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went silent and Emily thought her mom had hung up on her until she heard her dad's voice instead.
    "Turn on the news. There's a breaking bulletin about the murder. And about Helen." Emily felt her dad's words plummet to the pit of her stomach and settle there like a rock. She grabbed the remote off the coffee table in front of her with shaking fingers and stabbed the power button. A cartoon blared out cheerful music while various animal-like characters frolicked in a meadow. It took Emily a minute to figure out how to get the right channel, but the minute she did, she saw that a news reporter was standing outside the high school. According to the shellacked blonde on-screen, Helen Burning was named as the prime suspect in Jim Layton's murder. The reporter went on to say that Helen was believed to be on the run. Pepper spray residue was found on the victim, and Helen was known to carry a canister, especially since she often went running alone. An anonymous source told police that Helen and Jim Layton, the victim, had been overheard arguing prior to his demise. The motive was mentioned as financial gain, as Layton's wallet and phone were missing, and his bank account had been cleared out late last night, in three-hundred-dollar increments. As anyone in Ellington knew, Helen was widowed young and never had any children. Like Emily, she was an only child, so she was the sole caretaker for her mother, who was now in a nursing home due to Alzheimer's. The bubbly blonde reporter tried to look serious as she announced that anyone who had seen or heard from Helen Burning was encouraged to call the number on the bottom of the screen. Emily had the urge to reach through the screen and pull out a handful of that coiffed and cemented hair.
    Emily clicked off the TV and sank numbly onto the couch. It took her a few seconds to hear the faint sound of her dad calling her name. She put the phone back up to her ear. "You're still there? Sorry. Got caught up in the news. They can't be right, can they, Dad? What does Mom think?"
    Before her dad could reply, Emily heard the sounds of a scuffle and then her mom's voice came back on the line. "Emily, there is no way that Helen had anything to do with that poor man's death! Something has happened to her, and we have to find her." At that point, she broke down in sobs, and the connection was broken.
    Emily looked up to see Greg and Gabby staring at her from the doorway. "Well, what do you think?" she asked them.
    "I think they're grasping at straws," Greg stated.
    "Helen is innocent!" Gabby pounded the top of the chair she was standing behind for emphasis.
    "I think so too," Emily declared, standing up. "We can't let Helen be railroaded like this. That so-called anonymous source had to be Barnes, and I think he's lying to cover his own tail."
    "So, it's settled?" Gabby asked her. "We're officially on the case?"
    Greg snorted. "Nancy Drew and her faithful sidekick." Emily blushed, remembering Tad saying much the same thing earlier.
    This time, Emily flipped back her hair. "Well, if we're going to be Nancy Drew, I think it's only fair that we have her little blue roadster to tootle around in."
    Greg laughed out loud. "Yeah, right. You'd wreck it the first day you had it."
    Emily threw a couch pillow at him, but he ducked. Emily bowed her head in mock defeat. "You're probably right, Greg. But I can't be Nancy Drew anyway."
    "Why not?" Gabby asked indignantly.
    "I'd never fit into those little pencil skirts she was always wearing," Emily told her, patting her own ample hips.
    Gabby threw the pillow back at her and caught Emily on the shoulder. "You better start running with me, then, because pencil skirts or no, starting tomorrow we are going to be Nancy Drews." So much for the mashed potatoes, Emily thought, taking in her best friend's perfectly toned body. She'd had twins, for goodness' sake! No one should be allowed to look that good. It wasn't fair to the rest of the female population.
    Gabby watched