continued. âI didnât know they had taken anyone to the station.â
âI donât think Rob had anything to do with the theft,â Nancy said, âbut I donât have proof at this point. What I would like from you is the collegeâs permission to look into the case.â
âHarper is a friend of Ned Nickerson, isnât he?â
Nancy felt her cheeks redden. âYes,â she said. âHe is. But I can give you my word that wonât affect the way I handle the case. If I find evidence that Rob was involved, Iâll turn it over to the authorities immediately.â
Jarvis looked embarrassed. âI didnât mean to suggest that you wouldnât,â he said quickly. âI was thinking more of how it might look to someone who doesnât know youâthe police, for instance.â
He rubbed his temples while he thought. At last he said, âAll right, Nancy, you have my permission to investigate. Youâve helped the college out of tight spots before, and we can certainly use your help now.â
âThanks, Dean,â Nancy said, smiling. âWould you mind if I check a couple of things with you? Is it definite that the jewels were stolen while the guards were distracted by the fire at the boat house?â
âOh, yes.â
âHow many people were in the museum at the time of the theft?â Nancy asked.
âAbout a dozen, from what Iâve heard,â Jarvis replied. âPlus the two guards. But once they heard the sirens, they all left the exhibit area and went to see what was going on. The police couldnât find anyone who didnât, as a matter of fact.â
âSo the exhibit was emptyâexcept for the thief,â Nancy pointed out. âOkay, thanks, Dean. Iâd better get to work.â
âThank you, Nancy,â he said. âAnd good luck.â
Nancy went slowly through the museum, checking out its layout and looking for anything unusual. As she expected, the emergency exit was just outside the last room of the jewelry exhibit âthe room where the empressâs jewels had been displayed. The security room, where the alarm system was located, was a small, cramped room at the very back of the museum, far from both the exhibit and the entrance to the museum.
After finishing her inspection, she asked the guards a few questions, then checked her watch. She still had time before she had to meet the others at the student center, so she sat down on a bench in the museumâs entrance hall to think.
The thief had probably used the emergency entrance to make his exit. Since the alarm had already been shut off, there was no fear of it sounding. But how had he gotten in without anyone seeing him? She wished she could get a copy of the list of people whoâd been in the museum at the time, but that didnât seem possible.
Sighing, Nancy propped her elbows on her jeans and rested her chin in the palms of herhands. There was the question of how the boat house fire fit in, too. If the same person was responsible for both crimes, as she suspected, then he or she would have had to make quick time getting from the boat house to the museum after setting the fire. How long a walk was it?
There were two ways to go: along the lakeshore and past the field with the snow sculptures to the steps leading up the hill, or along the path that led through the little wood and up a gentler slope farther down the hill. The lake path seemed as if it might be a bit more direct, but it was also much more exposed. Nancy had a hunch that the thief would have taken the more hidden path instead.
Zipping up her jacket, she braced herself for the cold and headed along the bluff in the direction of the path that would lead to the small woods. The stretch of road between the museum and the path was pretty desertedâthere werenât any buildings, and there was a good cover of evergreens on both sides.
Nancy turned down the path.