Ghost Stories, #2 (Nancy Drew) Page 6

  The momentum carried both of them up and over the mezzanine rail, where Gunther let the man plummet, arms flailing, into the same fish pond that the security guard had landed in the night before.

  The crowd roared. Nancy began to understand that the people had never really believed in the ghost. They had just come to enjoy the show rigged up by a master magician!

  The dripping kidnapper climbed out of the pond and walked into the arms of waiting security, while sirens

  Nancy Drew Ghost Stories 2

  could be heard approaching in the distance.

  Cassie and Nancy went to the edge of the rail and looked down. "Are you okay?" the young detective asked her friend.

  The girl nodded and gave Nancy a hug. Just then, Mr. Lamell joined them.

  "I'm glad this is all over," he said. "But you know, I'm going to miss old Hermie! He doesn't want to go back in the trunk."

  Nancy smiled, then waved her arms. "Ladies and gentlemen," she called, and the crowd quieted down, looking expectantly at her. "I'd like you to meet the man responsible for all these wonderful effects. Here is Lamell the Great, and his dancing ghost, Hermie!"

  The shoppers cheered loudly and Mr. Lamell bowed, tears in his eyes. He was happy to hear the applause of an audience again!

  "You know," Nancy whispered, "why don't you clear your act with the authorities? I can't see anyone objecting, and the shoppers would just love to see Hermie every once in a while."

  Mr. Lamell's eyes twinkled. "Not only Hermie," he said. "Meyer's Mall can have a different ghost every week!"

  WITCHES' BREW

  Nancy Drew was humming happily when she stepped into the elevator. The young detective was glad to be in New York again and looking forward to a visit with her Aunt Eloise.

  A mysterious note from Eloise Drew had prompted the trip. ''Come at once, if possible," her aunt had written. "Something strange is going on around here."

  The elevator shot up and Nancy wondered about the message. What could it mean? A moment later, as she stepped into the corridor, a woman charged straight at her, almost knocking her down! Nancy staggered back and barely managed to keep her balance. The woman, who was small, slender, and middle-aged, was obviously distraught. Without apologizing, she rushed into the old-fashioned elevator, slammed the door shut, and pressed the "down" button.

  "She sure was in a hurry, wasn't she?" said another woman, who had just stepped out of an apartment two

  Nancy Drew Ghost Stories 2

  doors down from Aunt Eloise. She was tall and elegantly dressed, and her jet black hair fell down to her shoulders. "Are you all right?" she inquired.

  "Yes, I am, thank you," Nancy replied with a smile. Then she walked to her aunt's door and pressed the bell.

  "Nancy, my dear, come in!" Eloise Drew gave her niece a big hug and drew her into the comfortable living room. "Did you have a good trip?"

  "I did," Nancy said. "1 got here safe and sound, but a woman almost ran me down by the elevator."

  "Oh?" Miss Drew's eyebrows shot up. "What did she look like?"

  "Small, blond, about your age. Seemed upset."

  "Oh, I bet that was Dottie Hughes. She used to be a good friend of mine until—well, it all has to do with why I asked you to come here."

  "Tell me about it!" Nancy urged.

  "Something strange is going on next door to me," Aunt Eloise began. "It started about six months ago. I hear eerie chanting from Apartment 307 now and then, and once in a while someone wails and screams. I think a bunch of witches meet in that place!"

  Nancy laughed. "Aunt Eloise, be serious!"

  "I am!" insisted her handsome aunt, who was a schoolteacher. "You'll find—"

  Just then she was interrupted by a loud screech, that turned into a drawn-out wail.

  "What was that?" Nancy asked, taken aback. "Maybe one of the evil spirits that seem to have invaded our building," Aunt Eloise replied with a weak grin.

  Witches' Brew

  "You're half serious, aren't you?" Nancy stared at her aunt, then stood up and went to the window. The wail had turned into an angry growl, and Nancy looked toward its direction. She was just in time to see a huge, black cat leap onto the balcony of the next apartment.

  Nancy broke into a peal of laughter as the cat sat down and began to wash its face. "Come and look," she said to her aunt. 'There's your evil spirit, licking itself."

