"Jane, stay with Mrs. Alexandra, please!" Nancy shouted as she bolted out of the room.

"Wait, Nancy!" But Nancy didn't wait. She threw open the door and dashed to the side of the inn where the living room was. She got there just in time to see a figure dashing away from the inn towards the woods. She took off in a full sprint.

"Nancy, hold up!" She could tell that was a male voice, hopefully Richard Matthews, but still didn't stop. Her quarry didn't either and they tore through the woods. They came out to a road where a car was parked and ready to go. The guy in the driver's seat motioned to the guy to hurry. He jumped in, and they took off. Nancy didn't stop until she reached the side of the road. She bent over to catch her breath before letting out a frustrated grunt and kicking the road.

"Nancy! Nancy!" She turned to see Richard running up to her. "What in the world was that about?"

She glanced at the car disappearing down the road. "An eavesdropper, listening in on a private conversation!"

"If it was private, why did you have it in the living room?" Richard asked.

Nancy blinked. "Say what?"

"Why was it in the living room if it was private? Jane probably heard it too!"

Nancy opened and closed her mouth a couple times before the words came out. "Why, why Mrs. Alexandra wanted to meet there!"

Richard crossed his arms. "And you didn't think to make sure the area was clear or even suggest a more private location?"

"I, I didn't even think about that!"

Richard sighed. "If you're doing something undercover, it should be the first thing you think about!"

She blinked. Was that a hint of an accent? "I-I mean, I suppose …"

"Oh, what am I saying? I'm sorry Nancy, I shouldn't be upset with you. I shouldn't expect you to be constantly thinking about that. You're not the one having to be undercover all the time!"

"Well, I appreciate the apology," she narrowed her eyes at him, "but what did you mean by that?"

He raised an eyebrow, trying to act like he didn't know what she was talking about, but she detected a hint of nervousness. "By what?"

"You said, and I quote, 'you're not the one having to be undercover all the time!' So, what did you mean by that? Are you having to be undercover? Does that have to do with your mystery? Is that why you want me to solve it?"

It was Richard's turn to open and close his mouth a couple times before a sigh escaped his lips and he nodded. "Yes, yes it is. I think Mom is quite content with her life the way it is now and doesn't want to change it. I mean, I can't blame her, after everything she's done for me, keeping me safe so that …." His voice trailed off as he ran his fingers through his hair. "I'm sorry, maybe Mom's right. Maybe this isn't a good idea."

"Don't you want it solved at all?"

"Oh, I do, I do! It's just … I've been in hiding for so long … and I know we can trust you and your family, it's just … maybe, maybe it's not the right time. Maybe I will get it solved one day, but Mom might prefer it to be later, when I'm older. She might be right."

"You are over eighteen, you can hire a detective without her knowing. You know that, right?"

Richard pursed his lips. "I, I … yeah, I mean, I can, but Mom … we've been in this together. She's kept me alive and hidden for so long … I should trust her judgment on this."

Nancy let out a huff but laid her hand on Richard's arm. "Well, when you decide to get this solved, I am more than willing to solve it for you, no matter how hard it is."

Richard shot her a smile as relief flooded his eyes. "Thanks, Nancy, I appreciate it." He nodded in the direction of the Inn. "We should head back. Uncle William needs me and Uncle Fred to get back to the farm to help put up the new chicken coop, so I can't stay for long."

Nancy smiled at him. "Of course." The two began walking back at a brisk pace. "Thank you for following me."

"You're welcome. Jane asked me to."

"You must have walked into the foyer right as I left, huh?"

Richard chuckled. "Yeah, to bring Jane the bill. Good timing, apparently."

"Perfect timing." There was a bit of silence, but Nancy broke it right before they reached the front door. "Say, since you're so good with being undercover, could I ask you a favor?"

"Besides always being there at the right time to help you chase bad guys?"

Nancy laughed. "Yes, besides that."

"What is it?"

"Think you could help us stay undercover?" Nancy glanced around the yard before leaning in and whispering. "Those men kidnapped the uncle and the father of Helen's pen pal, and they thought they were being careful!"

Richard's eyes bulged and he let out a low whistle. "Those guys mean business, huh? Yeah, sure, I can help you all stay undercover. Just tell me where you are going and when. I'll see if I can tag along, otherwise, I might just have to give you a few hints."

Nancy smiled. "Thanks."

"Don't you know anyone else who could help you with that sort of thing?" he asked as he opened the door for her.

Nancy bit her lip as her thoughts immediately went to Frank and Joe Hardy. "Maybe, but they're also detectives like me, so in order to help them keep a low profile, I don't call them all that often." She let out a huff. "Though, it's not like we were really calling each other that much before we both started solving mysteries."

"Well, all I can tell you right now is, observe your surroundings. Never have your back open to any kind of attack," he paused as they came to the staircase and glanced around, "and most importantly, be sure you know who you can trust."

