Mystery of the Glowing Eye (5 page)
Read Mystery of the Glowing Eye Online
Authors: Carolyn G. Keene
Dave reported with a laugh, “All men’s clothes in the chute and nothing in them but a penny in a shirt pocket.”
Bess giggled. “Bring it up here. Might be a good-luck penny. Here’s a ladder. I’ll hand it to you.”
Dave took it and in a moment he was beside Bess. Then he reached down and pulled up the ladder.
“We’d better go,” Bess said. “Nancy and George and Burt may be back and wondering where we went.”
The two hurried outside without meeting any one and drove back to the airfield. Their friends were waiting.
“Where have you been?” George said petulantly. “We thought you’d been kidnapped too.”
“Try to open it,” Dave said.
Dave replied, “We were prisoners. It’s lucky we got back here. Bess, shall we tell them where we were being held?” There was a twinkle in his eye.
Bess smiled. “After they tell us where they went.”
Nancy knew there was no use coaxing, so she briefed the couple on the helicopter trip, and mentioned the 1923 S penny she had found in Jerry Faber’s big copter.
“I found a penny also,” said Dave. He took the coin out of a pocket in his jeans. After looking at the date on it, he exclaimed, “This is a 1923 S penny too!”
CHAPTER VI
Mysterious Burglary
FINALLY Nancy said, “I have a hunch that Zapp Crosson owns both pennies.” After hearing Bess and Dave’s story, she said, “He could have dropped the first one in the copter on his trip to look over River Heights, and left the other one at the farmhouse.”
George spoke up. “In other words, you think he put the second penny in the pocket of his shirt and then changed clothes.”
Nancy told her she thought Crosson had done more than this. “I believe the farmhouse is a hideout for him.”
Bess was sure the suspect was not carrying on any kind of experiments at the house. “Dave and I looked over the place thoroughly and didn’t find anything unusual until we fell down the clothes chute.”
George laughed. “I’ll bet he doesn’t go there just to wash his clothes.”
Burt said, “More likely he goes there to put on a disguise of some kind to fool the police. For one thing, he’d want to cover that fiery red hair of his.”
There was a great deal of discussion among the young people as Burt drove along. Nancy said she thought the farmhouse should be guarded. “But I don’t like to notify the police until we know for sure that Crosson is our man.”
Dave said he had a suggestion. “How about Burt and me staying at the house for the night? I saw plenty of canned food. If there’s no car around, Crosson won’t suspect anyone is there. When he comes in, we’ll give him a football rush before he can escape.”
Burt turned the car and headed toward the farmhouse. When they had almost reached it, he said, “You girls go on back to Emerson and pick us up at the farm early in the morning.”
They agreed. Half a mile from the house the two boys got out and to keep from being seen approached the building from the rear.
Meanwhile, Nancy had taken the wheel and the girls had gone on. When they returned to the fraternity house, students crowded around and asked many questions.
“Any news of Ned?”
“What did you find out?”
The girls admitted that they had learned very little but suspected a certain place might offer a clue, so Burt and Dave were spending the night there to see what they could find out. This seemed to satisfy the boys, and the girls hurried off to the guest room.
“I certainly need a bath and a shampoo,” Bess spoke up. “Anybody mind if I use the shower first?”
“Go ahead,” said Nancy. She sat down in a chair and stared out a window, but her mind was not on the scenery. She was recalling the day’s adventures and trying to fit the pieces of the puzzle together. She asked herself, “If Crosson goes to the farmhouse, does he bring Ned with him?
“Probably not,” the young detective decided. “Oh, Ned, where are you?” she thought wistfully. “If you can’t send me another message, concentrate real hard on transmitting a clue into this brain of mine.”
A while later George tapped her on the shoulder. “Time’s up for daydreaming,” she said. “Bathroom’s free. Your turn for a shower.”
Almost absentmindedly Nancy got up and went to take a refreshing bath. After it, she felt less edgy and hurried to put on fresh clothes for dinner.
Ned’s fraternity brothers were very kind and solicitous and tried their best to entertain the three girls, Nancy in particular. When dinner was over, a tall blond boy with deep-blue eyes, named Tom Rankin, put some hit records on the stereo. Nancy enjoyed the music, but before one album had finished, she was called to the telephone.
“Hello! Who is this?” she asked.
“Never mind who I am. What I want to know is, where are Burt Eddleton and Dave Evans?”
Nancy was instantly alert. Instead of giving the information, she said, “I won’t answer your question until you identify yourself.”
She waited for an answer but none came. There were several seconds of silence, then the caller hung up.
As Nancy came back to join the group, she began to worry about Burt and Dave. She asked the boy who had originally taken the call if the speaker had asked for either Burt or Dave.
“Yes, he did. When I said they were not here, he wanted to speak to you. Is something wrong?”
“I don’t know, but the man wouldn’t give me his name,” Nancy replied.
Bess and George were upset when they heard what had happened. Bess, who was frantic with worry, said, “I’m sure the caller was Crosson. He isn’t satisfied with having kidnapped Ned. Now he’s going to get Dave and Burt!”
George did not share her cousin’s fears. “I’m sure Burt and Dave will know how to take care of themselves if he arrives.”
“But suppose,” said Bess, “that he brings along some pals and they overpower Dave and Burt?”
There was a discussion about whether or not the girls should notify the police, but they had confidence in their friends’ resourcefulness and strength to meet any emergency.
George said, “Let’s get some sleep and go out there early in the morning.”
The girls said good night to Ned’s fraternity brothers and went to bed. None of them slept well and were up at six o’clock.
The friendly blond boy Tom Rankin was also up. It was his turn to be on kitchen duty. Nancy, Bess, and George helped him and the four had breakfast together.
