"Martin, Ann M - Baby-sitters Club Mystery 011 - Claudia and the Mystery at the Museum" - читать интересную книгу автора (Martin Ann M)

Mr. Snipes, but until I'm positive I'm not counting anyone out."
"Good thinking," said Kristy approvingly. "While we're waiting for calls, why don't we go over the facts of the case one more time? Maybe we'll think of something new, the way you did the other day."
"All right," I said. "Well, letТs see. First of all, the coins were stolen last Thursday."
"Can you believe if s only been a little over a week since that happened?" interrupted Stacey. "It feels like years. Sorry, Claud. Go on."
"Okay," I said. "On Friday, the newspaper had an article about the robbery. On Saturday, five of us went to the museum to do some investigating, but we didn't find out much until later in the day when I noticed that the Newman sculpture felt funny. Then Stacey and I met Mr. Snipes and decided something was strange about him. I snagged his resume. On Sunday, we went to the library and found out about robberies that took place at other museums he's worked at. On Wednesday, I figured out that the coins must have been stolen by an insider Ч somebody who works at the museum."
"Brilliant deductive reasoning, Miss Nancy Drew of Stoneybrook," Kristy spoke up, with a grin.
I smiled. "Wednesday was also the day I called Don Newman and he invited me to the party. And on Thursday, Jessi found out that the museum is planning to cut down on security." I took a deep breath. "Is that everything?"
Everyone nodded.
"I have to say," said Mal, "that Mr. Snipes looks awfully suspicious. There have been robberies at other museums where he's worked, he definitely qualifies as an insider, and he seems like a creepy guy."
"I know," I replied. "But what about the man with one blue eye and one green eye? Let's not forget about him. He was at the museum the day of the robbery, and at the museum again when we went back the next day."
"But does he work for the museum?" asked Jessi. "Would he have had a key to that case?"
"Who knows?" I said, shrugging.
"That Brownie troop you told us about was there, too," said Mary Anne with a giggle. "Are they still suspects?"
We all cracked up. "I haven't heard any reports of ancient coins being used to buy Gummi worms at the candy store," said Stacey.
At that point, the phone began ringing with parents calling to arrange jobs. We were pretty
busy for awhile, and we were surprised when Kristy pointed to the dock. "Meeting's over," she said. It was six o'clock.
"Oh, my lord!" I said. "I'm supposed to be at that party in three hours. Forget about the mystery! This will be my first formal party, I'm going to meet a famous artist Ч and I have no idea what to wear!"
"You look nice in what you have on now," said Kristy. "Why don't you just wear that?"
I looked down at myself. I was wearing a pair of bright red leggings topped by a white man-tailored shirt and a vest that used to belong to my father. Oftly Kristy would think my outfit qualified as "formal." I shook my head and smiled at her. "I don't think so," I said. I jumped up to look into my closet for the millionth time in two days. "You guys have to help me," I said. "This is an emergency!"
Unfortunately, Kristy, Jessi, Mal, and Shannon had to leave, emergency or not. But Mary Anne and Stacey agreed to stay and help me.
"Have fun," said Kristy as she left with the others. "Don't be nervous. I know you'll have a blast."
So far, I hadn't been too nervous. But suddenly, I began to feel flustered. What if I couldn't find anything decent to wear? What
if I made a fool of myself in front of Don Newman? How would I know how to act at such a fancy party? Mary Anne must have seen the look on my face.
"It'll be fine," she said soothingly. "We'll get you all set."
The three of us agreed that we should eat something first, so we trooped downstairs and raided the kitchen. (My parents were at a meeting, and Janine was working away on her computer.)
Stacey made herself a cheese sandwich. Mary Anne heated up a can of soup and found some crackers. But I didn't feel hungry at all. "I wouldn't even be tempted by a bag of Cheez Doodles," I said. "Not that I would ever find a thing like that in this kitchen."
Mary Anne made me eat a small bowl of chicken noodle soup and two crackers. "If you don't eat, you might pass out from hunger in the middle of the party," she said. That image was enough to make me drain my bowl to the last noodle.
After we ate, we headed back upstairs. "All right," said Stacey. "Now, what kind of look were you thinking of?" She threw open my closet door and stood staring at my clothes. "Sophisticated? Arty? Trendy?"
"I don't know," I said miserably. "A combination of all those things would be good, I guess. I mean, I want to look like myself, only more dressed up, you know?"
Stacey pulled out a black velvet dress. "How about this?" she asked.
I shook my head. "Boring," I said.
She nodded and threw it on the bed. "What about these silk pants?"
"Are pants okay at a formal party?" asked Mary Anne doubtfully. "You don't want to look like a kid who doesn't know how to dress."
"Ditch the pants," I said immediately.
Stacey pulled outfit after outfit out of my closet. I have a lot of clothes, but nothing seemed right. Most of them are fine for school, or even for special events like dances or parties. But nothing looked right for a party like this one. A grown-up party.
"You look terrific in this," Stacey said, holding up a bright blue sweater-dress.
"Thanks," I said. "But ifs not right, either."
"Do you think I could borrow it?" she asked.
"Sure," I said, falling back onto my bed. "Oh, this is a disaster," I moaned. "We'll never find anything." Mary Anne patted my arm sympathetically.
"WhatТs this?" Stacey asked, reaching into the back of the closet and coming out with a long, silky pale green robe embroidered in gorgeous colors.
I stared at it. "That's Ч that's one of Mimi's kimonos," I said. My grandmother wore regular clothes most of the time, but she had brought some beautiful kimonos with her when she came to this country from Japan as a girl. She wore them for special family occasions sometimes, and she always looked graceful and young when she did. Seeing the kimono made me miss Mimi terribly.
"This is it!" said Stacey.
"What?" I asked.
"This is what you'll wear tonight. Put it on." She handed it to me. "I just have a feeling this will be perfect."
I took off my vest and shirt, and slipped on the kimono. The silk felt soft and light against my skin. It seemed to float around me. I tied the sash (which Mimi called an "obi") around my waist and stood up straight.
"Wow," said Mary Anne softly.
"Awesome," said Stacey. "You look totally awesome."
I walked to the mirror to see for myself. The green and blue colors of the kimono set off my black hair, and the long, fluttering sleeves looked romantic. For half a second, I saw Mimi's face instead of mine in the mirror, and I felt tears come to my eyes. It was almost as if she were in the room with me, urging me to wear the kimono to the party. "I'll wear it," I
said. "Definitely." I smiled at the mirror.
"LetТs put your hair up and find some accessories that will go with the outfit," Stacey said. She started to rummage through my jewelry box. "These earrings will be perfect."