Ghost Stories, #2 (Nancy Drew) Page 4

  Nancy Drew Ghost Stories 2

  Desperately, the three detectives searched the walls, floor and ceiling, but the blocks were all firmly in place.

  ''Nothing," said George disconsolately. "It's solidly built. A mouse couldn't get out!"

  She coughed. The air was becoming unbreathable.

  Nancy inspected the coffin containing Mrs. Campbell's heirlooms.

  "You know, the handles on each end are made out of three pieces. Two jut out of the wall, like brackets, and the third is a straight piece connecting the two. If we could remove one of the straight pieces, we could use it as a chisel to push the bolts out of the door hinges."

  George nodded excitedly. "All we'd need is something to hammer it with."

  "Right."

  The girls looked around the floor. "Here, how about this?" Bess suggested and pointed to one of the supports of the coffin. It was made of metal.

  "Great!" Nancy took the heavy cube and banged it against the coffin handle. The pin loosened and soon she held the rod-like piece in her hand. "Now for the hinge!"

  She stepped up to the door. "George, would you hold this handle like a chisel, under the lower hinge. I'll hammer, and we'll see if we can get the bolt out. Bess, you shine the flashlight on the spot, okay?"

  "Okay." Bess illuminated the hinge while Nancy and George went to work. At first the bolt did not budge, and once, Nancy's substitute hammer slipped, almost hitting George's hand.

  The Dark Crypt

  "Nancy!" George cried out. "Don't do that!"

  "Sorry," Nancy replied. "It was an accident. Here, let's try again."

  Finally, after laboring for some time, she knocked the bolt out of the hinge far enough so that she could pull it out altogether.

  "What a relief!" Bess gasped and set down the flashlight for a moment. "The air is becoming terrible in here. If we don't get out soon, we'll suffocate!"

  "All we have to do now is take out the upper bolt," Nancy said.

  Bess nodded. "I'll hold the chisel for you this time," she offered. "George, take the light."

  It was hard to dislodge the rusty pin, and Nancy's wrist was aching as she hammered away. At last she managed to pull out the bolt, and the girls opened the door. With a cry of relief, they ran out of the dusty, dark crypt, and collapsed on the grass. Eagerly, they gulped in the cool night air.

  "We'll have to report to the police," Nancy spoke up. "And we'd better take the heirlooms with us, in case the ghost decides to pay the cemetery another visit."

  The girls carried the treasure to the car and drove to River Heights Police Headquarters. The sergeant on duty was surprised when they told him of their adventure. "We'll have to put that joker behind bars," he said angrily. "Do you have any idea who he could be?"

  The girls shook their heads.

  "Obviously it's someone who knew about the heirlooms," Nancy said. "It could have been one of the men who moved the Gampbells years ago. Perhaps he heard

  Nancy Drew Ghost Stories 2

  about the treasure from Becker when visiting him in jail."

  "Well, right now we'd better get back to Mrs. Campbell," George suggested. "I'm sure she's worried about us."

  "Tell her the treasure is safe and sound," the sergeant said. "I'll have to keep it here as evidence. Perhaps she could drop by tomorrow to identify her property."

  Mrs. Campbell was relieved when the girls arrived, and delighted that they had found her possessions. She offered them her guest room to spend the night.

  Next morning, just as they were having breakfast, Mr. Hansen came over from next door. "Oh, hello, girls!" he cried out. "I'm glad to see you're back safe!"

  "Safe?" Nancy asked, her eyebrows shooting up. "How did you know we were in danger?"

  "Oh, well—" the man seemed at a loss for words. "You—were going to the cemetery yesterday. Didn't you say something about a ghost?"

  Nancy nodded. "Yes, we did," she said.

  "Well, did you find Mrs. Campbell's heirlooms?" the man continued.

  "Yes," George spoke up. "We don't know yet if all her things were there. She'll have to go to the police station and identify them."

  "Police station?" Mr. Hansen asked sharply. "You mean, you didn't bring the treasure back with you?"

  "Of course not!" Bess told him. "We had to report what we found, and the police are keeping the heirlooms as evidence until they catch the thief!"

