headed back to the Plaza.
“Do you think Mrs. Amberly will really let us see the ruby?” Bess asked when they stepped off the elevator on the top floor, their feet sinking into the plush forest green carpet.
“I can’t be sure,” Nancy answered. “Yesterday she was very friendly, but today when I saw her again she seemed awfully distracted. Here’s her suite.”
“Sarah? Mrs. Amberly?” Nancy rapped on the door, and the girls waited. No answer. “I wonder,” murmured Nancy. She reached down and jiggled the doorknob. The latch clicked open.
“That door is unlocked, Nancy!” George exclaimed.
“I hope Sarah’s all right. Maybe she’s in there and can’t answer,” Nancy said with a worried look.
“Well, in that case—” George tapped the door lightly, and it opened. The three girls looked at one another and then walked in, closing the door behind them.
“Hello. Sarah? Are you here?” Nancy called as she made her way into Sarah’s bedroom.
“Wow! What a place!” Bess gasped.
But the bedroom was empty. “Come on, let’s go. You can meet her later—” Nancy started to say.But as she turned to leave, she noticed that Sarah’s ruby ring was gone from the little table beside the bed.
“That’s odd—Sarah said she always kept her ring by her bed,” Nancy said.
Just then, two men appeared in the doorway of the bedroom, and Nancy, Bess, and George jumped.
“All right—step right over to the wall and put your hands over your heads!” a harsh voice commanded. “You’re all under arrest!”
Chapter
Five
S PINNING AROUND BREATHLESSLY, Nancy found herself looking into the eyes of a fair-haired young man of about twenty-five. He held a security man’s badge in one hand and a pistol in the other. Behind him, his lanky assistant stared at the three girls, his mouth wide open. “Three girls . . .” the assistant murmured.
“You never know who’s a thief, Felske,” the fair-haired man muttered. Then he waved his pistol and barked, “Okay, ladies. Move it.”
“Wait a minute,” Nancy spoke up. “We weren’t doing anything wrong—and you haven’t got a shred of evidence that says we were.”
With a smile, the young man put his badge away, but he kept the pistol aimed at Nancy and her friends. “Sure, sure. That line may have worked other places, sweetie, but this is the Plaza. You just got caught in one of the finest security nets in the world. I’m Joe Ritter, staff detective here. Now, if you’ll all come with me. The New York police are looking for people like you.”
“But she’s telling the truth!” cried Bess, the first glint of tears pooling in her eyes. “We weren’t doing anything wrong!”
“Sure, sure. Come along, now.” He motioned to them with the pistol. “Tell that to the judge.”
Well, Nancy thought. It did look bad. They were in someone else’s room without permission. At that moment Sarah Amberly appeared at the door to the bedroom. A bolt of relief shot through Nancy like lightning.
“What is the meaning of this intrusion, young man!” she shouted. “Nancy, did he hurt you?”
“No, they’ve just misunderstood what’s going on here—” Nancy was about to explain everything when Sarah’s eyes fell to the little table.
“My ruby! It’s gone!”
“We happened to be patrolling the hall when we saw these trespassers, Mrs. Amberly. Okay, girls—where’s the ring?”
“Sarah, I came in because I thought you might be ill again,” Nancy explained. “The ring was gone when we got here.”
“We never even saw it, honestly!” Bess cried.
“Oh, I never thought he would sink so low,” Sarah murmured, letting herself down onto the bed. “Never, never . . .”
Nancy wondered if “he” was Jack Kale. Something in the woman’s sad face told her it might be.
“Would you like to press charges now or later, Mrs. Amberly?” the blond young man asked. “We’ll work at your convenience.”
“Press charges? Against whom?” A
“Do you think Mrs. Amberly will really let us see the ruby?” Bess asked when they stepped off the elevator on the top floor, their feet sinking into the plush forest green carpet.
“I can’t be sure,” Nancy answered. “Yesterday she was very friendly, but today when I saw her again she seemed awfully distracted. Here’s her suite.”
“Sarah? Mrs. Amberly?” Nancy rapped on the door, and the girls waited. No answer. “I wonder,” murmured Nancy. She reached down and jiggled the doorknob. The latch clicked open.
“That door is unlocked, Nancy!” George exclaimed.
“I hope Sarah’s all right. Maybe she’s in there and can’t answer,” Nancy said with a worried look.
“Well, in that case—” George tapped the door lightly, and it opened. The three girls looked at one another and then walked in, closing the door behind them.
“Hello. Sarah? Are you here?” Nancy called as she made her way into Sarah’s bedroom.
“Wow! What a place!” Bess gasped.
But the bedroom was empty. “Come on, let’s go. You can meet her later—” Nancy started to say.But as she turned to leave, she noticed that Sarah’s ruby ring was gone from the little table beside the bed.
“That’s odd—Sarah said she always kept her ring by her bed,” Nancy said.
Just then, two men appeared in the doorway of the bedroom, and Nancy, Bess, and George jumped.
“All right—step right over to the wall and put your hands over your heads!” a harsh voice commanded. “You’re all under arrest!”
Chapter
Five
S PINNING AROUND BREATHLESSLY, Nancy found herself looking into the eyes of a fair-haired young man of about twenty-five. He held a security man’s badge in one hand and a pistol in the other. Behind him, his lanky assistant stared at the three girls, his mouth wide open. “Three girls . . .” the assistant murmured.
“You never know who’s a thief, Felske,” the fair-haired man muttered. Then he waved his pistol and barked, “Okay, ladies. Move it.”
“Wait a minute,” Nancy spoke up. “We weren’t doing anything wrong—and you haven’t got a shred of evidence that says we were.”
With a smile, the young man put his badge away, but he kept the pistol aimed at Nancy and her friends. “Sure, sure. That line may have worked other places, sweetie, but this is the Plaza. You just got caught in one of the finest security nets in the world. I’m Joe Ritter, staff detective here. Now, if you’ll all come with me. The New York police are looking for people like you.”
“But she’s telling the truth!” cried Bess, the first glint of tears pooling in her eyes. “We weren’t doing anything wrong!”
“Sure, sure. Come along, now.” He motioned to them with the pistol. “Tell that to the judge.”
Well, Nancy thought. It did look bad. They were in someone else’s room without permission. At that moment Sarah Amberly appeared at the door to the bedroom. A bolt of relief shot through Nancy like lightning.
“What is the meaning of this intrusion, young man!” she shouted. “Nancy, did he hurt you?”
“No, they’ve just misunderstood what’s going on here—” Nancy was about to explain everything when Sarah’s eyes fell to the little table.
“My ruby! It’s gone!”
“We happened to be patrolling the hall when we saw these trespassers, Mrs. Amberly. Okay, girls—where’s the ring?”
“Sarah, I came in because I thought you might be ill again,” Nancy explained. “The ring was gone when we got here.”
“We never even saw it, honestly!” Bess cried.
“Oh, I never thought he would sink so low,” Sarah murmured, letting herself down onto the bed. “Never, never . . .”
Nancy wondered if “he” was Jack Kale. Something in the woman’s sad face told her it might be.
“Would you like to press charges now or later, Mrs. Amberly?” the blond young man asked. “We’ll work at your convenience.”
“Press charges? Against whom?” A
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