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will disinherit you, don’t think I won’t. If that ring isn’t back on this table by tomorrow, I’m calling my lawyer!”
    “You’ll never do it, Aunt Sarah” was the young man’s reply. “Never.” Nancy drew her breath in sharply. She heard a door slam and then silence.
    Whew! Nancy thought. She was glad now she had listened in, nosy as it might have seemed. Sarah Amberly was in real danger, she felt it in her bones. But what could she do about it? How could she help?
    Preoccupied, Nancy started to draw her head back in. But as she did so, she banged her head—hard—against the bottom of the window.
    She felt a throbbing, and heard a ringing noise. It lasted only a fraction of a second, but in that amount of time, she lost her balance and feltherself start to slip. Her arms flailed wildly, grasping at the empty air.
    She couldn’t even scream. There was no time for that. Below her was the street, thirty stories down—and she was going over the ledge to land on it.

Chapter

Six
    I N THE LAST split second left to her, with an extra ounce of strength from somewhere deep inside, Nancy threw her head up and twisted herself around, reaching back with her fingertips.
    There! She grabbed the window and pushed herself inside, collapsing in a terrified heap on the floor. She’d been lucky this time, and she knew it. Mighty lucky. She lay there, breathing in deep drafts of air. I’m still alive! was all she could think.
    But when the relief subsided, and she picked herself up off the carpet, she muttered, “Youidiot!” Leaning so far out the window had been incredibly dumb.
    Maybe she was being overzealous. After all, the only crime that had been committed was a theft, and Sarah Amberly had insisted on handling that herself. The loss of the jewel was hardly something to die for.
    After walking to the mirror, Nancy smoothed her hair and looked down at her hands, which were raw and scratched from her close call at the window. Then she checked her watch. She was startled to realize it was almost time for dinner.
    She went to the closet door and pulled the peach skirt from its hanger. Just then, her father popped his head inside. Carson’s face was tired and strained.
    “Hi, Dad!” she called. “You look bushed.”
    Carson nodded and sighed. “That’s one way to put it. Between the speeches and the heavy lunch I feel like I’m made of lead. How was your day, Nancy?”
    “I got a new outfit today. In fact, I thought I’d wear it tonight for our big dinner—”
    “Honey, about that dinner . . .”
    The moment the words were out of his mouth, Nancy knew what was coming next.
    “Nan, would you mind very much if we did it tomorrow instead? I was thinking maybe we could order from room service tonight—but only if that’s okay with you.”
    Looking at her father’s weary face, Nancy couldn’t make him push himself any more than he already had.
    “Room service sounds like fun, actually,” she said, hanging up her new outfit again. At least they’d have the whole next day and Sunday. Now that her dad’s meetings were over, they could really spend some time together.
    Nancy had to blink when she read the prices on the room service menu, but Carson insisted she order whatever she wanted. Half an hour later there was a knock on the door, and Maximilian appeared behind a rolling silver table.
    What is it about him? Nancy wondered. The waiter cast a sickening smile in their direction.
    “Lobster à la maison for two? Asparagus almondine in sherry sauce?” he asked.
    “That’s us,” Carson said.
    “And I have a bottle of sparkling water?”
    “Yup,” said Carson. “That’s us, too.”
    “How are you, miss?” Maximilian inquired as he rolled the cart in front of the sofa and began setting up for dinner.
    “Fine, thank you,” Nancy answered politely. She couldn’t decide how she felt about this man.
    Carson left the room to get tip money. Suddenly Maximilian leaned toward Nancy, speaking in hushed