The Phantom of Pine Hill Read online

  Nancy put the ribbon in her pocket and the girls started off once more. This time they could hear footsteps ahead of them in the woods. Once they caught a glimpse of the slight, middle-aged man hurrying away. As the girls quickened their pace, they heard him run. Who was he? Why had he followed them?

  Finally they reached the cove at a spot where the embankment was high. Nancy nastened to the edge to see if the mysterious rowboat was in sight.

  As she stood on the brink, suddenly the earth gave way. Nancy struggled to save herself but plunged forward with the rocks and dirt. George tried to grab her friend but failed. She too lost her balance as the earth crumbled still more!

  “This is from the sunken Lucy Belle!” exclaimed Bess

  CHAPTER XIV

  Puzzling Characters

  HORRIFIED, Bess looked down the embankment at the rolling, tumbling girls. She managed to pull back in time to keep from being carried down herself.

  “Oh, I hope Nancy and George didn’t break any bones!” she thought worriedly.

  Both girls had been able to halt their descent just before reaching the little beach. They sat up and clawed dirt from their faces and eyes.

  “Are you all right?” Bess called down anxiously.

  George looked up at her cousin. “All right, but I’m furious. Why did that earth have to give way just when we were on the trail of the phantom?”

  Nancy smiled, despite her disheveled condition and several scratches. “George, you can make any awful situation seem funny. Just the same, I’m sorry too we lost that man.”

  The two girls stood up and shook dirt from their clothes. Then, choosing a more solid section of embankment where bushes were growing, they started to climb upward.

  Suddenly Bess warned in a hoarse whisper, “Look out there on the water! There’s Fred Jenkins in a rowboat!”

  Nancy and George turned, but could not see the boat very clearly through the brush. They wondered if Fred had seen them tumble. One thing was sure—he had made no effort to help them. He was far from shore and going past the spot where they were.

  As the two girls reached the top of the embankment, Bess said, “The rowboat Fred was in looked just like the one we saw that mysterious man go off in!”

  “The boat wasn’t marked and there may be many others like it,” George said. “Personally, I think Fred Jenkins is too stupid to be mixed up in this mystery.”

  “Well, I’m not so sure he isn’t in it,” Nancy declared. “Doesn’t it strike you as odd that very often he is around where we are? I admit he seems stupid, but someone else may be having him spy on us. It’s even possible he personally faked that telephone call about Hannah Gruen.”

  George was indignant. “I vote we find out at once.”

  Bess looked at her cousin and asked, “And how in the world are you going to do that? If Fred is guilty, you don’t suppose he’s going to tell us?”

  George had no answer to this and the three girls walked along in silence for several minutes. Then Nancy said, “I think I have a solution. We’ll ask Mrs. Holman where Fred lives and quiz some of his neighbors about him.”

  When they reached home, the housekeeper looked in astonishment at Nancy and George. “You really meant it when you said you were going digging. Did you find anything besides the skeleton?”

  Nancy showed her the ribbon with the word Belle on it and explained where she had found it. “That’s our whole score,” said George, “plus some beads and arrowheads. No wedding gifts, no gold.”

  The girls bathed and put on fresh clothes. They came downstairs and asked Mrs. Holman for Fred Jenkins’ address. She gave it to them and inquired, “Do you want to see him?”

  Nancy told her what she had in mind, but pledged the housekeeper to secrecy. “I won’t say a word,” the woman promised.

  It was late afternoon when the girls set off in the convertible with the top down. Fred lived in a section of old, small homes. The guest house where he had a room was respectable but run down.

  A pleasant woman answered Nancy’s ring and said that Fred was not at home. She smirked broadly. “Three attractive young ladies coming to visit him! And him kind of simple at times.”

  Bess and George were about to reveal that they were not personal friends of Fred’s, but Nancy gave them a warning look. A sudden idea had come to her.

  She laughed. “Fred is simple only at times?” she asked the landlady.

  “That’s right,” the garrulous woman replied. “He’s as bright as the next one when he sets his mind to it.”

