025 Rich and Dangerous Read Free

really decided,” said Nancy, her eyes falling down to the glossy beige menu. “Just bring—let’s see—any of the pastries. Something with chocolate—and some decaffeinated coffee, please.”
    “The éclair is exceptional today,” he said, his eyes still on the other party.
    “Fine. An éclair then.”
    “Don’t think you can get to my soft spot this time!” The woman’s voice filtered through the potted palm.
    “Always the same, always the same . . .” the waiter muttered, transfixed.
    “Excuse me?” Nancy asked.
    Now the waiter caught Nancy’s eye, and he shook his head slowly.
    “Those people over there, they think their money makes up for their bad manners. Every day it’s the same thing.”
    “Oh? They come here a lot?”
    “They come here three or four times a year, miss, on vacation. They always stay in the same suite. I have waited on them for years.” He looked Nancy up and down. “I see you are curious, miss. Yes?”
    Had she been so obvious about her interest? “Well, perhaps a little,” she replied casually. “I believe they’re my neighbors.”
    “Well, I shall tell you, then,” said Maximilian, with a little mock bow. “The woman is Sarah Amberly—perhaps you have heard of her? The wealthy widow from Boston. Since her husband passed away, she’s worth more than many small countries. She’s yelling at her nephew, Jack Kale. She scolds him, but she lets him steal from right under her nose.”
    So he had been stealing!
    “She raised him, you know,” the waiter continued. “And she spoiled him rotten. Now, she complains.” With a derogatory snort, Maximilian made his contempt known.
    “What about the others?” Nancy couldn’t helpher curiosity, and the waiter seemed eager to supply her with any details she might want. “Who’s the other woman?”
    “Oh, yes, the poor thing—” With this, the waiter circled a finger by his temple. “It’s Mrs. Amberly’s younger sister, Alison Kale. Crazy, you know? She is very timid, but inside, so angry.”
    “Oh?”
    “And the other man, with the graying hair, is Mr. Pieter van Druten—another delightful person. He’s got millions from his diamond mines, but that’s not enough for him. He’s trying to get the old woman’s money, too!”
    “Really? How?”
    “By marrying her, I suppose. Even now, he stays in her suite at her expense. She says this is a small repayment since he keeps her from loneliness, but I say the man is a sponge. Her dead husband was a good man—better than any of them. He was a man who worked for his money. These people are nothings, just idle rich who do nothing. They are dirt.”
    “Well, you certainly know a lot about them,” Nancy observed. Maximilian’s attitude was so bitter and angry that she felt sorry for the man.
    “Know about them!” With that the waiter chuckled. “My dear miss, a servant sees many things, many things. I know much more than that, I assure you—for a small consideration, of course.”
    He’s asking for a bribe! Nancy smiled and looked away. “I’m not a reporter, you know. I’m not in the business of buying information.”
    Smiling broadly now, the waiter turned to walk away. “If you should change your mind . . .”
    But Nancy pretended not to hear. It was all intriguing, but she wasn’t going to get any more involved than she already was. And there was no way that Nancy Drew would ever pay for information—not when she could get it herself, that is.
    • • •
    “Good night, Dad.”
    It had been a long, full day, and Nancy was tired. She and her dad hadn’t had time to eat until after nine o’clock. Fortunately, dinner at the Oak Room, the Plaza’s most exclusive restaurant, had been fabulous. And she and her father had finally gotten a chance to catch up.
    The two of them had always been close because Carson had been both mother and father to her after Nancy’s mother died. He had a housekeeper, though. Hannah Gruen was wonderful and like a