039 The Suspect Next Door (3 page)

“Then it would be pretty hard to break into from the outside,” Nancy murmured. “How many hours a week is Ms. Hayes here?”

“About three hours a day, on the average. Except when she’s on a buying trip. Then she can be gone for up to two weeks at a time.”

So there really was no efficient way of preventing
an inside job, Nancy thought as they made their way past racks of clothing.

She wondered if there was a way of keeping track of when each employee was in the store. “Are the people who work here on a set schedule?” she asked.

“Not really. There is a schedule, but it’s always being changed. Most of the sales help is part-time. There’s no logging-in system on the registers, or anything like that. Ms. Hayes mostly leaves us alone to get our work done.”

Nancy realized that meant it would be relatively easy for anyone who worked there to tamper with the camera system and sneak merchandise out the back way to the loading dock.

“Who knows the electronic code on the doors?” she asked.

“Just Ms. Hayes,” Trisha answered. “And me, of course. One of us is always here to open the store. But the codes are changed weekly.”

From the police the day before, Nancy knew that the amount of merchandise stolen was large. Too much for one person to smuggle out during working hours. Someone must have found out how to open the coded locks, disarm the security system, and rob the store while it was closed.

“Is there somewhere private for me to interview the rest of the staff?” Nancy asked when they stepped into Trisha’s small inner office.

“Sure,” Trisha answered. “You can use my office.” Although she was being cooperative,
Trisha’s manner had not warmed up. She went to her desk and took out a few sheets of paper. “I’d better go up front and open the cash register. We really don’t have that many people working here. I’ll start sending them in right away.”

In the brief time Nancy was alone, she checked out Trisha’s office. On the desk were inventory sheets and employee records. In the top drawer was a huge account ledger. Everything relevant to the store’s business was probably in this office. Nancy would have to go through it all later.

She wondered about Trisha. After all, who in the store was in a better position to carry out a series of thefts? But if Trisha was behind it all, why would she have blown the whistle? The thefts might have gone undetected for a long time, but she had called them to Kate Hayes’s attention instead.

Nancy heard a knock on the door. Charlene Rice was standing in the doorway, looking nervous. “Trisha said you wanted to see me. I really don’t know anything. I didn’t even know there’d been any robberies until Trisha told me.” The words spilled out of Charlene. From the way she looked at Nancy, it was as if she thought she were about to be sentenced.

“Well, come on in, anyway. There’s a lot I need to know about the store and how it operates,” Nancy said with a friendly smile.

Charlene stepped into the little room. To Nancy’s surprise, a large man with bushy dark
eyebrows and a thick crop of wavy black hair came in after her. Nancy recognized him as another employee.

“This is Tony. Tony Selby,” Charlene explained. “He’s a salesman for the men’s clothing line we’ve just added.”

“Hi, Tony,” Nancy greeted him. “I’m looking forward to meeting everyone on staff. Would you mind waiting until I’ve talked to Charlene?”

Tony didn’t move. “It’s okay,” he stated flatly. “If you got a question for Charlene, you can ask her in front of me.”

“Tony’s my boyfriend,” Charlene explained in a trembling voice. “He’s just trying to protect me.”

“Oh?” Nancy’s eyebrows jumped up. “Is there something in particular you need protection from?”

Tony tensed, but Charlene put a hand on his arm and said, “Well, I was kind of in the middle of it yesterday, when the dresses were found missing.”

“Listen! If you think Charlene took those dresses, you’re nuts,” Tony put in. “And I didn’t steal them, either. So go ahead and ask your questions, okay?”

“Sure.” Nancy cleared her throat. “Well, you two know a lot more about Vanities than I do. Who do you think is stealing from the store? Any ideas?”

Charlene bit her lip nervously, shook her head,
and studied the toes of her shoes. Tony stood there glaring at Nancy. A silence descended over the office. Nancy was determined not to be the first to break it.

“I have an idea all right,” Tony finally told Nancy. “You ever hear of an insurance scam? That’s what I think is going on. I think she’s saying these things are gone so she can collect for them.” Tony looked proud of his theory.

