The patients’ lounge was empty except for a young woman sitting on an orange couch. She was thin and wore a hospital gown, a robe, and big black glasses. Her frizzy blond hair was pulled up in a huge, puffy ponytail on top of her head. When the girls came in, she didn’t even look up, just continued to stare fixedly at the color TV. On screen, a spaceship swooshed past a galaxy of stars. A VCR was whirring on the shelf beneath the TV.
“Excuse me,” Nancy began.
“Shhh,” the woman told her without looking up. “Can’t you see I’m watching?”
“I don’t mean to interrupt,” Nancy said firmly, “but this is very important.”
The woman pressed the pause button on the VCR remote and turned to Nancy with a long, unfriendly face.
“We need to watch this movie,” Nancy explained, holding up her cassette. “It could help us catch two bank robbers who’ve been eluding the police for almost thirty years.”
The woman laughed. “Sure. And I need to watch Star Base so I can catch the man on the moon!”
Nancy bit her lip. She wasn’t sure what to do now to convince the woman to give up the VCR. So it was with surprise that she watched the woman push herself out of the couch and eject the Star Base cassette. “That’s such a good story, you deserve a few points for creativity! I can watch Star Base later. Mind if I watch your movie too? This is something I’ve got to see for myself.”
“No problem,” Nancy told the woman. “Oh, and thanks!” Then, with shaking fingers, she loaded Jake and Jasmine into the machine. A moment later Bess tiptoed into the room, settling into the couch next to George and the other patient.
Nancy pressed the play button and the film picked up where the video-store woman had switched it off. Jake and Jasmine were beginning their first joy ride in the 1957 white convertible Skyliner.
Part of the storyline wasn’t too different from a lot of romantic movies. Jasmine defied her father’s demand that she stop seeing Jake. But even though the movie itself was pretty hokey, Nancy had to admit that there was something special about Jake—his daring, his abandon. Nancy could really understand Jasmine’s fascination with this charming, handsome young man. It was the night of the prom, the story revealed, when Jasmine made her big decision to follow Jake in his life of crime. Her father had locked her in her room while all her friends went off to the dance. Jake climbed up the vines that clung to the side of her house and whisked her away from all that.
In the next half hour Nancy learned that Jake and Jasmine had started small, robbing stores and gas stations. Then they’d become bolder and began to go after banks. In between holdups Jake was always trying to prove his love for Jasmine, buying her flowers and expensive gifts. No matter what he did, though, it wasn’t enough. Jasmine always threatened to leave him and go straight. Finally, Jake decided to make the final gesture. He blindfolded Jasmine and drove her to a tattoo parlor. Then he made her watch while he had his right forearm imprinted with dye. Nancy let out a gasp as the camera zoomed in for a close-up of the new tattoo. A many-petaled, pale yellow flower stood out in stark relief against Jake’s skin. Underneath the flower was the word Jasmine.
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Nancy knew exactly where she’d seen that design before. On the right forearm of Larry Jaye!
Who Is Jasmine?
So, Larry was actually Jake Sims! One of the area’s most legendary bank robbers was the number-one guard at the bank’s vault!
Nancy pressed the stop button on the VCR and ejected her cassette. “Thank you,” she said to the woman with the puffy pony tail. “Sorry to interrupt your show.”
“Well? Did you figure out who did it?” the woman asked.
Nancy nodded. Bess and George shot her identical amazed stares. “Well, thanks for telling us!” said Bess. “Who is it? What did you find out?”
Nancy pressed her lips together. She didn’t want to say anything in front of the other woman. “You know,” she said instead, “I’m feeling a little hungry. I wonder if we could get a couple of dinner trays at this hour.” She shuffled toward the door in her hospital slippers, the cassette tucked under her arm.
Bess and George followed quickly after her.
“Come on, Nancy, out with it,” George said.
Nancy shook her head, then motioned with it toward the woman in the lounge, who was already engrossed again in Star Base. Nodding to show they understood, Bess and George silently followed Nancy out of the lounge.
Peering down the hall, Nancy could see no sign of Sergeant Ramirez outside their room. There was just an empty chair with a paperback book on it. Nancy was sure he wasn’t still holding the line. In fact, when he’d discovered the call was a fake, he probably checked their room and discovered they were gone. Now he was most likely tearing the hospital apart looking for them. As soon as they were safely back inside, Nancy shut the door.
