“She’s very talented,” Rick said, putting his arm around Bess’s waist and drawing her closer.
“Well, I just came to tell you that Pappas closed the set to all visitors,” Nancy said, looking at Bess.
But Bess wasn’t about to let anything ruin her day. “Nancy, you’ll never guess what Rick has offered to do!”
“It’s really nothing,” Rick said, protesting.
“Nothing?” Bess replied, her eyes dancing with excitement. “You call taking me all over the city in a limousine nothing?”
“Well, I already have the limousine.” Rick shrugged modestly.
“He’s going to give me a personal tour of the city on Saturday! Would you believe he’s never been on top of the Empire State Building?”
“How can you live in New York and not visit the Empire State Building?” Nancy asked.
“Actually, a lot of New Yorkers have never been there,” he explained. “We always say we’re going to go someday, but somehow we never get around to it. It’ll be a real treat for me.”
Bess continued to gaze at the handsome TV star. Nancy couldn’t help worrying that her friend might be getting in over her head.
“Bess, aren’t you forgetting that Rick might be in danger? I don’t know if it’s such a great idea for you to be alone with him, you know.”
“Don’t be silly!” Rick laughed, wiping his makeup off with a thick cloth. “I can take care of both of us. Listen, I’ve got an even better idea—why don’t you come, too? I’m sure I could round up a friend for you.”
“That’s great!” Bess cried happily, turning to Nancy.
“Okay, count me in,” Nancy agreed. Spending the day with Rick was one way to keep an eye on him. And on Bess.
“Come on, Bess,” she said, taking her friend by the elbow. “We’d better leave the set. Nice meeting you, Rick.” Nancy turned to the door, but Bess wasn’t quite finished talking to Rick.
“Well, I’m sorry we have to go so soon, but we’re definitely on for Saturday, aren’t we?” she asked.
“I can hardly wait, love,” he replied, blowing her a kiss. “Till then, ‘Parting is such sweet sorrow.’ ”
As soon as she closed the door, Bess stood stock-still for a moment. Then she leaned on the wall in a daze. “Did you hear? He called me ‘love.’ ”
“I heard,” Nancy replied uneasily.
“Oh, Nancy,” Bess cooed, “he’s so wonderful! Not at all conceited like some big stars probably are. Just think, I have a date with the Rick Arlen. Me—Bess Marvin, regular person! Do you know how many girls would kill for a date with the star of ‘Danner’s Dream’?”
“Yeah—” Nancy said, only half paying attention. She was wondering who was trying to kill Rick Arlen—and why?
“We were standing there, watching this intense scene. I mean, it was so quiet you could hear your heart beating!” Bess was going over the whole day as Nancy’s aunt emptied a package of white mushrooms into her food processor. “And then, well, the light just snapped! Right in front of our eyes! Right, Nancy?”
Nancy looked up from the microwave, where she was getting ready to bake three potatoes. “Uh-huh,” she agreed.
“And Nancy saved the day. You should have seen her,” Bess said, continuing. “I don’t know how she reacted so fast. The light only missed him by a few inches. And Rick is amazing. He wasn’t even afraid! He said it was all in a day’s work. Can you believe it?”
Eloise’s eyes clouded over with worry. “I’m not sure I want you two poking around in a place where they have accidents like that,” she said, shaking her head.
Nancy looked over at Bess and put her finger on her lips, but Bess didn’t pick up on it.
“Oh, no!” Bess went on. “It wasn’t an accident! Nancy found the evidence—somebody tampered with the light!”
“Nancy!” Aunt Eloise exclaimed. “Do you mean to say Mattie was right to suspect something was wrong? Oh, dear, please be careful! I don’t want you getting hurt.”
Bess laughed and shook her head. “Don’t worry, Rick says it’s just some crazy fan trying to scare him. Now that they’ve closed the set, I’m sure there won’t be any more trouble.”