheek before he went into the bathroom to change and brush his teeth.

Nancy sat down at the foot of Ned's bed and tried not to look at Ned's phone, and tried not to think of everything she could do to find out what he was hiding from her. He hadn't really lied to her, which was good, because she would have seen through that instantly. Whatever it was, though, it had something to do with her, because he would have told her otherwise.

Ned came back wearing just his underwear, and found the room illuminated only by the bedside lamp, the covers pulled back, and Nancy sitting on the bed with her long bare legs crossed at the ankles, her palms behind her on the bed to prop her up. She gazed at him from beneath her lashes and Nancy saw his adam's apple bob as he swallowed.

"Sure it's not important?" she asked, and tilted her head.

Ned shook his head. "Definitely," he told her, a grin spreading across his face as he crossed to her. He stepped close to the bed and Nancy uncrossed her legs, parting her knees. When he moved between them, she bit her lip.

"Really?"

He grasped her knees, then ran his fingertips up her thighs to her hips, moving them toward him so quickly that she fell back against the mattress, the shirt riding up to her lower belly, revealing her pink panties. She tensed and squirmed when he trailed his fingers over her abs, just under the hem of the shirt.

"Yep."

Despite the rush of warmth she felt between her thighs and tingling in her breasts, Nancy reached back and pushed herself up so she was sitting, gazing up at him. "Well, if it's nothing... I guess we should just go to sleep."

"Oh, baby, don't be like that."

She squirmed her hips back so she wasn't in contact with him, then slipped her feet under the covers. "We've had an awfully big day, Mr. Nickerson. And if you plan on keeping me up for most of Friday night, we'll need our rest."

Ned crossed to his side of the bed, reaching for her once he was settled on his back, and she resisted for a moment before she rolled into his arms, her head against his shoulder. "Well, I do plan on keeping you up... but I also thought it might be nice to invite some people over to the cabin at Fox Lake for a little party tomorrow night."

Nancy pushed herself up so she could look into his eyes. "After you said so many times that we could take the time to be alone? Ned...?"

He reached up and cupped her cheek. "And we will be," he told her. "But a lot of people saw me with Jessica at the pool party. I thought this would be a good way to set the record straight."

"Hmph." Nancy studied his eyes for a moment longer, then laid down with him again. "I guess I understand. And at least this party will be a lot more fun. But they're going to want to stay over..."

Ned chuckled. "Have no fear, Detective Drew," he said. "I'll make sure everyone's out by eleven. You'll see."

She sighed, then brought her palm to his chest and slowly rubbed against him in a large circle, barely brushing against the band of his underwear. "You'd better," she murmured. "We've had to spend so much time apart this summer, Nickerson, that I don't want to waste any of what we have left."

He captured her hand, moving onto his side, and she flushed when his knee slipped between her legs. His dark eyes were glowing when she looked into them, and she felt spellbound. "Me either," he murmured, just before their lips met.

"You certainly had an exciting day, huh."

"And I'm hoping that you had an exciting evening," Nancy said with a grin as she sat down in Detective Ortiz's guest chair. "So what did you find out?"

Detective Ortiz glanced down at his notes. Nancy was going to go to Penny's work to see if she could find her at lunchtime, but she had stopped by to see the detective first.

"Well... your hunch was right. We called Nonce in for questioning too, and it didn't take long before the story broke down. Nonce needed another man on the check cashing store job, and he called Jessica for a favor—even supplied the gun. Jessica was supposed to ask Scott to be the driver. They had an 'altercation,'" Ortiz used air quotes, "and the 'gun went off.' Which no one believes, but that's her excuse. She panicked and called Nonce, and since he didn't want to ditch the gun before the job, they had to get rid of Scott's body. The techs aren't that optimistic about recovering it—the details are pretty gory, so I'll spare you those. Anyway, ballistics will connect the robbery and the murder if we ever do find the body, since the same gun was used to fire a warning shot into the wall and we recovered that bullet.

"A month after the robbery, the letter about the inheritance came in the mail, and Jessica of course read it. She claims that she sold Scott's belongings to support herself, which very well might be true. Anyway, that was when she figured out that if she wanted the payday from Scott's aunt, she had to produce a body—and, thanks to Nonce, she had no body to produce and no story that would leave her hands clean. That's when she decided to produce a corpse."

Nancy shook her head. "Her plan was to let Ned burn to death in a plane crash," she said. "And somehow she's still trying to make herself out as the victim of an 'accidental' shooting? If I could get to her, I'd..."

Ortiz smiled. "So I heard you're the reason for that bruise under her chin."

"She taunted me," Nancy said, and realized how childish it sounded as she said it. "Anyway. I wouldn't know anything about that."

Ortiz shrugged. "We're glad to have another case solved," he told her, "so no big deal. Nonce gets accessory after the fact on the murder, depending on what the state's attorney is able to get him on, but the robbery will probably be the real kicker. It's been a pleasure, Nancy. Feel free to do almost all the legwork anytime."

Nancy chuckled, shaking the hand he offered. "Thanks for all the help you gave me on this. I really appreciate it, and I'm glad she'll be behind bars and out of other people's lives."

Nancy had just stood when she thought about something. "Oh... I talked to a reporter named Lola Brennan..."

Ortiz raised an eyebrow. "I know the name. Is this good or bad?"

"I promised her a scoop. Any objections? Want me to just refer her to you for all the obligatory 'no comment' answers?"

Ortiz chuckled. "I'll handle it. Anything we talked about this morning is off the record, though. The department will release that statement soon."

As she slid into the driver's seat of her Mustang to cross the city and find Penny, Nancy looked down at her outfit. She wore the locket Ned had given her—she had worn it so much lately that she felt strange when she wasn't wearing it—and a white sundress with large sunflowers printed on the skirt. She was so happy to be getting away for the weekend with Ned, and to see the end of their case; normally she felt a bit of a letdown after the culprit had been discovered and her involvement ended, but she was just thoroughly glad to wash her hands of the whole business. She knew that she might be called to testify as a witness at Jessica's trial, over her attempted murder of Ned, and that was fine; in the meantime, though, she just had one last loose end to tie up.

If anything, Penny looked even more exhausted when Nancy found her. "Let me buy you lunch," Nancy offered.

Penny's brow furrowed, and she crossed her arms. "Has something happened?"

Nancy nodded. After a moment, Penny inclined her head and followed Nancy out to her car.

They went to the same diner, for convenience, and Nancy considered how to begin once they had placed their orders. "I've learned a lot over the past few days, and I have some bad news, but I also have some news I hope will be good."