  Aunt Eloise joined Nancy at the window and chuckled. "I suppose I'm getting edgy," she admitted. "But really, Nancy, you should hear those eerie voices. Dottie Hughes, who also lives on this floor, used to visit me all the time. But since she started attending those meetings at Madame Arnette's, she's avoided me and all her other friends. And she acts strange, as if she doesn't know what she's doing."

  "I could see that in the hallway," Nancy said thoughtfully. "And another woman confirmed it. She saw it, too."

  "You met another one of my neighbors?"

  Nancy nodded. "Very tall, chic, with black hair—"

  "Mrs. Egmont," Aunt Eloise broke in. "She's an actress. She's a very nice person, although she tends to be a bit melodramatic at times. She lives on the other side of Madame Arnette, and we've been talking about the strange goings-on. She hears the noises too, and believe me, Nancy, she's also convinced that Madame Arnette is a witch!"

  "Don't you think you're jumping to conclusions?" Nancy asked.

  "I have something that'll prove my suspicion is

  Nancy Drew Ghost Stories 2

  right."" Eloise Drew said. She stood up and went to her desk, where she picked up a small object.

  "I found this lying in the hall.'" she told Xancy, handing her an oblong, metal pendant.

  Nancy examined it closely. "It"s Diana!" she exclaimed. "Diana the huntress or goddess of the moon."

  "x witches" charm."" Aunt Eloise added. "Worship of Diana was part of witch ceremonies in Europe. The covens used to convene by the light of the full moon.""

  "You have a point there," Nancy agreed. "What do you think we should do?"

  ''If you could infiltrate the coven and see what these people are up to—"

  Nancy's eyes sparkled as she interrupted her aunt excitedly, "Good idea! Ell become a witch! That's a cover I've never used before. It should be verv interest-

  ing.

  Aunt Eloise held up a hand. "Shh! Did you hear that?""

  Nancy fell quiet and nodded. The sound of stealthy footsteps in the corridor came nearer and halted outside the apartment!

  Nancy stood up silently and tiptoed to the door. She twisted the knob cautiously to one side, then jerked the door inward.

  A small, blond woman almost fell into the room!

  "Why. Mrs. Hughes!"" Nancy said.

  The woman looked flustered. "Oh,"' she stammered, 'T—I wanted to talk to Eloise—"

  "Yes. Dottie." Aunt Eloise came up behind Nancy, "what can I do for you?"

  Witches* Brew

  "I—I wondered if you found an oblong pendant," Mrs. Hughes went on. "I think I dropped it in the hallway. It means a lot to me."

  "Why, yes, I did find it," Eloise Drew replied. "My niece Nancy and I were just looking at it."

  Mrs. Hughes nodded absently at the girl, who smiled. "It's a very interesting piece," Nancy said, and handed the ornament to the woman. "Wearing it gives you the protection of Diana, doesn't it?"

  Mrs. Hughes stared at her openmouthed.

  "I know all about Diana," Nancy confided in a conspiratorial tone. "I used to belong to a coven in my home town."

  "Then you believe in the power of the occult?" Mrs. Hughes asked, obviously impressed.

  "I certainly do," Nancy replied.

  "The power of Diana has been of great help to me," Mrs. Hughes went on. "In fact, through the goddess, I have been able to contact my dead husband. I can't tell you how happy that has made me!"

  Nancy's eyes clouded. "A dear friend of mine died last year. I'd love to be able to communicate with her . . ." Her voice trailed off.


  "I could bring you to our next meeting, if you'd like," Mrs. Hughes suggested. "It's tomorrow, on the night of the full moon. I'll introduce you to our leader, Madame Arnette. She may be able to intercede with the goddess for you."

  "Could you?" Nancy asked excitedly. "I would really be grateful."

  Mrs. Hughes promised to pick her up at nine the

  Nancy Drew Ghost Stories 2

  following evening, then, clutching her pendant, said good-bye and left.

  "What did I tell you?" Aunt Eloise said. "Madame Arnette is a witch. And you were wonderful, Nancy! Your act was just great!"

  Nancy shrugged. "I hate to lie, but this poor woman has obviously been duped. If I can help her, and others in that group, it'll be worth my fib about being a witch."

  Nancy and Mrs. Hughes arrived promptly at Madame Arnette's the next evening. The young detective's heart skipped a beat at what she saw inside.

