The Clue in the Crumbling Wall Page 10

  CHAPTER XVII

  Kidnapped!

  AFTER the Drews had said good-by to Emily Foster, they drove toward Milton. At a service station near the edge of town, they stopped and inquired where Clover Farm was.

  “Never heard of it,” was the attendant’s disappointing reply. He also did not know of a Julia Flower or Juliana or Julie Johnson. The local telephone book had no listing for any of the names.

  “Oh, Dad,” Nancy said, “have we run into another dead end?”

  She had never felt more frustrated. Her father went into two shops to make the same inquiry, but had no better luck. A distressing thought came to Nancy that maybe the former dancer had moved to another part of the country or was no longer alive. Mr. Drew, trying to cheer his daughter, suggested that the elusive woman might be living in the area under another name.

  At once Nancy took heart. “Let’s drive all over this place. Maybe we’ll pick up a clue.”

  Silence followed as they rode up one road and down another. About a mile out of town Nancy suddenly exclaimed, “Look!”

  On one side of the road was an attractive white arched arbor at the entrance to the grounds. Fields of flowers, shrubs, and a nursery of trees lined either side. A neatly painted sign on the arbor read: Jardin des Fleurs

  Juliette Fleur, Prop.

  “I’m sure this is the place!” Nancy cried excitedly. “Julia Flower translated her name into French, and calls her place Garden of Flowers.”

  It was a quarter of a mile to the house, which was surrounded by a high white picket fence with a locked gate. A terrier with a staccato bark raced from the building toward the callers.

  “There’s no bell or knocker,” said Nancy. “How does one get in?”

  Her question was answered when two garden ers hurried from the rear of the enclosure.

  “No visitors allowed here!” one of them said curtly.

  “We came to see Miss Fleur,” Mr. Drew explained, then introduced himself and his daughter.

  “Did she send for you?”

  “No,” Mr. Drew admitted, “but if she’s the person we’re looking for, we have important information for her.”

  Nancy pulled out Juliana’s photograph, and showed it to the men, who stared at it. Finally one of them said, “It’s her, all right—when she was younger. But she’s not here!”

  “Where is she?” Nancy asked.

  “Well, usually she never leaves the place on account of being such a cripple. But when that government man came for her last night, she had to go. He took her away in a car.”

  “What government man?” Mr. Drew asked quickly. “Did he give his name?”

  “He probably told Miss Fleur. We didn’t hear it.”

  “Did she say why she had to go with him?” Nancy asked.

  “It was something about income tax. Miss Fleur always thought she paid the government every penny she owed. She’s very honest. But the man claimed she’d made a false report and might have to go to prison.”

  “This seems very irregular to me,” Mr. Drew commented. “Even if Miss Fleur made a mistake in the amount of her tax, she would not be sentenced without a hearing. The usual procedure is to notify the accused by letter and have the person call at the tax office to explain his or her side of the matter.”

  “Dad,” Nancy said, “it looks as if someone was very eager to get Miss Fleur away from here. We must find her!”

  “First of all, we’ll check with the Internal Revenue Service; that is, if I can use a telephone.”

  The two gardeners, sensing that Nancy and her father were sincere, invited them into the farm-house. Mr. Drew called. When he finished, he looked grim.

  “Just as we feared,” he revealed. “The Internal Revenue Service has no case pending against Juliette Fleur, Juliana Johnson, or Julia Flower.”

  “Then it was a hoax!” Nancy exclaimed.

  “Yes. The man who came here was an impostor.”

  The gardeners suddenly looked alarmed. One of them said, “Are you saying Miss Fleur maybe was kidnapped?”

  “Possibly,” Mr. Drew replied.

  The two workmen were speechless. “Oh, find her!” one said. “We think an awful lot of her.”

  “Have you any idea where she may have been taken?” Nancy asked. Both men said they had told her everything they knew.

  They spread the news of the incident to Miss Fleur’s other two employees who came in from the fields. Their faces became sad.

  “Those kidnappers may hurt her!” one of the gardeners said.