Nancy gave a firm nod. "Oh, for sure, everyone is a suspect until they are cleared. It's not exactly 'innocent until proven guilty', but it 's better than trusting the wrong people."

Richard nodded. "Quite right." He shot her a smile. "Should have figured you would have that part down, at least."

Nancy smirked. "Wouldn't be much of a detective if I didn't, now would I?"

Richard chuckled. "I suppose." He glanced past her into the living room. "Where is your customer?"

"I prefer the term client," said Nancy as she turned. She blinked. Mrs. Alexandra was not there anymore. "Oh, I suppose with all the excitement, they moved her to her room. Probably for the best."

Richard nodded slowly. "Yes, I agree, but I wonder if you shouldn't move her out of the Inn to someplace more private? Especially if privacy is so important to her."

"She associates Lilac Inn with, ah, places from her younger days. She hasn't had any problems before."

"Until now," remarked Richard. "Something is happening now, and if secrecy is of the utmost importance, she will have to move elsewhere for her safety."

Nancy's face fell, but only a little. He definitely had a point, a very good point. "Yes, I think you are right. It will take some convincing, Lilac Inn has become as dear to her as, well, her home. It is her home away from home."

"I understand that," said Richard, his voice becoming low, "but you must ask her which is more important, staying in the past or allowing you to solve this mystery away from prying eyes? If she holds on too tight to the past, she could lose out on the future."

Nancy nodded slowly. "Yes, I see your point. I will have a word with her about it." She shot him a smile. "See? You've been a big help already!"

Richard laughed. "I will continue to do my best as an ally in your mystery solving. That is, until my own mystery is solved." He wiggled his eyebrows. "But then, I could learn a thing or two from you and solve it on my own!"

"Ha! I won't give you the satisfaction!"

"Richard! Cone on! I know you're back! Stop dawdling! We gotta go!"

Richard snickered softly before opening the kitchen door. "Be there in a moment, Uncle Will!" He turned back to Nancy. "Need anything else?"

Nancy shook her head. "Not now, that I can think of. I will keep in touch though."

"Good, you better." He paused and glanced up. Nancy turned. There was Katherine standing at the top of the staircase. She smiled and waved shyly. "Looks like your friend is waiting, just like my uncle. I will leave you to it." Nancy turned to tell Richard bye when she paused. Richard was looking straight at Katherine. He shot her a charming smile and took a little bow. Katherine returned the smile and curtsied. "Good day ladies." He walked through the kitchen door.

Katherine giggled. "What an exit!"

Nancy let out a breath and walked up the stairs. "And after the talk we had!"

Katherine blinked. "What did you talk about?"

Nancy winced. "About being better at undercover." She sighed. "He also thinks we should move Mrs. Alexandra to a more secluded area. Lilac Inn is far too public."

Katherine pursed her lips. "I don't think she will like that, but I can see the wisdom in his suggestion."

"So do I, and I'm sure Anna will agree," quipped Nancy. She glanced down the hall with a pensive look. "I just hope Mrs. Alexandra does too."

(Author's Note: Hello my rosy readers! A couple days later than I had wanted, but it is the beginning of the semester and it's been busy at work. Had to work Saturday to get caught up on web orders. As I mentioned in the 6th chapter of Mystery of the Monoplane Mission, there have been a lot of stuff going on. For one, my dad has lost his oldest brother, and the second son in his family was moved to a hospice. They don't think he has much time left. Soon it will just be my dad and another brother who will be the last sons left in the family. Three of his sisters are still alive and well as of now, with the eldest turning 79 later this year. I saw the uncle that passed away at my aunt's house on our vacation, so we got to see him before he passed. We went and visited the uncle in hospice over the holidays, so we have at least seen him once, we'll try again as soon as we can. I think it kinda got my dad in the mindset, though, about grandkids and is basically mocking me for not having gotten married yet. I've been on the lookout and have been chatting with guys on CatholicMatch, but not one has worked out, unfortunately. If you could keep us in your prayers, that would be wonderful. So, yeah, the past three months have been bittersweet for sure, a mix of bitter in with the sweet. But that is life, isn't it, full of joys and sorrows. I am glad to have had the time I had gotten to visit with my uncles and I hope that I will meet the right guy soon, but I'm not going to just sit and wait for when he shows up, I got writing to do. My dad's remarks aren't exactly helping, but I must bear it until I meet the right guy. Anyways, more chapters are coming! Writer's block has lifted on this mystery and the Mystery of the Monoplane Mission, so those will get updated more often, and faster. The writer's block on Secret of the Sprite Society has nudged a bit, so will try to work on that as much as I can. The block on the Hardy boys doesn't seem to be budging, so that one might take a while. And then I aim to finish up the Lord of the Rings fanfic as well among all of this. Phew! Well, that's all for now. Thanks for reading and have a great day! God bless!)