“Where are you off to?” he asked.
“To get Burt and Dave,” Nancy replied, but gave no other information.
When the girls reached the farmhouse, it appeared to be deserted. Nancy opened the front door and called out. There was no answer. Quickly the three made a search of the place and George even got the ladder from the closet and went to the cellar. She looked in the clothes chute. Burt and Dave were not on the premises.
Moments later Nancy, Bess, and George stood in the middle of the living room, staring at one another, the same thought going through their minds. Had Burt and Dave been kidnapped?
“Oh, I can’t stand it!” Bess wailed, tears welling up in her eyes. “Why did we ever let the boys stay here?”
“Shush!”
George commanded. “Crying over the situation isn’t helping any. Put on your thinking cap, Bess, and help us figure out—”
George commanded. “Crying over the situation isn’t helping any. Put on your thinking cap, Bess, and help us figure out—”
Nancy interrupted to ask a pertinent question. “George, were there clothes in the chute?”
George admitted that she had not noticed. Once more she climbed down the ladder to the cellar, then slid back the door to the chute. There was nothing in it.
“Now I know Crosson was here!” she thought.
George was not the kind of girl to give in to tears, but it was difficult for her to come back up the ladder and tell the others of her suspicion.
“I’m going outside and look around,” she said.
Nancy and Bess began to hunt in the house for anything which might give them a clue to the boys’ whereabouts. They hoped that Burt and Dave might have managed to leave some kind of message. But their search revealed no leads.
George, who had just finished scrutinizing the ground in front of the farmhouse for clues, saw a State Police patrol car coming. She was about to hail it, when the car pulled in and stopped. The uniformed driver opened the door on the passenger side and shouted to George, “Is Nancy Drew here?”
“Yes, she is,” George replied, wondering whether the man was bringing bad news.
George rushed up to the front door and called to Nancy. She came downstairs with Bess at her heels.
“I’m Anthony Russo,” the policeman said.
The girls introduced themselves and Nancy said, “Do you have a message for me?”
The officer nodded and said that he had been there earlier and talked to Burt and Dave who had explained their reason for trespassing. The officer grinned. “I found out they hadn’t had a meal since lunchtime yesterday so I took them to Campbell’s Diner in town. You’re to meet them there.”
The three girls heaved sighs of relief and Nancy told the policeman how frightened they had been that possibly the boys had been kidnapped.
Russo laughed. “It would be pretty hard to subdue those two huskies,” he said.
Nancy asked the officer if he knew who lived at the farmhouse.
“Nobody.”
“Do you think a tramp might be using the place?” Nancy queried.
Russo said he doubted this, although he had noticed a dirty dish and silverware in the sink. “I come by here fairly often and I’ve never yet seen anybody around.”
Nancy thanked him for bringing the message and said the girls would pick up the boys at once.
When they arrived at the diner, Burt and Dave were standing in front. “Hi!” they said cheerily.
Bess did not smile in return. “Why didn’t you leave us a note?” she scolded. “We’ve been beside ourselves with worry that you had been kidnapped.”
“Kidnapped!” Burt said, and burst into laughter.
He told them that the boys had found nothing at the farmhouse to connect Crosson with the place and had not been disturbed during the night.
George was unwilling to accept this statement without an explanation. “When did the clothes vanish from the chute?” she asked.
Burt and Dave looked blank. They admitted they had failed to look in the chute and had no idea when the clothes might have been taken out.
“But I’m sure it wasn’t after we arrived,” Burt declared. “Someone must have removed them between the time Bess and Dave were there and we guys went back to the farmhouse.”
On their return trip to Emerson, Bess and George continued to tease Dave and Burt. They accused them of sleeping so soundly that they did not hear the man, and worst of all of snoring so loudly that the man knew the boys were there.
“Enough! Enough!” Dave cried out, putting his hands over his ears. “I have to concentrate now on my next class.” He looked at his watch. “Burt,” he said, “you’d better speed up or we’ll both be late.”
Nearing the campus, Nancy told the boys about the mysterious phone call asking where they were. “I wonder if it was before or after the caller visited the farmhouse.”
Burt and Dave felt sure it was before. “On the other hand, if he came there after we arrived, he probably didn’t realize we were there,” Burt added. “We don’t snore!”
He drove directly to the classroom building and the boys got out. Nancy took the wheel and headed for the fraternity house. A student was on duty in the front hall.
“Any word about Ned yet?” Nancy asked him.
“Nothing,” he answered. “But say, there’s been some more excitement on the campus. A burglary!”
“Really?” George spoke up. “Where?”
“Over in the office and lab where the electronic and computer work is done. Ned and Mr. Crosson experimented there. Lots of things were taken.”
At once Nancy, Bess, and George wanted to know the full story of the theft. They jumped into the convertible and Nancy sped to the scene. Could there be any connection between the burglary and the mysterious disappearance of Crosson and Ned? Nancy wondered.
CHAPTER VII
The Explosion
WHEN Nancy, Bess, and George reached the laboratory, they found the entrance door wide open. Professor Titus, who was in charge of the department, and a policeman were at work hunting for clues to the burglar’s identity. The officer was taking pictures of fingerprints.
Nancy introduced herself and her friends and told the professor that they were trying to solve the mystery of Ned Nickerson“s strange disappearance.
“Oh yes,” Titus said, “and I understand you are being very thorough. No doubt that is why you are here.”
“We’ve been away on a sleuthing mission and just got back,” Nancy explained. “When we learned what had happened here, we came right over.”
Professor Titus took the girls to meet the fingerprint expert, who by this time had developed all his pictures from the fast-processing film.
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