The Clue in the Camera Read online

  Contents

  * * *

  1. Mugging

  2. A Face in the Mob

  3. Killing a Story

  4. The Man in the Street

  5. Interrupted Goodbyes

  6. Break-in

  7. The Dark Room

  8. Trailing the Tail

  9. A Warning Too Late

  10. The Buddha Clue

  11. Little Shop of Danger

  12. The Golden Gate Trap

  13. The Broken Code

  14. Everything in Focus

  15. Burial at Sea

  16. The Whole Picture

  1

  Mugging

  Nancy Drew looked out the window of the airplane. She nudged George Fayne, who was sitting next to her. “Look, George! The Golden Gate Bridge!”

  George grinned. “A whole week in San Francisco. I can’t wait!” she exclaimed.

  Nancy Drew, her friend George, and Hannah Gruen, the Drews’ housekeeper, were flying to the city by the bay to spend a spring vacation with Hannah’s close friend Emily Foxworth, a famous photojournalist.

  “Ladies and gentlemen.” The captain’s voice came over the plane’s public-address system. “We are beginning our descent into San Francisco and will be landing shortly. Please fasten your seat belts.”

  Hannah Gruen straightened her skirt and ran her fingers through her hair. “I can’t wait to see Emily. It’s been so long!” Hannah and Emily had grown up together. They kept in touch by phone, but they didn’t get to see each other often.

  Hannah Gruen had taken care of Nancy and her father, attorney Carson Drew, ever since Nancy’s mother had died years before. In that time, she’d rarely taken a vacation. But she’d been planning this trip to visit her old friend for a long time. Nancy’s blue eyes shone as she watched Hannah primping in expectation of seeing Emily again.

  The plane landed smoothly. Nancy, George, and Hannah unbuckled their seat belts and followed the other passengers off the plane and into the airport. Nancy was fumbling with her heavy jacket and her carry-on suitcase when Hannah exclaimed, “There she is!” and darted forward. Nancy and George grinned as Hannah embraced a trim, attractive older woman. Then Hannah turned and introduced the girls to Emily Foxworth.

  “Welcome to San Francisco!” exclaimed Emily, shaking hands with each of them. “Think of me as your tour guide for the week. I plan to show you San Francisco from top to bottom. Well, you know what I mean!”

  Nancy instantly liked Emily. “That sounds great,” she replied, returning Emily’s warm, genuine smile.

  “How about a picture of the three of you?” suggested Emily. “I was thinking that I’d make a photo essay about your week in San Francisco. And it should begin here, at the airport.”

  “What a wonderful idea,” agreed Hannah as Emily nudged them together and held up the professional-looking camera that hung from a strap around her neck.

  “One, two, three. Smile!” said Emily. The three of them grinned. “Uh-oh! I’m out of film. Wouldn’t you know it?” Emily explained that she had just come from shooting pictures in Chinatown. She was working on a photo assignment called “Children of Change” about young people growing up in large cities. “I run out of film at the most inconvenient times,” she added. She opened the back of her camera, took out the exposed film, and handed the roll to Nancy to hold for her. Nancy dropped it in the pocket of her jacket.

  “You won’t have much need for those heavy coats you dragged along,” Emily said while she reloaded the camera. “The weather’s been gorgeous here.” She grinned and snapped the camera shut. “Okay, let’s try again. Say cheese.”

  Emily clicked off several pictures while Nancy, George, and Hannah smiled self-consciously. “Okay,” Emily said, lowering her camera. “I’ll get a few shots of you claiming your luggage. Then we’ll take a taxi into town.”

  On the ride north into the city, Nancy sat in the front seat beside the driver. She listened intently as Emily pointed out the sights along the way.

  When the taxi stopped at a traffic light, Emily leaned forward. “For years now, Nancy,” she said, “Hannah has been writing to me about your detective work. Finally, I’ve gotten to meet the famous teenage detective.”

  Hannah shook her head, but she was smiling fondly. “We all needed a rest from Nancy’s latest exploit,” she said. “So, for a week at least, we plan on forgetting all about solving mysteries.”

