SILENT DEATH

boyzaremylife and Miss Authoress 13 are working on this story together. We are alternating chapters, so please review a chapter for both of us. Any ideas are greatly appreciated, so PLEASE REVIEW!!!

This first chapter is by Miss Authoress 13, and the second will be Boyzaremylife, etc.

Thanks for reading!

:) - Miss Authoress 13 and Boyzaremylife

Chapter 1- Nancy Drew, Reporter

March 12, 1934

"Nancy, would you hurry up?" Bess Marvin was anxious to get her best friend Nancy to get in the car. Nancy had received a brand new blue roadster for her 18th birthday, and Bess wanted badly to drive it around downtown.

Nancy laughed and hurried down the three small steps from her front door. She held down her stylish hat as a great gust of wind blew. She hopped into the car, with Bess right beside her. Putting the car into reverse, the two friends drove off down the dusty road.

Soon, they stopped in front of a white Victorian style house. "Honk and see if George is waiting." said Bess, and Nancy pushed the horn.

George popped her head out of the front door, and waved. With a few short words of goodbye to her mother, she ran down the winding driveway.

"Hi, girls!" George smiled, and hopped into the seat behind Nancy's. "Where are we off to?"

Nancy refused to reveal their destination. Bess and George thought they were going to do some shopping. Far from it. Nancy had better plans in mind to spend their Thursday.

"Ooh, I like your hairstyle!" exclaimed Bess. George took off her round blue hat to show off her new style. It was cut in a bob, with George's ever-present curls framing her pretty features. "Thank you." blushed George, and quickly put the hat back on.

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The girls continued to talk as Nancy drove down the many streets. Soon, Nancy could see a tall brown building in the distance. "Wait a minute, this is not downtown!" exclaimed Bess, frowning at Nancy.

"Wait a minute, Bess. I decided to take you to work today."

Bess looked quizzically at her friend. "Work? Whose work?"

Nancy laughed. "Oh, I got a job at the newspaper office. I'm a reporter."

George's jaw dropped open. "You got a job here?" she asked.

"Yes. And I am working on a big story right now. I get to write about the cases I have been solving lately. Remember the Topham case? The heiress named Marilyn Topham who was cheated out of her grandfather's estate. I am helping her and writing about her at the same time."

Nancy's companions were still unbelieving. Nancy as a reporter? And she still was a detective. Hm.

Nancy's car pulled up into the driveway. The three girls piled out in a line and headed for the glass door. Nancy knocked lightly before entering the dim working quarters. "I wonder where everyone is." Nancy wondered aloud. There had been several cars lined up on the street. She headed for a door down the hall marked "Reporters". Bess and George followed close behind.

Several men were crowded around a large wooden table when Nancy walked through the door.

"Hello, Nancy!" A kind looking man in his early fifties stood up to greet the girls. "What brings you out here today? I thought you had the day off."

Nancy nodded. "But I found some interesting information about the Topham case, and I wanted to show my friends the office."

The man stuck out his hand for Bess and George to shake. "My name is Robert Clark. I am the head reporter for the River Heights Bugle." Bess shook his hand and kept holding on. George just firmly and quickly shook his hand and then stepped back.

"Why are all these people here?" asked Nancy.

"Well, there's a new story unfolding. None of the guys can seem to figure it out. We were hoping to talk to you about it on Monday, but now that you're here..."

Nancy smiled and headed over to the table. "Hello, boys! What seems to be the problem?" she asked, and sat down at an empty seat on the end.

"Nancy, there's a case that hasn't been solved. For years." Nancy looked confused.

"What is it?" she asked, and soon got a whole lot of answers.

"Well, it involves silent movie star Lillian O'Reilly. She disappeared 8 years ago, and no one has heard or seen her since." Nancy remembered her. She used to see her movies all the time when she was little. She was a beautiful raven-haired woman of 19. She had her hair cut like George's had been, and always wore stylish costumes.

Nancy hadn't known that she had disappeared. "Why is this case coming back now?" Nancy asked.

A short brown-haired man stood up. "Well, the reason that we need to know what happened to her is because several of her family members are arguing over her finances. They all claim to own a part of her large sum of money, and we can't find a will for any of them. So we figured of anyone can find out what happened to her, you can."

Nancy stood up from her chair and walked to the door. Bess and George shrugged their shoulders and followed her out. But before she left the room, Nancy turned around.

"Boys, I'm heading to Hollywood."

Good chapter? Well, let us know what you think by sending us a review! And hopefully, the chapters will get longer if more ideas come our way.

Miss Authoress 13