  “I’m glad to hear that,” said Nancy. “Otherwise, it would be hard for him to earn a living, I suppose.”

  The guest-house owner stared at Nancy. “You’re a bright one yourself. You’re right. Fred couldn’t hold down a job if he wasn’t bright sometimes.”

  Nancy went on quickly, “That’s why we’re here—to see about giving Fred a job. I want my car washed. But I’ll be in touch with him.”

  The woman assured her that she knew Fred would be delighted to do any kind of a job for such an attractive girl. Nancy ignored the compliment. Secretly she wondered if the woman were trying to pump her. She asked, “Oh, by the way, does Fred have a family?”

  “The only one I know about is his pa. He lives here with Fred.”

  “I see,” said Nancy. “I suppose he’s employed too?”

  The guest-house owner crossed her arms and leaned forward so that her face was very close to Nancy’s. She spoke as if she didn’t want anyone to hear her except the girls.

  “Kind of funny about him. He’s a strange man. Don’t talk much, and as far as I know he don’t work neither. But you know what? The last month or so, every single clear day he leaves here in the morning and don’t come back until night.”

  “What makes you think he’s not working?” Nancy asked.

  The woman shrugged. “Oh, you can tell. I’ve had enough renters in this place to know when somebody’s got a regular job and when they ain’t. But I just can’t figure out what that man is doing with himself all day.”

  A silence followed which George broke by grinning and saying, “Maybe he’s sitting in the park feeding the birds!”

  The woman laughed, but said, “Not him. He’s got a gleam in his eye, like he’s got something to do. I try to talk to him sometimes, but he always cuts me off.”

  “Does he look like Fred?” Bess asked.

  “No, he’s a little fella compared to his son. Fred’s got good muscles. I think one time he did a little boxing.” The woman laughed softly. “Maybe he got punched in the head and that’s what makes him simple sometimes.”

  After thanking the landlady for the information, the girls said good-by. Bess and George noticed that Nancy did not leave her name and address. When they had crossed the street and were back in the convertible, Bess asked her about this. “Did you really mean that about Fred washing your car?”

  “You’ll admit it could stand a wash and we needed an excuse for coming. The reason I didn’t leave my name and address is that I’m sure Fred’ll figure out who was asking for him. I’m convinced his stupidity and forgetfulness is an act. He’s plenty smart enough to be working against us in this mystery ”

  “And what about his father?” George asked. “He sounded like a mysterious person. Do you suppose he could be the digger?”

  Before Nancy could answer, the girls saw a short, slight man walking toward the house.

  “He’s the man we saw in the rowboat this afternoon!” Bess cried.

  He looked at the girls a second, then turned suddenly and hurried down the street, almost on a run.

  “I’ll follow him,” Nancy said.

  This meant turning the car around, which lost precious time. The other girls saw the man turn a corner, but by the time Nancy reached the intersection, he was out of sight.

  “Why would he run away unless he’s guilty?” Bess mused.

  “Good question,” George answered. “But guilty of what?”

  If
Nancy came to any conclusions, she kept them to herself. During the rest of the drive she was silent, preoccupied with her own thoughts. This had certainly been an eventful day.

  “But what have I really learned from it?” she asked herself. The mystery seemed as baffling as ever, but she felt sure that the man who had eluded them was mixed up in it somehow. “And he certainly fits the description of Fred’s father,” she decided.

  When the girls reached the Rorick home they found Ned, Burt, and Dave sprawled out in comfortable chairs in the living room. As they rose to greet the girls, they pretended to be weak-kneed and dizzy. “Oh, all that studying today!” Dave said. “I’m only half-alive!”

  The other two boys looked equally exhausted. “But you can help us,” Burt said weakly.

  “How?” George asked suspiciously.

  “By taking pity on us,” Ned said, and added, “Just go out into the country with us for supper and some dancing. You’ll be surprised how soon we’ll revive.”

  Everyone laughed. In unison, the three girls said, “We accept.”

  “Chuck Wilson and his date are coming too,” Ned said, “so we rented a large car.”

