The Mystery at the Moss-Covered Mansion Read online

  “This is the Visitor Information Center,” Mr. Drew remarked when he came back.

  Nancy was impressed by the large number of European and Asiatic tourists who were there.

  “The Kennedy Space Center means a lot to the whole world,” she thought, then walked up to the adjoining building to peer inside. There was a room with illuminated wall pictures of the various types of missiles. Here visitors could purchase books, postcards and souvenirs. Nancy saw an intriguing miniature model rocket. “I must come back and buy that,” she decided.

  “All aboard!” called George, and Nancy hurried to join the others.

  The two-hour tour began, and the driver announced that they would cover fifty miles. Nancy and her friends were fascinated by the mock-ups of missiles and rockets stretching ahead of them in long rows. Most of them were in the familiar cone shape.

  The guide said that the very first missile sent up from the Cape was a two-stage Bumper.

  “The first stage was a captured German V-2 missile and the second an army WAC Corporal rocket. It was launched in July 1950.”

  Mr. Drew whispered to his daughter, “Our country has certainly come a long way in rocket building since then.”

  As the guide indicated gantries and rockets, Nancy recognized the names Thor, an early antiballistic missile, Titan, Minuteman and Saturn.

  Next, the guide talked about the artificial satellites orbiting in space. He explained that the man-made moons are classified according to the jobs they do: (1) communication satellites, (2) weather satellites, (3) navigation satellites, (4) scientific satellites, and (5) military satellites.

  “You, no doubt, are familiar with the Tiros and other satellites that take weather pictures and track hurricanes. Communication satellites, like Early Bird and Telstar, make it possible to send radio messages, telephone calls, and television programs from one continent to another in a matter of seconds.”

  The tour continued on to the moon rocket, which stood majestically next to its gantry. The onlookers craned their necks to see the top where the astronauts would live and work.

  “It’s all so overwhelming!” Hannah Gruen exclaimed.

  The next stop on the tour was at the mammoth Vehicle Assembly Building. George remarked, “This is a real skyscraper.”

  “And it covers eight acres,” the driver said. “The ceilings in the wings of this building are twenty stories high. That’s where the smaller rockets are put together. The center section is fifty-two stories high. The big Saturns for trips to the moon and other planets are assembled in this area. Each booster for them is brought here on a very long covered barge which resembles an aluminum Quonset hut, painted white. The capsules come by truck or air.”

  When the sightseers walked inside to the Vehicle Assembly section they gasped. The center section was tall enough to accommodate a 360-foot rocket standing upright. Around the walls of the huge structure were metal scaffolds on which men had worked to complete the latest rocket assembly. From the ground floor those who were busy high above the visitors looked no larger than small boys.

  “This is absolutely fascinating and unbelievable,” Nancy said.

  Suddenly she realized that Hannah Gruen was not with them. She looked at all the visitors but did not see the Drews’ housekeeper.

  “Maybe she stayed in the bus,” Nancy thought, and went outside to look. Hannah was not there.

  “Where could she have gone?” Nancy asked herself, then told her father and the girls.

  All of them searched but could not find Hannah. The guide was already calling to his passengers to board the bus.

  “I don’t want to leave without Hannah,” Nancy said to her father. “This building is so huge if she started to walk around it, she couldn’t possibly be back by this time.”

  Mr. Drew said he had an appointment with Commander Nichol at the Base in connection with the case. “Suppose I go ahead,” he suggested, “and you girls keep on searching for Hannah. You can catch the next bus.”

  He spoke to the driver, who agreed that this would be all right.

  Nancy, Bess, and George went back inside the big building and began looking again for Hannah. Moments later the door to an office opened. Hannah Gruen walked out, followed by a young man. They came directly to the three girls.

  “This is Herb Baylor,” Hannah said. “He’s a distant relative of mine but I didn’t know he was here. I happened to see him walk into an office and followed.”

  After the pleasant young man had acknowledged the introductions, Hannah went on, “Herb’s an engineer and works on the assembling of rockets.”

