“Mumpfh—” Nancy mumbled, burying her head under the pillow. Was it really morning already?
She and Bess and her aunt Eloise had had such a great time the night before. They’d gone to see Soft Shoe, the Broadway musical smash of the season. The show was wonderful, but they’d stopped for a bite to eat afterward. By the time they got home, it was almost one in the morning.
Flipping over and squinting at the TV, Nancy saw shots of different soap opera stars as the upbeat theme song played in the background.
“Our special ‘Soap Opera Weekly’ guest today is the star of ‘Danner’s Dream’!” the announcer said. “Will he and Serena Livingstone finally tie the knot this time? Mr. Sex Appeal himself, Rick Arlen, will be here with us in just a few minutes! But first—”
The commercial came on, and Nancy realized there was no way she was going to get back to sleep. Not with Bess rummaging around the room, tossing one outfit after another on the bed and saying things like, “What do you think, Nancy? The pink or the yellow?”
Pulling herself up onto her elbows, Nancy yawned and looked out the window. It was a glorious day outside—warm and sunny. A perfect day for seeing the sights, she thought happily.
“He’s on! He’s on!” Bess shouted a few minutes later. Nancy turned from the closet and saw Rick. He was seated casually across from the interviewer, waving and nodding as the audience clapped and cheered.
Cleverly refusing to give away any of the show’s carefully guarded secrets, Rick did admit that he was considering leaving the show at the end of the season to star in a movie. The audience groaned, then applauded.
“Tell us about the real Rick Arlen,” the interviewer prompted. “Could we be hearing wedding bells soon?”
Laughing, Rick made an old joke about the gossip columns having him engaged to three different girls. “But then, you never can tell,” he added slyly, blowing a kiss to a “special lady out there.”
“He means me!” Bess cried happily.
“I don’t think so. That’s just talk, Bess. He could mean anybody—or nobody.”
Bess shot her friend an angry scowl, and Nancy decided to back off.
After the interview with Rick, the show moved on to an update of that network’s daytime and evening soap operas.’ Bess snapped the TV off then.
“He said he’d be here in an hour. I can’t wait!” Bess scooped up her makeup and headed for the bathroom. “Hey, I wonder who he’ll bring for you, Nancy. I mean, any friend of Rick’s is probably cute, but I wonder what he’ll be like.”
An hour later the apartment intercom buzzed, signaling the arrival of Rick and his limousine.
Bess checked herself in the mirror one last time. She looked terrific in an oversize cotton cardigan and flowing skirt and flats. “Not bad,” she pronounced. “Come on, Nancy!” With that, she flew down the steps of the brownstone to the waiting limousine.
“Not bad at all,” Nancy admitted, looking admiringly at Rick’s limo. The uniformed driver ushered them into the backseat, where Rick was waiting.
“Good morning, girls!” he said brightly. “Welcome to my abode on the road.”
The first order of business was to pick up Rick’s friend, a guy named Gilbert Frost. “He’s an old pal from acting school,” Rick explained. “You’ll love him.”
Bess threw Nancy a meaningful look, but Nancy just sighed and looked out the window. There was no way that she was going to fall for any of Rick Arlen’s friends—not when she was in love with Ned Nickerson. Of course, Ned would understand her being on this date—she had to go. Someone’s life was in jeopardy.
At the corner of Twenty-third Street and Park Avenue South, she noticed a skinny guy in jeans and running shoes, leaning against a streetlight. He looked totally normal, except that he was wearing big black-rimmed glasses and a false nose.
“What?” Nancy mumbled as the limo stopped in front of him. The man swept down in a low courtly bow.
“Hey there, Gil!” Rick laughed, opening the door. “Girls, I’d like you to meet Gilbert Frost. Say hello, Gilbert.”