“It’s Larry,” she told her friends. “Larry Jaye is Jake Sims!”
“Wow,” George said, shaking her head, “and he seemed so friendly and innocent.”
Nancy went on to describe Larry’s tattoo. “I didn’t think anything of it at the time,” she told them, “and I couldn’t read the name below the flower. But I’m positive it’s the same design.”
“Who would have thought that exciting young man would turn into a regular-looking guy like Larry,” Bess commented.
“It makes sense, though,” Nancy said slowly. “Larry told me he was from a tiny town in the middle of nowhere, but he wouldn’t reveal the name of it. He also said he’d had a wild youth, but he was pretty secretive about the details. Now I can see why.”
“It all fits,” Bess agreed. “But I still have one question. Who is Jasmine?”
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Nancy shook her head. “Larry would need an accomplice at the bank in order to get all the information and keys he’d need. So it’s a good bet that Jasmine’s working at the bank under a false name too.”
“What about Evelyn Sobel?” George suggested. “She’s about the same age as Larry, and she’s got access to all the information in the bank’s computers.”
“Her behavior is strange,” Nancy admitted. “Especially the part about her visiting the vault so often. But there are a couple of things that don’t feel right. First of all, we still can’t explain how she got into Mr. Charles’s safe to get the duplicate keys to the safe-deposit boxes. Mr. Charles swears no one but he himself knows the combination.”
“But Ms. Sobel’s the assistant branch manager,” George reasoned. “She must spend a lot of time with Mr. Charles. Maybe she spied on him while he was opening the safe.”
“I doubt Mr. Charles would have been that careless,” Nancy said. “The other problem I have is with the glove. It may actually be Ms. Sobel’s, but it seems like a very obvious plant. I’m convinced the real Jasmine left it in Mr. Charles’s office to set Ms. Sobel up.”
“Which brings us back to my question,” Bess said. “Who is the real Jasmine?”
Nancy shook her head. She didn’t have any other older woman suspects on her list. “There’s only one way to find out.” She walked over to the room’s small closet. “Let’s get dressed. We need to investigate!”
“Where are we going?” George asked.
“To Larry’s house,” Nancy replied. “I wrote his home address down when George was working on the bank’s computer. Let’s get over there. Even if Larry and Jasmine aren’t there themselves, it’s the most likely place to find more clues.”
“Oh boy,” Bess said, rolling her eyes. “You sure do have this funny habit. Someone tries to kill you and almost succeeds. Then, when you’re safe, you go out of your way to put yourself back in the line of fire.”
“You don’t have to come if you don’t want to,” Nancy said.
“I’m not chickening out,” Bess assured her. “I’m just pointing out a fact. And there’s one more thing.”
Nancy pulled her red dress over her head, then looked quizzically at Bess. “What’s that?”
“Well, technically, we shouldn’t be leaving the hospital because they haven’t checked us out yet. Don’t you think we should wait until a doctor says it’s okay?”
“Look,” Nancy said as she threw on her black blazer over the dress, “Sergeant Ramirez is probably combing the hospital for us. We’ve got to leave now, before he catches us.”
“I’m with you, Nancy,” George declared. She hurriedly discarded her hospital gown and pulled on her skirt and blouse. Reluctantly, Bess did the same.
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Nancy reached into her purse for her notebook. Flipping it open, she found Larry’s address. “Two twenty-two Lakeview Drive,” she murmured aloud. “I think I know where that is.” She tossed the notebook on the bed and grabbed her car keys from her purse.
“Everybody ready?” she asked.
Bess and George nodded. “As ready as I’ll ever be,” Bess added.
“Okay, then. Let’s go.” She pushed open the door and checked the hallway.
“All clear,” she whispered. “But don’t run, so no one gets suspicious.”
The ten yards of hallway to the back stairway seemed endless. Every second of the way Nancy was sure Sergeant Ramirez was going to come flying down the hall, waving his handcuffs. Then they’d all be hauled down to the police station, and they’d never catch Jake and Jasmine. It seemed miraculous that by the time they reached the exit he still hadn’t appeared.