  The Dark Crypt

  All the color seemed to have drained from Mr. Hansen's face. "Oh," he said. "Well, I think I'd better go back home. I have a few chores to do this morning."

  "I think you'd better stay!" Nancy said. Suddenly, the pieces of the puzzle were falling together for her. She turned to George. "Quick, call the police," she whispered.

  George looked puzzled, but did not question her friend. She went into the next room and made the call while Mr. Hansen stared at Nancy, not knowing what to make of the girl's request for him to stay.

  "What do you need me for?" he finally asked.

  "Some explanations," Nancy said. "Actually, I have all the explanations. All you have to do is confirm them.

  "You knew about Mrs. Campbell's treasure, and you followed us to the cemetery last night. You thought Bess had the key to the crypt, so you waylaid her and threw her into an open grave. When you didn't find the key in her pocketbook, you shoved me in, too. Good thing you didn't succeed with George."

  "I have no idea what you're talking about," the man said.

  "Nancy, you're wrong!" Mrs. Campbell spoke up. "I've known Mr. Hansen for many years. He's always been a good friend!"

  "He's only pretended to be," Nancy said. "He must have been hoping you'd show him that mysterious note so he could retrieve the treasure. When he found out you had called us, he tried to keep us away by throwing a rock with a threatening note into our car on the highway."

  Nancy Drew Ghost Stories 2

  "Do you know what you're saying?" Mrs. Campbell was shocked.

  '*! do," Nancy replied confidently. "Twenty years ago Mr. Hansen plotted with Mr. Becker, the movers' foreman, to steal your heirlooms while you and your husband were moving to your new house. Becker stole your crypt key and had a duplicate made, then returned the key surreptitiously."

  'This is ridiculous," Mr. Hansen cried out. "I refuse to listen to this nonsense any longer!" With that, he turned and headed for the door. When he opened it, he ran straight into the arms of two policemen!

  "Lieutenant Green," one introduced himself. "And this is Sergeant Russo. I understand you have a problem?"

  "We have evidence that this man is a thief!" Nancy said and pointed to Mr. Hansen. She told Lieutenant Green what had happened so far, then went on.

  "My guess is that Mr. Hansen and Mr. Becker did not want to be seen together, so they used a secret code to communicate. Becker wrote Hansen a note saying where he had hidden the heirlooms, but dropped it in the attic by mistake. When the movers were ready to leave, he wanted to put the note into Hansen's mailbox, but couldn't find it. He wasn't able to write another one, because the rest of the men were waiting for him. The next day he was arrested for the robbery and went to jail."

  "Why couldn't he have told Hansen about the hiding place while he was in jail?" Lieutenant Green asked.

  "Hansen probably never visited him," Nancy said.

  The Dark Crypt

  *'He wanted no one to suspect he had any connections to a criminal. Also, even if Becker had told him, Hansen wouldn't have had the key!"

  "What a story!" Mr. Hansen exclaimed. "It's all conjecture. There's no proof!"

  Bess stared at him. 'T bet you were the prowler yesterday. You wanted to find out what we knew, so you tried to eavesdrop on us."

  "Of course," Nancy agreed.

  "Then he followed us to the cemetery," George took up the story. "He played ghost to scare us, then kidnapped Bess to get the key."

  "And when that didn't work, he locked us into the crypt," Nancy concluded.

  "That j
ust proves how silly your theory is," Mr. Hansen put in. "Mrs. Campbell knew you were at the cemetery. She would have sent the police if you hadn't returned. And I still wouldn't have the treasure."

  "You went off to round up a couple of accomplices," Nancy said. "Then you came back to do away with us. Fortunately, we had escaped by then."

  Mrs. Campbell stood up. "But Nancy, I still can't believe Mr. Hansen is a criminal. And you can't prove it!"

  "Yes, I can," Nancy said. "How many people knew about that secret room in your basement that we discovered yesterday?"

  "Why, no one," Mrs. Campbell replied. "I didn't even know until you told me about it."