Penny sniffled. "So he is gone," she whispered.

Nancy had been so close to losing Ned the day before that when she saw Penny's eyes shining with tears, she felt a lump rising in her own throat. She reached for the other woman's hand. "From what the police told me, Jessica admitted that she did kill him. I'm so sorry."

Penny nodded two or three times, taking shivering breaths. "I mean, I knew... but I..." She sniffled again, and Nancy pulled a napkin out of the dispenser and handed it to her. "Thanks. I'm sorry."

"No, it's all right. I know it's terrible news. I think it was quick, though. And I think your instinct about it was right. Scott didn't help on that check cashing job, but they wanted him to."

The waitress brought their drinks, and once Penny had wiped her eyes, Nancy continued. "Jessica's been arrested, along with her accomplice, and they'll be tried for the robbery, for attempted murder, and likely for Scott's murder too. But part of why I wanted to meet with you today—is that Scott's aunt left most of her estate to him. If you can prove that your child is Scott's, you might be able to make a claim on behalf of your daughter for it."

Penny's eyes widened, and she was speechless for a moment. "I... I wouldn't know where to begin," she admitted. "What to do—it's in Montana?"

Nancy nodded, then reached into her purse and pulled out a folded sheet of paper. "My father's a lawyer and he recommended this person when I asked," she told Penny. "Just mention my father's name and tell him the circumstances—my father's business card is in there, too—and he'll try to help you."

Penny took the paper. "Thanks," she said. "I don't know what to say. Thank you."

"You're welcome. I'm sorry for your loss."

Penny nodded, then cleared her throat. "So Jessica's really going to pay this time?"

"Oh, oh yes. Especially if I'm able to get on the stand and tell the jury about what she tried to do to my boyfriend."

Over their lunch—Nancy ordered a side salad to keep from spoiling her appetite before her meeting with Ned's mother—Nancy told Penny an abbreviated version of the previous day's events, partially to help distract her from the bad news about Scott. Before she dropped Penny off at work again, Nancy reached into her purse and gave Penny a red envelope.

"What—what's this?"

"It's just a little something, to help. It will likely take the lawyer a while to help you collect the inheritance, and I know it has to be hard, to raise Michelle without—well, by yourself. If you need anything, any help, or just someone to talk to, please call me."

Penny gave Nancy a watery smile. "I—Really, this is too much," she said, glancing down at the envelope.

Nancy smiled. "Send me a picture of you and Michelle and I'll consider us even," she said.

Over breakfast, Nancy had told her father about Penny, and he had been glad to pass along the name of an attorney he knew who would have the best chance of helping Penny, since he was more an expert in estate law than Carson himself. He had even been the one to suggest the gift certificate; while he applauded Nancy's concern about Penny's situation, he was also sure to tell her that the struggle to prove Michelle's right to the inheritance might be time-consuming.

Once she was in Mapleton, heading to Ned's parents' house, Nancy let out a sigh. She was almost finished with her errands; she could easily call Lola from her father's house. After Ned was off work, they would go to the Fox Lake house together—where they could relax, all weekend. In anticipation, Nancy had withdrawn some cash and used part of it for Penny's gift certificate, and part of it to go on a little shopping expedition for herself. She had her doubts that Ned could really get everyone to leave after the party, but she bought two nightgowns in case she and Ned really were able to spend both nights alone. One was red satin with black satin straps and a black satin bow between her breasts; the other was pale peach trimmed in white lace with a matching pair of underwear that was tinier than any underwear she had ever worn before. She had been a bit confused by them, and she had only been saved by the tag in the back and the tiny white bow at the front. She didn't know if she would have the nerve to wear them, and she had bought a few pairs of satin panties in white and black just in case, but she also thought Ned might like the incredibly tiny underwear.

The purchases were still stowed safely in the Mustang's trunk, still wrapped in tissue paper, when Nancy parked on the street in front of the Nickerson home and picked up her small purse. She knew that Ned and his father were both presumably at work, but she was still feeling anxious about the meeting with Edith, even if the anxiety felt different than what she'd experienced the night before.

Nancy had passed along the Nickersons' compliments of the cheesecake bars to Hannah that morning, and she had told her father that she—and some friends, which was technically true—would be going to the Nickersons' lake house for the weekend. Her father had given his blessing, as long as she invited Ned over for dinner soon, and Nancy had happily agreed. At least dinner with her father wouldn't mean the same conversation she'd had at the Nickersons'.

At least, Nancy hoped it wouldn't. She prayed it wouldn't. She was certain that her father could never have walked in on her with Ned the way Ned's father had walked in on them, and as long as Mrs. Nickerson was telling the truth about keeping that knowledge private, she hoped she was safe.

Nancy smoothed the skirt of her dress before she rang the doorbell. She had even done her nails in a sophisticated shade of rose-pink, her pedicure revealed by her sandals. Edith was smiling when she answered the door.

"Come in, come in! Oh, it's so hot." Edith bustled to the kitchen. "What would you like to drink, dear? I've made some strawberry lemonade and some mint tea."

"Oh—strawberry lemonade sounds lovely."

Edith had made chilled cucumber and feta salad with Greek dressing—and olives on the side, since Ned hated the taste of anything that had touched olives. Nancy smiled when she saw that. For their main course, Edith had made turkey, lettuce and tomato croissants. They finished the meal with raspberry sorbet topped with fresh whipped cream, and though Nancy felt a little strange about it, while they were eating lunch she couldn't help telling Ned's mother about what Detective Ortiz had told her, and about her meeting with Penny. Nancy was usually able to share such stories with Ned or her father first.

"I'm glad you were able to help her. The poor dear." Edith paused, her hand still on the spoon in her emptied dessert bowl. "I hate that Jessica came so close to carrying out her plan."

"I do too," Nancy told her. "I know it will make the case against her stronger, since she clearly tried to murder him, but I hate that it came to that. The real tragedy is what happened to her husband, though."

Edith nodded. "Would you like some more sorbet, dear, or anything else? Ned asked me to make some punch to take to the lake house, so you might be tired of raspberry by the end of the day."

Nancy chuckled, then pushed her chair back. "I couldn't eat another bite, Mrs. Nickerson. Thank you so much. Let me help."

They cleared the table quickly, and Nancy took her refilled glass of lemonade to the living room. When she and Ned's mother sat down on the couch, Nancy felt her stomach flip in nervousness.