  Nancy went to tell Mrs. Holman where they were going. The woman said she hoped the young people would have fun. Then Nancy went to her room to put away her car keys.

  The evening was wonderful indeed, not only because of the animated conversation, good food, and excellent music, but because of plans Nancy was able to make.

  She announced to the others, “Ned and I have made a date to go diving for the Lucy Belle!”

  “That’s neat,” said Chuck. “What do you hope to find?”

  Nancy chuckled. “Treasure!”

  Since the boys had to study the following morning, the girls insisted they all return home at a reasonable hour so their escorts could get up early. Ned took the wheel, and after dropping off Chuck and his date, finally turned into the Rorick driveway. The headlights shone brightly on the front of the house.

  Suddenly Nancy gasped and exclaimed, “My car is gone!”

  CHAPTER XV

  Telltale Grass

  AT Nancy’s announcement the six young people jumped from Ned’s car and began searching for Nancy’s convertible.

  “Did you leave the key in the ignition lock or somewhere else in the car?” Ned asked.

  “No, I didn’t, Ned. I made a special trip to my room to put the car keys away.”

  He suggested that Nancy run upstairs and find out if they were still there. In a few minutes she returned, waving her keys. “Here they are. No thief took them.”

  Bess stated flatly, “The phantom must have stolen the car!”

  “Then he’s pretty clever at starting a motor without keys,” Dave remarked.

  “Oh, Nancy, what will you do?” Bess wailed.

  Nancy said she would call the police immediately and went into the house. Mrs. Holman, extremely nervous over this latest occurrence in the mystery, declared she felt responsible.

  “I should have kept my ears open,” she said. “But I admit I had the TV on and didn’t hear a sound from out-of-doors.”

  “It’s not your fault,” Nancy said kindly, slipping an arm around the woman’s shoulders.

  Nancy phoned police headquarters and gave a description of her car, the license, and engine number. “I’ll alert our men at once,” the sergeant on duty told her.

  A few minutes later Nancy was thanking Ned for the fun-filled evening.

  “I’m sorry it had to end this way,” he said. “But cheer up! The Emerson police will locate your car, even if they haven’t found the phantom!”

  Nancy was awakened the next day by a tap on her door and called, “Come in!” Mrs. Holman stood there, a broad smile on her face.

  “You won’t believe it, Nancy, but your car is back!”

  “What!” Nancy cried. “The police found it this quickly?”

  Mrs. Holman said she did not know who had found it. When she had looked out her bedroom window which faced the front of the house, there stood Nancy’s car! “Come see for yourself!”

  Nancy flew into the housekeeper’s bedroom and gazed down at her lovely convertible. Impulsively she hugged Mrs. Holman. “Isn’t this marvelous!”

  “It’s like a miracle,” the woman said.

  “I must call the police at once and ask them where they found it,” said Nancy.

  She hurried into Mr. Rorick’s bedroom and dialed the number. Chief Rankin answered the phone. As the girl bubbled over with thanks at the prompt police action, he broke in, saying, “Miss Drew, I’m as amazed as you are to learn that the car is back. My men did not pick it up.”

  “They didn’t!” Nancy exclaimed unbelievingly.

  “That’s right. When the night patrol went off duty, they reported no luck. And none of the day men have called in yet.”

  Nancy said if she learned the answer to this puzzle, she would let the chief know. She hung up, went back to her room to dress quickly, then sped downstairs and outdoors.

  Curious, she looked first at the ignition lock. There was no key in it! Nancy blinked. “If I hadn’t had witnesses,” she thought, “I’d think I had dreamed the whole thing!”

  Now Nancy noticed that the car had been washed and polished! Instantly her mind flew to Fred Jenkins. Had the guest-house owner told him what Nancy had said? Did he know how to start a car without a key?

  “But this is crazy! If Fred knew I wanted him to wash the car, why didn’t he just come here today and do it?”

  Nancy strode back into the house. By this time Bess and George were up. They were amazed to hear what had happened. Bess shook her head in complete puzzlement. “Nancy, this is the craziest mystery you ever asked us to help you solve!”

