The Mystery at the Moss-Covered Mansion Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Acknowledgements

  Copyright Page

  CHAPTER I - The Crash

  CHAPTER II - Suspicious Message

  CHAPTER III - Spooky Grounds

  CHAPTER IV - Newspaper Clue

  CHAPTER V - Alligator Attack

  CHAPTER VI - Exciting Evening

  CHAPTER VII - False Information

  CHAPTER VIII - Doubting Workmen

  CHAPTER IX - Jungle Threat

  CHAPTER X - Disastrous Fire

  CHAPTER XI - Off the Market

  CHAPTER XII - Frustrated Thief

  CHAPTER XIII - Eerie Inspection

  CHAPTER XIV - Outsmarting a Liar

  CHAPTER XV - Stolen Car

  CHAPTER XVI - Misfit Shoes

  CHAPTER XVII - Tear Gas

  CHAPTER XVIII - A Ruse Works

  CHAPTER XIX - The Mansion’s Secret

  CHAPTER XX - Countdown

  MYSTERY OF THE MOSS-COVERED MANSION

  A friend of Carson Drew’s has been arrested and charged with sending a truck loaded with explosive oranges into the Space Center complex at Cape Kennedy. Knowing that Mr. Billington could not possibly be guilty of sabotage, Nancy and her father rush to the defense of the accused man.

  During the Drews’ investigation Nancy becomes suspicious of an old, spooky mansion. Behind a high, steel-mesh enclosure fierce African wild animals roam over the extensive grounds. Through a ruse the clever teen-age detective discovers that something besides the training of wild animals is going on at the mysterious moss-covered mansion estate.

  Many dangerous moments await Nancy before she proves Mr. Billington’s innocence and thwarts the plans of treacherous subversives bent on undermining the U. S. space program.

  Orange trees were burning everywhere

  Acknowledgement is made to Mildred Wirt Benson, who under the pen name

  Carolyn Keene, wrote the original NANCY DREW books

  Copyright © 1971, 1969, 1941 by Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.

  Published by Grosset & Dunlap, Inc., a member of The Putnam & Grosset Group,

  New York. Published simultaneously in Canada. S.A.

  NANCY DREW MYSTERY STORIES® is a registered trademark of Simon & Schuster,

  Inc. GROSSET & DUNLAP is a trademark of Grosset & Dunlap, Inc.

  Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 77-155244

  eISBN : 978-1-101-07719-1

  2008 Printing

  http://us.penguingroup.com

  CHAPTER I

  The Crash

  THE Drews’ living room was in semidarkness as Nancy walked in. Only one lamp was lighted. Under its glow her father sat absorbed in a single sheet of newspaper which lay across his knees.

  On the table next to him were a pad and pencil. Figures, letters, and symbols were scrawled on the top sheet.

  Nancy stopped beside his chair. “Crossword puzzle?” asked the reddish-blond haired girl.

  Mr. Drew, a tall, good-looking man, glanced up at his attractive, eighteen-year-old daughter and smiled. “No, it’s not a crossword puzzle. Actually it’s a message in a personal column from this Florida newspaper.”

  “A personal?” Nancy repeated. “But why are you making all these hieroglyphics on the pad?”

  “Sit down and I’ll show you,” her father said.

  Nancy pulled up the chair from the opposite side of the table. Her father was the leading attorney in River Heights where they lived and she was sure he was puzzling over some problem in connection with his work.

  She asked, “Dad, are you busy on a regular case or one with a mystery?”

  Mr. Drew laughed. “A case with a mystery. I sent to Florida for newspapers of several weeks back, thinking I might pick up a clue from them.”

  He handed the paper to Nancy and pointed out an item in the personal column. “What does my detective daughter think?” he asked.

  Nancy studied the unusual message. Finally she read the ad aloud:

  “‘Son of fruit grower wishes forgiveness. Will return money.’ ”

  The young sleuth was silent for several seconds, then she frowned. “This could or could not be suspicious. Maybe some father and son had a difference of opinion and he ran away, taking some of his dad’s money. He put this ad in the paper, expecting his father to see it and forgive him.”