  Nancy asked him, “Of course you know about the oranges containing the explosives that were sent into the Base.”

  “Yes, and I hear you’re on Merritt Island to solve the mystery and clear Mr. Billington.” He smiled boyishly. “I’ll tell you a possible clue that I gave to Security.”

  “Wonderful!” Nancy replied. “What is it?”

  Herb said he happened to be near the truck when it was leaving. “Part of a newspaper blew out. I picked it up and noticed a pencil-ringed personal. It was a garble of words that made no sense.”

  “What did it say?”

  Herb replied, “Son on board ship ready to be sailor for peaceful kind of action.’ ”

  Nancy took a pad and pencil from her handbag and asked Herb to repeat the message. Quickly she read words numbered 1, 5, 9, and 13. The hidden message was, “Son ready for action.”

  She thanked Herb, telling him that the girls would work on it.

  “I wish you luck,” he said, smiling. “Now I must go back.”

  When the next bus came Nancy and her friends climbed aboard. The tour continued, and Nancy listened attentively to the driver’s descriptions.

  “On a long flight, like to the moon,” the guide said, “an astronaut gets about twenty-eight hundred calories of food a day. Seventeen percent of this is protein, thirty-two percent fat, and fifty-one percent carbohydrates.”

  Bess gave a low giggle. “That’s the place for me!”

  The guide went on to say that the men eat four meals a day and a series of menus are rotated every four days. “All the food is in bars, cubes, and powders sealed in plastic pouches, or pastes which are kept in tubes.”

  Bess called out to the guide, “Could you tell us what some of the menus are?”

  The man smiled. “Yes. How would you like this for breakfast? Strawberry cereal cubes, bacon squares, peanut-butter sandwiches, and orange juice.”

  “That’s great,” said Bess.

  “Here’s a typical dinner menu,” the guide told her. “Beef with vegetables, spaghetti with meat sauce, toast squares, fruit cake made with dates, and tea.”

  “That would suit me,” Bess commented. “It sounds yummy.”

  When the bus returned to the Visitor Information Center, Mr. Drew was waiting for them and they walked to the parking area.

  As soon as they were seated in their car, George said, “Nancy, don’t keep us in suspense any longer. What did you figure out of that newspaper clue?”

  Nancy told her and the conversation turned to a series of guesses as to what it meant. They could only surmise that someone, somewhere, was ready to strike a blow. But who and at what?

  When the group reached the house the Resardos were not there. Hannah remarked, “I suppose they won’t show up until dinner is ready.”

  The girls offered to help her prepare dinner. When Nancy went into the dining room to set the table she noticed that a photograph of her father which he had sent Mr. Billington was gone from the buffet. She asked the others if any of them had placed it elsewhere. No one had.

  “How strange!” said Hannah. She hurried into the living room and called out, “A picture of Mr. and Mrs. Billington is gone too.”

  On a hunch Nancy rushed upstairs to her father’s room. A photograph of her with Bess and George, which he always took with him when he traveled, had been removed from the bureau. Next the young detective went
to her own room and pulled out a dresser drawer. She had left a wallet in it containing a snapshot of her father and one of Ned Nickerson. They were missing. But none of the other contents had been taken.

  Nancy dashed down the stairs. “Every photograph has been taken!” she exclaimed. “I’m sure they were stolen to use as identification of us because we’re trying to solve the mystery of the explosive oranges!”

  CHAPTER V

  Alligator Attack

  WHEN Bess heard about the missing photograph of Mr. Drew, she ran from the living room and up the stairs. Deep in her suitcase she had left a snapshot of herself with Nancy, George, Ned, Burt, and Dave. Bess riffled through the clothes still in the bag but could not find the picture.

  “That was stolen too!” she told herself and hurried back downstairs to tell the others.

  George said angrily, “Nobody has been in this house. We locked all the doors and windows before we left and they were still locked when we came home. I’m sure the Resardos took those pictures!”

  Everyone agreed but Mr. Drew warned them that they had no evidence to prove this.

