The Emerald-Eyed Cat Mystery Page 3

  Elena blew her nose and then continued. “After I spoke to him, I realized that something terrible may happen at home. I decided I had to go back to find out what, so I hid in the plane. No one knows I’m here.”

  Nancy nodded.

  “I was shocked when I stumbled over you,” Elena went on. “I don’t even know who you are.

  Nancy took a deep breath. Could she trust this girl? “I’m an amateur detective,” she said. “I was working on a case in Phoenix and was expecting to meet someone at the airport when I was conked over the head. The next thing I knew, I was on this airplane.”

  “Do you have any idea why?” Elena asked. Nancy suspected it was related to her case. She was investigating ships that had sunk in Colombia, and now she was on a private plane, kidnapped, on her way to that country. But she did not want to reveal any details to Elena at this point.

  “Not really,” she answered. “It may have something to do with my investigation, but I don’t know what. All I know is that I have to get away. Can you help me?”

  “I will try,” Elena promised. “If we can get off the plane unnoticed after it lands, I can hide you and make arrangements for you to fly back to the United States. I know my Aunt Rosalinda would never condone a kidnapping. We can—”

  She was interrupted by a sound from beyond the door leading to the passenger area of the plane.

  “Someone is coming!” Elena gulped. “I have to hide!”

  5. A Spooky Hacienda

  Elena stumbled to her feet and dived between the shadowy mounds of equipment that were stacked haphazardly in the cargo area of the airplane.

  Nancy lay still. For a moment, she considered hiding, then realized the futility of such a move. Elena might be able to get away with it in the cluttered cargo bay, but only as long as no one was searching for her. Nancy had no such option. If she wasn’t lying where the men had left her, they’d tear the plane apart until they found her.

  She picked up the soggy gag, biting her lip at the thought of putting it back in. But the sound of the cabin door being opened spurred her into action. Quickly she retied the gag and pulled tfee blindfold over her eyes. There was no time to retie the ropes around her wrists, so she simply crossed her hands beneath her, hoping that whoever was coming would think she was still unconscious and not bother to check her bonds.

  “Well, well, well, how are you doing, Miss Drew?” a man asked in Spanish as he stepped inside. “Having a nice trip?”

  Nancy let her breath out slowly, forcing herself to relax, though every muscle in her body was tense. He came closer, his footsteps sounding loud and menacing over the steady beat of the engines. He stopped just inches away from her. It took all her self-control to keep her breathing steady, and she was grateful that the blindfold covered her eyes, otherwise he would have known that she was awake.

  “Still out, huh?” The man continued. “Just as well, I suppose.”

  He bent down and Nancy shuddered as his rough fingers pushed her hair aside and checked the pulse in her neck. After a moment, he sighed and straightened up. She heard him retreating and let herself relax a little, waiting for the sound of the door closing. It didn’t come!

  Nancy willed herself not to move, but finally she could stand the suspense no longer. Slowly, she shifted her head away from the door and lifted her shoulder enough so she could ease the

  blindfold above her eyes. Then she turned to the door again.

  Oh, no! she thought, when she realized it was wide open, spilling light into the cargo area. Beyond the doorway she could see the passenger cabin. A man was sprawled on one of the seats, his back to her, but close enough to hear if she got up or if Elena came out of hiding again.

  Nancy closed her eyes. It was too late to formulate a plan with the Spanish girl. All she could do was lie still and hope that she’d be able to escape when they landed. She dozed as the boring hours crept by.

  Finally, the change in the sound of the engines brought Nancy to full awareness. When she opened her eyes, she saw that the man was gone from the passenger area, though the door was still open.

  “Nancy?” Elena whispered softly.

  “I’m here,” the girl detective answered, removing the painful gag and sitting up to massage her aching arms.

  “We’re landing,” Elena said from her hiding place. “What are you going to do?”

  Nancy sighed. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “What about you?”

  “I’ll try to stay hidden,” Elena replied. “If I can sneak away later without being seen, maybe I can find out what is going on before they

  discover that I’m not in Arizona.”