  Mr. Drew did not reply. He picked up a sheet from another newspaper dated several days later. He pointed to it and said, “Do you think this one makes as much sense as the other?”

  The second ad was longer. It said, “Natural color oranges best antidote for grower’s son’s special kind of chronic asthma.”

  “This one sounds more like a code than the first,” Nancy remarked.

  Her father asked, “Do you see any connection between the two messages?”

  “Yes, one. Both items contain the words son and grower.” Nancy looked up at her father. “Dad, do you know what it means and are you teasing me to see if I can figure it out?”

  Mr. Drew chuckled. “Such a thing would have been a temptation,” he said, “but this time I confess I haven’t the faintest idea what these personals mean. The fact that the words son and grower appear in both makes me suspect that they’re code messages.”

  “And you have a hunch they may relate to your case?” Nancy inquired. Her father nodded.

  Nancy picked up a sheet of paper and began to jot down letters and numbers. Mr. Drew watched her, always intrigued by the way his daughter tackled a code. Nancy had made a study of codes and he was sure she would soon find the answer to this puzzle.

  There was silence for a minute, then suddenly Nancy exclaimed, “Here’s a hidden message that makes sense!”

  As she leaned across the table to show it to her father, they heard a terrific crash directly in front of the house.

  “Oh!” said Nancy. “A car accident!”

  She was already dashing across the room to the front door. Mr. Drew followed her through the spacious hall and outside into the autumn night. They could vaguely see two cars locked together. The Drews raced down their curving driveway to the street.

  Nancy and her father were appalled by what they saw. One car had smashed through the hood of the other. The lone occupant, a man, was slumped over the steering wheel, unconscious.

  Looking into the other car, Nancy exclaimed, “Bess! George!”

  Bess Marvin and George Fayne were cousins and Nancy’s closest friends. Their parents had gone away together for a few days and Bess and George had come to the Drews to stay.

  “Girls, how dreadful!” Nancy cried out. “We’ll get you into the house right away and call a doctor.”

  George, who had been driving, was unbuckling her seat belt. The safety belts and shoulder straps the cousins were wearing had saved them from being thrown against the windshield.

  Bess was quivering with fright, but George was angry. “That crazy driver!” she said indignantly. “He suddenly came whizzing across the street and smashed into us! I don’t need a doctor! Just a new car!”

  Mr. Drew said, “I’m sorry about this, girls, but fortunately you seem to be all right. Nevertheless, I insist that you have your family doctor look you over. Nancy, suppose you take Bess and George inside and call Dr. Clifford.”

  “How dreadful!” Nancy exclaimed

  By this time the Drews’ housekeeper, kindly Hannah Gruen, had come from the house to see what the commotion was.

  Recognizing Bess and George, she said worriedly, “My goodness! What happened?”

  Mr. Drew answered. “George can explain later. Right now, will you notify the police to come at once
? I’ll go over and see if I can do anything for that man.”

  Hannah hurried into the house and called headquarters. Then she dialed Dr. Clifford’s number. The girls had followed her. Bess, a blonde, was naturally pink-cheeked, but now she looked like a ghost. George nervously paced the floor, though she said her legs felt like rubber.

  “Please sit down, George,” urged Nancy, “and try to relax.”

  Just then a police car arrived. Nancy ran outside to join her father. He introduced officers Hampton and Russo.

  “This young man,” said Mr. Drew, “lost control of his car. He seems to be in bad shape.”

  Officer Hampton leaned over to examine the man. He straightened up and nodded. “You’re right, Mr. Drew. I believe this guy is under the influence of some drug. Probably he passed out before he hit the other car.”

  A moment later Dr. Clifford drove up. The officers asked him to give his opinion about the victim. After a quick examination, the physician agreed with Hampton’s diagnosis and declared the young man should go to the hospital at once.