As soon as they were safely inside the stairwell, the girls broke into a run. Nancy could see that her friends still felt a little shaky, as she did herself, but they scooted down the two flights of stairs at their very fastest pace. Within a few minutes they were pushing open the door to the lobby. Nancy glanced quickly around. No Sergeant Ramirez. No angry nurse demanding that the girls get back in bed until the doctor gave the word. Their escape had been all too easy, Nancy thought as she led Bess and George toward the main door.
“Wait a minute, girls,” said a loud voice. Nancy felt a heavy hand on her shoulder. Trying to remain calm, she turned around.
A huge woman in a flowered dress stood before them, clutching a glossy hospital brochure. “Can you tell me how to get to Pediatrics?” she asked in a booming, shrill voice. “My nephew just got his tonsils out, and I can’t find the right department. I’ve been wandering around for fifteen minutes, trying to read this map, but it’s too confusing!”
A wave of relief flushed Nancy’s cheeks. Then, quickly, it was replaced by a flash of annoyance. She smiled as politely as she could, but right now every extra second they stayed around put her and her friends in more danger.
“I’m afraid I don’t know where it is,” she replied. “Maybe one of the nurses can help you.”
“Thank you,” the woman said, wandering off.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Nancy, Bess, and George filed through the revolving door and emerged into the starry night. The redbrick towers of Bentley General Hospital were silhouetted against the darkness behind them. The girls walked along the curving driveway and onto Main Street. Across the street, Vera’s World of Video was now dark and empty. Down the street stood the Bentley Bank.
Nancy hurried toward the elegant white building. “I parked the car right in front of the bank yesterday when we went to work. I hope it’s still there.” Breaking into a run, she took off down the street.
“Slow down!” Bess called from behind her. “Remember, we were poisoned less than twenty-four hours ago!”
Nancy didn’t have to be told to go slower. She was feeling a lot more tired than she normally would have. Her legs wobbled beneath her and she gasped for air. Bess and George sped after her, also breathing heavily.
“I hate feeling like this—so weak and vulnerable,” Nancy cried in a rare display of anger.
“It will pass soon,” George said, placing a hand on Nancy’s shoulder. “It’s amazing we’re up at all.”
Nancy spotted her blue sports car waiting for them in front of the bank, right where she’d left it. She unlocked the doors and the three of them piled in. In another moment they were speeding over the crest of the hill and down the steep slope on the other side. Within ten minutes they were cruising down Lakeview Drive.
“Pretty fancy neighborhood for a bank guard to be living in,” Nancy commented. Stately old homes lined either side of the street, and Nancy noticed a new car or two in more than a few of the driveways. The lake’s black waters reflected the light of the lamp posts.
“Check the numbers for me,” Nancy told Bess.
Bess squinted through the window. “It’s hard to see. Oh wait, there’s 194... 200... 208...”
“I think we’d better walk the rest of the way,” Nancy suggested. “They might notice the car.”
Nancy pulled over and parked on the incline, and the girls got out of the car. They didn’t have to walk more than another block to reach number 222.
Larry’s place was a large one-story house with a wooden porch. A picture window took up most of the front wall. Light poured out of it, and Nancy noticed the glow of a TV set. Great! Jake and Jasmine hadn’t made their getaway yet. Probably they figured Nancy, Bess, and George were dead and that they didn’t have to worry about being tagged as the robbers.
Nancy took in the idyllic scene. It was hard to believe such a pleasant house was the home of two notorious criminals. They’d be furious when they realized the girls were still alive. Nancy was sure they wouldn’t hesitate to correct the situation if they discovered the three of them.
“Try not even to breathe,” Nancy cautioned the others as she crept toward Jake’s gravel driveway. “We can’t afford to make a single sound.” Nancy stayed off the gravel—too noisy—and kept to the lawn. At the far end of the driveway she could make out a single-car garage.
“That’s probably where they keep the Skyliner,” George whispered, pointing.
“Let’s check it out after we look through the house.” Silently, Nancy sneaked up to the porch. “Stay low,” she cautioned, “so they can’t spot us through the window.”
The girls crept beneath the plate glass. Then, very slowly, they raised their heads above the level of the windowsill to get a good look inside.
They were home! Nancy immediately recognized the back of Larry’s head. He sat on a sofa with his back to the closed window. A gray-haired woman snuggled next to him—Jasmine, Nancy figured. But it was the bunch of keys sitting in plain view on the end of the table that really made her smile. It was the key ring they’d used to open the safe-deposit boxes. Great! That was hard evidence, and all Nancy would need to get a good solid conviction in a court of law.