  Nancy laughed. “I guess you’re right.”

  After breakfast Fred Jenkins arrived to cut the grass on the front lawn. She rushed outside and asked him point-blank, “Fred, did you take my car away from here last night and wash it?”

  The youth, instead of being startled, grinned. “Yes, Miss Nancy, I did. Guess you were surprised.”

  “Surprised!” exclaimed Nancy. “I was greatly alarmed. Why did you do it?”

  Fred looked at her as if he were hurt. “You wanted your car washed, didn’t you?”

  Nancy stared at the young man. “But how did you move it? I didn’t leave the key in it!”

  Fred looked blank. “Yes, you did, Miss Narcv. Otherwise, I couldn’t have started it.”

  The two stared at each other, deadlocked on the subject. Nancy had a strong hunch Fred was lying. But what was the point of it all?

  Fred looked around uneasily and said in a low voice, “You say you didn’t leave the key in the lock, but still I found one. Besides, I left it there. That’s kind of spooky, isn’t it?”

  Nancy eyed him thoughtfully. “It’s gone now,” she said, then asked, “How much do I owe you for washing the car?”

  Fred answered loftily, “I wouldn’t think of taking any money. It was a pleasure to do something for you and I’m sorry I frightened you.”

  “That’s all right,” Nancy said, smiling warmly. “Thank you so much.”

  Later, when she was talking to the other girls about the strange episode, George said, “Don’t let him fool you, Nancy. He meant to steal the car, but somehow he heard the police had been alerted, so he washed it to have an alibi, and brought it back.”

  Bess was sure George was right. Nancy did not commit herself. She changed the subject and said, “Let’s investigate the library and see if the phantom has been here again. Last time I was in there I switched two books with the word roar in them. I’ll be curious to see if they’re still where I left them.”

  Suddenly Bess giggled. “Poor Uncle John! He’ll never know where to find his books again. They’ve been put back helter-skelter.”

  Nothing in the library looked as if it had been disturbed since the girls’ last visit, but the two books Nancy had mentioned had been put back in their orig
inal places.

  “Well,” said Bess, “if the phantom has been here again, he wasn’t so disorderly this time.”

  Mrs. Holman, who had followed the girls into the room, heard the remark and a look of fright came over her face.

  Nancy turned to her. “Mrs. Holman, have you been in this room since all of us were here together.”

  “No indeed. I wouldn’t come in alone if I were paid to do so!”

  “But somebody with bits of grass on his shoes has been,” Nancy stated.

  The others looked at her blankly. “How do you know?” the housekeeper asked.

  The young sleuth pointed toward the safe. In front of it was a sprinkling of shriveled-up grass clippings. There were no footprints to be seen, but Nancy rushed upstairs for her special magnifying glass and went over the carpet in front of the safe. She could find no prints. There were none anywhere else in the room except those made by Mrs. Holman and the girls.

  Nancy continued to stare at the bits of grass. “Fred mowed the back yard yesterday,” she said, “so the phantom must have come through it last night. These cuttings are withered.”

  “He got into the house through locked doors again,” Mrs. Holman said grimly.

  Nancy decided to try once more to find an opening into the room. She would see if any of the built-in bookcases moved outward and perhaps reveal a secret entrance to the library. She asked the others to help her and together they tugged and hunted for hidden springs. They could find nothing.

  Presently Mrs. Holman announced that she would have to be excused to get luncheon. She expected Mr. Rorick home by one o’clock. Bess offered to help her while Nancy and George continued to search.

  “How do you figure anyone can walk around here without leaving footprints?” George questioned.

  Nancy shrugged. “I presume he’s in stocking feet. Let’s look around outdoors and see if we can find any evidence.”

  Nancy locked the library door and the two girls went outside.

  “Let’s check the grass of the rear lawn first,” Nancy suggested.

  They found small mounds of withered grass clippings cut by Fred, raked up but not carried away. One pile was partly scattered.