Read Close Encounters (Nancy Drew (All New) Girl Detective Book 21) for Free Online Page A

headquartered.”
    George laughed. “She’s got all the bases covered, Nancy. You might as well give in.”
    “Believe me, I’m not about to argue with that famous Marvin logic,” I said.
    George left us to go for her morning run, then she’d head to back to the café and Winnie’s computer. After upgrading the firewall she planned on kicking the café’s website up a notch. We’d decided to hook up at Winnie’s in the early afternoon.
    Bess and I went toward the shop. True to her word, Bess’s chosen shopping target, the Antique Attic, was close by. A sign with the word REALTOR was arched over the top of the handcrafted Antique Attic sign.
    “Looks like the perfect place for a quick browse,” Bess said as we parked next to the shop’s pale green minivan.
    “ Quick is the operative word here,” I reminded Bess. The storefront had two doors. One door led into the realty office, the other into the antique store.
    A buzzer sounded as we walked in, and a tall woman with salt-and-pepper hair looked up from arranging jewelry in a display on the counter. She was an attractive fortysomething: a spare, nicely dressed woman with great cheekbones. I was sure I had seen her somewhere before . . .
    But where?
    I shook off the thought. I had never been anywhere near here before. How would I know her?
    “Just browsing?” she asked. “Take your time. But if there’s something in particular you’re looking for, feel free to ask.”
    “Thanks, we will,” I said. Immediately a display of beaded bracelets caught Bess’s eye. “Would Hannah like one of these?” she asked. Hannah was our housekeeper in River Heights, and she’d been like a second mother to Bess and George ever since she’d become a part of our household.
    I examined the bracelets, then shook my head. Bess, however, selected one and left it at the counter with the shopkeeper.
    I joined Bess as she examined some items on a table near the counter: baseball caps, sweatshirts, little plastic flying saucers and rocket ships. Also prominently displayed was a selection of really spooky alien masks.
    “UFO souvenirs?” I smiled.
    The woman behind the counter laughed. “No storein town can afford to be without them. I, at least, tried to have a few of the more unusual and tasteful items, but they can’t help but be what they are.”
    “Have the UFO sightings brought you business?” I asked, while Bess sorted through the T-shirts. The Antique Attic seemed to have turned into a souvenir shop too.
    The woman just shrugged. “Not much. Especially since the roadblock is only about four miles from here. But my rentals have picked up some,” she added as the phone rang. As she picked up the phone, she gestured toward a corkboard over a shelf full of old books. I sauntered over and looked at the interior and exterior photos and descriptions of some of the rental properties. Most were for ski chalets, but one in particular caught my eye. Sunk into the side of a hill, the dwelling resembled a well-furnished cave.
    The storekeeper came up. “Interesting property,” she said. “It’s called Under Hill. I just negotiated a short-term lease for it. It’ll be free in a month or so, I imagine.” Before I could say I wasn’t interested, she introduced herself as Eleanor Dorian. “Better known as Ellie,” she added.
    “Nancy, look over here!” Bess said. “I found the perfect present for Ned.”
    Ellie smiled at me, then went back to arranging the jewelry. I joined Bess, who was fiddling with thelatches on an old black typewriter case.
    “Nice!” What a find! My boyfriend Ned had started collecting old-fashioned portable typewriters. Bess had gotten involved in his project using her mechanical know-how to get them back in at least moderate working order. “Is the typewriter inside?” I asked, hoping it wasn’t. Now considered antiques and not just tag-sale junk, the portables had become a bit pricey for my budget.
    “No,” Bess answered, finally getting