Nancy quickly strode into the emergency room, Frank following close
behind. She
slammed her purse on the desk and looked at the admissions nurse. "I'm
looking for someone
brought in here about a half hour ago. Ned Nickerson. How is he?"
The nurse eyed Nancy warily, "And you are?"
"I'm his girlfriend," she fibbed. Up until last night, that had been the truth, so Nancy didn't feel bad about stretching the truth.
"Hmph," the nurse said. "Well the girl that rode in with him," she said pointing a girl quietly sobbing in the corner, "claimed to be his girlfriend, as well."
Nancy sucked in a breath as she looked over and saw the brunette that she had caught him with the night before. "Well, I don't know who she is," Nancy said with steely resolve, "but he lives with me. Check his insurance records. I'm listed as his beneficiary. Nancy Drew is my name."
Frank put a reassuring hand on Nancy's back and they waited for the nurse to look up the information that verified Nancy's identity. The nurse typed a few keystrokes into the computer and then looked up at Nancy. "I'm sorry, Ms. Drew," she apologized. "But we have to be careful who we divulge information too."
Nancy nodded that she understood, but her impatience was growing. "Please, what can you tell me about his condition?"
The nurse typed a few more strokes on the keypad and then looked up from the screen, and back to Nancy. "He's in emergency surgery with Dr. Siebel. When he was brought in, he was listed in critical condition. As soon as the doctor is finished, I'll have him come speak with you about Mr. Nickerson. Until then, just have a seat. It may be awhile."
"Thank you," Nancy whispered gratefully. Turning to Frank she pointed out the girl in the corner. "What in the world is she doing here? And why was she with Ned when he was shot?"
Frank shrugged his shoulders. "Nan, I know what's going on here, just about as much as you do. This is crazy. Do you want to talk to her, or do you want me to do it?"
Nancy inhaled a deep breath and let it out slowly. "No, I don't want you to talk to her," she said, "but I do want you next to me, while I question her. You could pick up on something that I miss."
Frank pulled Nancy into another hug. "You can do this, Nan," he whispered encouragingly. "I'm right here with you."
"Thanks," Nancy said softly. "You're going above and beyond the call of duty here, Frank. I owe you big time."
Frank brushed a stray lock of hair away from Nancy's face. "No problem," he replied. "I'll collect later, when this whole mess is straightened out. Now, let's go talk to whats-her-name over there," Frank said giving her a gentle push in the girl's direction.
Nancy bit her lip as she stood sat in the chair opposite of the brunette that was crying. 'Where do I even begin?' she wondered. "Excuse me," Nancy said, breaking the girl out of her reverie.
The dark haired girl's eyes widened in shock and she recognized Nancy from the previous night. "Yes?" the girl croaked out.
"Who are you, for starters?" Nancy demanded
"My name is Amy Durham," she said quietly. "I work at Alliance with Ned. I'm his bosses secretary. We started uh... dating, about two months ago. I didn't know he had a girlfriend, I swear."
Nancy could see the fear and confusion in the girl's eyes, but Nancy didn't care. She had to know how Ned ended up in the hospital. "What happened? How did Ned get shot?" Nancy pressed her for more information.
"I... I don't know," Amy cried. "He called me about 2 hours ago and said he was at the apartment and that he wanted to talk to me about last night. I was still angry at him, but I agreed to meet him, anyway. When I got there, I ... I found him... he was laying on the floor in the living room." She hiccupped and wiped at her eyes and then continued. "There was so much blood," she whispered. "I called 9-1-1 and the next thing I know, I'm sitting here."
After hearing the story Nancy began to feel slightly sorry for the girl. Having seeing too many gruesome things in her past, she knew how hard it was. "Was there anyone else in the apartment when you found him?" she asked, more gently this time.
Amy shook her head no. "The place was a wreck, though," she remembered. "It looked like someone had broken in."
Frank glanced at Nancy. He could practically read her mind, and he knew that she was thinking that this wasn't making any sense. Who would break into a house, in broad daylight, while someone was there, and then shoot the person?
"Was he conscious when you found him?" Nancy queried.
"Barely," she answered. "But I didn't understand what he kept saying. He just kept repeating your name, and then I think he said something about a desk. But I'm not sure."
Frank's eyebrows raised in confusion, but it looked as though Nancy knew exactly what the girl was talking about. "Are you sure he said desk?" she asked once more.
"I think that's what he said," the brunette said timidly. "That was the last thing he said before he passed out."
Nancy stood abruptly and pulled Frank off to the side for a private conversation. "Something's not right here," she stated.
"You know what she's talking about with the desk comment, don't you?" Frank asked.
"Maybe," Nancy answered. "We have an old antique writing desk with a bunch of secret compartments. It's where we store all of important papers, so if we were to get burglarized, no one would find them. It's also where I keep my case notes that I don't want anyone else to see."
"So, the key to this seems to be whatever Ned is hiding in the compartment," Frank mulled over. "When was the last time you looked in there?"
Nancy shrugged her shoulders, "It's been awhile. I haven't had a really high profile cases in a couple of months."
"Do you want me to go check it out while you stay here and wait for word on Ned?" Frank offered. He could sense Nancy was torn on finding out just what Ned was hiding, and waiting to see what his condition was.
"Would you?" Nancy asked gratefully.
"Of course."
"Thank you," Nancy said, impulsively giving Frank a kiss on the cheek.