  Heavy curtains, closely drawn, hung across a row of windows. In the middle of the room stood a black table shaped like a coffin. Around it, a circle about nine feet wide was drawn in white chalk on the bare wooden floor. Dim light came from concealed lamps, throwing shadows across the room. The scent of incense was almost overpowering.

  Nancy shivered. The wall opposite the windows was covered with drawings of wild goats and leering horned devils. On another wall hung a flat sculpture of a sphinx with its mouth open.

  A huge statue of the goddess Diana, holding her bow and arrow, dominated the room. It stood against the curtains in an atmosphere heavy with menace.

  Nancy bit her lips. What, she wondered, had she gotten herself into? One detail of the spooky scene nagged at her mind. She could not recall ever having seen a sphinx with an open mouth.

  Witches* Brew

  The mistress of this uncanny establishment, Nancy decided, certainly looked like a witch. Madame Arnette had a long face with a sharp nose and yellow teeth. Her nails were like talons, painted blood red. Her rusty hair stood in a frizzy halo around her head. She wore a long, black robe with batwing sleeves and earrings with strings of ebony beads.

  When Mrs. Hughes introduced Nancy, Madame Arnette gave the young detective a penetrating stare from her glittering black eyes.

  "So, you would pierce the mysteries of the dead!" she muttered. "Beware! They may not wish you well!"

  Nevertheless, she asked Nancy for the name of her friend and where the deceased had been buried.

  "Her name is Linda Brown, and her grave is at Saint Barbara's Churchyard on the West Side," Nancy replied, thinking fast. She had heard her aunt mention Saint Barbara's once.

  "Very well," droned the high priestess. "Two days from now we will try to summon your friend. The powers of Diana are strongest during the full moon."

  The night's ceremony began. The witches of the coven, who had been assembling, looked excited, almost hysterical. They grouped themselves around the table, inside the white chalk circle. Nancy and Mrs. Hughes joined them. All clasped hands. Madame Arnette switched off the lights and pulled the heavy curtain drawstring.

  Moonlight flooded the room with silver, leaving the statue of Diana etched dramatically in black, eerie and beautiful.

  Witches' Brew

  Madame Arnette began to sing in a hoarse voice: Abracadabra, all is well, As long as we know Diana's spell.

  The other women took up the weird chant and repeated it. Then the high priestess left and returned a moment later with a large cauldron, which she placed carefully on the table.

  'This is witches' brew," she intoned. "We must all drink to the goddess Diana."

  The scene made Nancy think of the witches in Shakespeare's Macbeth, which she had studied in high school English class. She could not help repeating under her breath the witches' weird lines:

  "Double, double, toil and trouble! Fire burn and cauldron bubble!"

  Madame Arnette was ladling the brew from the cauldron into black goblets, offering one to each woman. Nancy watched as the others drank eagerly. Madame Arnette, however, barely touched her goblet to her lips, and set it down without drinking.

  This is where I join her, Nancy thought, looking for a place to spill her brew. She spotted a snake plant growing by the window, and eased her way over to it surreptitiously, making sure the high priestess did not notice her.

  "I'm sure you'll enjoy this more than I would!" she told the plant in an undertone, pouring the liquid into the loam. "To your good health—or abracadabra—or whatever witches say!"

  When Nancy went back to the table, she noticed that the witches were behaving strangely. They seemed to

  Nancy Drew Ghost Stories 2

  sway in unison. Their eyes were glazed, and they looked dully at their leader. Mrs. Hughes was in the same condition as the rest.

  Thank goodness I didn't drink anything, thought Nancy. The stuff in that cauldron must he a witches' brew of some kind!

  Everyone sat down at the table. Madame Arnette announced that she was about to summon the goddess.

  A weird greenish light suddenly emanated from the open mouth of the sphinx behind her. The beam combined with the moonlight to bathe the head witch in a ghostly aura as she intoned her chant.

  Nancy felt a prickling at the back of her neck. Wowl she thought. Madame Arnette certainly has a flair for drama!

  *T conjure you, O great Diana, to hear our supplications!" the witch cried out. "Goddess of the moon! One of our members would speak through you tonight, to her dear one who departed this life three years ago!"