"Now, Nancy," Edith said with a smile, "I know what Ned said, and James and I will respect your wishes. We'll keep the announcement of your engagement to ourselves until you want to make it public. But, dear, I'm so happy for the two of you. Have you thought about anything related to the ceremony? Where you would like to have it, or the reception? Anything like that?"

Nancy shook her head. "I think somewhere close by would be the best," she said. "River Heights or Mapleton, or maybe Chicago. But truly I haven't even really started thinking about it."

"And I suppose Ned hasn't been able to give you the ring yet."

Nancy smiled a little. "Well, he did present it to me when he proposed, but no, I haven't seen it since he took it to be fitted."

"Well, even if you aren't planning to wear it publicly yet, could you possibly just come by and let me see it on you once he's able to give it to you formally?" Edith smiled. "I'm just so glad, more glad than I could say. It's the complete opposite of how James and I felt about Ned's engagement to Jessica."

Nancy looked down at her hands, then back into Edith's eyes. "You don't think we're too young?"

Edith searched Nancy's eyes. "In all honesty, were you and Ned to tell us that you wanted to marry before he returned to Emerson in the fall, I might. But a long engagement isn't a bad thing. It will give us plenty of time to plan and make sure everything is perfect for your wedding day." Edith shook her head. "I'm sorry, dear, and you really must stop me if I step on your toes or make you feel uncomfortable. It's just that I always wished I could have a daughter and a son, and I love Ned, and to help you two..."

Nancy took a breath, then patted the other woman's hand. "I'd be so grateful if you could help us plan," she said. "I know Bess and George—Bess, more especially—will be happy to help, but... well, I'm sorry that my mother isn't here to help. And I know that no matter what, between you and Hannah, we will likely have the most delicious reception spread."

Edith smiled and gave her a hug. "I would never want to take your mother's place," she said. "And I know you will likely want to wear or carry something of hers on your special day."

"I would," Nancy said. "I think that would be very fitting."

"Have you and Ned told Mr. Drew about your plans?"

Nancy shook her head immediately.

"Is he the reason you asked about whether you two might be too young?"

She nodded. "He's always been very supportive of our relationship," Nancy hastened to add. "But he also wants us to be responsible... and when I mentioned possibly settling down after Ned graduated, he seemed happy with that idea." She smiled briefly. "He said that if we loved each other, two years might seem a long time to wait, but it would tell us that we were meant to be together."

"That's true," Edith said. "But I have a feeling you two won't wait that long for other aspects of your relationship."

Nancy blushed and looked down at her hands.

"I'm not saying this to make you uncomfortable. But it's part of why James and I decided to have that talk with both of you. We're delighted at the thought of grandchildren, whenever they come, but we just didn't think you two were ready for that yet."

Nancy shook her head. "We might wait," she said softly, her eyes still downcast.

"And if you want to wait, please make sure Ned knows that," Edith said. "Talk to him about how you feel. I hope he's always been considerate of your feelings, not just when you two are—together, that way."

"He has been," Nancy said, and when she realized she was twisting her hands in her lap, she looked up at Ned's mother, and her eyes pricked with tears. "I'm just scared," she whispered.

"Of what, dear?"

"Of disappointing my father, and disappointing you and Mr. Nickerson. Of... a lot of things." She choked up and couldn't finish.

"What I told you last night was true, Nancy. In fact, the first time James and I said that he could accompany you and your friends when you traveled to solve a mystery, we talked to him about respecting your boundaries and your wishes, and making sure he was responsible and prepared with protection, if you two did decide to take that step." Edith took a breath. "We talked to him about it before he went away to college, too. After all, we couldn't be there with him all the time. We had to trust that he would make good decisions. For the most part, I think he has." Edith patted Nancy's hand.

Nancy nodded and sniffled. "He has."

"So when your father talked to you about sex, he apparently presented it a little differently," Edith said.

"Well... when he talked to me, he was..."

"Likely uncomfortable," Edith filled in, and Nancy gave her a small, grateful smile.

"Yes. He told me it was something special that a husband and wife shared... and I thought that I just wouldn't even need to think about it until I was a wife. And then I..." She blushed a little more. "And Ned... I know he wants to be together that way. Even though we aren't married."

"Do you?"

Nancy swallowed. Their conversation felt entirely surreal. Bess sometimes was this direct when she was talking to Nancy, but Nancy had always felt strange talking to her friend about her feelings for Ned. They were so unlike what she felt for anyone else.

"I'm afraid it will hurt," she whispered. "That I'll do it wrong. That he says he wants to, but if I do too, he'll think I'm... that I'm not good."

"And what is 'good'?" Edith asked, shifting toward Nancy. "Believe me, I understand that the prospect of disappointing your father is a serious one, and whether you tell him or not is up to you. You're an adult, and your life is your own, as long as what you do doesn't hurt anyone else. But you're inexperienced..."

"And so is Ned," Nancy murmured, looking down again. "I mean, he hasn't..."

It took a long moment for her to look up at Edith again. "So you've been together, but you just haven't taken that step yet."

"Yes," Nancy whispered.

"If you're so nervous about it..." Edith tilted her head. "I'm not trying to make you uncomfortable. I can tell you what I wish I'd known, before James and I—were together. Or we can talk about it like it's purely hypothetical."

"What did you wish you'd known?"

"That what you think will hurt you... well, it's possible that it might, and being nervous and scared will only make pain more likely. Take your time. Don't take the next step, or that step, until you feel ready. He might be uncomfortable, but it won't kill him if you tell him you need to stop, and even if you tell him you're ready, if you feel upset or like you're not ready after that, there's nothing wrong with telling him you need to stop.

"But I want you to understand that... well, there are a lot of other things the two of you can do together, besides that. Things that the two of you have probably already either discussed or done. And whether you two have full-blown sex this weekend or on your wedding night or anywhere in between, there's nothing wrong with waiting. I truly think the only wrong would be in doing something you don't want to do. I also truly believe that if you love each other, if you're committed to each other and you talk to each other, it won't be so bad. Truly, it won't.

"And when you take that step, every time, make sure the two of you have condoms. Take it slow and don't pressure yourself into doing something you don't want.

"As to whether Ned will judge you for having sex with him... well, if he's a willing participant and he said you were a bad person afterward, what would that make him?" Edith shook her head. "I don't think he would ever do that to you, dear. I'd like to think that if you two have sex, you'll treat it as an act of intimacy and love, not just an achievement or conquest, or something to check off on a list. As though you don't really love him unless you do this.

