The Secret of the Golden Pavillion (15 page)

“I didn’t see anything unusual, did you?” Ned asked, as Ken sped on.

“No, I didn’t,” Nancy replied. “Ken, could you fly a little lower and a little slower?”

The young pilot grinned. “Anything to please,” he called back.

This time when Ken went over the Golden Pavilion it seemed as if he was only a few feet from it, and went so slowly that Nancy and Ned were able to give the flower roof a close scrutiny.

“Ned!” Nancy cried excitedly. “I see itl”

“See what?” he asked, puzzled.

“That symbol right in the center of the flowerl” Nancy explained excitedly. “Oh, Ken, please fly over it once more.”

As the helicopter made a wide sweep and came back over the roof of the Golden Pavilion, Nancy and Ned gazed intently at the symbol which Nancy had spotted. Quickly she sketched the symbol in her note pad, then began riffling the pages of the book.

“Have you seen enough?” Ken called back. “I just saw somebody come out of the house. The folks in there may become suspicious.”

“I’ve seen enough,” Nancy replied. “Please take us to the airport.” She continued to look through the notebook until she came to a certain page. On it were a number of Polynesian symbols and their translations. “I’ve been collecting these,” she told Ned.

“From books?” he inquired.

Nancy said that she had copied them from various places—objects in the museum, pieces of furniture, and advertisements. “Oh, Ned!” she suddenly exclaimed excitedly. “Here it is!”

She pointed to one of the symbols, comparing it with the drawing she had just made. “It matches! And it means king!”

“Good sleuthing,” Ned commented. “But where do we go from here?”

“I believe,” said Nancy, her eyes sparkling, “that some treasure belonging to an ancient Hawaiian king is hidden at the center of the golden plumiera.”

“If you’re right,” said Ned, “you’re about to solve one of the most intriguing mysteries in your career.”

Nancy admitted that she could hardly wait to investigate the roof of the pavilion. By the time they had landed and taken a taxi to the Arm strongs’ home, she had formulated a plan of action. “Tonight you and I will go secretly to the Golden Pavilion with a ladder, Ned. You’re to have the honor of uncovering the treasure. I’ll protect you by being a dancing ghost in the moonlight.”

Ned’s brow wrinkled. “I don’t get it.”

Nancy said that what she hoped to do was scare away anyone in the house or on the grounds who might see the “ghost,” and so leave Ned free to carry on his work.

“The person may not run away, of course, but I hope at least he won’t come near.”

Ned laughed softly. “Light begins to dawn. You’re going to pretend to be that ghostlike hula dancer? The one who was supposed to frighten people away?”

“Exactly, Ned. Of course, I may run into trouble if she, too, happens to come around, or if she’s staying at Kaluakua. But we’ll have to take that chance. Whatever happens, I’ll try to give you plenty of time to find the treasure.”

Ned remarked that it would not be safe to leave the ladder against the building, once he was on the roof. Anyone approaching the pavilion would know at once that someone was up there.

“I’ll hide the ladder while you’re working,” Nancy promised.

Ned grinned. “You’d better not let anything go wrong and leave me stranded up on that roof!” he warned.

By this time the taxi had reached the Arm. strongs’ home. Mrs. Armstrong opened the door.

“Oh, I’m so glad to see you!” she cried out. “Hannah Gruen telephoned that you were com. ing. When I heard something of your plan, I be. gan to worry, but now that you’re here safe, I guess everything is all right.”

She showed Nancy and Ned to rooms which they would occupy for the night, then suggested that they all meet in the garden for cool drinks of lemonade.

“Would you mind,” Nancy asked, “if we stay indoors? I don’t want anyone to know we’re here.”

“Why certainly, dear,” Mrs. Armstrong said. “We’ll talk in the living room.”

Mr. Armstrong had been out, but had returned by the time Nancy and Ned had freshened up. The older couple listened intently as Nancy unfolded her plan.

“And now,” she asked at the conclusion, “do you know where I can find a lightweight folding ladder that could be put inside your car, Mr. Armstrong?”

The man thought for a moment, then said he remembered their carpenter had one. He would phone and find out if they might borrow it. While he was gone, Nancy inquired if Mrs. Armstrong had a white muumuu and some white veils which she might borrow.