  “What should I do?”

  “Try to get away from them and hide near the landing strip. I’ll find you after I get off. If you can’t escape, I’ll tell Ricardo what happened and maybe we can find a way to help you. I’m sure the men are not planning to take you anywhere else tonight.”

  The plane began to descend, and Nancy stood up, leaving her blindfold and gag on the floor. She took her shoulder bag, which had been put beside her, then located the hatch in the side of the plane. After a moment’s hesitation, she slipped behind a nearby canvas-covered mount that felt like a piece of heavy farm equipment. When the cargo hatch was opened, she would jump and make a run for it.

  A moment later the plane landed roughly. The sound of footsteps could be heard in the passenger cabin after the engines were shut down. “I’ll get the girl,” her kidnapper declared in Spanish.

  “We’ll have to ... ” another man said. He came through the connecting door, then stopped suddenly. When Nancy peeked out from under the tarp, she recognized him as the tall, dark man who had followed her in California. “Where is she?” he began, then shouted angrily as the cargo hatch opened wide.

  Nancy leaped through it onto the hard, grass- covered ground of the runway several feet below her. She rolled over twice, then got up quickly and ran.

  It was night, as she had expected. Torches burned along the edge of the runway, marking it clearly, but shedding litde illumination on anything else. Nancy heard shouts from the plane and dived between the two nearest torches, crashing into the brush behind. Tree branches and thorns ripped her skin, and the rocks under her feet made her slip and stumble.

  “Get her! Get her!” she heard the men cry. Panting, she raced on. After a while, the shouts grew dimmer, and when she looked back, she could not even see the light of the torches. Suddenly she tripped over something. She pitched forward, hitting her head on a sharp object. Nancy gasped in pain, then was enveloped by darkness.

  When she regained consciousness, she lay still until her mind began to function again. Her eyes still closed, she vaguely remembered what happened and began to feel around her. Suddenly she touched something furry and warm. The girl sat up abruptly, her hands flying to her head as she did. The throbbing was almost unbearable, and her fingers found a sore lump just above her left temple.

  She opened her eyes and stared into the huge green eyes of a sleek black cat.

  “Meow!” the cat said, rubbing against Nancy’s side. Then he stretched out on the bed next to her.

  “Hi, cat,” Nancy murmured. “Where am I?”

  In the light of a flickering candle, she could see that she was in a large, comfortable bedroom with old, Spanish-style furniture. The musty smell told her that the room had not been used for some time.

  Nancy got to her feet and tiptoed to the nearest door, turning the knob cautiously. The door didn’t budge.

  A second door led to a closet, which contained some clothing, and a third to a small bath. The only window in the room opened onto a balcony overlooking what appeared to be a sheer cliff. Since it was dark outside, Nancy could not tell how far the drop was or what lay below.

  She sighed and turned to the cat. “I don’t suppose you could tell me how I got here.”

  He yawned again and settled himself more comfortably on the pillow.

  Nancy sat down beside him, then no
ticed that there was a tray on the bedside table. Curious, she lifted the cover and felt almost weak with hunger from the aroma that rose from the food underneath it. For the first time, she realized that she hadn’t eaten since breakfast.

  “Well, I don’t know who brought me here, but I sure am grateful for this,” Nancy observed, feeling silly to be talking to the cat. Yet, the sound of her own voice made her feel less lonely.

  The food tasted wonderful, and the small jug of hot chocolate on the tray soothed her sore mouth and throat. It helped her forget the long hours she had spent with the gag in her mouth.

  As her strength returned, Nancy also felt less confused and frightened. She stood up, looking at her tom, dirty suit. Her wild escape through the brush had nearly ruined it, and now the cold evening air in the room made her shiver.

  “I sure could use a change of clothing,” she said to herself, and went to check the closet. With a cry of joy, she found a heavy sweater and jeans her size, as well as a pair of sneakers. She took them out and laid them on the bed.