"With all that said... when you two have been together, have you been uncomfortable?"

Nancy shook her head. "I get self-conscious and nervous, though, and when I ask him to stop, he does," she said. "He's been really good about that. He likes—" She bit her lip. "He likes when I'm on top because that means when I want to stop, I can."

"And that's good." Edith smiled.

She and Edith talked for an hour, and slowly Nancy found the courage to ask her future mother-in-law exactly what she should expect. She had vague, nebulous ideas about it, but after Edith explained, Nancy felt intrigued, a little weird, and a little excited. She still couldn't quite imagine how all of him would fit inside her—Edith told her to take it slowly and that she and Ned should use lubricant, even if they weren't sure they would need it—but it still seemed incredible. He had touched her there with his fingers, but his fingers weren't the size of it.

She wanted to be with him. She still hadn't made up her mind about whether she wanted to take that step when they were together over the weekend, but she didn't feel quite as nervous about it as she had.

For him, it was an act of love, of intimacy and pleasure, and an act he had shared with no one else. For her it was the same. She had never been with anyone else that way, and never wanted to be with anyone else that way.

But she still couldn't imagine buying lubricant, especially anywhere in River Heights or Mapleton. She decided to ask Ned on the way to the lake, because she was pretty sure that he wouldn't feel as self-conscious about it.

Mrs. Nickerson made Nancy promise that she would come over for dinner again soon, and told her that she would always be happy to talk to her—about the wedding, or anything else, including what they had spent most of their time together discussing. She told the older woman that she was grateful, but she couldn't truly put it all in words. Hannah had been there to bandage scraped knees and give her chocolate chip cookies and wash grass stains out of her clothes, and Nancy loved her for it, and she knew Hannah loved her. She had also always been aware that Hannah wasn't her mother or her stepmother. She loved her Aunt Eloise, but she was never able to spend as much time with her as either of them wanted, and when Nancy was working on a new case, discussing such trivialities as sex didn't seem all that important.

But now, now that she was between cases, now that she was seriously considering it, she was glad to have the chance to talk to someone else about it. Nancy's memories of her mother were hazy and fragmented, and she clung to all she knew about her, and she couldn't help but imagine that talking to her mother about sex might have been like talking to Ned's mother about it. Nancy's father had clearly been uncomfortable while talking to her about it, and repeating the experience by asking him anything more had felt just as uncomfortable.

She was so used to sharing everything with her father, though. She just felt like she couldn't talk to him about this. All Bess's knowledge was through magazines, and George's knowledge through Bess. Ned's mother understood what she was going through in a way no one else in her life did.

Nancy returned home to finish packing and call Lola for the promised interview. She still needed something to take her mind off her anxiety, though, and by the time Ned came to the house to pick her up, Nancy had made two batches of butterscotch haystacks, a pan of peanut butter and chocolate chip cookie bars, and a batch of snack mix. Hannah was in the kitchen too, preparing dinner for Nancy's father and herself, when the doorbell rang.

It had been so long since Ned had come to see her without sneaking around to do it, and Nancy flew to the door, opening it just to be swept up into Ned's arms. "Hey gorgeous," he murmured, and when he kissed her she melted in his embrace, her arms up around his neck.

"Hey," she whispered, running her fingers through his hair. "Let me just pack up what I've made."

Ned's eyes sparkled. "Can't wait for that," he murmured, and kissed her again. "It's been too long."

Nancy smiled as they slowly released each other. She had said goodbye to him early that morning, since she had planned to be home to have breakfast with her father, but sleeping in his arms had been wonderful. Not to mention all that had happened before they had finally gone to sleep.

They held hands as they went to the kitchen, and Hannah smiled at seeing them together. "So glad to see you're all right," Hannah told Ned. "And as soon as you tell me when you'll be coming over for dinner, I'll buy the ingredients for my double chocolate cake."

Nancy smiled up at him. "Between your mother and Hannah, I think we'll have every dinner together this week."

He gently squeezed her hand. "I'm not complaining. Especially not if it involves Hannah's chocolate cake."

Together they loaded a picnic basket with all Nancy had made, and then took it out to Ned's car. "Be right there," she told him as she opened her trunk, putting her duffel bag in it and out of sight so she could transfer her new nightgowns into it. She smiled as she zipped her bag again, then tossed it into the trunk of Ned's car.

"I hope you're hungry," Ned told her, as soon as he started the car. "Especially with the snacks you just made, we're going to have plenty of food tonight."

"And alcohol?"

Nancy hadn't considered whether getting drunk might help ease the nervousness she felt, but she was very familiar with the way parties could go when Ned's friends were invited. Ned shrugged. "I'm sure some people will bring some," he admitted.

"If some of the guests get drunk, I'd hate to send them home," Nancy said. "As much as I want to be alone with you tonight..."

She did want to be alone with him, and she knew that they would have a bedroom to themselves even if most of Ned's fraternity brothers happened to show up. But she did feel a measure of safety in the thought of not being entirely alone with him in the house. Safe, and maybe a little disappointing.

"I have that covered," Ned said with a little smile.

She waited until they were well outside Mapleton, about to pass through a city on the way to the lake, when Ned was at a stoplight. "I was wondering," she began slowly, her voice quiet.

"Hmm?" Ned glanced over at her, turning down the already-quiet radio a little more.

"Do you... did you bring... um." She looked down at her hands, reminding herself that part of being mature enough to consider having sex with him was being able to talk about it, even in such abbreviated ways. And once they were married, being so bashful wouldn't do her any favors, either.

"Protection?" he asked softly, and she looked up at him wide-eyed, hearing the smile in his voice before she saw it. "Yeah. I brought plenty."

"Did you bring anything else?"

The light changed, and Ned glanced from her to it and back again as he took his foot off the brake. "You mean like—like flavors or something like that?"

Nancy knew her cheeks were glowing as she shook her head. "I mean, um... anything to make things... easier?"

"Oh, lube? Yeah. I have some of that, too." He glanced at her again. "Does that mean you're really considering it?" he asked quietly.

"I don't know," she said. "But if I do decide... I just thought it would be good to have some."

"I thought you bragged to me once about always being prepared for just about anything," he said with a small grin, and she gave him a weak, playful punch in the upper arm.

"I just... I couldn't."

"Hey, it's all right," Ned said. "I'm sorry. I know you're nervous about all this."

"I am," she agreed. "But I'm feeling better, I think. And last night..."

He reached for her hand and gave it a light squeeze. "I loved being with you last night. I was so glad you stayed with me."

