“No,” Pops said. “Fanshawe’s charm got him. He thinks I’m a traveling encyclopedia salesman. We can remove the spell, but Nancy and I decided to leave that up to you.”
“We remove the spell,” I said, “and he’ll know who I am, but he’ll also remember losing his second wife. I don’t know if I can do that to him.”
“You don’t have to decide tonight,” Nancy said. “We’ve been here ninety-five years. We’re not going anywhere.”
“I would like to meet him.”
“I promise, you’ll like him,” she said. “Ready?”
A moment later we stood outside the door of the living room, where Carson Drew sat in his armchair. He had dark hair, like mine, and with his horn-rimmed glasses he looked like a handsome, intelligent college professor more than the criminal lawyer of legend.
“He’s not that much older than I am now,” I whispered.
“He’s been thirty-nine for almost a hundred years,” Nancy said.
“What do I even say?”
“The truth. Say, ‘Hello, it’s very nice to meet you.’ ”
“All right. Let’s go.” We started forward, but then I stopped her. “Duke’s waiting outside with Koshka.”
“I’ll fetch them for you.”
Nancy started to leave. “Stop,” I whispered.
She turned back around at the door.
“How did you escape being charmed by Dr. Fanshawe?” I asked.
“Oh, that,” she said, grinning broadly. “You know there are two Nancy Drew series, right? The original blue covers and the reboot with yellow covers?”
“Right…”
“Two timelines means…two Nancies,” she said. “So me and the other Nancy switched places!”
I knew it.
Nancy left to bring Duke inside. While she was gone I hid in the shadows and watched Carson Drew chatting amiably with Pops.
My father. He didn’t know who I was, but that was okay for now. What mattered was that he was here, immortal in that way all beloved stories are and living people never can be. His creator was dead. His writer was dead. Probably every girl who’d read and loved this book the year it had come out was long gone. But he lived on. The time would come when I could quietly reveal myself to him, but I didn’t need that yet. I only needed one thing from my father tonight.
The front door opened. Nancy, Duke, and Koshka came quietly into the house.
Duke took my hand.
“I’ll let Dad know you’re here,” Nancy said.
“What will you tell him?” I asked. “About me and Duke?”
“Oh, I’ll tell him the truth, more or less—that you’re Rainy, a new friend who’s like a sister to me. And you,” she said to Duke, “you’re her boyfriend—”
“Fiancé,” Duke said.
“Fine, her fiancé, a famous private detective from Chicago who wants to meet local legend Carson Drew.”
She gave me a wink, then went into the living room. “Dad? We have company.”
“Anyone we know, dear?” Carson asked.
