I sat up and gasped. Quickly I began shaking Bess and George awake. They had only been asleep for a couple of hours, and I did feel bad about waking them up so soon. But this was just too important to wait.

The more I shook George’s shoulder, the more she buried her face into her pillow and pretended to ignore me.

Bess, on the other hand, managed to sit up slowly. She stretched and said, “What’s going on, Nancy?”

“We have to go see Mrs. Park at the arts and crafts store,” I said. “Now.”

“But why?” mumbled George, her voice muffled by the pillow.

“I think I’ve just figured this whole thing out,” I said. “But we have to talk to Mrs. Park to be absolutely sure.”

After a little more coaxing, I managed to get both Bess and George awake and out the door. By the time we reached Mrs. Park’s store, she was only just opening up for the day. I watched as she bent down to prop her front door open.

“Mrs. Park!” I called from a little ways down the street. I jogged in her direction. Bess and George, who were now much more awake and starting to grow more and more curious about what exactly I had figured out, followed closely behind.

“Oh, hello, girls,” said Mrs. Park from behind her large glasses. “Are you here to do a project today?”

“Not exactly,” I said. “Actually, I was wondering if we could speak a bit more privately. Inside, maybe?”

Mrs. Park seemed a little confused by this request. “Well, sure, dear,” she said anyway, turning around and walking toward her front counter. Once she reached it, she turned back around to face us and said, “What can I do for you three?”

I wasn’t really sure what to ask. Emily had said that Mrs. Park kept records of anyone who had made a project at her store. But I was also sure that those records wouldn’t be available for just anyone to look through.

In the end, I decided the best thing to do was just to dive in. After all, Mrs. Park had told us where Beverly DeSantos lived. It was possible she would be willing to share this information with us as well.

“Mrs. Park,” I said, “I was wondering if we could take a look at your records. We need to find the name of someone who once made a project here. It’s very important.” At the last minute, I also decided to add, “It’s to help Beverly DeSantos.”

Mrs. Park scrunched up her face and shook her head. “Of course I’d want to help Beverly,” she said. “But I think I’d feel strange just handing over the names of my customers like that. You understand.”

“Please, Mrs. Park,” I tried again. “You’re the only one who can help us.”

Mrs. Park was firm in her answer. “I just don’t think it would be right,” she said. “Sorry, dear.” She patted my shoulder kindly, sat down, and began shuffling through some of the papers lying around her work space.