"Me, too."

Bess and George had volunteered to help set up for the party, and so Nancy was on the lookout for Bess's Camaro or George's sedan, but Ned turned off the path at the lake a few houses down from the house his parents rented. Nancy glanced over at him, raising her eyebrows. "Are we trying to be stealthy?"

Ned chuckled. "No—the Murphys use this house, but they weren't going to need it this weekend. Dad made me swear that the house would be clean as a whistle before we left it."

"Ahh. So anyone who needs to sleep it off can stay here tonight..."

"While we stay at my parents' place," Ned finished. He smiled at her. "Pretty elegant solution, I think."

"You really did want to make sure we were alone together tonight, huh, Nickerson," Nancy said, patting his arm.

"What can I say? Besides a thousand times yes," he said, giving her a wide grin. "I want you all to myself, Drew. I always have."

The party was a huge success. Mrs. Nickerson had sent plenty of raspberry punch mix with Ned, and half of it ended up spiked. A couple of the guys brought hot dogs and buns along with the beer and bags of chips, and they built a bonfire once the sun went down and roasted marshmallows for s'mores. The moonlight on the calm surface of the lake was romantic, Nancy had to admit—and once the party was in full swing, the driveway and front yard choked with cars, Ned went over to the stereo and turned down the music so he could be heard, his fingers laced through Nancy's. Nancy recognized many of the faces of the guests from the pool party the week before, and people who hadn't been there but had undoubtedly heard about the fight.

"Hey guys," Ned called, and the guests turned toward him. "I know there's been some confusion lately, and that those of you who've seen me with someone else might have some questions—but Nancy and I were trying to solve a mystery, and that dark-haired girl was our prime suspect."

"Seducing the enemy, eh, Nickerson?" one guy shouted, raising a red plastic tumbler.

Ned chuckled. "Not so much. Anyway, I'm happy to announce that my temporary, criminally-insane fiancée is now behind bars, no small thanks to the woman to my right." He lifted their joined hands, and the crowd around them cheered.

"So if any of you had any ideas about trying to steal Nancy away from me, I'm happy to disappoint you." He gave Nancy a kiss on the cheek, and she blushed happily. "Now, back to the music!"

Nancy realized the cup of half-spiked, half-normal punch she had finished a few minutes earlier was getting to her when she and Ned were dancing at the edge of the patio, their bodies almost as close as they would have been in bed, her arms around his shoulders and his palms at the small of her back. After Ned's announcement, many of the guests came by to thank Ned for inviting them, and to say that they had suspected Ned's apparent betrayal of Nancy had to be cover for a case. "You two are a legend," one guy said, patting Ned on the back. "No way some girl would ever get you away from Nancy like that."

"It just felt unnatural to see you two apart," one girl said, shaking her head.

"When I heard a few days ago that you were engaged," another girl said, looking at Ned, "I thought they had to mean to Nancy. You guys just look right together."

After that girl finally faded back into the crowd, Nancy looked up into Ned's eyes. "So it sounds like no one will be surprised," she murmured.

He smiled, leaning down so his lips were gently brushing against hers. "You're my girl," he said softly. "And I'm your guy. I don't want anyone to have any doubt about that."

She planted a soft kiss against his lips, then moved to look into his eyes. "Is it going to upset you, if I wear the ring on a necklace instead of on my finger until next year?"

He shook his head. "But I won't deny that I'm looking forward to it," he told her. "Another party like this next summer, with a diamond on your finger and all our friends here to celebrate with us. The single most important thing, though, is knowing that in two years, we'll be together for the rest of our lives."

She shook her head, running her fingers through his hair. "We will be together the rest of our lives," she murmured, searching his eyes. "From now, Ned. Maybe we'll be living apart for a while, but my heart belongs to you, and I think it always has."

He was kissing her again when Nancy felt a tap on her shoulder, and turned to see Bess standing beside her with a wide smile on her face. "See, this looks a thousand times more authentic," Bess said, looking between the two of them. "Ned, we're out of ice... and my car's blocked in. And I think you might be the most sober guy here right now."

Once Ned sighed and reluctantly released her, Nancy went with Bess to the snack table, where George was refilling a bowl of chips. "I think we're almost out of hot dogs, but I also think no one cares," she pointed out. A guy Nancy vaguely remembered was sitting beside the bonfire with a guitar, and a group was clustered around him. Other couples were dancing, some splashing in the water. Nancy made sure the grill was cold, just in case, and then Bess took her hand and pulled her into the house.

The furnishings were relatively simple, but nice. An overstuffed blue sectional dominated the living room area, and a few groups of girls were in the house, waiting to use the restroom or taking a break from the heat.

"So are you and Ned staying here tonight?" Bess asked, her eyes bright.

Nancy blushed a little, then shook her head. "No, we'll be up at his parents' place."

"Alone?"

"Yeah. I mean, unless you and George need to stay there for some reason."

Bess shook her head. "Nah. I'll ask George to get my car out so we can get home. We both have stuff with our parents in the morning. So are you excited about tonight?"

Nancy nodded. "It'll be nice to be where his parents can't walk in on us."

Bess's mouth formed a round O of surprise. "Do tell."

By the time Ned had come back with two bags of ice, Nancy had told Bess and George an abbreviated version of the story, but not all of it. She wanted to keep her conversation with Ned's mother between the two of them, because it had been so personal, and she didn't tell them everything she and Ned had done together, but Bess had more than enough imagination to fill in the gaps.

"Do you still have what George and I bought you? Or have you used all of them up yet?" Bess's eyes were sparkling.

Nancy blushed again. "I still have it—unopened," she said.

"Well, let us know how they are, if you'd recommend them or not." Bess gave Nancy a wink.

Once the party began to wind down, Bess, George, and a few of their friends helped tidy up. Only a few people were obviously too drunk to drive, but they had arrived with friends who had stayed sober. Once the last pair of taillights had vanished down the road, Ned locked the Murphys' house and he and Nancy walked, hand in hand, down to his parents' rental. Ned was carrying the basket with the paltry remains of the party snacks.

"Eleven-thirty," Nancy said, glancing at her watch as she swallowed a huge yawn. She and Ned had dropped off their overnight bags before the party had begun, and the house was pleasantly cool. "Not too far off, Nickerson."

He smiled as he closed and locked the door behind them. "You sound like you're pretty worn out," he commented.

"I was," she said. "I think I'm okay, though."

"Well, let me put these things away. I'll see you upstairs?"