  I’d better take a shower before I put these on, she mused, and went into the bathroom. The water was only tepid, but refreshing, even though it burned the scratches on her skin. After she had dried herself, she found a bottle of soothing lotion and applied the pink liquid freely all over her body.

  For a prison, the facilities aren’t bad, she thought wryly as she returned to the bedroom and put on her new outfit. Then she combed her wind-tangled hair and looked in the mirror.

  “Okay, Nancy,” she said to herself. “Hot food and clean clothes are nice, but it’s time you found a way to escape.” She turned to the bed. “Cat, how do you feel about getting away?” she asked. “Maybe you know a secret exit somewhere?”

  Suddenly, she realized that she had been talking to an empty pillow. Her eyes swept around the room, searching for the friendly animal. Then she looked under the bed and behind the furniture. She peered into the bathroom, but there was no sign of the cat anywhere. “Kitty?” she murmured. “Kitty, where are you?”

  There was only silence. Nancy put her suit on the bed, then took a nail file from her purse, ready to try the door again. All at once she stopped in her tracks, her eyes on the bedside table. Not only had the emerald-eyed cat disappeared, but so had the tray. Someone had been in her room while she was changing!

  Nancy raced to the door, which now opened at her touch. Cautiously she peered into a dark, empty hall, then almost screamed as a shadow moved toward her!

  6. Locked In

  “Meow,” the emerald-eyed cat said, stopping in front of the young detective.

  “You scared me half to death,” Nancy whispered, then stooped to stroke his sleek black fur. “Who let you out?”

  The cat regarded her for a moment, then turned and walked along the hall, his stride purposeful and unhurried. Nancy took a deep breath, picked up the candle and her purse, slipped the book of matches into her pocket, and followed him. He led her to a cobweb-festooned staircase, then vanished before she reached the shadowy lower level.

  “Cat, where did you go?” Nancy asked, keeping her voice low, suddenly not sure that she

  was alone in the echoing corridors of the spooky old house. There was no answering meow and no stir in the shadows but after a moment, Nancy’s ears did catch the distant sound of music. She followed the soft notes along the hallway, shielding her flickering flame as the wayward draft teased it.

  The music was louder when she reached a bend in the corridor. Nancy hesitated a moment before peering cautiously around the comer. What she saw surprised her. The wide hallway continued in darkness, but it was blocked by a beautiful, floor-to-ceiling, wrought iron grill.

  “I’m trapped!” she murmured, shaking the grill and finding that the fancifully-shaped flowers and leaves were strong and immovable. “Now what do I do?”

  The music had ended and there was nothing but darkness around her. She retraced her steps to the floor above, which was also closed off by an iron grill beyond the staircase. Nancy tried the doors along the way. All were locked but one, which opened into a windowless library with floor-to-ceiling shelves on all four walls, filled with books, most of them in Spanish.

  “Another dead end,” Nancy murmured, and returned to her room. I’m in an unused wing of a strange house witji no way out, she thought.

  What am I going to do?

  Wearily, she dropped onto the bed and closed her eyes. “Maybe I can pick the lock to one of the doors tomorrow and find a window that looks out over something else but this cliff!” she murmured to herself.

  The long hours of anxiety weighed heavily on her, and soon she was dozing. Suddenly, she heard a faint click. She sat up, her heart pounding, as the door opened, and Elena stepped in.

  “Nancy?” she whispered. “Thank goodness you’re all right.”

  Nancy felt a flood of relief, then doubt overshadowed her joy. What if Elena was one of her kidnappers? After all, the plane that had brought her here belonged to Elena’s family, and now the girl seemed to be her jailer.

  “How did I get here?” Nancy asked.

  Elena sank into a chair. “Ricardo carried you. I managed to get off the plane without being seen.” She smiled. “Everyone was very busy chasing you. I met Ricardo and told him you needed help. He led the others away, then we looked for you. We found you lying on the ground next to one of our tractors. Apparently you hit your head on it. We brought you here, hoping you’d be safe in the old wing of the hacienda.”

