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

"You look wonderful," said Mary Anne. I thought I saw tears gleaming in her eyes, too. She had been very close to Mimi, and I know she misses her almost as much as I do.
I pulled my hair into a modified French twist, put on the earrings, and added a few gold bracelets. Then I put on my makeup. "Hand me that lip gloss, will you, Stace?" I said. She and Mary Anne stood behind me, watching. "Now all I have to do is figure out how to act at this party. I mean, if s not going to be like a school dance, where the boys stand around on one side and crack jokes and the girls stand around on the other side and giggle. This is an adult party, and I'll have to act like an adult."
"It's true," said Stacey. "You wouldn't want to pull any tricks like bringing a rubber tarantula to tease people with." One of Stacey's dates did that once, at a dance. Can you believe it?
"Okay," said Mary Anne. "Time for the etiquette quiz. First of all, what do you say when you meet Don Newman?"
"Urn, I guess I say 'Hi, Don,' " I answered. "He said to call him that."
"No way," said Mary Anne. "This is a fancy party. You have to call him Mr. Newman, at least at first."
"Okay," I said. "What else?"
"Watch out when you go to the ladies room. Be careful not to get toilet paper stuck to the bottom of your shoe and drag it back out to the party with you," advised Stacey.
We cracked up, but I blushed at the thought.
"Don't drink anything that might stain the kimono if you spill it," said Mary Anne. "And don't eat anything that might get stuck in your teeth."
Mary Anne had a whole storehouse of etiquette tips, from how to shake hands to how to make small talk with strangers. Stacey added a few of her own, and soon I felt ready for anything. I was still feeling nervous, though. "Thanks, guys," I said as I saw them out the door. "I couldn't have done it without you."
"No problem," said Stacey. "You look gorgeous."
"I have one more tip for you," said Mary Anne, with a smile. She leaned dose to me and spoke very seriously. "Just remember this. Have a great time!"
Chapter 14.
I tightened the sash around my waist one more time as my father and I stepped out of the car. He looked handsome in his dark suit and tie. He smiled at me. "Ready, my dear?" he said, crooking his arm so I could put mine through it.
I took a deep breath. "Ready," I said. I was feeling as nervous as a cat in a room full of dogs. But we walked up the stairs and through the main door of the museum, and within seconds I had forgotten about being nervous. "Awesome," I whispered, looking around. The main lobby was full of men and women, and every one of them was dressed to the teeth. Some of the men were even wearing tuxedos. A lot of the women were wearing floor-length gowns, and I saw plenty of expensive-looking jewelry. I glanced down at my kimono and smiled. I knew I had made the
right choice. I felt comfortable, but I looked dressed up and exotic.
"Everyone seems to be heading toward the Egypt Room," said my dad. "Shall we?" He offered his arm again. We stopped outside the room to pick up name tags from a table, and then walked into the party.
I hadn't been in the Egypt Room before, since I had spent most of my time in the rooms meant for children and in the gallery. But as soon as I saw it, I knew it would become one of my favorite parts of the museum. I saw mummy cases with painted faces and fascinating symbols drawn on them. And I saw glass cases full of ancient jewelry. Hieroglyphics were painted on the walls, and there were panels with those pictures of people who seem to be walking sideways.
I wanted to look at everything, but the room was so full it was hard to see the displays. Everyone was talking and laughing and eating pastries and drinking champagne. Waiters dressed in starched white shirts and black pants circulated among the guests, passing silver trays. I took a cracker spread with what looked like cheese from one tray, and a glass of cider from another, and then I just stood back and watched the crowd. Everyone was wearing name tags, and I had this feeling all
of a sudden that I was in the middle of a scene in a murder mystery, the part where the whole cast of characters is assembled and the culprit is about to be revealed.
I looked around to see if I recognized anyone. It didn't take long to find someone. There, next to a woman in a blue-sequined dress, was the man with one blue eye and one green eye. I felt a shiver run up my spine. He seemed to be looking around the room, as if he, too, were checking out the crowd. He wore a fancy black suit with a shiny stripe down the side of his trouser legs.
Unlike me, my dad seemed relaxed. He stood next to me, eating crackers and drinking club soda. "Do you see Don Newman?" he asked.