Nancy nodded, blushing a little as she reached for her bag. If she lost her nerve, she could ask for one of Ned's shirts to sleep in... but she decided on the way up to the guest bedroom and bathroom that she would wear the gown.

He had lubricant and condoms, and if she wanted...

Nancy rinsed off the last traces of the damp night air that clung to her skin, taking down her hair so it hung loose over her shoulders, and stripped to her underwear before she put on the red and black nightgown. When she saw her reflection in the outfit, she couldn't help blushing again. The blue gown was sweet; the red gown looked more grown-up, more sophisticated. More intentionally seductive. Her nipples were peaked under the satin, and she felt a little lightheaded as she slipped out of her cotton panties and pulled on the black satin ones. After a quick brush of her teeth, she felt ready.

She opened the bathroom door and saw Ned standing beside the bed, just turning on the lamp; he was dressed only in a pair of gray boxers, and her mouth went dry when the golden light touched the line of his back, the hard rippling muscle of his chest. She saw a bottle and a small box on the table, too, and when she realized what they were, she blushed. Then he caught sight of her and took a step forward. His gaze was locked to her, and he was speechless for a moment.

"Come here, Nan... let me see you."

She bit her lip as she stepped forward, into the halo of the lamp's light, and Ned sat down on the bed without looking behind him, his gaze still on her. "Do you like it?" she whispered.

"Oh, sweetheart... you look so incredibly sexy."

"Better than the blue one?"

"Nan... whatever you wear, you always look so beautiful. I loved seeing you in my shirt the other night, and I love you naked, and everywhere between."

She smiled, stepping forward so that she was standing between his open knees. "And I love you," she murmured, cupping his cheeks with her palms. "When we were dancing... and seeing you like this..."

"Mmm-hmm? Tell me more." He grinned as he looped his arms around her waist.

She leaned down and brushed the tip of her nose against his. "You look unbelievably, breathtakingly handsome."

His grin became a smile. "I love you."

"I love you," she replied, kissing him before she straightened up.

He opened his mouth to say something, and then he stood. "I can't believe I almost forgot," he murmured, and turned so she was standing right beside the bed. "Wait right here."

Nancy sat down on the bed, her knees together, watching as Ned walked over to his duffel bag. His steps back to her were slow, and when he reached her, he sank down onto his knees, his dark eyes aglow.

"I hope it fits," he murmured, opening the velvet box he had retrieved and offering it to her.

She accepted the box, but she shook her head at him. "You didn't have to get on your knees," she told him. "Come sit beside me."

"You don't like seeing me on my knees, huh."

"I know that can't be comfortable." She took the ring out of the box, tears pricking in her eyes as she slipped it onto her finger, where it fit perfectly. She couldn't help fanning her fingers and gazing down at it.

Ned took her hand and kissed her knuckles, then pushed himself up. "Well, if you insist that I can't be on my knees," he murmured, standing up. "I know I said I was okay with you not wearing the ring on your finger, but would you mind wearing it when we're alone?"

She shook her head. "I'd love to," she whispered, gazing up at him as he sat down beside her. In fact, it was hard to imagine taking it off, now that she was wearing it. "Ned... thank you. For the ring, for everything—for making me a part of your family. Your parents, your mom..." She shook her head. "I just feel so lucky to have you in my life."

"And you're part of the reason I'm alive right now," he told her with a smile. "But I don't think that makes us even." He reached up and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.

She gave him a small smile. "You've saved me a thousand times," she said.

He leaned down and kissed her lips. "And I hope I save you a thousand and one more," he murmured. "I always want you to come home safe to me, sweetheart."

Nancy parted her lips and met his kiss with one of her own, her lashes fluttering down. "Yes," she whispered.

His tongue slipped into her mouth, and when she shifted, her hand accidentally brushed the front of his boxers. He groaned, capturing her hand and holding it to his groin, and she could feel him stiffening under the fabric.

"Nan," he murmured, nuzzling against her neck. "Baby, do you want to?"

"Mmm," she moaned. She didn't know how to respond, just that she didn't want her hand to be what was pressed against his erection.

He laid her down and she opened her legs wide, tensing and then relaxing as he pressed his hips tight against hers. He kissed her breasts above the neckline of her gown, then pushed it up and stroked his fingertips over her belly, and she squirmed; she buried one hand in his hair, the other closing in a fist against the comforter. She felt both impatient and nervous, eager to be naked and twined around him and afraid of what might happen after.

Then his lips closed around her nipple and he sucked and teased the sensitive flesh, and she arched, her hips pushing against his abs. "Mmmm," she groaned, then gasped. "Oh yessss..."

"You like it."

"Yes," she sighed, tensing again as he switched to her other breast, fondling the first. "Oh my God, it feels so good..."

She let her hand drift down his back until her fingertips found the elastic of his underwear, and then she slipped her hand beneath, her head tipping back as he shifted to grind his hips against hers through their clothes. He murmured something against her breast, then gently bit her nipple, and she bucked against him.

They were alone and she wanted him. She wanted him so, so much.

She cupped his ass, pressing her hand against him as they ground together, and then he pulled back, his mouth making an audible pop as he released her breast. "Nan," he breathed.

"Hmm?"

"What..." He sighed. "Do you want... do you want to go all the way?"

She looked up into his dark eyes, and fear tempered her desire. "Do you?"

He shifted his weight, and she was pinned under him, his hips pressed tight to hers, but he brushed a stray lock of hair from her cheek with such tenderness that her throat ached. "Yeah," he murmured. "But not unless you want to. Never unless you want to."

She gave him a small smile. "I'm afraid," she whispered. "And if I say yes and then I—I can't..."

"Then we won't," he murmured. "I promise."

"Okay," she said softly. "I just... can we keep doing what we were doing? It felt really good..."

He grinned at her, then kissed her softly before he nuzzled against her neck. She shivered in anticipation when the cool air kissed her bare breasts, when his warm chest pressed against hers, and when he moved to take her nightgown off, she arched to help him, then reached for her panties.

"Oh?"

"Yeah," she murmured, and he slipped his underwear off too before returning to her.

She was naked, gloriously unselfconsciously naked, and she wrapped her legs around him, shuddering when the underside of his erection pressed against the slick folds between her legs. She gasped, gripping his shoulders as he ground against her.

"We're alone," he reminded her, his voice muffled against her skin as he licked her nipple. "You can be loud."

"Do you want me to?" she gasped.

