Nancy Drew: Mystery of the Six and a Half Keys
Chapter Three
Nancy officially began her investigation the next morning. She had a crime to investigate and three suspects to question. She was definitely going to stay focused on the mystery. She would not do something silly, like spend the entire day playing with puppets.
Nancy strolled into the café, feeling the thrill that always accompanied the start of a new case. Only one thing could make it better...coffee!
"Hey, could I get some coffee?" Nancy asked Patricie. "I've got a long day of mystery solving ahead of me."
"Ah, Detective Drew, your timing is very good," Patricie said. "I need your help to fix the coffee machine."
"How should I know how to fix a coffee machine?" Nancy asked. "I'm a world famous detective, not a machine repair person."
"You do not need to know how to fix the machine," Patricie said. "You merely need to find the missing portafilter and matching handle."
"I have no idea what those things are," Nancy complained.
"Oh, and you must find my missing recipe book, as well!" Patricie said. "I am sure they have no gone far. They are all still somewhere in the café."
Nancy sighed. She was really hoping to get coffee, without playing a game of hide and seek first. "Fine, but do me a favor next time," Nancy said. "In the future, don't call me a detective when other people are nearby. I want to keep it a secret."
"Ah, yes, you must be a mystery, in order to solve a mystery," Patricie said.
Nancy began searching the café, casting sly glances at every counter and table. When that didn't work, she tried throwing the books and tables across the room, but Patricie told her to stop.
Nancy decided to ask someone else for help. "Excuse me," she said to an older gentleman with a priest's collar. "I'm a famous American detective, here to find a stolen necklace. Do you know where the coffee filter is?"
The man looked started. "There are thieves in Prague?" he asked.
"We don't know for sure if the coffee filter is stolen," Nancy said. "It's probably just misplaced."
"I believe I saw it on the counter, near the cinnamon sticks," the man said. "But what's this about a stolen necklace?"
"Someone stole extremely valuable gems from a necklace," Nancy said. "It's a good thing I don't have any precious jewels to protect! Otherwise, I'd be extremely worried."
"Excuse me," the priest said, getting up and quickly leaving the café. Nancy bent down and picked up a playing card on the ground, under the man's table.
"Hey, you forgot your card!" Nancy said, but it was too late. The man was gone.
Nancy shrugged. Whoever that guy was, he was probably unimportant, a total stranger that she would never meet again.