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what we need,” Nancy agreed. “Proof. We need to catch someone stealing a car and follow him to the right warehouse. Then the police will have everything they need to move in.”
    â€œOh, right. As if some thief is going to let us hang around while he steals a car,” Bess said, rolling her eyes.
    Nancy grinned at Bess. “Actually, that’s exactly what I have in mind,” she said. “Only the thief won’t know we’re there.”
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    At nine o’clock that night, Nancy picked Bess up at her house.
    Before Bess got into the car, she gestured to her clothes. “What do you think, Nan? Black shirt, black pants, black socks and shoes—the height of fashion,” she joked.
    â€œIt is if you’re tracking down car thieves,” said Nancy, laughing. She, too, was dressed all in black, and she wore a dark ski cap to cover her reddish blond hair.
    â€œI thought Dirk said you shouldn’t be drivingyour car,” Bess said as Nancy headed the Mustang toward the riverfront area.
    Nancy patted the dashboard. “It’s going into the shop tomorrow. Alignment isn’t a terrible problem, so we’re safe for now. I’m not sure how we’re going to get around after this, though.”
    â€œDon’t worry about that,” Bess said. “The insurance company’s paying for a rental car that I can drive for thirty days—or until we recover the Camaro,” she added confidently. “My dad picked it up after work tonight, but he had to go to a meeting so I haven’t seen it yet. For once I’ll get to chauffeur you around.”
    Ten minutes later the girls were driving down the winding road that went from the highway to the riverfront.
    â€œWhat now?” Bess asked. “How do you know where the car thieves are going to hit?”
    â€œWe have to think like one,” Nancy replied. “Officer Jackson said two cars were stolen from the main parking lot of the riverfront renovation. Then your Camaro was taken from the restaurant lot. The way I figure it, that leaves the lot at the nightclub, the Scene. I bet it’s crowded on a Thursday night, too.”
    Bess nodded. “So we’re going to stake out the Scene’s parking lot?”
    â€œRight.” Nancy drove past the nightclub, which was perched next to the Riverside on a cliff overlooking the river. The parking lot was across the street from it.
    â€œOfficer Jackson was right when she said the lots here aren’t well lit,” Bess commented as Nancy pulled her car into the lot. There was only one streetlight at the entrance. Most of the cars were just black silhouettes in the darkness.
    â€œTonight that will be in our favor,” Nancy reminded Bess.
    Nancy found a spot next to a sedan in the middle of the lot. “If we hunch down between my car and the sedan, we should be able to see anyone coming or going. We’ll leave the door propped open in case we need to make a quick getaway.”
    The overhead light winked on as Bess opened her door to get out. She giggled and reached up to remove the plastic cover and unscrew the bulb. “Better take this out. Nothing like advertising that we’re here.”
    The two girls sat on the gravel next to the Mustang. Nancy kept a look out by the rear fender, which faced the back part of the lot and a dark side street. Bess’s spot by the front tire gave her a good view of the entrance to the Scene.
    For two hours they watched as laughing couples and groups parked their cars and went into the nightclub. Nancy was beginning to wonder if they were wasting their time when Bess said in a low voice, “Hey, look.”
    Nancy joined Bess at the front of the car in time to see a man and woman leaving the nightclub. The woman was laughing and holdingon to the man’s arm. When the woman passed under the single streetlight, Nancy recognized Kitty Lambert’s long, brown