  “I wouldn’t worry about that,” Mr. Drew said to comfort the man. “Miss Fleur probably will receive good treatment. But unfortunately she will lose a fortune unless she can be found.”

  “But how? Shall we call the police?” the man asked.

  “We’ll stop at headquarters on the way home,” Mr. Drew said, and promised the gardeners he would do everything he could to find Juliette Fleur.

  “Tell me, what did the alleged government man look like?” he asked.

  The gardeners’ description was not very helpful.

  “He was tall and slender,” one said, “and wore dark glasses. He had a beard and a mustache.”

  “Probably a disguise,” Nancy concluded.

  After the Drews had told their story to the local police, they returned to the Hampton Motel. On their way to the dining room, Carson Drew purchased a copy of the River Heights newspaper. A startling headline caught his eyes:FAMOUS DANCER RETURNS IN

  TIME TO CLAIM HEATH FORTUNE

  The article stated that after a long search, Daniel Hector had found the missing Juliana, who now was staying at the Riverview Hotel in River Heights. For many years the famous dancer had been fulfilling professional engagements in South America under another name.

  “So that’s what Hector has been up to!” Nancy said hotly. “He had the real Juliana kidnapped to be able to present this impostor!”

  “It certainly seems that way,” Mr. Drew agreed.

  “If Daniel Hector can establish the impostor as the heiress, he will probably pay her well and then take over the estate.”

  “Let’s hurry back to River Heights,” Nancy suggested.

  After hastening through lunch she and her father checked out of the motel, and soon were driving along the road toward home.

  “I wonder where the abductor has hidden Juliana,” Nancy said.

  It was early afternoon when the Drews reached River Heights. The lawyer said he had to stop in his office for a couple of hours and that Nancy could use the car in the meantime.

  “I think I’ll go see Mrs. Fenimore and find out whether she has heard the news,” Nancy decided as she got out of the car. She drove off and turned in the direction of the little house.

  Joan and her mother were happy to see her. They had not read the newspapers, however, and had not heard from Daniel Hector. When Nancy told them about the article, Mrs. Fenimore became excited.

  “You mean my sister has really been found? Oh, I just can’t believe it! Where is she?”

  “Mrs. Fenimore,” Nancy said, “I don’t want to disappoint you, but I believe that the woman Hector claims to have located is an impostor!”

  “What do you mean?” Mrs. Fenimore looked bewildered.

  Nancy told about the result of her investigation and of her suspicion that the real Juliana had been kidnapped.

  “But that’s terrible,” Mrs. Fenimore finally said. “It’s an unscrupulous scheme to cheat my sister out of her inheritance, and who knows, she might be a prisoner of Hector’s for years! We must tell the police!”

  “I wish we could,” Nancy said. “But so far I can’t prove anything. Unless we find your sister in time, Hector may get away with his crooked scheme.”

  “But I can tell if the claimant is my sister, can’t I?”

  “I don’t know whether your word against hers would be proof enough. Anyway, I think we should meet the dancer who claims to be Juliana.”

  Joan insisted upon co
ming along, and soon the three of them arrived at the Riverview Hotel.

  “You mean Senora Fernandez?” the desk clerk replied when Nancy inquired for the woman. “I’ll see if she’s receiving callers.”

  Mrs. Fenimore became more and more apprehensive as they waited. Finally the clerk told them to go up to Room 320. They knocked and a voice said, “Come in!”

  A beautiful woman was reclining on the bed, her back braced by several embroidered pillows. She wore an exotic negligee which set off to advantage her dark hair and creamy white skin.

  “Vera! I am so glad to see you again!” she said and got up to embrace Mrs. Fenimore. “And this is Joan, isn’t it?” She kissed the little girl lightly on the cheek.

  Mrs. Fenimore was so confused that for a moment she could not speak. Nancy broke the silence by giving her name.

  “Miss Drew?” the dancer looked perplexed but only for an instant. “Yes, I believe Mr. Hector told me about you.”

  By now Mrs. Fenimore had relaxed. “Julie, why did you go away?”