Now Nancy turned her attention back to Larry’s companion. Come on, Jasmine! she thought. Turn around. I haven’t gone to all this trouble to stare at the back of your head!
Jasmine sat up a little straighter. Now Nancy could see her white hair was short and curly. Nancy’s heart pounded wildly. That hair was awfully familiar!
As Jake and Jasmine’s TV program switched to a commercial break, Jasmine leaned over to plant a kiss on Jake’s cheek, turning her face toward the window. Recognition flooded through Nancy. The woman curled so comfortably next to Jake Sims was none other than Mr. Charles’s personal secretary, Elaine Kussack!
Den of Thieves
Elaine Kussack! And she hadn’t even been on Nancy’s suspect list! But now that she knew the truth, Nancy didn’t dare stick around a second longer than she had to. It was time to get the police involved as quickly as possible. Ducking below the windowsill, she moved along the porch, motioning Bess and George to follow.
Very quietly, the girls crept over the wooden boards. Nancy hardly dared to breathe. A single noise could spell disaster. Nancy stepped down the porch steps. Three... two... sickening sound.
The girls froze in terror. Had Jake and Jasmine heard them?
They waited without making the slightest move. Only the crickets chirping in the nearby grass broke the night’s peace.
Nancy’s heart was pounding, but she tried to be optimistic. They were outside, and a thick glass window lay between them and the Simses. She only hoped that it had been enough to muffle the sound.
A minute went by, and still the front door hadn’t opened. Maybe they’d finally gotten lucky. Nancy hopped lightly down to the front lawn. Keeping low, she ran across the grass to the paved street beyond.
“I don’t get it!” George whispered once they were all away from the house. “If Elaine is Jasmine, how can she and Larry—I mean Jake—get into the vault? She doesn’t know the codes to turn off the alarm or anything.”
Nancy considered George’s point. That was exactly what had kept her from considering Elaine for her suspect list. But now that she thought about it, she could see her mistake.
“You’re right,” Nancy said. “But you know what? Elaine was in a perfect position to learn all the vital information she needed. Sitting in that office right next to Mr. Charles, she could have spent the whole day spying on him, learning the bank’s secrets, memorizing secret codes and combinations.”
“You mean, it was Elaine who broke into Mr. Charles’s office?” Bess asked, incredulous.
“It’s the only answer that makes sense,” Nancy reasoned. “No one else could have done it so fast.”
“She probably stole the safe-deposit box keys,” George guessed, “had copies made, and put them back.”
“And on top of everything else, they pretended not to be married so they could both get jobs inside the bank,” Nancy said, thinking back to what Jill Adler had said about the bank’s rule against married couples. Suddenly it all made sense. “In any case, let’s not waste any more time talking. We’ve got to check on one more thing. Let’s get a look at that Skyliner.”
Trying to keep gravel crunching to a minimum, the girls moved up the lawn alongside the driveway to the garage. They peered through the windows but couldn’t make anything out. The glass was too dirty.
Pulling the sleeve of her dress down over her hand, Nancy used the end of it to wipe away years of grime. Maybe Jake and Jasmine wanted it dirty, Nancy decided, so no one could see what was inside.
Eagerly, she pressed her face up to the tiny peephole she’d cleared. The garage was dark and shadowy with only a little moonlight shining through the dirty windows. But the meager light was enough. As Nancy’s eyes adjusted to the light, she saw the unmistakable outline of a ’57 Skyliner. Grinning, she stepped aside so Bess and George could see too. One by one they took their turn at the peephole.
“You did it, Nan!” Bess whispered excitedly.
George patted Nancy on the arm. “I’m sure glad I’m on your side. A criminal doesn’t have a chance against you.”
“Don’t be so sure.” The female voice came from behind them.
Before Nancy could turn around, she felt the cool firmness of a gun barrel pressing into her back.
“Hello, Elaine,” Nancy said calmly. “Or should I call you Jasmine? I wish we could stay, but we were just on our way to the police station.”
Jasmine laughed. “'Were’ is right. The only place you’re going now is to the bottom of Bentley Lake!”
Death Ride
“Well, hello, Nancy,” came Larry’s voice from behind. “I never figured on meeting you again. We poured enough gas through that vent to wipe out a dozen nosy detectives.”
