A Secret in Time by Carolyn Keene Read Free Book Online Page A

amazing,” Nancy said, gently lifting up the heavy brooch.
    â€œExceptional detail,” Bess added. Nancy could tell from the gleam in her friend’s eyes that she understood what Nancy was getting at. “I’ve never seen anything quite like it,” Bess added, playing along.
    â€œAll my pieces are unique,” Kimberly said proudly.
    â€œYou mean no one has used precious stones this way before?” Nancy asked in her most innocent-sounding voice.
    Kimberly raised one eyebrow and looked down at her. Nancy couldn’t tell if her expression was one of guilt, surprise, or annoyance.
    â€œThis piece has not been duplicated,” Kimberly said.
    Nancy tried not to groan. Kimberly’s answers weren’t getting them anywhere.
    â€œAnd where did you get this one?” Bess asked.
    â€œI never reveal my sources,” replied Kimberly.“Trade secrets, you know. So tell me, do any of these pieces interest you?”
    â€œI’m interested in the brooch,” Nancy told her. “How much does it cost?”
    â€œThirty thousand dollars,” said Kimberly.
    Nancy used every ounce of her self-control not to flinch. She knew she’d burst out laughing if she looked at Bess, so she stared down at the brooch. “I see,” she said, trying to sound as if she spent that kind of money on jewelry all the time. “I’ll need time to think about it.”
    â€œOf course,” Kimberly replied smoothly.
    â€œCould we come back to look at it again?” Nancy asked.
    â€œOf course,” the woman said. “I’ll look forward to our next meeting.” She flashed her catlike smile again. “Shall I show you out?”
    Kimberly Burton led the girls back to the front hall and waved as they walked down the stone steps. Then she shut the heavy wooden door.
    â€œShe’s really puzzling,” Bess said, shivering even though it was eighty degrees outside. “I mean, I don’t know how to take anything she says. Is she serious, or making fun of us, or what?”
    Nancy shook her head as she unlocked the car door, and she and Bess got in. “That’s what we’ll have to find out, I guess.”
    Nancy turned the key to start the car, but nothing happened. “That’s funny,” she said.
    â€œAre we out of gas?” Bess asked.
    Nancy shook her head. “I filled the tank this morning. Let me check under the hood.” She popped the hood lever, then got out of the car.
    â€œNan?” Bess called through the window when Nancy didn’t come back right away. “Is there a problem?”
    â€œI think you’d better come here,” came Nancy’s voice from behind the hood.
    When Bess got to the front of the car, she gasped in dismay. Every visible wire and hose had been slashed, and the battery was gone.
    â€œI also found this,” Nancy said, holding out a small piece of paper. It read: The clock is ticking, but not for long. Time’s up, Nancy Drew!

6
Over the Edge
    Bess began to shake again, and her eyes were wide with fear as she looked at Nancy. “ ‘T-time’s up’? I don’t like the sound of that.”
    Nancy put an arm around her friend’s shoulders. “It might not be as bad as you think,” she said, trying to look on the bright side. “It could just mean the thief has finally figured out that the clock belongs to me, and he’s going to come after it. That’s what we’ve been waiting for, right?”
    â€œThat’s only one possible meaning of ‘time’s up,’ ” Bess said, “and I don’t like the other one. Who knows how far the thief will go to get the brooch back? Look what he’s done already!” Bess pointed to the sliced wires under Nancy’s hood. “He must have had a really sharp knife.”
    â€œOr she,” Nancy reminded her, thinking ofKimberly Burton’s collection of medieval