“You mean Kate Hayes, of course,” Nancy asked.

Tony nodded. “That happens a lot, you know.”

Charlene put her hand on Tony’s arm to quiet him. “You won’t repeat any of this to Ms. Hayes, will you, Ms. Drew? Tony’s just a little upset because of the way Ms. Hayes treated me. But I understand. She’s been under a lot of stress lately.”

“I won’t say anything,” Nancy said, her eyes moving from Charlene to Tony. Obviously, if she wanted to question Charlene, she’d have to do it when Tony wasn’t around. “Well, thanks, you two. That’s all for now,” she said.

“Detectives,” Nancy heard Tony muttering as they left. “What does she think? That we’re criminals or something? Why would we be slaving away here if we were thieves?”

“I agree,” an unfamiliar voice just outside the door said. “Well, I guess I’m next.”

“Good luck, Max,” Charlene said.

Max Hudson had to be the best-looking stockboy in the world, Nancy decided when he stepped into the room. He had strong, handsome features, tousled wheat-blond hair, and a bodybuilder’s physique. He shot Nancy a wry grin and flopped down in the chair beside the desk.

“Here I am,” he announced. “What do you want to know? I’m Max, by the way.”

“Max Hudson, right?” Nancy asked, double-checking the name against Kate Hayes’s list.

“Yup.” Max sounded totally bored.

“Well, Max,” said Nancy, “I’d like to ask you a few questions about the robberies here, if you don’t mind.”

Max shrugged. “Go ahead,” he said, leaning back in his chair.

“Max, who do you think is behind the thefts?” Nancy asked, putting the question as bluntly as she could.

“Beats me” was all Max had to say in return.

Nancy waited for him to volunteer more. He didn’t

“Did you ever notice that anything was taken?” she probed.

“Nope. I only see the boxes. I don’t open them. Stuff comes into the store, I put it in the stockroom. After that, I don’t know a thing.”

That’s strange, Nancy thought. Stockboys usually unpack the boxes and log in the merchandise.

“I heard there were several boxes of jewelry taken a couple weeks ago. Did you ever see them?” she asked.

“I remember a few boxes were taken, but that’s all.”

“You never actually saw the jewelry, then?”

“No, just the boxes.” Max couldn’t be less cooperative. As he talked to Nancy, his piercing blue eyes wandered around the room like those of a schoolboy waiting for recess.

“Thanks, Max. That’s all for now.”

Max got up with a cursory nod and shuffled out of the room, a hint of a smile on his otherwise sullen face.

Nancy gave a quick shudder. He knew more than he was telling. Those terse replies of his told her he was holding back.

“Knock, knock.” Nancy looked up and saw Trisha standing in the doorway.

“Is that everybody?” Nancy asked her.

“That’s it for full-time employees,” Trisha confirmed. “We used to have more, but most of them didn’t work out for one reason or another. It’s hard to find good help, as I’m sure you’ve heard.”

“Well, I’d like to go over the employee records, past and present, if that’s okay. And the inventory sheets.”

“That’s fine,” Trisha said, “but not now. A big shipment just came in, and I’m going to be needing the office for the next couple of hours.
And I couldn’t let you take the books out of the store without Ms. Hayes’s permission.”

“I guess I could come back later,” Nancy suggested. “What time do you close?”

“Tonight, at eight,” Trisha answered brusquely. “If you come back then, I can give you the books and teach you the security code so you can lock up when you’re done.”

“Great. Will you have time for a few questions then?” Nancy asked.

Trisha smiled coldly. “Sure,” she said. “I’m probably your number-one suspect, right? Store manager, knows the whole operation . . .”

“Right now everyone is my number-one suspect, Trisha,” Nancy said wryly.

“That’s all you’re going to say? Well, I’ll be happy to answer any questions,” Trisha told her wearily, an edge to her voice. “I want this thing solved just as much as Ms. Hayes does. My reputation’s on the line, too, you know. See you later.”

• • •

Nancy slid into the front seat of her Mustang and fitted the key in the ignition. The car purred into action, and Nancy rolled out of the parking lot and onto the street. What a perfect late-summer day, she thought. Too bad she’d had to spend so much time in the store.