He smiled and looked down at Nancy's worried face, "So - tell me how to get into this secret compartment."
The nurse eyed Nancy warily, "And you are?"
"I'm his girlfriend," she fibbed. Up until last night, that had been the truth, so Nancy didn't feel bad about stretching the truth.
"Hmph," the nurse said. "Well the girl that rode in with him," she said pointing a girl quietly sobbing in the corner, "claimed to be his girlfriend, as well."
Nancy sucked in a breath as she looked over and saw the brunette that she had caught him with the night before. "Well, I don't know who she is," Nancy said with steely resolve, "but he lives with me. Check his insurance records. I'm listed as his beneficiary. Nancy Drew is my name."
Frank put a reassuring hand on Nancy's back and they waited for the nurse to look up the information that verified Nancy's identity. The nurse typed a few keystrokes into the computer and then looked up at Nancy. "I'm sorry, Ms. Drew," she apologized. "But we have to be careful who we divulge information too."
Nancy nodded that she understood, but her impatience was growing. "Please, what can you tell me about his condition?"
The nurse typed a few more strokes on the keypad and then looked up from the screen, and back to Nancy. "He's in emergency surgery with Dr. Siebel. When he was brought in, he was listed in critical condition. As soon as the doctor is finished, I'll have him come speak with you about Mr. Nickerson. Until then, just have a seat. It may be awhile."
"Thank you," Nancy whispered gratefully. Turning to Frank she pointed out the girl in the corner. "What in the world is she doing here? And why was she with Ned when he was shot?"
Frank shrugged his shoulders. "Nan, I know what's going on here, just about as much as you do. This is crazy. Do you want to talk to her, or do you want me to do it?"
Nancy inhaled a deep breath and let it out slowly. "No, I don't want you to talk to her," she said, "but I do want you next to me, while I question her. You could pick up on something that I miss."
Frank pulled Nancy into another hug. "You can do this, Nan," he whispered encouragingly. "I'm right here with you."
"Thanks," Nancy said softly. "You're going above and beyond the call of duty here, Frank. I owe you big time."
Frank brushed a stray lock of hair away from Nancy's face. "No problem," he replied. "I'll collect later, when this whole mess is straightened out. Now, let's go talk to whats-her-name over there," Frank said giving her a gentle push in the girl's direction.
Nancy bit her lip as she stood sat in the chair opposite of the brunette that was crying. 'Where do I even begin?' she wondered. "Excuse me," Nancy said, breaking the girl out of her reverie.
The dark haired girl's eyes widened in shock and she recognized Nancy from the previous night. "Yes?" the girl croaked out.
"Who are you, for starters?" Nancy demanded
"My name is Amy Durham," she said quietly. "I work at Alliance with Ned. I'm his bosses secretary. We started uh... dating, about two months ago. I didn't know he had a girlfriend, I swear."
Nancy could see the fear and confusion in the girl's eyes, but Nancy didn't care. She had to know how Ned ended up in the hospital. "What happened? How did Ned get shot?" Nancy pressed her for more information.
"I... I don't know," Amy cried. "He called me about 2 hours ago and said he was at the apartment and that he wanted to talk to me about last night. I was still angry at him, but I agreed to meet him, anyway. When I got there, I ... I found him... he was laying on the floor in the living room." She hiccupped and wiped at her eyes and then continued. "There was so much blood," she whispered. "I called 9-1-1 and the next thing I know, I'm sitting here."
After hearing the story Nancy began to feel slightly sorry for the girl. Having seeing too many gruesome things in her past, she knew how hard it was. "Was there anyone else in the apartment when you found him?" she asked, more gently this time.
Amy shook her head no. "The place was a wreck, though," she remembered. "It looked like someone had broken in."
Frank glanced at Nancy. He could practically read her mind, and he knew that she was thinking that this wasn't making any sense. Who would break into a house, in broad daylight, while someone was there, and then shoot the person?
"Was he conscious when you found him?" Nancy queried.
"Barely," she answered. "But I didn't understand what he kept saying. He just kept repeating your name, and then I think he said something about a desk. But I'm not sure."
Frank's eyebrows raised in confusion, but it looked as though Nancy knew exactly what the girl was talking about. "Are you sure he said desk?" she asked once more.
"I think that's what he said," the brunette said timidly. "That was the last thing he said before he passed out."
Nancy stood abruptly and pulled Frank off to the side for a private conversation. "Something's not right here," she stated.
"You know what she's talking about with the desk comment, don't you?" Frank asked.
"Maybe," Nancy answered. "We have an old antique writing desk with a bunch of secret compartments. It's where we store all of important papers, so if we were to get burglarized, no one would find them. It's also where I keep my case notes that I don't want anyone else to see."
"So, the key to this seems to be whatever Ned is hiding in the compartment," Frank mulled over. "When was the last time you looked in there?"
Nancy shrugged her shoulders, "It's been awhile. I haven't had a really high profile cases in a couple of months."
"Do you want me to go check it out while you stay here and wait for word on Ned?" Frank offered. He could sense Nancy was torn on finding out just what Ned was hiding, and waiting to see what his condition was.
"Would you?" Nancy asked gratefully.
"Of course."
"Thank you," Nancy said, impulsively giving Frank a kiss on the cheek.
He smiled and looked down at Nancy's worried face, "So - tell me how to get into this secret compartment."