"Nan—" He kissed her nipple. "I want to spend tonight," he kissed her between her breasts, "and every night," he kissed her other nipple, "learning what this is like. So let's find out what we like. Be loud if you want to. If you want something, tell me—or show me."

When he drew her nipple into his mouth again and suckled hard, Nancy gasped loudly, combing her fingers through his hair. "Yes," she whispered, her hips trembling when he ground against her again. "Oh yes, Ned... more..."

He cupped her hips, then moved so he could roll onto his back and pull her with him. Nancy propped herself up so that her breasts were on level with his face, and as he suckled she ground against him, his hands cupping her ass. She shuddered hard, whimpering when he guided his hand down, brushing her perineum before he glanced his fingertip against her entrance.

It was almost the way they had been a week ago, on his parents' couch, when she had pulled back and begged him to stop—but then they had been in their underwear, and now they were naked, and now she didn't want him to stop. She moaned as she ground against him, the lips of her sex parted so he was rubbing against what she now knew was her clitoris, her knees parted wide.

"God," Ned groaned, barely penetrating her with his fingertip, and she answered him with a low groan. "Oh my God. Oh..."

"Yes," she whimpered. "Oh..."

He rolled her onto her back and she kept her legs spread wide as he sucked hard against each nipple, cupping his hand between her thighs, and she ground against the heel of his hand. "Ned please please," she begged, and he began to trail nipping kisses down her belly. When he positioned his head over the join of her thighs, she was panting, her brows drawn together. Edith had told her that one of the other ways they could be together involved kissing and licking each other, but Nancy hadn't been able to imagine Ned wanting to do that, or doing it to or with her. Given how Ned had enjoyed it when she had stroked him with her fingers, though, she could easily imagine that he would enjoy her doing something like that to him.

The anticipation, the terrible warm ache in her had grown so insistent, but when his lips brushed the edge of the curls between her thighs, she pushed herself up a little. "Ned?" she whispered.

"Hmm?" he murmured, and then he nuzzled against her, his breath warm against the sensitive flesh.

"No," she moaned, and he pulled back to look up at her.

"What's wrong?"

She was panting, her hips trembling as she looked at him; she knew she was flushed again. "No, it's okay, I know you don't... that you don't want..."

He smiled at her. "But I do," he told her, and the low growl of his voice made her shudder. "Just let me try it... and if you don't like it, just tell me."

"Okay," Nancy whispered after a moment, feeling self-conscious again as she relaxed to the bed.

"Now..." He nuzzled against her again. "My beautiful girl... I've always wondered how you would taste."

She sipped in a breath. "You've never...?"

"No," he murmured, and then he kissed the top of the slit between her thighs, working his way down, gently licking and caressing her. When he grazed her clit with his tongue, Nancy arched with a gasped cry.

"Mmm. I know you like it when I touch you here," he murmured, and she sobbed when he ran his tongue against her with a harder stroke. "You think you'd like it if I..."

He closed his lips around her clit, stroking it again with his tongue before he suckled against it.

Nancy tipped her head back, releasing a broken cry at the sheer unadulterated pleasure she felt. He kept licking and suckling, gently stroking his thumbs up and down the slick inner lips of her sex, until he was teasing the hollow of her entrance.

"Ned!" Her hips bucked, and she felt her inner flesh begin to clench weakly in anticipation. "Oh my God ohhhh ohmygodohmygodohhhhh—"

"Mmm," he hummed, and a hot wave of arousal crashed over her, arching her spine, fizzing in her skull. Her eyes rolled back and she panted harshly for breath as he kept sucking and stroking her clit, gently penetrating her with his thumbs. "Yeah, baby..."

She released an incoherent cry, realizing belatedly that her fingers were buried in his hair. Her inner flesh clenched weakly again and Ned growled and the vibration made her scream.

"Good?"

"Yes—yes," she choked out, her hips still undulating even though he had pulled back and his thumbs were just resting against the folds of slick flesh between her thighs.

"Do you want me to try?"

A shudder rippled over her hips, and she swallowed against her dry throat. "Okay," she breathed.

"To be inside you?"

She trembled. "Yes," she whispered.

He pushed himself up, reaching for the box and the bottle on the table beside the bed, and Nancy relaxed as she watched him. He took a foil packet out of the box, ripping it open and withdrawing a thin disc of latex, and her curiosity overwhelmed her self-consciousness. He positioned it against the head of his erection, then flipped it over and began to roll it on, pinching the tip until it was fully sheathing him. Then he popped the cap on the lube and Nancy took a deep breath as she watched him stroke the clear fluid from the bottle over the condom.

It felt real. It felt so real and she was so nervous.

He looked down at her. "Do you want to be on top?"

She shook her head. "No," she whispered. "Please."

He moved over her, and she took a deep breath as she slipped her arms around his shoulders. "So was that good?" he whispered, and nuzzled against her earlobe.

Her lashes fluttered down. "Oh yes," she murmured. "Oh my God, yes."

"I'm glad you liked it, baby."

She was glad that he was talking to her; it helped distract her. "So maybe we could—I could do that to you sometime," she murmured, trying not to tense as she felt the head of his cock gently brush against her entrance. "Maybe it'll feel that good for you, too."

"I hope so."

"Please touch me," she whispered, looking into his eyes. "Please take it slow."

"I will."

She arched, angling her hips when he brushed against her clit, and then she felt him nuzzle against her, his lips against her cheek. She shuddered before she turned her head, kissing him close-mouthed before he traced his tongue against the seam of her lips, and when she parted her lips, she tasted her own arousal on his tongue.

She whimpered, flushing when he guided his erection against her tender inner flesh again, still rhythmically stroking her clit, and she trembled with arousal at every brush. Their kisses became desperate, rapid, and she drew her fingers through his hair, quivering and aching and needing him more than she ever had before.

"Nancy," he panted, and her legs were spread wide and he was barely inside her, and she shuddered. They kissed again and her hips tilted, and she was trying to make herself relax, trying to just move with him, and then he kissed her again and she lost herself a bolt of pure dizzying arousal.

"I love you."

"And I love you," he whispered. "I always have, and I always will."

He moved a little deeper inside her, and she flinched, digging her nails against his shoulder blades, panting against his cheek. It's like his fingers, it's like his fingers, just relax, she told herself. Just relax, it's okay...

He nuzzled against her cheek. "You feel so good," he breathed. "Are you okay?"

"I'm okay," she whispered, nuzzling against him in return. She was afraid to move, but her hips bucked as he circled her clit. "Ohhhhh..."

"Nan," he groaned, moving more deeply inside her.