  Suddenly, from the mouth of the sphinx, came a voice, low and clear. The coven gasped. Diana was in their midst!

  "One of those assembled here comes from the state of Wyoming!" the goddess intoned.

  'T am from Wyoming!" cried Mrs. Hughes.

  "Your husband would have you know that he is well in the land beyond the grave," said the spectral voice. "He asks if you remember the lilacs in your garden long ago in Wyoming."

  Mrs. Hughes looked transformed with joy. "Oh, yes, John, I do!" she exclaimed.

  Witches' Brew

  Diana murmured, "His voice is fading. But he will come to you again. I can say no more now."

  Diana fell silent, then spoke again. "I hear from someone named—Maria," she said slowly. "Maria wants to tell Joey to keep on trying. He will succeed if he is persevering!"

  "Maria is my sister!" one of the women exclaimed. "She's talking to my nephew Joey, who is having great difficulty in school. I'm so happy she said he'll succeed!"

  The next silence was longer, then Diana continued in a hesitant tone. "The husband of the woman from Wyoming is coming back. He wants to warn her that he sees danger, grave danger!"

  Mrs. Hughes was aghast. "Ask him what he means!" she begged. "Please, don't let him go!" "He tells you not to venture abroad. That is all he will say. Now he has gone."

  After that, the goddess fell silent. However, the meeting was far from over. Nancy watched with fascination as Madame Arnette began to sway and shake.

  "The future," she murmured. "We will now see the future."

  "My brother," one woman asked. "Will he live? He is so ill. He's been in the hospital for weeks."

  "You must pray for him," the witch intoned. "Pray!" She told one of her followers to look for another job, a second to beware of a man named Peter, and a third to expect a new romance in her life. It went on in that manner for several minutes, then she came out of her trance and the seance was over. Madame Arnette

  Nancy Drew Ghost Stories 2

  informed the coven that the next meeting would take place two nights later. As the women filed out of the apartment, Nancy noticed that each dropped money into an urn held by the high priestess.

  The young detective produced a bill from her pock-etbook, but, using a sleight of hand, palmed it skillfully up her sleeve instead of depositing it in the container.

  Then she saw Madame Arnette beckoning Mrs. Hughes to stay behind. That gave her an idea. She rushed back to her aunt's apartment, dashed thr
ough the living room, and opened the door to the balcony. A stone ledge connected all the balconies on that side of the building, and Nancy quickly climbed over the banister and stepped onto it. Carefully, she moved along the open space high above the sidewalk. With her back to the wall, and holding her breath, she reached Madame Arnette's balcony and climbed over the balustrade.

  A moment later she was peering into the witch's living room. Inside, she could see Madame Arnette talking earnestly to Mrs. Hughes.

  If only I could hear what they're saying! Nancy thought. She found the window slightly ajar and raised it cautiously. The voices inside became audible.

  "Your husband is most anxious to keep communicating with you," she heard Madame Arnette tell the excited Mrs. Hughes. "But Diana expects you to be suitably grateful. She looks favorably on large offerings at her shrine."

  "Anything!" cried Mrs. Hughes. "I will pay anything!"

  Witches* Brew

  She emptied her purse on the table, then said goodbye. After she had left, Madame Arnette picked up the money and went through the door to the adjoining room. Moving to the next window, the girl detective was able to see the witch leader was in a luxuriously decorated bedroom.

  Madame Arnette took a green loose-leaf notebook from the top drawer of her bureau, and in it she wrote a few lines. She replaced the notebook with a smile, then strolled over to the window.

  A chill went down Nancy's spine. If that woman looks out, I've had it! the girl detective thought and quickly retreated. She climbed over the balcony onto the stone ledge and stood flat against the wall, hardly daring to breathe, her eyes fixed on Madame Arnette's bedroom window. A few moments passed, but nothing happened.

  Cautiously, Nancy went back to Eloise Drew's apartment and stepped into the living room. At the same moment, her aunt came in with a bedtime snack. Nancy collapsed into an easy chair and related her experience.

  When she had finished, she had calmed down enough to enjoy a piece of homemade devil's food cake. *'Hm," she said. 'This is as sinfully good as its namesake, the devil, is sinfully bad. And, talking about the devil, I intend to keep an eye on Madame Arnette. She's up to no good."