"Well, if it isn't Nancy Drew !" Tom said, his expression quickly changing from one of surprise . "This lady's a detective, Vinnie . And a pretty good one, it seems . She tracked us down ." He shot a glance at his companion, who ominously reached a hand inside his coat pocket .

Nancy thought about confronting him with breaking into Charles Pierce's desk the other night, but seeing the glint of metal in Vinnie's hand, she decided against it .

"I, uh, I was looking for Jack . I thought he might be here ."

"He isn't," Tom said . "And let me say that I hope, as a private detective, you'll keep this little encounter to yourself ---- understand ?"

"Perfectly," Nancy said, slowly backing away . "I'm investigating something else entirely . Whatever you're up to here is no business of mine," she assured him .

"I'm glad to hear that . And by the way," Tom called out to her before shutting the door, "give my regards to your friend Bess . She's a real babe ."

Nancy hightailed it out of there, heading straight for the Pierce mansion . She pulled up beside Philip's Maserati and saw Philip himself giving instructions to one of the servants, who was busily waxing the car .

"Nancy," he said, waving as she stepped out of Bess's car . "I didn't expect to see you again this soon . Tell me you couldn't stay away from me for another minute ."

Nancy shook her head . "Not quite, Philip," she said . "Can we talk in private ?" she asked, nodding toward the servant .

"Definitely," he said, leading her around to the rear of the house and into the gazebo that was set in the middle of a rose garden . "Now," he said as they settled in next to each other on a wooden bench . "Tell me . What's up ?"

"For starters," Nancy began, "someone tried to kill me this morning ."

Philip's reaction was as shocked as she hoped it would be . She went on to explain about her car, and his face showed all the proper concern . But Nancy wondered just how good an actor Philip Pierce was .

"Are you sure ?" he asked her . "Couldn't those lug nuts have come off by themselves ?"

"Not a chance," Nancy assured him . "Someone who knows I'm a detective doesn't want me investigating your family ."

"Mmmm," Philip said, nodding . "I can see where you'd think it would be me . But, Nancy, I'd never do anything to hurt you . I like you ---- a lot !"

There was that smile of his again . Nancy felt herself softening, hooked by the spell of his warm glance . She found it impossible to believe he was lying to her . But experience told her that charming people were often the very best liars .

"Besides, I was with you yesterday evening, and after I dropped you off, I came straight back here and went to bed, like a good boy ."

"I don't suppose anyone can verify that," Nancy said .

"Of course not," Philip said, shrugging . "And even if they could, I suppose I could have driven back to your house at any time during the night and sabotaged your car . But then, any one of us could have ."

"True," Nancy agreed . "Philip, tell me about your friend Tom ."

"Friend ? He's not my friend . Our relationship is strictly business . But why do you ask ? Is Bess already crazy about him ?"

Nancy told him everything that had happened that morning . Philip didn't seem surprised .

"You know," he said, sighing, "I'd think twice before calling Tom . But you did ask to double at the last minute, and he was the only guy I could think of . I guess you could say he doesn't exactly have a sterling character . . . . ."

"You could say that," Nancy agreed .

"Sorry," Philip said . "Hey, it was only one date, right ? Besides, he's good-looking and single ."

"I don't think he's Bess's type," Nancy said sternly . "She doesn't go in for criminals ."

"Mmmm," Philip said, bitting his lip .

"So how are you mixed up with him ?" Nancy asked .

"Me ? I told you, he's a friend of Jack's . That's how I met him ."

"From the looks of things," Nancy said, "I wouldn't call him Jack's friend ---- more like his bookie ."

"I guess you're right," Philip acknowledged . "You know, I'm convinced that's how Jack ran through all the money Karen inherited ."

"I thought you said they invested it in a restaurant," Nancy said .

"True --- but remember the place went under in just a few months, in spite of the fact that it was packed most nights . I suspect Jack was skimming the profits and using them to make bets . He's always had big dreams . Unfortunately, he's not lucky, and I think he blew most of Karen's fortune at that 'club' of Tom's ."

He sighed bitterly . "If I had more guts, I'd tell Karen all about it, too," he said . "But I know it would break her heart, and I could never do that to her ---- I care for her too much . Besides, if I ratted on Jack, he might get Tom to call in my loans . And then where would I be ?"

"I see," Nancy said, getting up . "One more question, Philip . Did you hire Tom to steal your father's new will ?"

Philip appeared flabbergasted . "Huh ?" he asked . "What are you talking about ?"

"I caught him breaking into your dad's desk during the engagement party," Nancy explained .

"Well, ask Jack about it, not me," Philip said heatedly, more upset than Nancy had ever seen him . "Look, I may not be a perfect son, and I'm certainly no angel . But I wouldn't ask somebody to steal my old man's will, or try to kill my future stepmother . And I certainly wouldn't try to kill a detective I'm crazy about ."

It was impossible to doubt the sincerity in his eyes . Nancy decided she was too emotionally involved with Philip to judge the truth of his words and then she'd better focus elsewhere for the moment .

"Hey !" he called after her as she left the gazebo . "Where are you going ?"

"To snoop around," she replied with a little smile . "It's my job, remember ? See you later, Philip ." Nancy gave him a wink as she left .

Going around to the side of the house, she noticed that a side door had been left slightly ajar . Nancy quietly let herself in and found herself in a storage area piled high with provisions of all kinds . Mr. Pierce was clearly a man who liked to entertain large number of guests .

Nancy was about to step into the hall when she heard hushed voices coming from there . One she recognized as Karen's . The other, the more hesitant one, was Eleanor's . Nancy put her ear to the door to hear better .