  “The most mysterious question we want to worry about in San Francisco is what famous restaurant to eat at each night,” Nancy added, laughing.

  “Well,” replied Emily, “tonight the menu is Chinese. I plan on introducing you to San Francisco’s Chinatown. I think you’ll fall in love with it.”

  “Too bad Bess couldn’t have joined us,” George said. “I know she’d love it.” Bess Marvin was George Fayne’s cousin and Nancy’s other best friend. She had planned to go on the trip but at the last minute had had to stay behind. “In fact,” George continued, “she’d be complaining of hunger right now.”

  Hannah and Nancy smiled, recalling Bess’s fondness for food. Her two main interests in life were eating and trying to lose five pounds.

  “Okay,” said Nancy. “Chinatown tonight. But what about Ghirardelli Square and Fisherman’s Wharf and the Golden Gate Bridge and the Japanese Tea Gardens and—”

  Emily laughed. “Hold on! We’ll have time for all of those things. First, let’s get you settled in your hotel.”

  Nancy and George were both impressed by their first view of the elegant old hotel. “This place is huge!” George exclaimed as the cab pulled to a stop in front of it.

  “Hundreds of rooms, and it’s completely self-contained,” Emily told them. “You can find anything you need right here within its walls.”

  A bell captain in a burgundy uniform opened the door of the taxi and took charge of their baggage. Hannah stopped for a moment and just stared at the sights of downtown San Francisco. Unlike Nancy and George, Hannah had not traveled extensively. She preferred to spend her days in River Heights taking care of the Drew household.

  In their room, Nancy and George unpacked their bags. Through the open door to Hannah’s adjoining room, they heard room service bringing the tea Hannah had ordered when they checked in. Hannah and Emily were still talking about how good it was to see each other again.

  “I brought some new cassettes,” George said excitedly to Nancy. “We can stay up all night if we want, listening to music. Isn’t that what vacation is all about? Relaxing?”

  “That’s not my idea of relaxing, girls,” Hannah called. “But you two go ahead and enjoy. I’ll be sleeping next door. That’s my idea of relaxing.”

  Nancy hung the last of her things in the closet and walked toward Hannah’s room. “So when do we get to hear all about your adventures?” she asked Emily.

  George ran a hand through her tousled dark hair and followed Nancy. “And when do we get to see your photos?” she wanted to know.

  “Well, I thought we’d do some sightseeing first,” Emily replied. “Then maybe you’d like a sneak preview of my photo exhibition. It’s on display at a local art gallery.”

  “That sounds great. When do we start?” George asked.

  “Any time. I’m ready when you are.”

  “Well, let’s go,” said Nancy.

  “Wait. Just let me change out of my traveling clothes and into something more comfortable,” said Hannah.

  “Good idea,” Nancy and George said together. “We’ll meet you in the lobby,” Nancy added, knowing she and George would be quicker than Hannah.

  Back in their room, Nancy quickly changed into designer jeans and a new sweater for her first day of sightseeing. George chose a baggy blue sweate
r and tailored black pants. Fifteen minutes later, they got off the elevator in the lobby.

  “This place is wonderful,” Nancy commented, looking up at the painted ceiling and the massive granite pillars supporting the second story.

  George looked up, too, more dubiously. “It’s wonderful as long as an earthquake doesn’t strike. That cherub looks great up there, but I wouldn’t want him sitting on my head.”

  Nancy laughed.

  “Ready, girls?” asked Hannah, coming up to them. She looked as excited as a kid at a circus.

  “You bet we are,” Nancy replied.

  “Let me get a picture,” said Emily, and Nancy groaned inwardly. How much posing will we have to do this week? she wondered.

  “Come stand in front of the hotel,” Emily went on. Just as she was preparing to snap the shot, a bald man dressed in tennis shoes, jeans, and an old sweatshirt rounded the corner, ran toward Emily, and jerked the camera out of her hands.

  “Hey!” cried Emily. “Stop him!” She made a grab for the thief. He slowed down only long enough to give her a shove.

  Emily Foxworth slumped to the pavement.