  “I—I eloped with my Mexican husband.”

  “But how could you desert Walter Heath?”

  “I couldn’t marry him, because I didn’t love him. But I didn’t want to hurt him either; that’s why I disappeared.”

  “But now you’ve come back to claim his fortune,” Nancy put in. “By the way, what are your plans for the estate?”

  “I’ll sell it. Mr. Hector has a buyer for it already.”

  “Then you won’t stay in River Heights?” Mrs. Fenimore asked.

  “Of course not. I have my career and my home in Mexico.”

  Mrs. Fenimore looked at the woman calmly. “Mr. Hector won’t be able to sell the estate for you because you are not my sister!”

  The other woman blanched. “I may have changed in those ten years, but I can prove who I am!”

  “How?” Nancy asked quickly.

  “I have all necessary identification. And I also have this!” From beneath her pillow the dancer brought out a torn paper. Nancy instantly knew that it was the missing half of the note she had found at the Heath factory. She read the words:day the secam

  hiding

  may make me

  Then I shall be

  of you. Love,

  Walt

  Nancy did not have the other half of the note with her, but she knew its contents by heart. The complete message would read:Dear C,

  Someday the seccret which I am hiding in a wall may make me famous. Then I shall be worthy of you. Love,

  Walt

  The young sleuth concluded that Walter Heath had not sold the formula on which he had been working. Instead, he had hidden the dyes somewhere in the old estate walls to keep them safe from men like Biggs.

  “Do you have the other half of the note?” Nancy asked Senora Fernandez.

  “No, I lost it years ago.”

  “What does the C stand for?”

  “Oh—Walt used to call me Carita. It was a nickname he gave me when we first met.”

  “You are not my sister!” Mrs. Fenimore cried out again. She could hardly control her anger. “And this note proves nothing!”

  Nancy took her arm. “Let’s go now. And don’t worry,” she said as the three left.

  Back on the street, Nancy said, “Daniel Hector did a good job. Señora Fernandez does resemble your sister, doesn’t she?”

  Mrs. Fenimore nodded. “So much so that at first I wasn’t sure myself.”

  “I noticed the woman had rather large feet,” Nancy said. “She must wear at least a size nine or ten shoe.”

  “And Juliana had extremely small feet,” Mrs. Fenimore remarked. “That should help prove Mrs. Fernandez is a phony.”

  “Yes. Please don’t worry about it. Right now all I’m concerned about is finding your sister!”

  Nancy dropped the Fenimores off at their house and drove home. On the way she passed Bess’s house and noticed that George’s car stood in front.

  “You are not my sister!” Mrs. Fenimore cried out.

  “I’ll stop to tell them the latest news about the case,” Nancy decided.

  Bess invited both girls to stay to dinner. Nancy accepted after calling Hannah Gruen.

  “Your father won’t be back until late, anyway,” the housekeeper said.

  By the time Nancy arrived home, it was dark. As she pulled into the driveway, the young detective noticed that there were no lights on in the house.

  “That’s funny,” she thought, stopping. “When ever Hannah goes out, she leaves a lamp on.”

  Nancy hurried to the front door. With a surge of alarm she found it standing slightly ajar. Cautiously she pushed it open but saw only the dark hallway.

  “Hannah!” she called out, reaching for the hall switch.

  Before she could turn on the lights, a powerful arm seized her and a hand was clapped over her mouth. At the same time the assailant yanked her into the hall and slammed the door shut!

  CHAPTER XVIII

  Tower Trouble

  THE man held Nancy in an iron grip, and though she struggled, she could not break away. Did she know him? He kept in back of her, so she could not see his face.

  Frightening questions raced through her mind: Where was Hannah? Had the housekeeper been harmed?

  “We’re going to take you for a little ride now,” her captor said in a whisper. “You’re through meddling at Heath Castle!”

  “Will you shut up!” a harsh voice put in. The second man tied a scarf over her eyes. “Let’s get her out of here before her father comes home.”

  Suddenly Nancy had an idea of how to throw the men off guard. With a moan she slumped into her captor’s arms and dropped her purse.

