The Secret of Red Gate Farm Page 3

  “I sure hope she finds something,” Bess added. “Maybe luck will be with her today.”

  Within fifteen minutes the girls spotted Joanne at a distance. She did not notice the car, and unaware that she was being observed, walked slowly toward the rooming house, her head drooping dejectedly.

  “She didn’t get the job,” George murmured. “I feel so sorry for her.”

  As Joanne approached, Nancy called to her. Joanne glanced up quickly and mustered a smile.

  “No luck today?” Bess questioned.

  “None at all,” Joanne answered with a sigh. She came over to the car and stood leaning against the door. “I tried half a dozen places, but I couldn’t land a thing. I’ll just have to try again tomorrow.”

  In the face of such spirit on Joanne’s part, the girls could do nothing but encourage her, though secretly they feared she would have no better luck the next day.

  “How about coming for a short ride?” Nancy invited.

  “I’d love it,” Joanne accepted eagerly. “It’s so hot and stuffy in my room—” She hesitated, then added, “Of course, I guess it is everywhere these days!”

  Nancy took a road that led out of the city and soon they were driving past cultivated fields of corn and wheat. Gradually, Joanne became more cheerful.

  “It’s so good to be out in the country again!” she declared, gazing wistfully toward a farmhouse nestled in the rolling hills. “That place looks something like Red Gate Farm, only not half so attractive. I wish you all could visit me there sometime!”

  “So do wel” Nancy said enthusiastically. “Wouldn’t it be wonderful to hike over hills and breathe in the fresh clean air?”

  “I’ve always wanted to spend a vacation on a farm,” Bess declared longingly. “Just imagine having cream an inch thick!”

  “Just what you need for reducing!” her cousin teased her.

  “You wouldn’t have to worry about that.” Joanne smiled. “We keep only one cow.”

  When the girls later left Joanne at the door of her boardinghouse, they had the satisfaction of knowing she was in a more cheerful frame of mind.

  “We’ll keep in touch with you, Joanne,” Nancy promised as they said good-by.

  “I have a feeling we’ll be seeing a lot more of each other,” Joanne called after them. “So please do call me Jo! I’d much prefer it.”

  “Jo it is!” they agreed merrily. “Good-by for now.”

  Nancy and her friends had just started back to River Heights when Nancy checked her gas gauge and decided to stop at a filling station. The girls were idly watching passers-by when suddenly a young woman, walking with mincing steps because of her extremely high heels, attracted Nancy’s attention. Nancy gasped in recognition.

  There was no mistaking the distinctive Oriental features. The clerk in the perfume shop!

  Nancy turned to her companions. “Look at that girl who just crossed over. Isn’t she the same one who sold you the perfume, Bess?”

  “You mean the one who tried not to sell me the perfume, don’t you?” Bess joked. “Yes, she’s the same girl!”

  Their eyes followed the girl up the street. She had not glanced toward them, but had passed the filling station and continued on.

  “Now, what can she be doing here?” Nancy wondered. She got out of the car and stood watching the girl, who entered an office building a short distance farther up the street.

  “That’s funny,” Nancy said to her friends, who were peering from the car windows. “I think that’s the very place where Jo applied for a position!”

  “You don’t suppose that perfume girl has two jobs, do you?” George questioned.

  “I’d sure like to find out,” the young detective answered.

  Just then the attendant approached. Nancy paid him and stepped back into the car.

  “We must try to follow her,” she declared, starting the motor. They pulled up near the office building into which the young woman had disappeared.

  “You two wait here and keep watch,” Nancy said. “If I’m not back in a few minutes, you’d better come and see what’s going on.”

  “Aye, aye, sir!” George said mockingly. “We’re at your service! But be careful!”

  Nancy alighted, hurried up the street, and went into the building. The halls were deserted. Evidently the girl had gone into one of the offices. But which one? As Nancy stood uncertainly staring up and down, she spotted a handyman coming down the corridor.

  “Did you see a girl come into the building just a moment ago?” she inquired.