  "Mr. Hansen was here when we found it," Nancy went on. "And when he played ghost at the cemetery,

  Nancy Drew Ghost Stories 2

  he said that we would soon be dead, just like those smugglers he locked into the secret room many years ago!"

  Mr. Hansen's mouth dropped open when he realized that he had given himself away. He made a quick dash for the door, but Lieutenant Green and Sergeant Russo grabbed him before he could get out. Later, he confessed everything.

  "I did work with Becker," he admitted. **I had arranged for a fence—someone to handle the loot for us. He was to meet Becker during Becker's drive from River Heights to the Campbells' new house. But something went wrong and he didn't make it. Becker didn't want to take the treasure home, because he was afraid the police might search his house if they ever traced the previous robbery to him. So he stashed the stuff in the woods. He knew he couldn't leave them there, so when he saw the crypt key at the Campbell's house, he had a duplicate made during his break."

  "But why did he write you the note?" George asked.

  "Just to let me know that things were under control. He probably figured once the fence was ready, we'd all go and retrieve the stuff."

  "Only he couldn't deliver the note," Bess said. "Then he was arrested before he had another chance to contact you."

  "That's right," Hansen said glumly.

  "And now you'll join him in jail," Sergeant Russo added.

  The police led the man away and the girls turned to comfort Mrs. Campbell, who was still shocked about

  The Dark Crypt

  the fact that she had hved next door to a criminal for ten years.

  "Well, I'm glad he's behind bars," she said finally. "Nancy, I'm sorry I doubted you. You did a great job!"

  "It was Bess who urged us to go to the cemetery, remember?" Nancy said.

  Bess made a face. "I should have known better!" she declared. "Next time we'll send the police. That ghost scared me to death!"

  "What ghost?" George asked, and they all broke out into gales of laughter.

  THEG£/SrOF MEYER'S MALL

  "What a traffic jam!" Nancy Drew exclaimed, as she drove through a tangle of cars in front of the shopping mall.

  'I've never seen so many people here," added George Fayne, who was sitting next to her. '*! wonder if something's wrong?"

  *'Maybe they're having a big sale," Bess Marvin remarked from the back seat.

  Nancy shook her head. "I doubt it. Business hasn't been good at Meyer's Mall for months. Not since the new shopping center opened downtown with the movie theater and the skating rink."

  A policeman stood nearby, trying his best to unsnarl the tie-up. When the girls were able to inch close enough to him, Nancy stuck her head out of the window.

  ''What's going on. Officer?" she asked politely.

  The man grinned. "Haven't you heard?" he replied. "Everyone's here to see the ghost!"

  "Ghost!" all three girls remarked in unison.

  Nancy Drew Ghost Stories 2

  The policeman nodded. "There are strange happenings in the mail these days."' he said.

  Just then, a break came in the traffic and Nancy pulled away, waving to the friendly policeman as she did.

  "Hurrah!" Bess exclaimed. "We finally made it into the parking lot."

  "What do you think this ghost business is all about?" dark-haired George asked.

  Nancy shrugged. "Maybe we'll find out."

  The girls parked the car and hurried into the mall.

  'Tt looks as if they've painted and done repairs on the place." George commented when they walked through the glass door.

  "There aren't any vacant stores anymore, either," Bess added. "The mall is suddenly thriving!"

  Nancy and her friends moved through the crowd and headed toward the Chic Boutique, where they had been buying their clothes for a long time.

  All at once, people were yelling and pointing at the ceiling.

  A large blob was floating fifty feet overhead, swirling above the mall, its shape constantly changing, its color a greenish-yellow with an almost fluorescent glow.

  A bank of escalators rose to an open, second-floor mezzanine, with a railing lined with planters full of gladiolas. The ghost swooped down and whimsically picked the flowers, raining them upon the onlookers.

  The crowd roared with glee.

  "This is the craziest thing I've ever seen!"' Bess said through her laughter. "Look over there!"

  A security guard had run up the escalator, yelling at

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  Nancy Drew Ghost Stories 2

  the ghost. The thing stopped pulling up plants and zoomed at the man. It knocked his hat off, to the delight of the crowd, then made his tie stand up straight in the air.