Nancy’s eyes darted first right, then left, trying to catch a glimpse of a light in a neighbor’s window. If people were awake next door, maybe they would notice the commotion in the driveway and call the police. Unfortunately, from where Nancy stood the houses looked dark and silent. She started to turn her head, but the gun barrel dug more painfully into her back.
“No, you don’t,” Elaine said from the other end of the gun. “Now, I want you three to back away from that garage very slowly. And when I tell you to stop, you stop.”
Nancy, Bess, and George backed up one step at a time, their feet sliding uncertainly through the gravel. Nancy was proud to see how bravely her friends were acting. Even Bess didn’t let the terror show in her face. But Nancy could tell they had hung all their hopes on her. She’d gotten them into this miserable situation. It was up to her to get them out.
As they continued to back down the driveway, Nancy’s mind raced, trying to formulate a plan. They couldn’t run. Jasmine might shoot all three of them dead before they got down the driveway.
No, Nancy’s only option was to bluff. “Whatever you’re planning to do,” she said, “it’s pointless. The police are on their way right now.”
Jasmine laughed. “Do you know how many times I’ve heard that line? 'The police are on their way right now,’” Jasmine mimicked. “That’s what every clerk has said at every bank we’ve ever robbed. Sorry, kid, you’ve got to do better than that. Now, stop right where you are.”
Instantaneously Nancy, Bess, and George froze. Quickly Jake moved ahead of them to the garage and hefted open the heavy door. Inside, looking just as though it had driven right out of the movie, was the ’57 Ford Skyliner, its top down.
Without bothering to open the car door, Larry hopped in and turned on the ignition. Then, getting out again, he took a heavy coil of rope off a hook in the garage.
“Gotta let ’er warm up,” Larry said as he approached the girls. “The Ghost Rider’s still got her looks, but she’s not as spry as she used to be. Maybe a little like my Jasmine,” he added, blowing Elaine a kiss. “Hold out your hands, girls. It’s time to practice a little knot tying.”
With Elaine’s gun still trained on them, the girls had no choice but to obey the Simses’ every order. Quickly and efficiently, Jake looped and knotted the rope around Nancy’s wrists, then Bess’s, then George’s, tying them together. He left a length of rope hanging loose on either end.
“Now stay put,” Jake ordered. Sprinting back to the car, he hopped in and backed the Skyliner out to where they were standing. Then he leaned over the seat to open the back door. “Get in.”
Nancy moved into the car first, struggling for balance as she attempted to slide along the seat without the use of her hands. Once they were all in, Larry tied each end of the rope to the outside door handles of the car. He pulled the cord so tight that Nancy’s bound hands were jammed over the top of the Skyliner’s left door.
Elaine got into the passenger seat and once again snuggled close to Larry. Slowly Larry pulled out of the driveway and turned onto Lakeview Drive. Nancy craned her neck and looked all around, searching for some escape. But she realized the street was true to its name. It had a spectacular view of Bentley Lake, down below.
“Where are you taking us?” Nancy demanded as they headed up the hill.
Elaine laughed and turned around to face them. “I already told you,” she said. “We’re sending you to the bottom of Bentley Lake.”
“Excuse me,” Bess said timidly, “but you’re going in the wrong direction. Bentley Lake’s behind us.” Nancy could hear Bess’s voice shaking in the dark beside her.
Elaine laughed again, a cold, tinkling laugh that sent shivers up and down Nancy’s spine. “There’s no fooling you, is there? The reason we’re heading to the top of the hill is that what goes up must come down. Get it?”
“I see you’re familiar with the laws of gravity,” Nancy said coolly.
“Tell me something,” Elaine said, leaning over the front. The gun dangled casually from her hand. “How did you find us? We’ve been followed by the cops for over thirty years, and no one ever managed to track us down before.”
“It was the Skyliner,” Nancy explained. “The first time I saw it was when you tossed that rock through my window. The second time was in the movie about your crime career. It was the car that helped make the connection.”
Elaine scowled. “I told you we should have gotten rid of the stupid car,” she muttered to Larry. “But no, you said, 'We gotta keep the Ghost Rider.’ Now you see where it’s got us?” Elaine turned back to Nancy. “That was our one mistake,” she admitted. “But we’re going to correct it right now. We’re finally sending the Ghost Rider to the bottom of the lake—with you in it.”