  “We’ll take him there,” said Russo.

  Meanwhile Hampton had been making notes and snapping pictures of the two cars. He helped Russo lift the victim into the police car.

  “Mr. Drew,” he called, “will you phone a towing company to haul these cars away at once? They’re blocking the street. If you have no luck, let me know.”

  “I’ll be glad to,” the lawyer replied.

  Russo said they would return as soon as possible from the hospital, and get a statement from Bess and George.

  When the others entered the house, the cousins greeted Dr. Clifford with hugs. He had brought them both into the world and they were very fond of him.

  The doctor chuckled. “You girls don’t seem very sick,” he said, “but let me examine you.” Mr. Drew left the room. In a few minutes the physician said, “No broken bones or sprains. Nevertheless, it’s bed for you, Bess and George, as soon as the police talk with you. I’d say go now, but I suppose the law has to come first!”

  Shortly after he had left, the two officers returned. Officer Hampton did the questioning while his partner took notes. The session was soon over and the men left.

  Bess and George went to bed, but Nancy and her father stayed up to wait for the towing company truck. It was midnight when they turned out the lights and retired.

  The evening’s excitement had interrupted the discussion of Mr. Drew’s case and the suspicious personals in the Florida newspaper. But immediately after church the next morning it was resumed.

  “Nancy, what was it you were going to tell me last night about the coded message?” he asked.

  “I think I’ve figured out the first one you showed me. The message in it is, ‘Son wishes money.’ ”

  “It could be,” her father agreed. “What method were you using?”

  His daughter smiled. “Words 1, 5, 9, and 13.”

  The other girls were intensely interested.

  Bess had picked up the second personal and tried to make sense out of it. She wrinkled her forehead. “What in the world does ‘Natural antidote special asthma’ mean?”

  “Nothing,” Nancy replied, “but how about using only the first letters of those words?”

  George exclaimed, “They spell NASA!”

  The others looked at Nancy in astonishment, and Bess cried out, “NASA? The National Aeronautics Space Administration?”

  “Yes,” the young sleuth answered. “I believe it refers to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida!”

  Mr. Drew looked grim. “Now I’m convinced the personals relate to my case,” he said. “Explosives were shipped into the base hidden inside oranges in sacks. I must get down there at once! I was wondering if—”

  As her father paused, a thought raced through Nancy’s mind. Was he debating if he should take her along?

  CHAPTER II

  Suspicious Message

  NANCY watched her father’s face carefully as he stared out the window. She knew he was trying to make up his mind about something important. Finally he turned toward his daughter.

  “I could use some help in solving the mystery of the explosive oranges.”

  “And,” Nancy said hopefully, “you think I might be able to help?”

  The lawyer nodded. “My client, Mr. Billington, was arrested for bringing explosive Hamlin oranges into the Space Center. He is out on bail but his case is coming up soon. He’s innocent. Mr. Billington owns a grove on Merritt Island, which produces only Pineapple Oranges. Someone secretly borrowed a truck of his and delivered several sacks of Hamlin oranges to the Center. The person presented an official card bearing Mr. Billington’s name, and signed a slip with his signature. Of course it was a forgery.”

  Mr. Drew went on, “Unfortunately I can’t represent him in Florida because I have no license to practice in that state. My main reason for going down is to engage the services of a Florida lawyer. He and I will work together on the legal angle. I can’t stay long this time because I have other urgent matters coming up. But the mysterious culprit must be found before the trial.”

  Nancy could not refrain from saying, “Dad, if you can’t remain on Merritt Island, how about Bess and George and Hannah and I making the trip and staying there?”

  “Just what I was thinking,” her father replied. “Mr. Billington received special permission from the authorities to leave Florida and come North to sign for the purchase of some property. The buyer is going to Europe, so the transaction had to be made at once.