  The guard turned and ran away, but the ghost stayed hot on his trail. It chased him down the escalator, pushing him into the small goldfish pond on the main floor.

  The crowd laughed and applauded as the weird blob floated near them, constantly changing shape. Suddenly it turned bright red and rose quickly above people's heads, edging higher and higher to finally disappear into the ceiling.

  The shoppers were talking excitedly as they dispersed, some of them heading out to the parking lot, but many staying to go into the stores.

  ''I'm beginning to understand why the mall is doing so well," Nancy said.

  "Sure," George answered. "The ghost is attracting business!"

  "Do you think it's a real ghost, Nancy?" Bess asked, her eyes still wide.

  Nancy shook her head. "It looked real," she said, "but I've never heard of a haunted mall before!"

  With the crowds breaking up, it was an easy walk to the dress shop. When the girls entered, old Mr. Lamell, the owner, and his granddaughter, Cassie, were busy waiting on customers.

  The small, gray-haired man beamed when he saw the girls. "Guten tag!" he called in his native German. "Good day to my best customers!"

  "Hi!" Cassie called from the cash register. The pretty

  The Geist of Meyer^s Mall

  high school girl with dark hair and brown eyes was ringing up sale after sale, an event rarely seen in the Chic Boutique.

  While the Lamells were busy, Nancy and her friends looked over the racks of clothes.

  "What a selection!" George said, picking up a stylish pair of slacks. "Mr. Lamell always had good taste, but now his merchandise is just fabulous." She held the slacks in front of her and looked in a full-length mirror.

  "Apparently business has gotten a lot better since the last time we were here," Nancy added.

  "It's because of the Geist," came a voice from behind them.

  They turned to see Mr. Lamell standing there, hands behind his back, a pixie smile on his face.

  "Geist?" Bess repeated.

  "That's German for ghost," Cassie said, as she joined them.

  Mr. Lamell smiled, putting a hand to his forehead. "The words," he said. "Sometimes I get mixed up. How are my favorite customers?"

  "We're doing great," Bess said.

  "And, apparently, so are you," Nancy added.

  "Can't complain," Mr. Lamell said. "Do yo
u know that my Cassie is going to college this fall?"

  "Grandfather ..." Cassie said, blushing.

  "But I'm proud of you." The old man put an arm around the girl, who was already a foot taller than he was.

  "What's the story on the, er . . . GeistV Nancy asked.

  Mr. Lamell pursed his lips. "It began a couple of months ago," he said. "The local TV station was

  Nancy Drew Ghost Stories 2

  making a . . . what-do-you-call-it? ... a commercial, for Central Bank over at the other end of the mall. All at once the Geist swooped down in front of them. They filmed it, and followed it into the shoe store, where it pulled box after box of shoes out of the cubbyholes."

  "It was the funniest thing!" Cassie giggled. "Shoes flying all over the store!"

  Mr. Lamell continued. 'They showed their film on the news that night, and the Geist of Meyer's Mall has brought people here ever since. They come to see Hermie ..."

  "Hermie?" Nancy asked.

  "That's Grandfather's nickname for the ghost," Cassie explained.

  "Why Hermie?"

  The little man suddenly looked nervous. "No special reason," he said. "It's just a name."

  "Does the ghost come every night?" Bess inquired.

  "No," Cassie answered. "It's very unpredictable. But the people don't seem to mind when it doesn't show. It appears often enough to make it worthwhile for them."

  "Yes," Mr. Lamell added. "I haven't seen crowds like this since I was in show business."

  "You were in show business?" Nancy asked.

  "Back in the old country," the man answered. "That was a long time ago."

  "What did you do?" George inquired, fascinated.

  "Variety acts," Mr. Lamell returned. "You know, singing and dancing. I worked in the music halls . . . How do you call it over here?—Vaudeville."

  The Geist of Meyer's Mall

  Nancy noticed that Cassie had an odd look on her face. Why had the atmosphere suddenly become tense?