The Baby-Sitter Burglaries Read online

  “We’ll try to make the ransom drop-off a trap for the kidnapper. Are you sure it’s Mr. MacDonald?” the agent said.

  “No,” Nancy said thoughtfully. “I’ve got to think about this some more.”

  “We’ll be in River Heights by eight tonight. Why don’t you meet us at the police station?”

  Nancy agreed to meet them and hung up the receiver.

  Mr. Baird looked at her in admiration. “That’s quite a story,” he said.

  “Wow!” George exclaimed. “Rare coins, Treasury agents—real gold! Incredible.”

  “Please don’t tell anyone about the kidnapping, Mr. Baird,” Nancy said. “It would put Juanita in great danger.”

  “Of course not. Good luck.”

  “Thank you for your help,” Nancy said. “Everything makes sense now—almost. There’s one more person I have to speak to, so we’d better be on our way.”

  Once they were in the car, Nancy headed for Lake Drive.

  “Where are we going?” asked Bess.

  “I have some questions to ask Max,” Nancy answered. “We need to think this all out very carefully,” she added. “At Diego’s house, I counted five Double Eagles mixed in with the bag of magic coins.”

  “I remember,” said Bess.

  “Diego gave away some of the Double Eagle coins, not realizing what they were.”

  “And you said Ian MacDonald was breaking into houses to steal them back,” George said.

  “Don’t forget we have some sandwiches here,” Bess said.

  “Later, Bess,” George said. “But how would Mr. MacDonald know who Diego gave the coins to?”

  Nancy drummed her fingers on the steering wheel, thinking. “That’s where Max comes in!” she said. “I saw Max examining the triplets’ coins after the Kiley magic show, so he must have been checking to see if Diego gave them any of the Double Eagles.”

  “So you think Max is working for Ian MacDonald?” George asked.

  “It would make sense,” Nancy said. “Mr. MacDonald probably knew that Max had an inside knowledge of security systems, which is why Mr. MacDonald recommended Max to Diego as an assistant.”

  Nancy made a left turn on Lake Drive, looking for Max’s address. “Remember,” she added, “Diego said that before each birthday party Max hid the dove cages in basements. Down there, he’d pick up the security paper. After the magic show was over, he’d check the kids’ coins to see whether any of them were the gold ones. If so, he’d break into the house using the security code.”

  “One thing doesn’t fit, though,” George said. “No party was held at the Baird house. How did Max get that code?”

  “I don’t know,” Nancy said. “He must have gotten the paper somehow, because the house was robbed five days after Amy Baird and Stephanie Mowrer had their party at the Mowrers’ house.”

  “There’s another thing that doesn’t fit,” Bess said. “When Diego told us which kids were given birthday coins, he mentioned Jimmy Gardner. But the Gardner house wasn’t robbed.”

  “Carlos had the paper with the Gardner security code, remember?” Nancy said. “He’d probably been playing in the basement with Jimmy and had removed the paper with the codes,” Nancy said, shaking her head. “How did he get that paper? He must be part monkey.”

  Bess laughed. “You don’t know the half of it,” she said.

  “So Max couldn’t rob the Gardner house because he didn’t have the code,” George said. “Pass me a sandwich, Bess.”

  “Wait,” Nancy said. “We’re almost there.”

  At the end of Lake Drive, Nancy parked in front of an old two-story brick building. “I don’t see Max’s car in the parking lot. Maybe we can find a way to get into his apartment and look around for evidence,” she said.

  Nancy, George, and Bess climbed the outside stairs and tried the door. It was locked with a dead bolt and wouldn’t budge. They went back downstairs and around to the back of the building. “Look—the window’s open,” George whispered to Nancy.

  “Good. And that tree next to it should get us high enough to climb in,” Nancy said.

  “This isn’t exactly legal,” Bess insisted. “What if someone catches us?”

  Nancy sighed. “I know it’s not legal, but Max or Mr. MacDonald climbed into enough upstairs windows to rob those houses. Maybe climbing into this one will help us put them in jail,” she said.

  “Oh—all right. Someone boost me up,” Bess whispered. Nancy boosted Bess up to a low branch, where she waited while George and Nancy climbed past her. Nancy saw Bess look around. “This is risky, Nancy—in broad daylight,” Bess said nervously.

  “We’ll just have to be careful,” Nancy whispered back. She leaned into the window, crawled over the sill, and helped George and Bess. They spread out to search the apartment.

  A green-and-white striped sofa was against one wall, with a desk facing it across the room. A hallway led to a tiny kitchen and bathroom.

  Max’s answering machine and telephone were on the desk. Nancy rewound the tape and played it.

  “Mr. Karn?” a voice said. “This is Patrick Cochran. The coin you inquired about—an early ’30s Double Eagle—can be worth several thousand dollars, depending on the condition. Bring it in and I’ll take a look at it. My number is 555-8439.” Nancy turned off the tape.

  “Max is trying to find out how much the Double Eagle is worth. But if he’s working with Ian MacDonald—wouldn’t he know this?” Nancy asked.

  “Maybe Mr. MacDonald is taking advantage of Max, using him for the burglaries but not telling him the value of the coins,” George said.

  “Could be. Let’s hear more of the tape.” Nancy turned the machine on again. After some beeps, a hoarse voice said, “You know who this is, Karn. Call me about the merchandise.”

  Nancy narrowed her eyes. “Let’s search the apartment. Maybe we can find the merchandise.”

  In the hall closet, Nancy saw boxes full of old athletic equipment, shoes, and old clothes. She and George searched through every box, but none hid TVs, VCRs, or coins.

  Bess, who had crawled under the desk, cried, “I think I found something. This drawer is too shallow—it has a false bottom in it!”

