The Letter - Chapter 13

“Mrs. Henderson, you make a delicious vegetable lasagna!” I said to Liz’s mother.  I picked up my plate and silverware and set them on the kitchen counter.  Should I put these in the dishwasher?”

“No, you girls go up and do your homework.  Mr. Henderson and I will clean up,” replied Liz’s mom.

“Hey, speak for yourself, Darla,” Mr. Henderson said with a smile.  There’s a hockey game on tonight.  The Penguins are a few wins away from a guaranteed playoff spot.”

“That game doesn’t start for another hour, dear.  By then, you should have the kitchen all cleaned up,” shot back Mrs. Henderson.

“Sheesh!  Now it sounds like I’m on cleanup detail alone,” Liz’s dad made a sad face.

“I’ll help, but then again, I cooked; so if you want to see the opening face-off, you’d better get started.  You girls run along.” 

I gave a backward glance as Liz and I left the dining room and was glad to see Liz’s parents were smiling at each other.  I shuddered as I remembered the very real arguments over seemingly petty things between my parents before my mother walked out on us.  I followed my friend up the stairs to her room.  Liz sat down in front of her laptop and ran her fingers through her thick, dark hair as she turned to face me.

“OK, Nancy, have you figured this case out yet? Liz asked.

“You’re the one with the Nancy Drew Mystery collection.  I’ve never read a Nancy Drew book.”

“True confession.  Me neither.  My mom got these at a garage sale,” Liz said pointing to a row of about a dozen books on her bookshelf.  “But I’ve never read a single one of them.  I did start Nancy’s Mysterious Letter after we talked the other night.  But I’m only like five chapters into it.”

“Anything helpful to solving our mystery?”

“Not really.  The mysterious letter came from a law firm in England.  They think Nancy’s an English heiress, but she thinks they sent it to the wrong Nancy Drew.  The real mystery seems to be that the mailman’s mail pouch was stolen when he came in to Nancy’s house for a cup of cocoa.”

“That sounds pretty weird.  Why did the mailman go in for cocoa?”

“Apparently, he is a dear man who delivered the mail for years and is about to retire.  But now his reputation is shot and he’ll likely lose his pension unless Nancy finds the culprits and the missing mail.  It’s actually not a bad read. But what I found really neat is that Nancy lives with her father, who is a lawyer – just like you and your dad!”

“My dad’s a retired corporate lawyer.  Did Nancy’s mother abandon them for a filthy rich law firm lawyer?”

“I think he’s a widower.  Sorry, I think I touched a raw nerve.  Anyway, Nancy’s not provided much help for our case so far.  She does seem to have two friends – a plump one named Bess and a ‘boyish’ one named George.”  Liz pulled back her bushy locks and tied them in a ponytail.

“George? That’s strange.  So if I’m Nancy, which friend are you?  Maybe you should be Nancy since you have her books.”

“No, Nancy’s blonde like you.  See?”  Liz picked up Nancy’s Mysterious Letter and showed me the cover illustration.  “And with these hips, no one would ever accuse me of being boyish,” Liz stood up and shimmied.

“All right, but you’re not plump, I laughed.  You have a perfect figure – shapely, but not the least bit fat.  I should probably be Boy George or George Junior since that’s my dad’s name.”

“Liz laughed.  I don’t remember it saying that boyish George had perfect teeth and hair.”

“My stylist and orthodontist thank you for that,” I laughed.  “OK, enough of Nancy and her friends.  Let me show you the clues I have pulled together.”