"Yes," she whispered.

And then he shifted his weight and she arched, tipping her head back, crying out in a silent gasp as he pressed his full length inside her, pausing when he met brief resistance but continuing through it, and for a moment she felt so sore and tender. She had relaxed, but she dug her nails hard against his back again, panting harshly, pinned vulnerable and oh God, oh God, his sex was inside her.

"Nan," he whispered. "Oh, Nancy..."

She sniffled, feeling a tear slip from beneath her lowered lashes, and then his lips brushed her temple. "Are you okay?"

She took a breath, then reached up and ran her fingers through his hair. Cautiously she made herself relax by slow degrees, letting herself fully experience it. They were joined, completing each other, and she had thought she would understand—but she hadn't, not really. He was making love to her.

He moved to look into her eyes and she stroked his cheek, shivering a little when he kissed her palm. "How does it feel to you?" she whispered.

He shook his head. "There are no words," he whispered. "It's even better than I thought it would be."

She smiled. "And now you'll move?"

"I won't if it will hurt you." She brushed her fingertips over his temple and cheek, and felt damp perspiration there. "Do you want me to?"

She tensed and relaxed in a quick spasm, at the thought. "I think that will be okay," she whispered. "If it's slow."

"Can you wrap your legs around me again?"

She gasped when she did; it made the angle of her hips shift, and then his mouth found hers and he began to rub his thumb against her clit again as he moved back, then inside her again. Her hips trembled as she kissed him, and his cock moved inside her again, his hips moving against hers in a smooth shallow thrust.

"Ned," she whimpered, and when he kissed her again, his tongue stroked against hers and she relaxed, tensing at the deepest point of each thrust, her inner flesh clenching around him when he fully penetrated her. When he broke the kiss, shifting his weight so he could move in longer thrusts, she moaned.

"Yes?"

"Yes," she cried, her nails digging into his back, all of her tensing and relaxing with his thrusts. "Oh my God..."

"You feel so good," he gasped. "So good, baby. Oh my God."

She was already pinned under him and helpless to do anything else, and she nuzzled against him, her legs shifting with his every thrust, closing her eyes and giving herself over to it. She was a little sore still, her face and chest flushed and damp with perspiration, and she gasped when he moved with her.

"Baby," he choked out. "Nan..."

He tensed against her, letting out a hoarse cry, and Nancy cried out too. For a moment they were locked together, motionless, panting for breath. She thought he had reached his climax, but she wasn't sure. Then he kissed her temple, slumping against her, and she knew.

"Mmmm. I love you so much."

"I love you too," Nancy whispered. "Was it okay?"

Ned chuckled softly. "Yeah," he murmured, nuzzling against her cheek. "Way more than okay. Are you all right?"

"I think so. I do seem to have an incredibly muscular quarterback on top of me..."

"I'm so sorry—"

"It's okay." Ned gently slid out of her, and Nancy slumped against the bed, still sprawled naked. Between her legs was still a little sore, and she lazily watched Ned rise to his feet and strip off the condom. Then he looked at her.

"Oh—I'll be right back," he told her, and her eyes fluttered shut. Ned's mother had told her that, at first, they would still be learning what they liked and what worked for them, but once they figured it out, it would be a lot better for both of them. She'd also said that Nancy might be sore the first time or two, but lubricant and patience would help.

She felt different, but it was good. She had liked being so close to him, and seeing the arousal and desire and pleasure in his eyes. She had loved what he had made her feel, when he was licking and stroking her, but the feel of him inside her—he was just so big and it had all been so new and she had been so nervous that she hadn't been able to just feel. Maybe next time, now that she knew what to expect, she would be able to do something more than just lie there.

"Nan?"

Her eyes flew open when Ned murmured her name. He was standing beside the bed, still naked, holding a damp cloth. "Sorry," she whispered. "I was just thinking."

He gave her a tentative smile. "Good thoughts?" he asked, offering her the cloth.

"Mmm?" She accepted it, raising her eyebrows.

"I think you're bleeding a little."

She gasped, sitting up. "Oh," she murmured. "Oh..."

She went to the bathroom, wincing when she shifted, and gently blotted the join of her thighs. She was still slippery there, but the cloth came away stained pink with traces of blood. She whimpered in dismay, then sighed as she rose to wash her hands. The diamond ring gleaming on her left ring finger sparkled up at her, and she couldn't help but smile when she saw it. At least the soreness had eased some.

Ned was sitting at the edge of the bed when she opened the bathroom door again. "Are you all right?"

She nodded. "I'm okay," she said, and he rose, wrapping her in his arms when she shivered. She closed her eyes, resting her cheek against his shoulder.

"I'm sorry I hurt you." He kissed the crown of her head.

She made a soft sound, moving so she could look into his eyes. "You didn't hurt me," she told him. "I'm just a little sore, that's all."

He moved to push back the covers, and they returned to the bed, naked and wrapped in each other's arms. She stroked his back and kissed the tip of his nose, his cheekbone, his jaw, his chin.

"Mmm." He smiled when she looked at him. "I'm sorry I couldn't last long enough to make you come."

She blushed, then kissed his adam's apple. "I don't think that's why," she murmured.

He moved back, propping his head up. "Did I do something wrong?"

"I don't know," she admitted, cupping his cheek, brushing her thumb against his skin. "I think it was just really new, and once I get used to it... I mean, remember the first time we were together?"

He grinned. "Yeah. You were so skittish and I was so afraid of hurting you or upsetting you that I don't even think I was able to get your bra off."

"You weren't," she confirmed with a small, brief smile. Then she took a deep breath. "Are you okay?"

He nodded, cupping her cheek too. "Yeah," he murmured. "I thought..."

He trailed off, and she turned her head to kiss his thumb. "What did you think?" she murmured.

"It was amazing," he said softly. "You felt so warm and so good... and I love you."

She smiled. "I love you too," she murmured. "And what you did with your mouth... that was really, really good."

"I'm glad you liked it." He brushed his thumb against her lips. "But the hottest thing about it was hearing what it was doing to you. Did you come then?"

"I think I started to," she told him. "I would have if you'd kept going."

"Well then." He leaned forward and kissed her. "Guess that'll be my goal for tomorrow."

She warmed at the thought. "I love you," she whispered against his lips. "I love you, I love you..."

He rolled onto his back, pulling her with him so she was sprawled against his chest. "And I love you," he told her, stroking his palms down her back. "Forever."

"Forever," she whispered, closing her eyes as she kissed him again.