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Patrick and Kate returned, Patrick was holding a leather box tooled in gold, about a foot wide, two feet long, and three inches thick.
    Smiling at the group, Kate said, “We wanted to give you all a chance to see Dorothea’s figurines up close before we put them in the display case. Patrick?”
    Nancy and George leaned forward. From the brochure, Nancy knew the figurines were very special, not just for the gold and precious jewels they were made of, but also for the artistry and care that had gone into making them. She felt a tingle of anticipation as Patrick lifted the lid of the leather box with a flourish.
    Vanessa Van Ness was the first to react. “It’s empty!” she cried. “They’re gone!”

Chapter

Four
    N ANCY COULD hardly believe her eyes. The rich blue velvet lining of the box was indented in about twelve places, each space ready to receive one statuette. All the spaces were now empty.
    â€œOh, no!” George said in a horrified voice.
    Next to her, Patrick reacted as if he were in shock. He stood perfectly still and stared down into the box. After a moment of stunned silence, everyone started talking at once.
    â€œBravo, Julian,” said Professor Coining. “For our after-dinner entertainment, I suppose you expect us to grill one another until we find out who stole the little trinkets.”
    Julian stared at the professor as if he had lost his mind. “I didn’t arrange this,” he said, nervouslystroking his beard. “I never even saw the statues.”
    â€œAre you serious?” Erika asked dubiously. “This isn’t another of your staged crimes?”
    â€œOf course it isn’t,” Julian burst out.
    â€œMaybe they were taken away to be cleaned or something,” Bill Denton suggested. “You know—before they went on display.”
    He turned expectantly to Kate, but she hadn’t seemed to hear him. Her face was taut with strain, and her eyes were still glued to the empty case.
    Finally she blinked. “I promise they were in the safe in this box. Armand Wasserman—he’s the foundation’s president—insisted we keep them in a secure place.”
    â€œWho knows the combination?” Nancy asked.
    â€œNobody,” Kate replied. “I mean, I do, and Armand, but nobody else. Why are you all staring at me that way? I didn’t steal the figurines.”
    â€œThen whoever did must be an expert safecracker,” Patrick said. “Aunt Dotty spent a lot of money on that safe. It’s a good one.”
    The blood seemed to drain from Kate’s face as she put her hands on the edge of the display case to stop herself from falling. Julian sprang up and helped her to a chair.
    Nancy’s mind was racing, her detective instincts on alert. “Who was the last person to see the figurines, and when?” she asked.
    â€œI believe I was,” Professor Coining said. “I had the privilege of examining them this morning. I intend to write a paper on the significance of those particular characters in Dorothea’s books. I studied the figures for perhaps half an hour.”
    â€œAlone?” Nancy asked.
    The professor hesitated, then said, “For some of the time, yes. But the figures were in their case when Kate returned it to the safe. Ask her, if you don’t believe me.”
    â€œThat’s right,” Kate confirmed. “I glanced inside, just to make sure all the figures were secure. They were.”
    Vanessa had been listening intently to the conversation. Now she asked, “When was this, dear?”
    â€œJust before lunch. About noon, I guess.”
    â€œSo the figures could have been stolen at any time between noon and now,” Nancy pointed out.
    â€œNo, they couldn’t,” Maxine said. “I went into the study to read at around five o’clock, and I stayed there until our get-together in the living room. Nobody came in the whole