“Very clever,” Nancy said. “Almost as clever as breaking into the vault and mixing up the jewelry. Not the best way to keep a low profile.”
“We were in a hurry!” Elaine yelled. “The automatic timer on the vault slams that door shut after only five minutes if you open the vault after business hours. Six months of planning and all we get is five minutes! That’s why it took us so many visits to the vault.”
“You’ll get twenty years when the police catch you,” Nancy said.
Elaine let out her icy, tinkling laugh. “You’re a cool character,” she said to Nancy. “Fearless. You remind me of myself when I was your age.”
Nancy resented being compared to a criminal, but she kept her mouth shut. It wouldn’t be a good idea to anger Elaine further.
Elaine’s tone grew bitter again. “But if it weren’t for you, we could have gotten what we wanted—what we’d planned so long to get. After that first break-in we were going to lay low, wait until everything blew over. But when you showed up, we knew we had to act fast.”
“How did you know we were on the case?” Nancy asked. She tugged desperately on the rope that held her wrists tightly against the far side of the car door, but Larry’s knots held. He definitely knew how to tie them right.
“I listened in on Mr. Charles’s office through the intercom,” Elaine explained. “It wasn’t hard to rig the thing to work as my own personal bugging device. Came in handy, too, when I needed to learn safe combinations and high security information. Especially because Mr. Charles had this habit of muttering out loud when he opened that big wall safe of his.” She laughed dryly.
“And I knew you were a detective as soon as I saw your little notepad,” Larry added. “Dead giveaway.”
Bess shuddered. “Did he have to use that word—dead?” she whispered.
The old car was having trouble getting up the steep hill. Nancy decided to keep Elaine and Larry talking. “There’s one more thing I don’t understand,” Nancy said. “If you were such big bank robbers, how come you didn’t take any of the jewelry? That must have been worth a lot of money.”
“Too easy to get caught,” Elaine said. “Taking David Baker’s stuff, on the other hand, was completely risk free. He’s still locked up in the Illinois Pen, so he wouldn’t even know it was missing until he managed to get himself let out. And even then, what could he do about it? Go to the police and whine that someone had stolen the money he’d ripped off himself?”
“David Baker!” Larry growled. “He deserves every single day he spends rotting in that jail, and more. Nogood double-crossing—”
“And whose fault is that?” asked Elaine angrily. “I never trusted him from the beginning. But you said, 'Let him in. He’s got honest eyes.’ Honest? Ha! Never trust a crook.”
Nancy watched from the backseat. Good. Elaine was getting so riled up, she was spilling the whole story. That would come in handy when they got to the police. If they got there. Still, Elaine and Larry’s argument provided a perfect cover for an escape attempt. If only she had a plan... One thing she did know—keeping them talking was good, any way she played it.
“What did Baker do?” Nancy asked, pushing for the conversation to continue. Larry had stopped the car at a cross street, but soon it would near the crest of the hill. The prospect of a return trip down to the lake—without a driver—was looking more and more horrible.
“Well, nothing at first,” Elaine told her. “In fact, he was real useful when money was short. Because he was a counterfeiter, he could just print us out a couple of thousand whenever we needed it. But then, the night of our last job, he pulled the biggest double-cross of the century, and got away with all the money. That was our biggest job too. Half a million in cash.”
Nancy listened carefully, but at the same time her eyes searched out the Skyliner’s every detail. There had to be something helpful—something sharp—that could cut these ropes. Nancy’s gaze slid over the car’s gleaming metal.
And then she saw it. At the point where the retractable hood slid into the body of the car, a small jagged piece stood out, part of the hood’s mechanism. Maybe, just maybe, it would be sharp enough to slice through the ropes. If only she could reach it. Nancy eased her hands over, hoping that Elaine wouldn’t notice. But the rope pulled taut too early, holding her hands just two inches from her goal.
Nancy felt like screaming. Their only chance, and she couldn’t reach it! Still, even in the agony of frustration, Nancy realized she had to keep the conversation going. It was her only way of distracting the Simses. “Why... why was that your last job?” she fumbled.
“Somebody ratted on us,” Elaine said bitterly. “Someone in the gang. We never found out who, but he must have let the police know, because they were waiting for us. When we stepped out of the bank, we were completely surrounded.”