Read 004 Smile and Say Murder for Free Online Page A

mad about the canceled trip. But Nancy knew she had to push her problems with Ned out of her mind. She couldn’t let them interfere with the case.
    Nancy had left Ned a few blocks away from the building where Flash’s offices were housed. She’d decided that they’d get a lot more information if they pretended they didn’t know each other. That way, they could search for clues separately. And with luck, Mick and Sondra wouldn’t think Ned was a spy. Because of their feelings for Nancy, they definitely weren’t going to open up with her. Maybe Ned could get closer to them.
    The elevator reached the sixteenth floor, and the doors slid open. Nancy stepped out. Okay, Flash, she thought. I’m ready for whatever you’ve got in store for me today. She walked over to the reception desk. “Hi, Scott,” she said.
    “Hey, Nancy, how’s it going today?”
    “Okay, I suppose,” Nancy replied noncommittally.
    “Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, especially so early in the morning, but Mick wants to see you in his office right away.”
    “Oh.” Nancy frowned. She was sure it wasn’t going to be very much fun. On the other hand, it was her first real chance to talk to her prime suspect. If she were lucky, she’d pick up a clue or two.
    Scott flashed Nancy a sympathetic smile. “I’m really sorry about what Mick put youthrough yesterday. It’s too bad, because actually Mick can be a pretty nice guy at times. Anyway, he said to send you in to him as soon as you got here.”
    “Thanks.” Nancy hung her coat in the closet behind Scott’s desk. She’d been a little nervous about what to wear that day. Flash was a fashion magazine, after all. Finally she’d chosen a favorite rose-colored sweater that brought out the red highlights in her hair and some classic, tailored black pants with low-heeled pumps.
    Nancy headed for Mick’s office. She soon found out that it was just as wild as Mick himself. It was decorated with dozens of remote control toys and tacky plastic things, a complete contrast to Yvonne’s high-class image. Mick had everything from toy airplanes that really flew to barking dogs and marching soldiers.
    Mick was reclining in a big orange armchair when Nancy came in. His feet were on his desk, displaying a pair of zebra-striped shoes. He was wearing an oversized white suit and a zebra ascot around his neck.
    “Hi,” Mick said. “Have a seat.”
    “Thanks,” Nancy answered. She walked across the room, almost slipping on the highly polished wooden floors.
    “Careful,” Mick said.
    Nancy smiled cautiously, settling into an orange chair identical to Mick’s. Obviously Mick was trying to be pleasant and considerate. But why?
    “Nancy,” he began. He coughed, embarrassed,and swung his feet off the desk. “I’ve got something to say to you. It’s not easy for me but—well, I’ve got to apologize to you for yesterday. I’m really sorry.”
    Nancy stared at Mick in surprise. Was this the same guy who’d humiliated her in the studio? The same guy who’d angrily smashed Yvonne’s vase to bits?
    “My sister was on my case about that joke all night,” he continued. “She told me it was completely sick and creepy and that you could have been really scared. Well, I didn’t mean it that way. Who’d leave a real severed head in a props closet? I figured you’d realize it was a joke as soon as you saw the head.”
    Nancy wasn’t sure what to make of Mick’s apology. He certainly seemed to mean it. But where had the nice Mick been hiding the day before? Was he trying to gain Nancy’s trust so he could throw her off his trail?
    Actually, Nancy thought, Mick had been considerate with Danielle Artman yesterday. And he’d showed concern about her working all afternoon in the darkroom. Still, that didn’t mean the vicious Mick didn’t exist, too.
    Nancy smiled slowly. “Thanks for the apology,” she said simply. “I appreciate it. I was pretty worried about all the fighting that went on