The Silent Suspect Read online

  The Silent Suspect

  Nancy took a step forward into the crowd on the tower’s observation deck. “Richard!” she called.

  He spun around at the sound of his name, terror in his eyes. Then he darted toward the stairway. But just then, a group of kids came rushing up the stairs and blocked his way.

  That gave Nancy the few seconds she needed to catch up to Richard. She reached out and grabbed his arm—just as he started headlong down the stairs.

  “Nancy, watch out!” Ned yelled.

  It was too late. Nancy had already lost her balance at the edge of the stairs. In the next instant, she had the eerie feeling that she was flying through space.

  The only sound she heard was her own scream of fear.

  Contents

  * * *

  1 Secrets in San Francisco

  2 Threats and Tears

  3 Fire!

  4 A Likely Suspect

  5 A Wild Ride

  6 All in Black

  7 Danger at the Tower

  8 Then There Were Three

  9 The Night Strangler

  10 A Puzzling Question

  11 A Sudden Flight

  12 Clue in Chinatown

  13 Racing Toward Danger

  14 Overboard!

  15 Terror Trap

  1

  Secrets in San Francisco

  “Nan? Where are you?”

  Nancy Drew jumped in surprise. “Ned? Is that you?” she called. “I’m out in the backyard.”

  Nancy sprang to her feet and brushed the dirt off the knees of her jeans. She smoothed back her reddish blond hair just as her longtime boyfriend, Ned Nickerson, walked around the corner of her house. A big grin spread across his face when he saw her.

  “Surprise!” Ned called. He picked Nancy up and spun her around in a huge hug. Then he set her back on her feet.

  “It’s a terrific surprise!” she told him happily. Her blue eyes sparkled. “But I thought your spring break starts tomorrow.”

  “It does,” Ned answered. “But I had only one class this morning so I left school a day early to come see you. Besides,” he added teasingly, “I wouldn’t miss a chance to catch my favorite girl with mud on her face.”

  Nancy blushed and lifted a hand to wipe off her cheek.

  “Seriously, Nan,” Ned said, “something important has come up. I have a problem, and I thought you could help me.” Suddenly his brown eyes looked anxious.

  Nancy was used to helping people. Although she was only eighteen, she’d been an amateur detective for years, and she’d solved dozens of cases. “Come on inside while I clean up,” she told Ned. “We can have some iced tea while you tell me all about it.”

  A few minutes later Nancy and Ned were sitting at the big table in the Drews’ cheerful kitchen. Hannah Gruen, the Drews’ housekeeper, set a pitcher of iced tea and a plate of fresh-baked chocolate-chip cookies on the table in front of them. Hannah had lived with the family ever since Nancy’s mother had died, when Nancy was three years old.

  “Thanks, Hannah,” Nancy said with a smile. “Those cookies look delicious.”

  “They are delicious,” said Ned, taking a large bite.

  Nancy turned back to her boyfriend as Hannah left the kitchen. “Tell me about the problem, Ned,” she said eagerly. “Is it some kind of mystery?”

  “No, not really,” Ned answered. “It’s more of a personal problem. Do you remember my cousin Lisa Franklin?”

  Nancy thought for a minute, then nodded. “I think so,” she said slowly. “I met her once when her family visited River Heights. She’s about my age, isn’t she? From San Francisco? And she’s got a sister, Laurel, who’s a little older?”

  “That’s right,” Ned told her.

  “Lisa was nice,” Nancy said, remembering. “Very smart and fun to be with. I liked her a lot.”

  Ned’s expression was grim. “Lisa was fun to be with,” he said. “Really bubbly, always giggling about something. But that seems to have changed now. Her dad—my uncle Bob—phoned me the other day. He said there’s something really wrong with Lisa. She’s completely changed, he told me. She won’t talk to him. She won’t spend any more time at home than she absolutely has to. Uncle Bob thinks she’s hiding something.”

  “Did he tell you what he thinks it is?” Nancy asked.

  Ned shook his head. “He wouldn’t say anything more on the phone. But he’s worried enough that he asked me to fly out to San Francisco to try to help. Lisa and I were big pals when we were growing up. I’m the only cousin she has.”

  “I see,” said Nancy thoughtfully. “And you thought I might be able to help, too?”