  2

  A Face in the Mob

  When Nancy saw Hannah help Emily to her feet and knew that Emily wasn’t hurt, she searched the crowded sidewalk for the bald man. At last she spotted him rushing across an intersection, Emily’s camera clutched against his side like a football.

  “You stay there!” she shouted to George, Emily, and Hannah. Then she tossed her shoulder bag to George and ran after the man.

  She was able to keep him in sight for about a block. He raced up a steep hill against a crush of businesspeople and tourists. But as she reached the top of the hill, Nancy got her first glimpse of the twists in the road. Ordinarily they were charming, she supposed, but right now they were a nuisance.

  The thief was nowhere to be seen. He had rounded a corner, and dozens of people blocked Nancy’s view. She couldn’t even guess which way to run.

  Shaking her head, Nancy gave up and walked back to the others, who were waiting for her at the hotel. George and Hannah were looking anxiously at Emily, who had had the breath knocked out of her.

  “I lost him, Emily. I’m sorry about your camera,” Nancy said as she joined the three on the hotel steps. “Are you all right?”

  “Of course I’m all right, Nancy. Just mad. I’ve run into much tougher guys than that punk.” Emily dusted herself off. George winked at Nancy and nodded that all was well as she returned her friend’s shoulder bag.

  “I think we’re just a little shaken up,” George said.

  “Well, that won’t do for my guests.” Emily Foxworth snorted. “This is your vacation, and I won’t have it spoiled for you. Don’t worry about my camera,” she told Nancy. “Or about me. I’ll tell my friend Lieutenant Chin about it, and I’m sure things will work out fine.”

  Emily led her guests down the street in the direction opposite from the one the thief had taken. Nancy linked arms with Hannah as they started down the hill.

  Emily set a brisk pace, and they soon reached police headquarters. They entered, and, without pausing, Emily walked straight to a door marked “Lieutenant Donald Chin.” She knocked and opened the door.

  “Hello, Don. How’s it going?” she asked.

  A smile lit up the police officer’s face when he saw Emily. Donald Chin, a trim Chinese-American who had served in the Downtown precinct for fifteen years, knew Emily and other journalists and newspeople well. He stood up to greet her and motioned the others to come in.

  “Emily! We haven’t seen much of you around here lately,” he exclaimed. “I was wondering what sort of scheme we’d have to cook up to get you and your camera down here soon. Where is your camera?”

  Emily shrugged sheepishly. “That’s why I’m here. A thief made off with my best old camera just a little while ago.”

  Emily introduced Hannah, Nancy, and George and then described the incident to the lieutenant. He listened intently, showing concern when Emily told how Nancy had chased the thief.

  “You ought to be more careful in a large city like San Francisco,” he said sternly. “You might have been in a tight spot if you’d caught up with the thief.”

  “Nancy’s a good detective, Don, with a lot of experience,” Emily said.

  “Perhaps,” Lieutenant Chin said, but he didn’t look convinced. “I doubt you’ll ever see that camera again, Emily,” he told her. “It’s a good thing you have others.”

  Then the lieutenant produced a printed form and began filling in the information Emily gave in answer to his questions. Nancy supplied information about the thief’s height, his balding but reddish hair, and his tan corduroy jacket. Lieutenant Chin looked keenly at Nancy and complimented her on her ability to observe and remember.

  “See? I told you she was good!” Emily chuckled as she signed the report and pushed it across the desk to the detective. He smiled and agreed.

  Then he looked at Emily, and his smile faded. “Have you been following the reports on the recent arrival of mob hoods and ringleaders in the city, Emily?” he asked gravely. “We’re pretty puzzled by this sudden increase in underworld celebrity visitors. We’re keeping a sharp watch to see what it means.” Lieutenant Chin paused, then his smile flashed again. “With your reporter’s mind,” he teased, “I’m surprised you aren’t already gathering hall-of-fame portraits of these mobsters.”

  Emily laughed. “I already have shots of most of the big guys from other assignments I’ve covered. That crime exposé I did a few years back provided me with pictures of just about everyone who’s anyone in the world of crime. Besides, I’m off duty while Hannah and the girls are in town. I’m taking a real vacation.”

