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

again?”
    â€œThere’s no other way to get there,” Nancy said.
    â€œI’ll cover my eyes,” Bess said. “Just tell me when we’re back on solid ground.”
    â€¢Â â€¢Â â€¢
    Several minutes later George pulled her car over to the side of a country road and parked next to a wooden sign that had the words Russell Brown Antiques painted on it in faded white letters. A path led from the sign to a red farmhouse with white trim.
    Bells jingled as Nancy opened the door and entered the house, Bess and George behind her. Russell Brown was standing inside.
    â€œMay I help . . .” he began, but then he recognized Nancy and Bess. “Oh,” he said. “It’s you. Have you had any progress catching the thief?”
    â€œNot yet,” Nancy told him. She introduced George to the store owner, then looked around. Mr. Brown had converted most of the ground floor of the house to the antique shop. Most of the pieces looked right at home in the old farmhouse. There were patchwork quilts and hand-painted wooden cabinets and even an old rocking horse. Nancy liked the homey, comfortable appearance of the rooms.
    â€œHave you come to look at my collection?” Mr. Brown asked.
    Nancy turned to face him. “No,” she said. “But I’d like to ask you a few questions.”
    â€œMore questions,” Mr. Brown said with a wry grin.
    â€œI’m sorry,” Nancy said. “This won’t take long. Can you tell me where you got the brooch? We really don’t know that much about it.”
    Mr. Brown waved a hand toward the back of the house. “Do you know how many pieces pass through here every week?” he asked. “I couldn’t possibly remember where I got each and every one.”
    â€œWell, you must keep some sort of record,” Nancy pressed. “Could you possibly look it up? It might be an important clue.”
    Mr. Brown walked to the back of the room and opened a wooden filing cabinet. “I remember that the brooch belonged to an elderly woman,” he mumbled as he riffled through the files. Finally he pulled out a manila folder. “Here it is. According to this, it belonged to a woman named Agnes Thompson. She died several months before the piece was brought to me.”
    â€œWhen was that?” Nancy asked.
    â€œA few months back,” Mr. Brown said vaguely. “I don’t remember exactly.”
    â€œAnd that’s all you can tell us?” Nancy asked.
    Brown shrugged. “Where I get a piece is not as important to me as selling it.”
    There was a jingling of bells, and a young man and woman entered. They wore business suits and carried matching briefcases.
    â€œNow if you’ll excuse me,” Mr. Brown said. He rushed past Nancy to greet the couple. “May I help you?”
    Mr. Brown followed closely behind the pair as they wandered around the store.
    â€œHe’s not very helpful, is he?” Bess whispered toNancy, then said, “These prices are just as outrageous as the ones we saw at the expo.”
    George shook her head. “I bet he doesn’t do much business with his things costing this much.”
    Seeing that Mr. Brown was occupied, Nancy put her plan into motion. “Wait here,” she told Bess and George in a low voice. “I’ll be right back.”
    She had noticed that Mr. Brown had left the folder open on his desk. Pretending to be interested in a rocking chair right next to the desk, Nancy walked across the room.
    When Mr. Brown followed the couple behind a tall dresser, Nancy shifted her gaze to the folder. It lay open, revealing several sheets of paper. Nancy didn’t dare risk moving the papers, so she took in as much as she could see. A paper beneath the top one stuck out a little on one side, and Nancy saw the name Thompson written on it.
    Then she took a closer look at the paper on top. When she saw what it was, she was barely able