Chapter 1 A New Case
Nancy Drew, a titian haired girl of 18, combed through the River Heights Gazette to see if there were any cases that needed solving. She was clad in a yellow sweater and plaid skirt. Her hair was pulled back into a high ponytail and she had a pencil resting above her right ear.
She frowned and scanned the paper a second time.
She needed a break from her personal life, and a new case would be just the thing to do it.
Her relationship with Ned Nickerson had been rocky lately, with Ned feeling like he was second to sleuthing in Nancy's life. It was true, to a point. Nancy could not duplicate the feeling of success in a mystery to the love she received from Ned. Perhaps things would have been different if Ned had shared her enthusiasm for detecting. Lately, he was more interested in football than she was. They decided to take a break for a bit.
"Nancy!" called a voice from downstairs.
Nancy put down the paper and called back, "Dad, is that you?"
"Yeah! Come down here, I might have a case for you!" he shouted. Carson Drew, prominent lawyer about town, could always be relied on for information in town. He had great connections that proved invaluable to Nancy's cases and he was more than happy to help Nancy solve them.
Nancy ran downstairs to greet her Dad, giving him a big hug and a peck on the cheek. He was doffing his grey blazer and hanging it on the back of a kitchen chair when Nancy entered the room. He yawned and stretched his arms. It looked like he had a long day at the office today.
"What's this about a new case?" asked Nancy eagerly.
"Mr. Barnaby, antiques dealer on 3rd street was robbed last night." Said Mr. Drew
"What happened?" asked Nancy with a shriek, "Is he alright?"
"He's just fine, Nancy," started Mr. Drew, "His new statue, the Emerald Owl, was stolen last night. Someone broke in and took it. The police drew up the report, but maybe you can find something that they've overlooked?"
"I'll go get my things and head over! Thanks Dad!" exclaimed Nancy with a large smile.