The Case Of The Good-For-Nothing Girlfriend. Mabel Maney

swelled with pride as she thought of her car-trip uniform tucked securely in the bottom of her travel first-aid kit, next to a freshly polished pair of sturdy white shoes and an extra cap. Nurse Cherry Aimless was ready to swing into action the minute the call to duty came!

      She almost reached for the uniform right then and there when she saw Midge and Lauren walking toward the car and realized with alarm that Midge was all bent over! To Cherry’s great relief, it soon became clear that Midge was doubled over because she was carrying a big rock and not because she had hurt herself. “Phew!” Cherry thought.

      “Guess what we’ve got?” Midge groaned as she unceremoniously dropped the small boulder on the ground next to the girls.

      “Midge, be careful!” Lauren hollered.

      “It’s just a big dumb rock,” Midge shot back. “You can’t hurt it.”

      “Can, too!” Lauren argued as she carefully placed her armload of smaller, yellow stones on the rear floor of the convertible before running to retrieve the large rock. “This is a fine specimen of a serpentine rock, and I don’t want it chipped,” she said, polishing the dark green, white-veined rock with the sleeve of her dirty red sweatshirt.

      “She was mountain-climbing and wouldn’t come down until I agreed to let her bring some of the Pocatello Peaks with her,” Midge explained. She stared at Velma’s new coat with keen interest. “This is nice,” she murmured to Velma, stroking the front of her thick, luxurious wool coat. “Did you girls go shopping while we were gone?” Midge joked.

      Just then, Cherry noticed the glare of oncoming headlights about a quarter mile down the road. “There’s a car coming our way,” she yelled, adding, “Maybe they’ll give us a ride to town, and Midge won’t have to push the car after all.”

      They turned on their headlights and honked excitedly so the driver would see them, but, to their utter amazement, the middle-aged man wearing dark glasses and a straw hat pulled low over his face zoomed past!

      “Yoo hoo! Help!” Cherry yelled as she raced after the dusty brown Impala. The woman in the passenger seat turned around, and Cherry got a good look at her frightfully over-bleached hair, garish red head scarf, and white plastic sunglasses before the car picked up speed, leaving the girls in a cloud of dust.

      “How terribly rude!” Cherry cried as she took a clean hankie from her purse and wiped her face. “I know they saw us! Why, that woman looked straight at me!”

      “When we get to River Depths, I’ll have Police Chief Chumley run a check on all known dusty brown Impalas,” Nancy said hotly. “I’ll bet they’ve many outstanding traffic citations. Someone needs to explain the rules of the road to them.”

      The episode had lit a fire in Nancy. She traded her cork-soled wedge sandals for a pair of ballerina flats and positioned herself behind the car.

      “Heave ho, girls!” she cried.

       CHAPTER 5

       That Special Something

      Midge gave a great big satisfied sigh. “Those were the best mashed potatoes I’ve ever had,” she groaned as she licked the last of the gravy from her fork and pushed her plate aside.

      Cherry beamed. “Idaho is the Land of Famous Potatoes, Midge!” she cried before taking another bite of her delicious, creamy Potatoes Au Gratin—perfectly baked spuds smothered in a rich cheddar cheese sauce and topped with a mound of sour cream.

      “How are your French Fried Potatoes, Lauren?” she asked their teen-aged friend, who was hungrily gulping down thin strips of fried potatoes smothered in catsup. Lauren nodded and kept eating. She was especially hungry after her rock-climbing adventure.

      Cherry glanced anxiously at Velma, who was busy checking her makeup in her compact mirror. “Her Hash Browns are getting cold,” Cherry worried, knowing that the dish was most delicious when eaten piping hot. Cherry noted, too, with dismay, that Nancy had barely touched her plate of Scalloped Potatoes—generous slices of potato floating in a delectable mushroom sauce. “Although she has managed to consume two vodka martinis, that’s not nearly enough nutrition for a girl on the go.” Cherry knew Nancy was anxious to know the fate of their damaged automobile, now in the hands of a capable mechanic at a garage just around the corner from the Pocatello Potato Palace, where the little group was enjoying the fine local cuisine.

      The nice mechanic had promised to report back to the group as soon as possible as to the condition of their vehicle. While Cherry sincerely hoped the damage would require no more than a simple repair job, she had to admit she wouldn’t at all mind staying the night in Pocatello, a lovely little town nestled in a peaceful valley, ringed by the famous Pocatello Peaks.

      “Nancy could surely benefit from some of this refreshing mountain air,” Cherry thought, taking a peek at her chum. Nancy was staring anxiously into her empty martini glass. “If I don’t stop her, she’s going to worry herself sick about Hannah,” Cherry realized with alarm.

      “Isn’t it lucky we met a mechanic willing to work this late on a Friday night, and for no extra fee besides?” she remarked in a cheery tone, trying to get Nancy to look at the bright side of their predicament. “We were fortunate to meet such a helpful person.”

      “Mel thought you were pretty swell, too,” Midge grinned. “Especially when you dropped your purse and bent over to pick up your things just as that gust of wind blew through the garage.”

      Cherry flushed hotly, and promised herself she’d never remove her undergarments again, no matter how hot the day!

      “A true professional is on call twenty-four hours a day, Midge,” she retorted, hoping Nancy wasn’t taking Midge’s teasing seriously. “Nancy must be terribly jealous,” Cherry thought. “Why, Midge as much as said I deliberately used my feminine wiles to charm the auto mechanic!”

      Cherry put her arm around Nancy, hoping to squelch any doubts as to her loyalty to her one and only true love! “Ignore Midge,” she wanted to cry. “I would never do anything to jeopardize what we have.”

      Cherry noted with relief that Nancy wasn’t paying one bit of attention to her. She was, in fact, busy scribbling notes on the paper coaster that had come with her drink.

      “I was just writing down what I intend to do when we get to River Depths,” Nancy explained. “When I’m working on a case, it helps to keep track of things.” She showed them her list.

       1. Get Father’s letters from secret hiding place

       2. Confess to killing Father

       3. Pick up Hannah from prison

      “Although I probably won’t really need the evidence, since the Chief will believe me based on my fine reputation alone, immediately free Hannah, and declare the shooting a case of justifiable homicide,” she pointed out, putting a question mark next to the first line.

      Midge groaned, rolled her eyes, and shot Velma a disgusted look. Velma gave her a placating smile. Although Midge hadn’t come right out and said it, Velma could tell her girlfriend was none too keen on Nancy’s plan.

      “Nancy, I’m not so sure—” Midge started, but Velma cut her off.

      “Why don’t you call the Chief now and tell him the whole truth? Then we won’t have to rush so to get to River Depths,” Velma suggested.

      “Oh no, Velma,” Nancy replied. “I must tell the Chief in person, and I must hand him Father’s letters as I’m telling him, so that he understands fully the gravity and delicacy