Near the dessert table, I spotted Riley, a photographer I’d also met in Shady Oaks. She grinned and snapped a shot of me striking my best superstar pose while George and Bess attacked a tower of pretty iced tea cakes. Abby Heyworth, co-owner of Black Creek Farm, floated over to greet them. Her gown looked like it was made of old burlap sacks and bits of grass. “It’s fully compostable!” Abby exclaimed. I watched George and Bess paste on polite smiles, but I knew they were trying not to burst into laughter. Hannah drifted away from us to chat with Mr. Covarrubias and Judge Nguyen.

Bess grabbed my arm and pointed to a green-cloaked shape on the far side of the room.

“Look, there’s Zeke! I have to tell him I had a dream about his poem. I know exactly what he wrote!”

I was glad my friend had already bounced back from her disappointing date. She’s always so good at seeing the best side of a person. I think it’s what makes her so prone to crushes.

I noticed Diana Yip standing near Zeke, drawing on her tablet. Zeke said something to her, and in reply, Diana shook her head, never looking up from the screen. Her shoulders were hunched and her hair hid her face. Her whole body looked sad. The bizarre dress she had on looked like it was made of thousands of bird’s beaks, which did nothing to brighten up her appearance.

That missing statue was a wedge between Mona Pearl and Diana, and anyone could see Diana was miserable without her friend. There was no sign of Mona Pearl anywhere. She had to have been invited—she was family. But since I didn’t actually know what Mona Pearl looked like without her mask, she could have walked right past me and I wouldn’t have known. I stood on tiptoe and conducted a quick scan of the ballroom, looking for the one detail I knew about Mona Pearl—her black hair was parted down the middle. I saw lots of colorful hair, braided and coiled, slicked back or puffed out or twisted into tight curls and topped with jeweled pins, veils, hats, and flower crowns. Nowhere did I see a middle part as straight as Mona’s.

I was thinking of ways to get closer to Zeke and Diana when I saw a hand waving from the other side of the room. Susan, the curator from the Carlisle Historical Museum, was standing with a pretentious-looking man I didn’t know.

“Nancy Drew! Come and say hello!” Susan called.

As I crossed the room, I noticed that Angelica Velvet had marched over to speak with Zeke and Diana. Her fake gold earrings swung aggressively. From her stabbing hand gestures, I guessed the gallery owner was angry about something, and she expected Zeke to answer for it. She extended one talonlike fingernail and poked him in the chest. What was that about? I made a mental note to ask Zeke when I got the chance. But first I had to say hello to Susan and make small talk with her rather rude-looking companion.