  “Oriental?” the man demanded, resting on his broom.

  Nancy nodded eagerly. “Yes, she looks rather Oriental.”

  “Oh, you mean Yvonne Wong.”

  “Do you know her?” Nancy said, thinking that with the name Yvonne, the girl was probably part French.

  “No, but I heard that man she works for, with the loud voice and the swell clothes, call her by that name.”

  “She works here?” Nancy inquired in surprise.

  “Guess so. She must be a new girl. Came here yesterday.”

  “I see,” Nancy murmured, thinking Yvonne Wong had managed a rather sudden change of jobs. “Could you tell me in which office she works?”

  Her questions evidently had begun to annoy the handyman. “In 305. If you’re so interested,” he said brusquely, “why don’t you go in and ask her what you want to know?”

  “Thank you,” Nancy responded with a polite smile, turning away. “I won’t trouble you any further.”

  Nancy had taken only a few steps when she thought of one more question and came back. “By the way,” she said in a casual tone, “what sort of office is 305?”

  The man regarded her suspiciously. “How should I know?” he demanded bluntly. “They don’t pay me to go stickin’ my nose in other folks’ business. I got my own work.”

  Nancy could see that she was not going to learn any more from the man, so she left the building and joined Bess and George, who were waiting anxiously at the door.

  “Well, what did you manage to find out?” Bess queried, as the three girls walked toward the car.

  “Quite a bit,” Nancy answered meditatively. She was certain that she could not have been mistaken. Yvonne Wong was the same girl who only yesterday had waited on them in the Oriental shop. Why had she changed positions?

  “Well,” George broke into her thoughts, “don’t keep us in suspense!”

  Nancy answered all their questions as she drove toward River Heights, explaining that the young woman’s name was Yvonne Wong and that she was a new girl in the office—the same office Nancy and Joanne had visited.

  “But what about Yvonne’s job at the Oriental perfume shop?” asked George.

  “I don’t know,” Nancy admitted, “and the handyman wouldn’t give me any indication as to the type of business it was!”

  Nancy recalled the strange telephone call which had been made while she and Joanne were in the office. She distinctly remembered that some mention had been made of a girl who had been found for the position, and that the man who called himself “Al” had said that one “couldn’t be too careful.”

  “I wouldn’t be so suspicious about Yvonne,” Nancy added, “except I have a feeling she didn’t get that job by chance. She must have been chosen because she was especially suited to the situation—whatever that is.”

  “There’s something underhanded about the whole thing, but we haven’t much to go on,” Bess declared.

  Nancy agreed. “Some clue may turn up. Anyway, we have Jo to think about for the time being.”

  It was getting dark as Nancy dropped off Bess and then George at their homes.

  It rained so hard the following day that Nancy stayed indoors and tried to figure out the remaining symbols of the code. Using the same alphabetical key, 16 was M, 5 equaled H, 2 could be B, and 18 stood for R.

  “MHBR,” Nancy pondered. “That doesn’t make any sense. Perhaps those marks over and under the letters are a s
econd code,” she reasoned. “If only I could decipher them, I might know who’s calling what meeting, and where.”

  The next morning a bright sun shone. While Nancy was busy with chores around the house, the phone rang and she went to answer it.

  “Hello, Nancy,” said a quiet voice. “This is Jo. How are you?”

  “Oh, Jo, I’m fine,” Nancy replied eagerly. “Did you find a job?” she asked hopefully.

  “Not yet,” Joanne answered sadly. “But I have some other news.”

  “I hope it’s good,” Nancy said.

  “I just talked with my grandmother on the phone. I must go home right away. She told me that soon after I left, a man called and made an offer to buy Red Gate. His price was so low, she didn’t accept. He was very persistent, though, and gave her five days to think it over.”

  “Yes?” Nancy prompted.

  “Well,” the other girl went on, “in the meantime, Grandmother decided to try raising money by taking in boarders. She placed an ad in the paper that same day.”

  “Good for her!” Nancy exclaimed. “Has she had any replies?”