  “Why don’t we search their room?” George asked.

  Before anybody could stop her, she bounded up the stairway to the couple’s quarters. But the Resardos’ door was locked and continuous knocking on it brought no response. Dejected, George returned to the first floor.

  “Now what do we do?” she asked Nancy.

  “Suppose I phone the orange sorting and packing house. Antin may be there.”

  The worker who answered said that Antin had not been in all day. “He didn’t tell us he wasn’t coming, so we have no idea where he is.”

  Nancy thanked him and hung up. The Resardos returned just as the group was about to eat dinner.

  “Where have you been all day?” George burst out.

  Tina and Antin scowled but replied they had received word a relative in a distant city was ill and had gone to visit him. The couple turned toward the stove and picked up two dinner plates which were warming. As they helped themselves from each of the pots, Mr. Drew approached them.

  “One minute,” he said. “What can you tell us about all the photographs missing from the house?”

  The Resardos looked at each other, then Antin said, “What are you talking about?”

  When Mr. Drew explained, Antin declared he knew nothing about the pictures.

  Tina spoke up. “I don’t either. Are you accusing us of taking them?” She began to laugh raucously. “What would we want with photographs of you people?”

  Mr. Drew turned on his heel and walked into the dining room. The Resardos filled two plates, got out some silver, and sat down at the kitchen table to eat.

  The others were surprised that they had not gone upstairs. Nancy, however, figured the couple wanted to hear the conversation in the dining room. In a whisper she warned the rest not to discuss the Billington case. If the Resardos had hoped to pick up any information, they were disappointed. The talk was general, mostly about the fascinating trip through the Space Center.

  When everyone finished eating, the Resardos piled their dirty dishes in the sink as usual, and went up to their room.

  “I won’t wash them!” Hannah Gruen said firmly.

  Nancy smiled. “Tonight you’re not washing anybody’s dishes. You go into the living room and watch TV. Bess and George and I will take care of everything.”

  While the girls were doing this, Mr. Drew telephoned the police to report the theft of the photographs. Two officers came to the house. They agreed that it appeared to be an inside job and asked to talk with the Resardos. The couple vehemently declared their innocence. As the police were leaving, they told Mr. Drew that without any dues there was little hope of apprehending the thief.

  Tina and Antin cast black looks at the others, then went upstairs without saying good night.

  In the morning, when Nancy and her friends came downstairs, she found that the Resardos had already eaten breakfast and left the house. Their dirty dishes were piled up in the sink!

  Hannah Gruen stared at the dried egg on the plates and the stained coffee cups in disgust. But she said nothing and started getting breakfast for the others.

  When Mr. Drew came down, Nancy said, “Dad, I haven’t had a chance to tell you about a darling house that’s for sale.” She described the Webster property.

  He smiled at her enthusiasm. “I’ll look at it,” he said. “I can see you’ve fallen in love with the place.”

  While they were eating, a telephone call came for Mr. Drew. After a few minutes’ conversation, he returned to the table and said he must leave for River Heights. “Something important has come up and I’ll have to return home at once. Will you girls drive me to the airport?”

  “Of course,” Nancy replied. “Do you want me to call and see about planes?”

  “If you will, please.”

  Nancy found out that if they left the house within ten minutes, her father could catch a non-stop flight to New York from Melbourne and get another plane to River Heights soon afterward. She hurried upstairs to tell her father and help him pack.

  When Mr. Drew and the girls were ready to leave, he said to Hannah, “Take care. Better lock yourself in.” The housekeeper nodded.

  Two hours later the girls were ready to return from the Melbourne airport. Bess spoke up, “Let’s take a scenic route home.”

  “All right,” Nancy agreed. She consulted a road map and figured out what direction to take.

  As they neared the area of the Cape, Bess spotted a long, wide ditch of water choked with water hyacinths, with bluish-violet lily-type blossoms.

  “Oh I want to get some of those!” she said. “Please stop.”

