A Ghost In The Closet. Mabel Maney

through her catalog. A feminine giggle interrupted her. It was her girlfriend, the vivacious Velma Pierce, and she had brushed her short, dark curly locks until they shone. Right behind her was Nancy, who had shed her raincoat to reveal a crisp shirtwaist cinched with a slender belt, in the prettiest blue that set off her shiny titian locks to their best advantage, and her date Cherry, similarly attired in a smart shirtwaist of the palest yellow and carrying a white patent-leather clutch purse.

      Midge sighed with relief and jammed her program into the back pocket of her rumpled men’s trousers. She did her best to look annoyed.

      “I’m sorry we took so long,” Velma exclaimed as she gave her patient girlfriend a kiss. Midge’s frown immediately turned into a big grin.

      “I’m afraid it’s all my fault,” Cherry admitted. “While I was powdering my nose I noticed a girl wearing the cute cornflower blue uniform of a Veterinarian Nurse, and I just had to ask her a few pertinent questions about her exciting profession.” If truth be told, the conversation had done Cherry a world of good. Although she was greatly enjoying her stay in this lovely Midwestern town, she had to admit she was a little lonesome for the hustle and bustle of the big city hospital that had, until three weeks ago, been her whole world.

      Until her recent adventure brought her to Illinois, Nurse Cherry Aimless had been a happily overworked Ward Nurse specializing in women with nervous disorders at Seattle General Hospital. During a visit to San Francisco to see her Aunt Gertrude, she had been caught up in the exciting Case of the Not-So-Nice Nurse, where she had met her longtime idol, detective Nancy Clue, and Midge and Velma, too! That simple vacation had turned into the adventure of a lifetime, for not only had Cherry helped rescue a convent of kidnapped nuns, she had also fallen deeply and truly in love with her favorite girl detective!

      Only days later, the chums had been swept up in their most recent mystery, the dramatic Case of the Good-For-Nothing Girlfriend, which had proven to be their scariest adventure ever! Helpful housekeeper Hannah Gruel, who had been like a mother to Nancy Clue since the death of her real mother many years ago, had been charged with killing Nancy’s father, famous attorney Carson Clue!

      “Thank goodness that’s all over,” Cherry sighed in relief. “Has it just been a week since Nancy faced a certain jail sentence by bravely admitting that it was she who had murdered her father, only to be exonerated at the very last minute when Carson Clue’s true nature was finally revealed?” Cherry wondered to herself. Why, if public sentiment hadn’t been behind her, Nancy could very well be in prison this minute, Cherry realized with alarm as she clutched her chum’s slender, white cotton-gloved hand.

      Who would have guessed that just days before, the charmingly outfitted girl at Cherry’s side had been locked in a damp, drab jail cell? Luckily, once the truth about her father had been revealed and people could see that Nancy had had no choice but to shoot him, the good citizens of River Depths had demanded she be let go and that all charges be dropped.

      Nancy smiled and gave Cherry’s hand a little squeeze. “Lucky for us, everything’s back to normal,” that confident squeeze said.

      Cherry felt a sudden stab of guilt. All week she had been trying to get her feelings straight about Nancy. When they first met in San Francisco, they fell instantly and truly in love. But after two glorious weeks, their romance had soured, and Cherry had been forced to take a good long look at her idol. Not liking all she saw, the gentle nurse had since demurred whenever the subject of love came up. Cherry knew that since Nancy’s release from prison, she had done all she could to rekindle their earlier love, but there was just one thing standing in the way.

      “A great, big good-looking girl with bulging biceps and the warmest smile I’ve ever seen,” Cherry thought dreamily. San Francisco Detective Jackie Jones, a calm, capable girl with rich brown skin and large black eyes, had shown up at Nancy’s door to help her chums solve their last case, and had stolen Cherry’s heart in the process. “Maybe I was never really in love with Nancy to begin with,” Cherry thought. “Could it be that I’m really, truly in love with Jackie, and my feelings for Nancy were merely a girl’s first crush?” Still, Cherry felt a little tingle when she gazed at her attractive titian-haired chum, who had stooped to pet a frisky Scottish terrier, a plucky little breed whose independent spirit and reckless courage had long held it in good stead with the dog-loving public.

      “Nancy has been awfully sweet to me since she was released from prison. And who could blame her for acting a little short-tempered during her murder trial?” Cherry asked herself. “After all, she was under an awful strain.” The more Cherry pondered this, the more sense it made. Could it be her feelings for Jackie, a top notch detective with a steady gaze and a confident manner, were merely the admiration of one dedicated professional for another?

      Cherry blushed. She always blushed when she thought of the strong, cocksure detective who had an uncanny habit of showing up just when Cherry needed her most. “Time will tell. Just be patient, and you’ll see who’s the right girl for you,” Velma’s sensible words rang in Cherry’s ears. Since meeting the older, more sophisticated Velma Pierce, Cherry had, again and again, turned to her for guidance on matters of the heart, as well as for fashion and hairstyle tips.

      “After ten years with Midge, Velma must know everything there is to know about romance,” Cherry realized. She snuck a peek at her favorite couple, who were standing arm in arm whilst poring over the fascinating program. She was thrilled to see them happy and smiling again. Midge and Velma were true and devoted lovers, but a silly misunderstanding last week had almost pulled them asunder! Luckily, love had prevailed, and the two were wed in a lovely ceremony in Nancy’s living room, attended by all of River Depth society.

      Cherry puzzled her pretty brow. There was one thing she still didn’t understand. If Midge was masquerading as Frank Hardly, and had married Velma while in disguise, was Velma Mrs. Midge Fontaine, or really Mrs. Frank Hardly? “Maybe now isn’t the best time to bring that up,” Cherry decided. “Since everyone’s having such a swell time.”

      The chums had kept a low profile for days, waiting for the news to blow over that it had been Nancy who had murdered her father. “Not that it’s been a dull period in the least,” Cherry murmured to herself. Why, the house had been a whirlwind of activity!

      Shortly after Nancy’s release from jail, the president of the River Depths Bank had arrived with a briefcase stuffed with stocks and bonds and insurance policies for Nancy to peruse. There were numerous financial decisions for River Depth’s newest heiress to mull over, for besides inheriting the comfortable three-story brick house and her father’s considerable bank account, Nancy had come into a large trust left to her by her late mother, Rebecca Clue. Why, the interest alone would keep Nancy in fashionable frocks and necessary accessories for the rest of her days!

      When Nancy had begged Cherry to be her date for the show, Jackie had suddenly announced that she had official work to do, strapped on her gun and left the house. Cherry was frankly relieved that she didn’t have to choose between two escorts for that day!

      “Although Jackie is missing all the fun,” Cherry thought woefully as she followed the others through the crowd to the center arena where the Parade of Hounds was underway. Soon Cherry forgot all about her troubled romances as many delightful dogs, led by a handsome bloodhound, paraded about in a large circle.

      “These can’t all be hounds,” Cherry exclaimed to Midge. “They look nothing alike.” As she said this, she noticed a burly man clad in a tight-fitting shiny black suit prick up his ears and tilt his head so as to hear Midge’s response. Cherry was glad she wasn’t the only uninformed one in the crowd!

      Midge quickly explained that all sorts of contrary-appearing dogs, from the merry beagle to the regal Afghan, were hounds. “There are two classifications of hounds: coursing hounds, which use their eyesight for tracking, and tracking hounds, which rely on their acute sense of smell,” Midge explained earnestly, adding, “Dogs have a sense of smell three hundred times that of humans.”

      “Bloodhounds are often used by the police to solve crimes,” Nancy interjected. “I had one with me when I cracked The Case of