  “Well, yes,” Ned admitted. “Would you mind, Nancy? Maybe Lisa just needs to talk to another girl her own age. After all, Lisa’s mother died when Lisa and Laurel were very young. Maybe whatever’s bothering Lisa is something she can’t talk about with her dad. Or with me,” Ned added. “Anyway, I’d hate to have Uncle Bob fly me all the way out there and then not be able to help him. With you along, I’m sure we could solve the problem.”

  “I’d love to come,” said Nancy with a smile. “But why can’t Lisa’s sister try to help her?”

  “Well, that’s another thing,” Ned said. “Uncle Bob says Lisa won’t talk to Laurel, either. In fact, the way he put it, it almost sounds as if Lisa isn’t speaking to her family at all. And that’s really weird. Lisa and Laurel have always been more like best friends than sisters.” He shook his head. “I just don’t understand what’s going on.”

  Nancy frowned and took a sip of her iced tea. “Well, you’re wrong about one thing, Ned,” she told him. “This is a mystery.”

  “Then you’ll help?” asked Ned.

  “I told you, I’d love to! Besides, things have been way too quiet around here lately. I’ll have to check with Dad, of course, but I think a trip to San Francisco is just what I need.”

  “Great,” Ned said happily. “And I’m sure we’ll have plenty of time to go sight-seeing, too.”

  “We’d better,” Nancy teased. “San Francisco is one of the most romantic cities in the world. I don’t want to spend all my time being a detective.”

  • • •

  The late-afternoon sun was low in the sky as Nancy and Ned’s plane began its descent into San Francisco’s international airport. Gazing out of the airplane window, Nancy could see the graceful curves of the Golden Gate Bridge. The sun was sparkling on the water of the bay below.

  “It looks beautiful,” she told Ned. “What a great place for a case.”

  Ned and Nancy had just picked up their suitcases in the baggage claim area when a thin man in his thirties approached them. He had wiry brown hair and horn-rimmed glasses, and he was wearing a conservative blue blazer and gray flannel pants.

  “Excuse me,” the man said. “Are you, by any chance, Ms. Drew and Mr. Nickerson?”

  “Yes, we are,” Nancy answered for both of them.

  The man broke into a wide grin. “Great,” he said, sounding relieved. “I’m Christopher Toomey. I work for Mr. Franklin. He sent me to pick you up.

  “That was nice of him,” Nancy said, smiling back.

  “I see you have your bags already,” Mr. Toomey said. “We’ll be in time for dinner, then. Mr. Franklin likes everyone to be on time for meals,” he added, bending to pick up their suitcases.

  “Oh, that’s okay,” said Ned quickly. “We can carry—”

  “It’s my pleasure,” said Mr. Toomey. “We want you to feel welcome here.” Suitcases in hand, he led Ned and Nancy toward a long walkway. “Parking’s in this direction,” he said over his shoulder. “I’m right at the curb.”

  Christopher Toomey led them up to a gleaming black Lincoln and opened the trunk. As he st
acked their suitcases inside, Ned asked, “Are you having dinner with us, too?”

  “Oh, yes.” Mr. Toomey shrugged. “I almost always have dinner with the Franklins. I’m practically one of the family. I’m very important to the firm, you see.”

  He bustled to the car’s back door and opened it with a flourish. Nancy and Ned exchanged an amused look as they climbed in. Mr. Toomey certainly thinks he’s important, anyway! Nancy said to herself. But he did seem very nice.

  “I didn’t realize Uncle Bob had a partner,” Ned said pleasantly as they pulled away from the curb.

  Mr. Toomey’s face flushed. “Well, I’m not a partner, exactly,” he said. “But it’s just myself and Laurel working with Mr. Franklin in his office. Both of us are quite valuable to Mr. Franklin.”

  “I see,” said Nancy. She didn’t dare look over at Ned. “I didn’t know Laurel was already an architect.”

  Mr. Toomey nodded. “She received her degree last year. She’s only twenty-four, but she worked very hard and finished school a year early.” He paused. “Lisa is supposed to do the same thing.”

  Nancy sat up straighter. This was the first time Lisa’s name had been mentioned. Maybe Mr. Toomey could shed some light on Lisa’s character. After all, he had probably seen Lisa quite often. Sometimes people outside a family noticed things that family members didn’t.