  “No,” Joanne said worriedly. “Even though the ad hasn’t run very long, Gram’s discouraged. I’m afraid she has changed her mind and intends to take that man’s offer. She said he’s coming to Red Gate tomorrow at five o’clock and bringing papers for her to sign.”

  There was a pause, then Joanne burst out, “Nancy, I just can’t let Gram go through with this, and if I’m not there, she’ll accept the man’s offer. She mustn’t give up Red Gate Farm yet! That’s why I must get home and persuade her not to sell.”

  “By all means,” Nancy agreed. “I suppose you’ll take the train to Round Valley in the morning?”

  “That’s the horrible part, Nancy,” Joanne said dejectedly. “I’ll have only enough money for train fare half the way after I pay my room rent.”

  “No need to do that, Jo,” Nancy said eagerly. “You get your bag packed and be ready to leave at ten o’clock tomorrow morning!”

  CHAPTER V

  Money, Money !

  As NANCY reflected on her plan, another idea occurred to her. She was sure that Bess and George would love the chance to spend a vacation on a farm, since they had both mentioned it the other day. Nancy did some mental arithmetic and came to the conclusion that three steady boarders who paid their bills regularly might help to lessen the amount of the mortgage interest payments that threatened Red Gate.

  “And also keep Mrs. Byrd from selling the place,” Nancy thought. “I hope Dad agrees to my making the trip.”

  That evening at dinner Mr. Drew said, “I’ll be out of town for a week or so, Nancy. Do you think you can get some of your friends to stay with you?”

  “I have an even better idea,” Nancy replied, and smiled.

  She outlined her plan to help Joanne Byrd. Her father consented enthusiastically, proud as always of Nancy’s desire to assist others.

  It was not so easy to convince Bess and George, when Nancy telephoned them. They both wanted to help Joanne and agreed that a week or two in the country would be very pleasant, but there were complications. If George went, it meant she would lose out on a camping trip. Bess had planned to visit an aunt in Chicago, but admitted that the trip could be postponed.

  “There’s one thing about it,” George said laughingly as she finally agreed to give up the camping trip. “I’ve never been with you yet that we didn’t run into an adventure or mystery! Maybe a trip to Red Gate will be exciting.”

  Bess and George had no trouble in getting their parents’ consent. It was decided that Nancy would pick up Joanne first, then come back for the cousins, since River Heights was on the way to Round Valley.

  Nancy packed her clothes that night after telephoning the plans to Joanne. As she was dosing the suitcase, her eyes fell upon the copy of the coded message which lay on the dressing table.

  “I’d better take it along and work on it whenever I have the chance,” she decided.

  Nancy got up early the next morning and had breakfast with her father. After exchanging fond good-bys with him and Hannah, she hurried to her car.

  It was close to ten o’clock when Nancy reached Riverside Heights. She stopped at a downtown service station and had her convertible filled with gas and checked for oiL Then she drove to Joanne’s boardinghouse.

  Her passenger was waiting. Nancy was glad to find that Joanne seemed to be in better spirits.

  “It’ll be such fun, all of us going together,” Joanne said, “and I know Gram will be happy to have you stay as long as you like.”

  “Only on the condition that we are paying guests,” Nancy insisted.

  “We’ll see about that later,” Joanne said, smiling.

  They put her suitcase into the trunk of the car and soon were on their way back to River Heights. Assured by Joanne that they would be welcome at Red Gate, the cousins brought out their suitcases and put them in the luggage compartment.

  George took Nancy aside and said excitedly, “A little while ago a man phoned here and asked for Miss Fayne. When I answered, he said, ‘Listen, miss, tell that snoopy friend of yours to stop her snooping, or she’ll be sorry!’ Then he hung up without giving his name.”

  Nancy set her jaw, then smiled. “Whoever he is, he has a guilty conscience. So my suspicions were well founded.”

  “Who do you think he is?” George asked.

  “Either the strange man on the train who followed me here, or some accomplice of his.”