  “Mr. Billington has offered me the use of his house and car and invited anyone else I would like to bring along. He and Mrs. Billington are on their way now but they have a caretaker and his wife who live in the residence. They’re Antin and Tina Resardo. She takes care of the house and does the cooking. Antin is foreman of the grove and the sorting and packing house.”

  Bess and George said they would love to go but would have to obtain permission from their parents. George made the long-distance call. First she told her father about the accident and the wrecked car. “But Bess and I are okay.”

  “It’s too bad about the car, but I’m glad you and Bess weren’t hurt,” he replied. “George, report the damage immediately to our insurance agent, Mr. Dowley.”

  “All right, Dad.” George now told him about the proposed trip.

  “That sounds great!” Mr. Fayne said. “I’ll ask the Marvins.” He came back to the phone, saying, “It’s okay. Have a good time.”

  George spoke to her mother and Bess talked to her parents. When she finished, George phoned the insurance man and within fifteen minutes he was at the Drew house. She gave Mr. Dowley all the details and he promised to take charge of the matter.

  “You go on to Florida and have fun,” he said. “When do you leave?”

  George went to find Mr. Drew and asked him. He smiled. “I’d like to hop a plane this afternoon,” he said. “Do you think you could be ready?”

  George looked at her watch. “It will take me about twenty minutes to pack some lightweight clothes and my swimsuit.”

  It was decided that the group would have an early lunch at the Drews’ and leave immediately afterward. While they were eating, the telephone rang. Nancy answered it.

  The others heard her exclaim, “Ned! How good to hear from you. Where are you?”

  From there on Ned did most of the talking. He was an attractive Emerson College football player who dated Nancy exclusively.

  When she came back to the table, her eyes were sparkling. “Great news!” she announced. “You know Ned’s parents have had a house on Merritt Island for some time. Mr. and Mrs. Nickerson are there right now and they’re going to have a house party. Bess and George, you’re invited, as well as myself, and Ned will bring Burt and Dave along.”

  Burt Eddleton and Dave Evans were George’s and Bess’s favorite dates. They, too, went to Emerson College.

  “Fabulous!” Bess exclaimed.

  “Super!” George add
ed.

  Nancy remarked, “We’ll have time to work on the mystery before the house party starts.”

  Mr. Drew chuckled. “Well, we’d better leave. I’ll load your luggage in the car, while you girls tidy up the kitchen. Hannah, will you see that all the doors and windows are locked and the burglar alarm set?”

  The housekeeper hurried off to do this. Then the travelers grabbed their coats and left the house. On the way to the local airport, Mr. Drew said they had a choice of flying either to Orlando or Melbourne, Florida. “Melbourne is a little closer to Merritt Island so I’ve chosen that one. We land at Kennedy Airport there. I phoned the Billington house and asked Tina if she and Antin would meet us. She agreed.”

  Hours later, when the Drews and their friends reached Melbourne, they looked everywhere for the couple. No one fitting their description was around. Finally only one elderly woman and a naval officer were left in the passenger waiting room.

  “I think I’ll telephone the house and see what happened,” Mr. Drew said.

  He closed himself into a phone booth and tried for ten minutes to get an answer. At last he came outside.

  “No one was there, so maybe the Resardos are on the way. I guess we’ll just have to wait.”

  An hour passed and still Antin and Tina had not arrived. Mr. Drew was annoyed. “We’ll have to take a taxi,” he said. “It’ll be an expensive trip. I wonder what happened to the Resardos.”

  The group enjoyed the ride past the many beautiful homes and glimmering lakes and inlets, some small, others large. When they reached Cocoa the driver went across the bridge to Merritt Island, then along various winding roads. Finally the taxi pulled up in front of a large Spanish-type house on the Indian River. The ground floor had a patio across the front and on one side. There were several chairs under a small grove of shade trees.

  While Mr. Drew was paying the taximan, Nancy went to the front door and rapped with the knocker. The visitors stood waiting but no one came to let them in.

  George walked to the rear of the dwelling and pressed a buzzer at the back door. No response. She rejoined the others.