  “Lisa must be very smart,” Nancy remarked casually.

  “She skipped several grades in school,” Ned answered. “She’s only nineteen, but she’s already a college senior. She’s a real whiz in math. After Lisa graduates from college, she’ll go to architecture school. In the meantime she works for her dad whenever she can. Uncle Bob told me Lisa’s at the firm on weekends and during vacations.”

  “That doesn’t leave her much time for fun, does it?” asked Nancy.

  “Fun!” Christopher Toomey snorted. “She doesn’t have time for fun! Mr. Franklin has a very successful business. Lisa is going to run it someday. She’s got to work hard!”

  “Wait a minute,” Nancy said. “What about Laurel? She’s older, and she’s already working for Mr. Franklin. Wouldn’t Laurel run the business?”

  Mr. Toomey shrugged. “Lisa is her father’s favorite,” he said, frowning as he edged the car into the freeway traffic.

  Hmm, Nancy thought. It sounds as though there may be a family problem. Does that have anything to do with Lisa’s acting so strangely?

  Nancy turned and stared out the car window. Beyond the freeway San Francisco Bay glittered in the late-afternoon sunshine. The car took them past gleaming white stucco houses surrounded by palm trees and tropical plants. When Mr. Toomey took an exit into the city of San Francisco itself, the streets became quite narrow. The car climbed one steep hill after another, rising and plunging abruptly. At the end of each street Nancy could see past rooftops to the bay.

  “This is beautiful!” Nancy exclaimed.

  Ned grinned. “I arranged it all for you,” he murmured.

  After about ten minutes of driving, they turned onto a narrow street where the houses were large and set back on broad, manicured lawns. Most of the houses were surrounded by bright tropical flowers and spiky green plants that Nancy recognized as yuccas.

  Mr. Toomey pulled the car into a steep driveway that led up a hill. Soon Nancy saw a large white house with a red tile roof and whitewashed stucco walls. Its windows had black wrought-iron grilles covered with green ivy.

  “Here we are,” Mr. Toomey announced. “I’ll take you in right away and get your bags later. Mr. Franklin is waiting.”

  A middle-aged woman with gray hair met them at the front door. “I’m Mrs. Truitt, the Franklins’ housekeeper,” she said with a warm smile. “I’d be happy to help you unpack later, if you’d like. If there’s anything you need, please let me know.”

  “Thank you, Mrs. Truitt,” said Nancy. “That’s very nice of you.”

  “I think Mr. Franklin is expecting Nancy and Ned in the living room,” Mr. Toomey broke in.

  Mrs. Truitt nodded. “Of course.”

  Mr. Toomey led Nancy and Ned across the hallway and into a huge living room. It was a handsome room, with Oriental rugs on the floor, white furniture, and a gleaming grand piano at one end. But somehow the room was so formal that it looked to Nancy as if no one ever used it. Even the needlepoint pillows on the sofa were lined up in precise rows.

  Mr. Franklin had been standing by the piano. Now he turned to greet them, extending a hand to Ned. “Glad you could make it, Ned,” he said. “It’s good to see you again.” His voice sounded polite but cold, Nancy thought, not very welcoming at all.

  Robert Franklin was about fifty, with gray hair and steel blue eyes that looked piercingly at Nancy as Ned introduced her.

  “I’m happy to meet you, Nancy,” he said, giving her a firm handshake. “Why don’t the two of you sit down?”

  “I’ll go ask Mrs. Truitt for some iced tea,” said Mr. Toomey. He headed quickly out toward the kitchen.

  “My daughters are still at the office,” said Mr. Franklin. “They’ll join us later on.”

  “Lisa’s working already?” Ned asked, surprised.

  “Her semester break started today,” Mr. Franklin told him. “I made sure she got right to work.”

  Some vacation! Nancy thought. Aloud, she asked, “What exactly do Lisa and Laurel do at the office, Mr. Franklin?”