"But can't you see we've got to do something before it's too late ?" Karen was pleading . "Look, Ellie, Phil's already agreed . We're going to Dad and demand that he look into Nila's past before he marries her ."

"I'm just not sure," Eleanor hedged . "With Charles's health, it might be just the thing that pushes him over the edge . His heart is so weak . Besides, if we make him angry, he might cut us out of his will . Not that I care, for myself ---- but Cecilia . . . . ."

"But, Ellie, what about that newspaper article ?" Karen protested . "Besides, if Dad goes ahead and marries Nila, how long do you think it'll be before she makes him get rid of us ? Where will you go ? What will you do ?"

"Oh, Charles would never do that," Eleanor protested . "Not as long as we're good to him ."

"Wouldn't he ?" Karen challenged her . "Look at the way she's got him wrapped around her little finger . She already rules this house . How long do you think it's going to be, once she's got that ring on her finger and her name in his will, before she kicks you out ?"

"Oh --- Oh, I just don't know . . . . ."

"Mother ." That was Cecilia's voice . So all three of them were together, Nancy noted . "I think you should listen to Karen . She knows him better than you do . She's Uncle Charles's daughter, after all ."

Eleanor's voice grew suddenly more decisive . "You're right, Karen," she said . "Something does have to be done . I'll go ahead and speak to him, then . You do want me to be the one who tells him, don't you ?"

"Naturally," Karen replied . "He doesn't trust Philip or me ."

"When ?" Eleanor asked .

"After lunch," Karen pressed her . "And don't put it off any longer . There's that detective you told us about, remember ?"

So Eleanor had told Karen and Jack about her . Nancy realized what this meant ---- everyone in the Pierce family knew what she was up to, and therefore had a reason to want to get rid of her . Nancy had suspected all along that Eleanor was a collector of secrets, but she'd thought the timid woman would be better at holding on to them .

The voices had ceased . Figuring that the trio must have wandered away, Nancy inched open the door to find an empty hallway . Not wanting to wait for the others to talk to Pierce before she gave him her report, she went in search for him .

Pierce was not in his study . The desk was still in a state of disarray . Clearly, he hadn't been in there since the night of the party . Nancy wondered if his health had kept him from conducting any business since then . If so, he would probably be in his bedroom .

Nancy spotted one of the older servant women emerging form the parlor and asked directions to Mr. Pierce's suite . She pointed her up the main staircase and to the left . Nancy proceeded down a luxuriously carpeted hallway with floor-to-ceiling windows that looked out on the gardens behind the house .

Pierce's suite was at the far end of the hallway . As she approached, the door opened . Nancy ducked behind a heavy, brocaded curtain . Nila Kirkedottir emerged, pushing a cart full of medicines and medical instruments . She pushed the cart past Nancy, never noticing her .

Nancy tiptoed forward as soon as Nila was out of sight . She knocked on the door of Pierce's suite, and when he called out for her to come in, she entered . She found him sitting up in bed, reading a newspaper .

"Ah, Nancy !" he exclaimed, laying down the paper as he saw her . His greeting was hearty, and he actually seemed in decent health . He was certainly much better than he'd been the night Nila had laid unconscious on the floor . "Have you come to report to me on your investigation ?"

"Yes, sir," Nancy replied . After sitting herself in a chair, she proceeded to tell him what she'd found out about his heirs .

Pierce's face reddened with anger as she spoke . When she had finished, he flung his rolled-up newspaper down onto the floor and raised his fists in the air . "I knew it !" he cried in fury . "They're just no good . Gambling away their money, spending it like water, stealing the new draft of my will, poisoning my Nila . . . . . I'll cut them all off without a penny !"

"Mr. Pierce ----" Nancy said, trying to interrupt . But Pierce was already punching in a number on his phone .

"Get me Bishop," he said . "Tell him I want him here this afternoon . I'm going ahead with the changes in my will, and this time I mean it ." He slammed down the phone on the bedside table .

"Mr. Pierce," Nancy cautioned him . "I think you should hear the rest of my report ."

"Why bother ?" he asked . "You've told me all I need to know . My heirs are a bunch of no-good spongers !"

"Maybe so," Nancy said . "But that doesn't mean they're trying to kill Nila . In fact, my friend at the police lab tells me there was nothing but cranberry juice in her glass that night ."

"What ?" Pierce stared at her, frozen .

"That's right," Nancy told him . "Which might lead one to think that, much as I hate to suggest this, Nila might be faking things . Like that letter . She could conceivably have written it herself ."

"Listen, young lady," Pierce said, wagging a finger at her . "I won't have you insulting the woman I'm going to marry . Tell me, have you ever bothered to talk with Nila ?"

"Yes, I have," Nancy assured him . "She's a very intelligent, capable woman, obviously . But I've seen her temper, too, and I think it's pretty clear that Nila feels persecuted around here ."

"Justifiably so," Pierce protested .

"True," Nancy agreed . "The family isn't exactly wild about her, and neither are some of the staff . But I think Nila may be exaggerating things in her own mind . Maybe to the point where she finds herself justified in making the others look bad in your eyes . Look, Mr. Pierce, all I'm saying is, give me another day or two to look into things before you act on this ."

"Young lady," Pierce said, his face slowly returning to its normal color, "you go ahead and keep looking into things . But in the meantime, I'm drawing up a new will . And if you haven't found anything new in twenty-four hours, I'm going to sign it ." He lay back in bed and waved her off, signifying that their interview was over .

Nancy backed away and opened the door, retreating into the anteroom of the suite . As she did, she saw a closet door close . Someone had been eavesdropping !

Nancy silently walked over to the door and, placing her hand on the knob, suddenly yanked it open . There, gasping in horror, her hand to her mouth, was Eleanor !
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