  After chatting with her friend for a few more minutes, Emily rose and said goodbye, and she and Nancy, George, and Hannah left.

  When they got outside, Emily said brightly, “Now, let’s try to have some fun.”

  “That sounds like a good plan to me,” Hannah said. “And I have a suggestion.”

  Nancy smiled, happy to see Hannah enjoying her role as tourist.

  “Even though it’s only four o’clock in San Francisco,” Hannah continued, “it’s already six in River Heights. And my stomach is on River Heights time.”

  “Dinner?” Emily asked immediately. Nancy, George, and Hannah all nodded enthusiastically. “There’s a BART station only a few blocks away,” Emily said. “We could take that over to the Embarcadero.”

  George cocked an eyebrow at Nancy. They had planned to spend one afternoon using the Bay Area Rapid Transit—a sleek, fast train system—for some exploring on their own.

  “But,” Emily said, joining a group of tourists waiting at a corner, “for your first day in San Francisco, this will be more appropriate.”

  A bell clanged loudly, and one of San Francisco’s famous cable cars crossed the intersection. Nancy watched Emily’s face light up with pleasure as the handsome old car glided toward them on its web of overhead cables.

  “A cable-car ride and dinner in Chinatown—welcome to San Francisco!” Emily exclaimed as they waited to board.

  “Will we ride this all the way to Chinatown?” Nancy asked.

  “Most of the way. We’ll get off at Bush Street and walk over to Grant Avenue. You’ll see why,” Emily added mysteriously.

  There were three empty seats on the old cable car, and George, Hannah, and Emily took them. Nancy was happy to stand, holding on to a rail and gazing outside as they rode up and down the hills of the city. In the late-afternoon sunlight, everything seemed to have a golden glow.

  A tourist on the street aimed a camera at the cable car. Nancy thought of Emily’s camera and frowned. If Emily were just a tourist, Nancy thought, the loss of her camera wouldn’t seem so bad. But Emily’s camera was important to her. It was part of her life. Nancy was glad that the only shots on the film that had been in the camera were of her and George and Hannah.

  As the cable car toiled up anothe
r hill, Emily signaled to Nancy and the others that they would get off at the next stop.

  “I really enjoyed that,” Hannah said as they walked toward Grant Avenue. “I’m beginning to feel like a world traveler.” Nancy and George exchanged smiles.

  “Nancy! Look!” George exclaimed as they turned onto Grant Avenue. She gestured ahead of her. Bright against the blue afternoon sky was a vivid green and ocher gateway decorated with dragons and stone lions.

  “How lovely, Emily,” Hannah said warmly as they walked through the gateway into Chinatown. “So that’s why you took us this way.”

  Nancy and George walked slowly, looking all around. The pagoda rooftops, the street signs in Chinese calligraphy, the shops displaying exotic merchandise, the colorful silk clothing of some of the people on the crowded sidewalks all said that here was a piece of China, not just another neighborhood.

  “What a setting!” George exclaimed. “I feel as if anything could happen here.”

  Even though Nancy had traveled more widely than George, she was just as excited as her friend at the prospect of adventure in this exotic setting. Solving mysteries in Paris, Java, and Venice had not dulled Nancy’s pleasure in going to new places.

  Emily led the little group through the crowded walkways. She pointed to a street sign that read “California Street” in Chinese characters and in English. “My favorite restaurant—Lee Chow’s—is only a block away,” she said.

  Soon Hannah and the girls stood in the entry-way of a small restaurant, letting their eyes adjust to the dimness inside. The restaurant owner greeted Emily as an old friend and quickly led them to a table for four.

  As soon as they had ordered, Nancy, who was curious about Emily’s knowledge of San Francisco and her friendships with its people, asked her to talk about some of her assignments.

  “Oh, you’re here to see the city, not listen to a speech about my work,” Emily protested.

  “Don’t be modest,” Hannah said with a smile. “I’ve told Nancy about your travels for years, and she’s been looking forward to hearing everything firsthand.”