  “Well, Laurel’s working on the design of a major project of mine,” Mr. Franklin told her. “Lisa is supposed to be helping her.” He sighed. “But I’m afraid she won’t be much help the way things are going.” He broke off as Mr. Toomey came in, carrying a tray with a pitcher and several glasses. “Thanks, Christopher. Just put that on the coffee table,” Mr. Franklin said. He turned back to Nancy and Ned as Mr. Toomey sat down.

  “So things aren’t getting better?” Ned asked.

  Mr. Franklin sighed again. “I just don’t know what’s wrong with Lisa. She isn’t herself at all. I certainly hope you two can find out what’s bothering her.”

  “We’ll try,” said Nancy. “Does Lisa work at the office every weekend, Mr. Franklin?”

  “That’s right,” he answered. “During the week she stays in the dorm at college. She’s at San Rafael University, about thirty miles north of here.”

  “That’s where Uncle Bob went to school,” Ned told Nancy.

  “It’s a fine school,” said Mr. Franklin. “San Rafael has one of the best architecture departments in the country. Laurel went there also, so you might say Lisa’s following in the family tradition.” Mr. Franklin frowned. “She should be grateful. It’s a wonderful opportunity. Instead, she’s got this crazy idea of dropping out!”

  He fixed his gaze on Ned. “That’s one of the main reasons I’ve asked you here,” he said. “I want you to make sure Lisa stays in school. I’ll be frank with you, Ned. I’m a very busy man. I don’t have time for all this nonsense. Lisa works for me only part-time, and she has a lot to learn. But someday she’s going to be a talented architect. I can’t let anything, or anyone, interfere with that.”

  He sounds as though the only problem with Lisa is that she’s standing in the way of his plans, Nancy thought. He doesn’t seem worried about Lisa’s feelings at all. Maybe—

  Just then a car screeched to a halt outside the house. There was the sound of a car door slamming. Then the tires screeched again as the car sped away. In the front hall the door banged open and shut.

  A young woman appeared in the living room doorway. She was wearing a short black skirt and a black-and-white T-shirt. She was Nancy’s height and very slender, with dark, wavy hair cut short to frame her pretty face. But right now that face was flushed and angry-looking. The young woman’s brown eyes were bright with hostility as she surveyed the group in the living room.

  “Lisa!” said Mr. Franklin in surprise. “I thought you were working late tonight. Did something go wrong at the office?”

  Lisa Franklin gave her father a sullen look. “I’m n
ot home early,” she said. “I quit. I hate that office, and I’m never going back to work there again. Not for the rest of my life!”

  2

  Threats and Tears

  There was a shocked silence in the living room. Lisa threw her briefcase onto the sofa and turned to walk away.

  “Now, wait just a minute, young lady!” said her father sternly. “What’s all this talk about quitting. A Franklin never quits.”

  For a second Lisa’s eyes met Nancy’s. To Nancy’s surprise, the other girl looked worried—almost afraid.

  “Lisa, I’m speaking to you,” Mr. Franklin said. It sounded like a warning.

  Lisa remained silent. She opened her mouth, but closed it on whatever she’d been about to say. Then, bursting into tears, she dashed from the room. A moment later Nancy heard Lisa running up the stairs.

  “Now you can see what I’m talking about!” Mr. Franklin told Ned angrily.

  “I, uh, sure do,” said Ned. “Uncle Bob, would it be okay if I went up and tried to talk to her?”

  Mr. Franklin sighed. “Go ahead. I’m sure you’ll have better luck than I did.”

  With a quick smile to Nancy, Ned crossed the room and headed upstairs.

  “This whole thing couldn’t have come at a worse time,” said Mr. Franklin. “I happen to be working on a very big project right now. It’s an expensive condominium complex called Franklin Place. Lisa will learn a lot by working on this project. She simply can’t quit!”

  Mr. Franklin was starting to sound awfully selfish to Nancy. She leaned forward and asked politely, “Excuse me for asking, Mr. Franklin, but have you ever asked Lisa if she likes working so much?”

  Mr. Toomey glanced uncomfortably at his boss. Mr. Franklin’s answer came immediately.

  “There’s no need to ask her a question like that,” he said. “I’ve always dreamed of having both my daughters in the firm with me, but especially Lisa. Besides, I worked twice as hard when I was Lisa’s age.”

  Nancy gave him a friendly smile. “Maybe Lisa doesn’t want to quit completely,” she said gently.