  “I’m glad for your sake we’re going away, Nancy,” stated George.

  “Let’s not say anything about this to Jo,” Nancy advised, as she and George walked back to the car.

  “It’s a perfect day for our trip to the country,” Joanne said excitedly.

  George could see by the expression on Joanne’s face that a visit to Red Gate Farm with her new friends was far more important to her than any other plans the girls might have had.

  “I agree one hundred per cent!” George answered happily as she stepped into the car.

  “And I’ll be so glad to get out of this heat,” Bess chimed in with a sigh. “I spent practically the whole night dreaming about the cool, refreshing breezes in the country.”

  As Nancy steered the convertible in the direction of Round Valley, she said with an eager smile, “We’re off to rescue Red Gate Farm!”

  Nancy and her friends thoroughly enjoyed the scenic route to Round Valley. They stopped for a quick lunch and then continued their drive. The winding roads led through cool groves and skirted sparkling little lakes. Each hilltop brought a different and beautiful view.

  Gradually the worried expression completely left Joanne’s eyes, and color came into her thin face. She began to laugh heartily at the antics of Bess and George. As they rode along she told the girls a great deal about her home.

  “You’ll like Red Gate, I’m sure,” she said enthusiastically. “We haven’t any riding horses, but there will be plenty of other things to do. We can explore the cave, for one thing.”

  “Cave?” Bess questioned with interest. “How exciting! What kind is it? A home for bears or a pirate’s den?”

  Joanne laughed. “There’s a large cavern located on the farm. No one knows how it came to be there, but we think it must have been made a long time ago by an underground river.”

  “You must have explored it before this!” Nancy exclaimed.

  “Oh, yes, of course, though I’ll admit I never did very thoroughly, and I haven’t been near the cave for years. As a child I was always afraid of the place—it looked so dark and gloomy. Lately I’ve been too busy working around the farm.”

  “We’ll have to put that at the top of our list!” George declared. “I love spooky things.”

  “Well, I’m not so sure I do,” Bess admitted.

  Nancy laughed. “We may even find hidden treasure in the walls.”

  “I wish you could.” Joanne sighed. “It certainly would come in handy.”

>   The hours passed quickly as the travelers alternately sang and chatted. “Why, it’s almost four o’clock!” George announced in surprise.

  “We’ve made good time,” Nancy remarked.

  Bess spoke up plaintively. “I’m half-starved. It’s been ages since lunch. I could go for a gooey sundae.”

  The others laughed, but agreed they were hungry too.

  “Let’s watch for a roadside stand,” Nancy proposed. “I’ll have to stop soon for gas, anyway.”

  “We’ll come to one soon,” Joanne spoke up. “We’re in Round Valley now.”

  A few minutes later she pointed out a combination filling station and lunchroom which looked clean and inviting. Nancy turned the convertible into the driveway and parked out of the way of other drivers who might want to stop for gasoline.

  The group entered the lunchroom and took seats at one of the small white tables. They all decided on chocolate nut sundaes topped with whipped cream.

  “Here goes another pound.” Bess sighed as she gave her order. “But I’d rather be pleasantly plump than give up sundaes!”

  Though there were few customers in the room, the woman in charge, who also did the serving, was extremely slow in filling the orders. Twice Nancy glanced at her watch.

  “If you’ll excuse me,” she said, “I’ll step outside and get the gasoline. It will save us a little time in getting started. Don’t wait for me if our sundaes come.”

  She drove the car over to the pump and asked the attendant to fill the tank. Before he could do so, however, a large, high-powered sedan pulled up to the other pump, coming to an abrupt stop almost parallel to Nancy’s car.

  “Give me five and make it snappy!” a voice called out impatiently.

  The attendant glanced inquiringly at Nancy Drew. “Do you mind?” he asked.

  “Wait on them first if you like,” she said graciously.

  Nancy observed the passengers with interest. There were three rather coarse-looking men, accompanied by a woman.

  Nancy could not see the face of the driver, for it was turned away from her. But suddenly he opened the door of his car.