  He exclaimed angrily, “She’s fainted!”

  “So what?” snapped the other. “We follow the orders. I’ll get the car and bring it up the driveway. You carry her out when I signal.”

  Her body limp, but her senses sharply alert, Nancy waited for her chance to escape. When the other man left, her captor released his grasp. Instead of crumpling to the floor, Nancy pulled off the scarf and dashed up the stairs to her father’s room.

  The man gave a startled cry and ran after her. But Nancy locked the door before he reached it.

  “I’m calling the police!” she shouted, and raced to the telephone.

  For a few moments the intruder pounded on the door wildly, and banged himself against it, then suddenly stopped. Nancy had just finished dialing when she heard him run downstairs and slam the front door.

  Quickly she reported the incident to headquarters, then went to look out the window. She saw the intruder round the end of the drive and flee into the darkness. Despite the thumping of her heart, she smiled grimly.

  As Nancy hurried through the house she switched on the lights and called Hannah’s name. She found the housekeeper gagged and tied to a chair in the kitchen.

  “Are you all right?” Nancy asked anxiously as she released the woman.

  “I’m not hurt,” Hannah said hoarsely. “But the nerve of those two!” She added angrily, “I was expecting you or your father, and when the bell rang I thought one of you had forgotten your key. I didn’t look out, just opened the door. Those men pushed right in, turned off the lights, and tied me up in my own kitchen!”

  A few minutes later two officers arrived. Hannah described one intruder as tall and thin, the other as short, stocky, and powerfully built. Both were masked. Nancy suspected they were Cobb and Biggs.

  “They must have been watching for me,” she said, “because they apparently knew my father was out. Also, they were careful to park some distance away, so I wouldn’t see a strange car in front of the house.”

  Before leaving, one of the policemen called headquarters and arranged for a plainclothesman to keep an eye on the Drew house that night in case the suspects made another attempt to kidnap Nancy.

  Mr. Drew arrived home half an hour later. He listened, deeply concerned, as his daughter and the housekeeper told wh
at had happened.

  “You’re a brave and clever girl,” he said to Nancy, “but from now on you must be extra careful. Obviously these men are desperate to get you off this case.”

  “Someone is giving them orders,” she said. “I have a hunch it’s Daniel Hector.”

  That night Nancy lay awake long after the others in the house were asleep. “The kidnappers wanted to keep me from going to Heath Castle,” she reasoned. “Surely not because of anything I’ve seen there already. It must be because of something else hidden in the place.”

  An amazing idea struck her. Nancy could hardly wait to call Bess and George. Early the next morning she phoned them.

  “What time is it?” Bess asked sleepily. Finally she became awake enough to say yes to Nancy’s request that the three girls go out to the Heath estate.

  “Okay,” Bess said, “but let’s play it safe. I don’t want to be scared to death again.”

  George was eager for the adventure. She put a flashlight and police whistle into her pants pocket. All three girls left notes at their homes since the families were not yet up. Nancy added to hers, “Please phone Lieutenant Masters where I am. I want to follow up a hunch connected with the mystery out there.”

  When Nancy picked up the cousins in her car, they demanded a full explanation of the day’s mission.

  “It’s my opinion that Daniel Hector or one of his men kidnapped the real Juliana,” Nancy said. “He’ll hold her until Senora Fernandez can establish her claim to the fortune. He’ll take the lion’s share of it and then disappear.”

  “But what does Heath Castle have to do with it?” Bess asked. “Do you think Juliana is im prisoned there?”

  “Yes, I do. Mr. Hector found out recently that I was hot on the trail of the real Juliana and he had to get her out of the way. What better hiding place for his prisoner than the castle? Then, of course, he’d have to keep me away from there, so he tried to have me kidnapped.”

  “Your reasoning sounds logical,” George admitted. “The crippled woman could have been brought to the place the night she left Jardin des Fleurs.”

  At the estate Nancy and her friends scaled the wall and dropped to the ground. As the three made their way toward the castle, they did not see nor hear the dogs.