Heading for home, Nancy considered the situation at Vanities. Tony Selby was definitely suspicious. He acted proud of his classic tough-guy
stance. Nancy couldn’t help wondering why Charlene, who seemed so shy and sweet, would be mixed up with a guy like him. Could his looks and manner be deceiving? Of course, it was possible that he and Charlene were working together.

Max Hudson might have both the brains and know-how to organize the robberies. It was hard to tell, he’d been so tight-lipped. She remembered feeling that he was hiding something. Heading for the wealthier side of town, Nancy felt a pang of regret that she couldn’t go undercover on this case.

Then there was Trisha Rapp. There was a girl with brains and know-how to spare. And she had made it clear she didn’t want Nancy snooping around. But, assuming she was guilty, why would she have told Kate Hayes about the thefts in the first place? And why would she still be working in the store? Wouldn’t that be risky?

As for Kate Hayes, surely a woman who owned three clothing stores might be able to run a scheme to defraud her insurance company. If she were an unethical person, that is. But judging from Vanities, Nancy decided Kate wasn’t in any financial difficulty. An insurance scam seemed a slim possibility.

Nancy sighed and turned the car onto her street. So much for what she
didn’t
know.

There was only one thing she was sure of. Whoever was behind the Vanities thefts couldn’t
be operating alone. Goods had to be trucked from place to place and turned into cash down the line. Nancy had to be looking for a partnership, not a single criminal.

Lost in thought, Nancy got out of her car and began heading up the front steps of her house. It was extremely quiet. Her dad was away on a business trip, and Hannah Gruen, the Drew family’s housekeeper, was visiting her sister. Nancy knew she’d be alone that night.

“Nancy! Nancy!” A familiar voice rang out as Nancy was fishing out her keys. Turning, she watched Nikki Masters run up the walk, waving a manila envelope in her hand. There was a worried look in Nikki’s soft blue eyes when she reached Nancy.

“Hi, Nikki,” Nancy said, concerned. “What’s wrong?”

“Oh, Nancy. Everything’s wrong,” Nikki blurted out. “Look at this!” She handed Nancy the large manila envelope.

Nancy reached in and pulled out a Native American-style turquoise-and-silver pendant necklace. On the back of the center stone was a large etched Z, almost like a lightning bolt. It was very similar to the mark she’d seen on the necklace in Vanities.

“Nice,” Nancy murmured, turning the necklace and flashing it in the bright sunlight. “Why is it a problem?”

“Oh, Nancy,” Nikki moaned. “My boyfriend
gave it to me,” she said quickly, still trying to catch her breath. “My ex-boyfriend, I should say. I’m going to give it back to him, though.”

“You mean Dan Taylor?” His name came back to Nancy from the fight she’d overheard the night before.

Nikki looked at her curiously. “Yes. How did you know?”

“I heard you arguing with him,” Nancy confessed. “Want to talk about it?”

Nikki nodded her head and the two girls sat on the top step. “Oh, Nancy, love is so complicated. I mean, sometimes I get so angry with Dan I just want to kill him! And other times, all he has to do is look at me, and I melt.”

“Sounds pretty intense, Nikki,” Nancy said sympathetically.

“It is! I mean, Dan is a nice guy and all, but he’s got a lot of problems,” Nikki explained. “At first I thought I could help him, but then—I don’t know. I kind of felt like I was in over my head, you know? So I told him I thought we both needed a little time apart. That’s when he gave me this!” Nikki clutched the necklace in her slender fingers.

“Well, if you don’t want to accept an expensive gift, you can always give it back to him,” Nancy advised.

“It’s more than that,” Nikki explained. She looked at Nancy strangely. “I’m worried about
Dan, Nancy. He doesn’t even have a job anymore.”

“Does Dan have a lot of money saved up?” Nancy asked, her eyes fixed on the expensive necklace.

“No!” Nikki proclaimed. “That’s what’s bothering me. Oh, Nancy, I hate to say this—but I think he stole it!”