  Nancy felt the bruise on her head and

  grimaced. “Buy why am I locked in?” she asked.

  “For your own protection,” Elena explained. “I don’t think anyone but my cat Maro comes here. I was going to explain earlier, but you were in the shower and I had to get back to Ricardo. I just wanted to make sure those men didn’t find you.”

  Nancy stiffened. “Do you believe there’s a chance they will come here looking for me?” she asked, remembering the terror of her flight into the brush.

  “I don’t think so now, but we didn’t know at first.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, they stopped searching after you disappeared into the brush. They unloaded the equipment, put it on a truck, and left for another part of the estate. As far as I’ve been able to determine, no one in the house is looking for you, Nancy.” Elena pushed back her long, black hair.

  Nancy met the dark eyes and knew deep down that Elena was her friend. She decided to trust the girl completely. She told her what had happened in Phoenix and San Pedro, then asked, “Do you know of any connection between your family and the three freighters that sank near Cartagena a few months ago?” she asked.

  Elena shook her head. “I don’t think my family owns ships. Of course, I don’t know that much about the business. I used to, but I’ve been away at college and this time, when I came home for vacation, Aunt Rosalinda, as 1 mentioned before, didn’t bring me up to date. I never dreamed that something like this could happen to us.”

  “Could she be having a breakdown of some sort?” Nancy asked.

  “I don’t know. It’s a mystery to me. I—” Elena suddenly brightened. “Nancy, you told me you were a detective. Maybe you could solve this mystery!”

  “I’d like to,” Nancy said. “But to do that, I have to get away from here. Besides, I have to contact my father. He has no idea what has happened to me and he must be frantic with worry by now.”

  Elena nodded. “I understand. That should be your first priority. But why do you want to leave? Obviously your case and my mystery are somehow connected, or you wouldn’t have been brought here. Nancy, the solution to your investigation may be right here at the del Luz hacienda!”

  “I know that,” Nancy said. “But I can’t do any investigating while I’m a captive in this place and unable to move about freely.”

  “I understand,” Elena said. “We have to—”

  The sound of approaching footsteps interrupted her sentence. Nancy leape
d to her feet, but before she could move any farther, the door burst open and a tall, handsome young man came in. He had black, curly hair and an open, attractive face. A charming grin softened his rather grave expression as he looked at Nancy.

  “I am Ricardo,” he said in heavily-accented English. “Please excuse me for breaking in this way, but it is a matter of urgency.” He turned to Elena. “I believe we can visit your aunt without being seen, if we do it immediately,” he told her.

  “Then we must go,” Elena said urgently, leaping to her feet. “Forgive me, Nancy. Ricardo and I will talk with you later, but we have to go to Aunt Rosalinda now.”

  Before Nancy could ask any questions, the two had left the room and were racing down the corridor.

  Nancy hesitated for a moment, then started after them. But by the time she reached the top of the staircase, they’d vanished, leaving only silence and darkness in their wake. The grills were in place and securely locked. Nancy was still a prisoner, and as she returned wearily to her room, her only companion was Maro, the black cat.

  Angry, exhausted, and more than a little frightened, the girl detective lay down on the musty bed. As she closed her eyes, she wondered if she’d ever be able to escape from the hacienda!

  A light touch caressed Nancy’s cheek. She sighed and stirred. It touched her again, and this time she realized that it was Maro’s furry paw. She opened her eyes and gazed at the cat.

  “Good morning,” she murmured, seeing sunlight streaming in through the window. Her head still hurt a little as she sat up and looked around. Her room appeared exactly as it had when she went to sleep. There was no sign that Elena had returned during the night.

  “Too bad we can’t call room service,” Nancy told Maro when she got to her feet and stretched her stiff muscles. Her stomach rumbled with hunger as she washed, combed her hair, and put on fresh lipstick. Maro was still on the bed when she stepped out of the bathroom. Nancy tried the door and found it unlocked.