“Come upstairs with me,” her hostess said. “I think we can locate something.”

Mrs. Armstrong rummaged through a bureau drawer, pulling out everything that was white. Among the articles were two white scarfs.

“And here is a white muumuu!” she said delightedly. “We’ll press these things in a jiffy and you’ll be all set for your part as a hula ghost dancer.”

When she and Nancy returned to the first floor, Mr. Armstrong said, “I have permission for you to borrow the ladder. I’ll run over and get it now.”

“That’s wonderful!” said Nancy, “and I have my costume.”

She insisted upon pressing the muumuu and scarfs herself while Mrs. Armstrong sat by in the laundry room and chatted with her. Ned, meanwhile, had found a record player and was enjoying a variety of Hawaiian tunes.

Dinner was served indoors, so that no prying eyes would see Nancy and Ned. Conversation was both jolly and serious. As the time neared for Nancy and Ned to leave, the youth filled his two jacket pockets with several small tools to help pry up the center of the golden flower roof. Mr. Armstrong brought the car to the door, and the couple slipped into it.

“Good luck!” said Mr. and Mrs. Armstrong in a low tone.

On the way to Kaluakua, Nancy and Ned discussed the possibility of entering the grounds secretly.

“That’s easy,” said Ned. “I’ll park down beyond the gardens in a grove of trees I’ve seen. There’s a hidden path through it to the beach. We can come up alongside the bushes from the beach, and then turn in toward the pavilion.”

“Good!” Nancy approved. After Ned had parked the car, she said, “I’ll follow you.”

Ned carried the ladder. Over Nancy’s arm hung the muumuu and scarfs. Ned’s directions proved to be correct, and after a considerable walk, they arrived in a woodsy garden near the Golden Pavilion.

The ladder was set against the side of the building which was in shadow, and Ned scrambled nimbly up. When he reached the roof, he lay flat and crawled to the center.

In the meantime, Nancy had folded the ladder and dragged it to a place of hiding among the bushes. She looked around and listened. There was no sound, but far down the beach she could see a moving light.

“I’d better get into this costume,” she told herself. “Someone may be coming here.”

Hurriedly she slipped the muumuu over her head, removed her shoes and stockings, then draped the two scarfs gracefully around her head and shoulders in such a way that she could cover her face if necessary. Stepping out from the shadows, she noticed that the moving light was a little closer.

Her heart pounding, she began to hum a Hawaiian melody and dance the hula. As she swayed and raised her arms from side to side, the young sleuth kept wondering how Ned was making out. In playing her part of the ghost dancer, she dared not look up nor wander far away from the pavilion.

Suddenly the moving light on the beach went out. Had the person carrying it spotted her? Had he been frightened by the apparition, or was he stealthily moving toward her? For a moment Nancy felt like running, but her courage returned.

“I mustn’t desert Ned,” she commanded herself.

She continued to dance over the grass, up the steps of the pavilion, and across the floor. She glided down the steps on the other side. Still no one came to disturb her.

“Surely Ned will be ready in a minute,” Nancy thought.

A second later she was startled by a voice which seemed to hiss at her from only a short distance away. At first she thought it was Ned, then she detected the figure of a man emerging from among the bushes. Nancy’s heart missed a beat but she continued her acting, holding one of the scarfs across her face.

“Keep on dancing while I talk,” the stranger ordered, “and for ten minutes after I leave. Kiyabu is afraid of you and he won’t come while you’re here.”

Nancy was elated. Her ruse was working!

The man sat down on the ground and began strumming his fingers on the edge of the pavilion steps. Suddenly he raised his two forefingers and touched them together.

Nancy almost cried aloud. But she kept on dancing as she said to herself, “This man must be Jim O’Keefe!”

In a few moments he began to speak again. “It’s a good thing you showed up tonight, Milly,” the man said. “If you’d decided to welsh on us, your life and that of your double-crossin’ husband wouldn’t have lasted long.”

Nancy pretended to shiver and the man gave a low, sardonic laugh. “Now listen. Tomorrow night you’re to repeat this dance. Nancy Drew and the rest of her gang put off returnin’ until tomorrow. They’ll come out to watch you and then we’ll nab ’em all.”