  “They are pretty,” Nancy agreed and pulled up to the side of the road.

  Bess jumped from the car and went over to pick some of the blooms. After plucking several, she laid them at the edge of the water.

  “Don’t lean over so far or you’ll fall in,” George warned her cousin.

  Bess rested on her heels and reached for another beautiful flower. Just as her hand touched it, something rustled among the leaves. The next moment an alligator thrust its snout from among the leaves and opened its jaws wide!

  Bess screamed, jerked back, and sat down hard on the muddy bank. The alligator moved toward her! Terrified, Bess scrambled up and ran to the car. The alligator disappeared under the water hyacinths. Nancy and George had hopped from the car to help her in. Bess was trembling and now began to sob.

  “He—he was going to bite me!” the frightened girl exclaimed.

  Nancy and George tried to calm her. In a few minutes Bess was all right but her white slacks were wet and muddy.

  To take her mind off the unpleasant incident, Nancy said, “As soon as you change your clothes, Bess, let’s go see the real-estate agent who is handling the sale of the Webster house. I want to look at the inside. After that we’ll work on the explosive orange mystery.”

  “Good idea,” said George. “Who is the realtor?”

  “Mr. Scarlett.”

  When they reached the Billingtons’, it did not take Bess long to change to dark-blue slacks and a clean shirt. After a quick lunch the girls set off again. They drove directly to Mr. Scarlett’s office. Nancy parked and they walked up to the one-story building, then stopped short. A sign tacked to the door read:CLOSED FOR VACATION

  WILL OPEN IN TWO WEEKS

  The alligator moved toward Bess

  “We can’t stay that long!” said Bess.

  “I know,” Nancy agreed. “Wait here, girls.”

  She went to a nearby store and asked where Mr. Scarlett lived. She hoped the realtor was not out of town.

  “He didn’t tell me his plans,” said the store-keeper, and gave her the address of Mr. and Mrs. Scarlett.

  When the girls rang his doorbell, there was no answer. Windows were closed and blinds were down.

  “Maybe they’re only away for the day,” George said optimistical
ly.

  Nancy was determined to see the inside of the Webster house and told herself, “I’ll find a way!”

  George remarked, “Normally a realtor wouldn’t go away without making provisions for prospective buyers to see properties he has listed.”

  On the way back to the Billington house, Bess gave a tremendous sigh. “Can’t we relax and play some tennis?” she asked. “Then we’ll go sleuthing.”

  “Great idea!” said George. “I’ll take on both of you.”

  Bess giggled. “How we hate ourselves,” she teased. “Just for that, I accept. Nancy and I will whitewash you! Three love sets in a row!”

  Bess came near being right. She and Nancy won the first two games. By the time the girls had finished three sets, the scores stood two sets for Nancy and Bess and one for George.

  “I’ll get even another time!” George vowed with a wide grin.

  As they walked from the court, the cousins asked Nancy what was next on the schedule.

  “You’re so good at keeping your mind on two things at once,” said Bess, “that half your brain was playing tennis and the other half conjuring up something.”

  Nancy laughed. “I was just thinking that if I call Dad’s friend Commander Nichol at the Base he’ll give me the name of the guard who admitted the driver with the explosive oranges.”

  “And after that—” George prodded her.

  “After that,” Nancy replied, “we’ll try to talk to that man.”

  Commander Nichol said that the guard’s name was Patrick Croft.

  “He has been dismissed,” the commander went on, “but hasn’t left town. He’s at home,” and gave Nancy the address.

  After she had said good-by, Nancy turned to the girls. “Let’s go! Maybe by talking to Mr. Croft we can get a clue to the man who impersonated Mr. Billington and drove into the Base.”

  CHAPTER VI

  Exciting Evening

  PATRICK Croft lived alone in a small house. When Nancy explained why the girls had come, he invited them inside. Before he sat down the sad-looking man offered them some candy he had made. They learned he was a bachelor and liked to cook. Nancy surmised that Mr. Croft was reserved and not apt to defend himself when any trouble arose.