"I think that's him over by the small mummy case," I said, trying to sound calm. "I recognize him from his picture in the paper." At the moment, he was surrounded by people, so it didn't seem like the right time to introduce myself. Dad and I stood there for awhile. I was trying to keep tabs on the man with the funny eyes, and I was also watching out for any other suspects. Then I noticed that Don Newman was walking toward a jewelry case, and I could see that he was alone. I pulled my father's sleeve. "Come on," I said. We walked quickly across the room. "Excuse
me," I said. He turned, and I checked his name tag just to make sure it was him. "Mr. Newman, I'm Claudia Kishi," I said, remembering what Mary Anne had told me. I felt a little nervous again, but not much. Mr. Newman looked as friendly in person as he sounded over the phone.
"Claudia," he said, shaking my hand. "Please, call me Don. If s a pleasure to meet you. What a lovely kimono you're wearing."
"Thanks," I said. "This is my father, John Kishi." "Dad, this is Don Newman." They shook hands.
"Nice party," said my father. The three of us stood chatting for a few minutes, about the museum and how nice it was for Stoneybrook to have it. Then my dad looked at me. "Claudia, I just spotted some friends. Mind if I go talk to them?"
"Okay," I replied. Actually, I was glad to see him go, so that Mr. Newman Ч Don Ч and I could talk about the mystery.
My dad said good-bye to us, and wandered off. "So, Claudia," said Don, turning to me. "Are you enjoying the party?"
I hesitated. "Well, ifs very nice," I said. "But I can't stop thinking about your sculpture, and how different it felt. I'm just so sure there's something funny going on here." At
that moment, I saw Mr. Snipes walk by. "And I think he may have something to do with it," I whispered.
"The curator?" asked Don. "But Ч "
"I can't explain right now," I whispered. I was watching Mr. Snipes mingle with the guests. Then I noticed that he was about to leave the room. Without thinking, I grabbed Don's sleeve. "Come on!" I said. "Let's follow him."
Don grinned. "This is exciting," he said. "Much more fun than a boring old party." He followed me, and I followed Mr. Snipes out the door, back into the main lobby, and down a dimly lit hall. Guess where we followed him to? His office door.
"Oops," I said, turning to Don. I knew I was blushing. I had led us to a dead end.
"That's okay," he said. "Listen, as long as we've left the party, how would you like to check out the sculpture?"
"I'd love to," I said. We walked to the sculpture gallery, but when we reached it, the door was locked.
"That's strange," said Don. He led me back down the hall and we found a guard, one of the few on duty that night. "I'm Don New-man," he said. "Do you know why the sculpture gallery is locked?"
"The show has been taken down already,"
said the guard. "All of your sculptures are in storage room B, ready to be packed up for shipment to your next show."
Don nodded. "I see," he said. "Thank you."
We walked away from the guard. "Well, I guess thatТs that," said Don.
"LetТs check out the storage room," I said. I couldn't stand the thought of giving up.
Don looked at me, his eyes twinkling. "You're very tenacious," he said. "Okay, why not?"
I didn't know what "tenacious" meant until I looked it up later. So I didn't know whether Don was complimenting me or insulting me. He didn't look as if he were insulting me, so I just smiled. (I found out later that "tenacious" means, basically, stubborn. I guess it was kind of a compliment, under the circumstances.)
We found storage room B near the gift shop, down a darkened hall. "It'll probably be locked," said Don as we approached the door.
I was reaching for the knob when I heard footsteps. "Shh!" I said. I grabbed Don's arm and pulled him into a dark corner. We watched as a custodian, pushing a mop and bucket, walked to the door of the storage room. He was wearing a Walkman, and he hummed to himself as he pulled out a large ring filled with keys, rummaged through them, and then stuck one into the keyhole and
pushed the door open. He walked in and flipped on a light, and we tiptoed to the doorway and peered through.
The custodian pushed his bucket over to the sculpture called Daphne. My eyes widened and I exchanged looks with Don. We stepped inside, since the man's back was toward us. Then, as we watched, the custodian tipped the sculpture up, put his hand inside a hidden opening, and pulled something out. I nearly fainted when I saw what it was. Coins! A handful of shining, gold coins. I gasped.