O’Keefe went on to say that Nancy’s group would be taken to a mountain cabin, tied up, and left to starve. “Sakamaki will come next,” the man said harshly. “In the meantime, we’ll all clear out but the grandchildren.” He guf fawed sardonically. “We’ll leave them to get control of the estate for us!”

Nancy, as Milly, made no reply. She continued to dance. O’Keefe got up, laughed softly, and went off toward the house.

“I guess we got here just in time,” Nancy told herself.

When the ten minutes were up, Ned came to the edge of the roof.

“I heard everything. Let’s get out of here as fast as possible!” Then he added jubilantly, “I have the king’s treasure!”

Nancy rushed off to get the ladder, set it in place, and Ned hurried down the rungs. Over his arm he was carrying a long, varicolored cape made of birds’ feathers.

“Why, this is one of those ceremonial capes made from the extinct o-o bird!” Nancy exclaimed softly. “A museum piece!”

“It sure was well protected,” Ned commented. “I had to pry up a lot of insulation. That’s what took me so long!” He threw the cape over his shoulders and strutted around.

“It’s simply gorgeous!” Nancy whispered.

At this instant the couple heard footsteps. Nancy and Ned began to run. Nancy had no time to put on her shoes and stockings, and Ned found it impossible to carry the ladder. He dropped it among some bushes and the two sped off.

But they were too late. The next instant they were surrounded by four men.

Ned managed to knock out one of the men, but the odds were against the couple.

The ancient cape was taken away from Ned, and he and Nancy were bound and gagged. Two of the captors dragged their prisoners back to the Golden Pavilion, opened the secret panel in the foundation, and roughly pushed them inside. The door was slammed shut!

UNABLE to speak and hardly able to move, Nancy and Ned could not express their anger aloud. But both were extremely annoyed at themselves for having been captured.

“We uncovered the secret only to have it snatched out of our hands at the last moment!” Nancy wailed silently.

Ned berated himself for not having protected Nancy better.

Both prisoners wriggled and rolled on the ground under the pavilion floor until they man aged to remove their gags.

“Ned, where are you?” Nancy asked. “If you can answer, say something.”

A second later the youth replied, “I’m over here.” Apparently he was on the opposite side of their prison beneath the pavilion. “I think I can get these ropes off in a minute,” Ned added.

But Nancy did not wait for him to accomplish it alone. She rolled over and over in the direction from which the sound of his voice had come. Reaching his side, she helped him untie the knots in the rope which pinioned his wrists behind his back. He, in turn, unfastened hers, then the two worked in pitch blackness to loosen the ropes which bound their ankles.

“This is a fine mess to be in!” said Ned. “Oh, Nancy, I should never have let you get in the clutches of these awful people.”

Nancy begged him to stop worrying and suggested that they both try to find the secret opening. They went in opposite directions, feeling along the three-foot wall, until they met again halfway around.

“I didn’t find anything,” Ned reported. “How about you?”

“No luck,” Nancy answered. “This time I guess we’d better make a slower circuit and go over every inch with our hands.”

The two started off once more. They were almost at the halfway mark again when Nancy felt what seemed like a tiny crack. Hopefully she began following it with her finger tips.

“Ned,” she said excitedly, “I think I’ve found the opening!”

He hurried toward her, and upon running his fingers over the crack, decided that this indeed was the secret door. Together he and Nancy pulled, pushed, and hammered on it. But the door did not budge.

“I’ll try throwing my weight against it,” Ned said.

Nancy crouched nearby, waiting hopefully. Ned, down on one knee like a football lineman about to charge his opponents, lunged. His shoulder thudded against the masonry.

“Oh, Ned,” Nancy whispered, “you’ll break a bone!”

Ned grimaced and tried it again.
Thump!
This time a tiny line of moonlight shone through.

“You’ve done it!” Nancy exclaimed with relief.

Ned made several more assaults on the stubborn piece of masonry, and finally the secret door gave way and swung outward.

“We’d better get away from here as fast as possible,” Ned whispered.

“Oh, no!” Nancy objected. “Since our captors didn’t return, they must think we’re still neatly tied up. This is our chance to do a little sleuthing. I believe we may even be able to find out where the cape is and perhaps learn some other secrets. In fact, O’Keefe may be in the house.”