  She stood up as Nancy and George rushed over to the desk. Bess pulled out the center drawer. She felt around the edge of the drawer until she found a catch at the back. She pressed it and the bottom of the drawer flipped open, revealing a compartment.

  Nancy reached in and pulled out three cardboard tickets. They were receipts from pawn shops in different parts of the state.

  “This one’s for a TV and VCR,” she said, “this one’s for another VCR, and the last one is for a TV.” She pulled her notebook out and wrote down the names of the pawn shops and receipt numbers.

  “Whew!” George said. “It looks as if Max has been pawning stolen goods! Maybe that second message on the answering machine was a fence asking for more merchandise.”

  “But that means Max must have more stolen goods somewhere,” Nancy said, “if he only pawned some of them. Where’s the computer? Let me check that closet again.”

  She stood up in the closet and studied the ceiling. “There’s a trapdoor,” she said. “Give me a boost.”

  George boosted her up, and Nancy pushed on the door. It gave way, and she stuck her head above the ceiling. “It’s an attic storeroom,” she said. She scrambled through the opening. “Yes!” Nancy cried, her voice muffled by the attic. “More VCRs, CD players, two portable TVs, and one laptop computer. I’ll find the serial numbers.”

  Nancy wrote down the serial numbers of the items in the attic. “We have our evidence—let’s get out of here and call the police,” she said.

  George helped her down. The three of them scrambled out the window and climbed down the tree.

  Nancy called Officer Brody from a phone booth near a supermarket and told him what she’d found.

  “Of course we didn’t break in,” she said, crossing her fingers. “Would I do a thing like that?
Let me give you the serial numbers so you can check whether they match any of the stolen goods. I have some pawn shop names, too.”

  Nancy recited the numbers and names.

  When she finished, Officer Brody said, “The Treasury agents told me about MacDonald’s involvement in all this. I’ll see you at the station house later tonight.”

  “Okay,” Nancy said, and hung up the receiver. She hurried back to the car, where George and Bess were finally eating the sandwiches.

  “Pot roast,” Bess said. “And here’s a soda. I ran into the supermarket and got them.”

  Nancy took the sandwich and soda and began to eat, thinking hard. She wanted to go back to Mr. MacDonald’s shop in Hancock. Juanita could be hidden there.

  Nancy swallowed the last sip of soda, and headed the Mustang for Hancock. When they pulled into the parking lot, Mr. MacDonald’s shop was closed, the curtains drawn shut.

  The front door was locked by two dead bolts, but George found a small side door that led to a loading ramp. Nancy took her lock-picking kit from her purse. It took her a few minutes, but she finally got the door open. The girls climbed up the ramp and into the shop.

  “It’s empty! You should have seen all the stuff that was in here this morning,” Nancy said, her voice echoing in the room.

  “I’ll look upstairs.” George went up to the second floor while Bess and Nancy checked out the back room. It was empty too, except for a tall wooden cabinet with double doors.

  Nancy opened the doors and heard a muffled groaning. She looked around the cabinet, but it was empty. She heard another groan, louder than the first.

  “What is that?” Bess asked.

  “I don’t know,” Nancy said, “But this looks like a trick cabinet. There must be a hidden compartment.”

  Nancy stepped into the cabinet, her hands shaking a little. The groaning sounded as if someone was hurt. It could be Juanita.

  Nancy pressed both hands along the back of the cabinet and finally felt something smooth and cold. She stepped back, letting more light into the cabinet, and stared at her reflection.

  Two mirrors met in the middle of the cabinet, angled toward her. When she’d first looked in the cabinet, the mirrors had reflected the wooden sides, which made it seem she was looking at the back. Nancy found a groove, fit her fingers into it, and tugged. The mirrors slid to the sides of the cabinet.

  A weight fell into her arms. She staggered back, then looked down. It was David.

  15

  Deadly Waters

  Bess rushed to help Nancy lay David on the floor. His face was bruised, and Nancy touched his neck, feeling for a pulse.

  “Is he breathing?” Bess asked anxiously.

  George came into the room and said, “The upstairs is—” She stopped, her breath caught in her throat. “David! Is he all right?” she asked.

  Nancy frowned. “He’s breathing, but he looks as if he’s been beaten pretty badly. Better call an ambulance, Bess.” Bess ran into the front of the shop.

  “There’s a blanket in the trunk. George—could you get it?” Nancy asked, and handed George her car keys.

  When George returned with the blanket, Bess was with her. “The ambulance is on the way,” she said. “Can we do anything to help him, Nancy?”

  Nancy spread the blanket over David. “Just keep him warm,” she said, “in case of shock.” She looked up at her friends. “If MacDonald could do this to David, what does he have planned for Juanita?”

  “We have to find her somehow, Nancy,” Bess said.

  David stirred slightly, moving his head and mumbling, “Juanita . . . lady . . . luck . . .”

  George knelt by his head. “Shh, David . . . it’s okay,” she said softly. She looked up at Nancy. “He must be delirious.”

  The Hancock paramedics arrived and they loaded David carefully into the ambulance.

  The girls watched the ambulance drive into the night from the parking lot. “This case is getting dangerous, Nancy,” Bess said, her hands shaking.

  “Mr. MacDonald is dangerous, and Max probably is, too,” Nancy said quietly. “But maybe we can outsmart them and find Juanita before anyone can harm her. Let’s move it!”

  They dashed to the Mustang and headed back to River Heights. They had an appointment at the police station with the Treasury agents.

  Officer Brody led them to a meeting room when they arrived a short while later. Two men stood up when they entered, and Officer Brody made the introductions. Edward Simmons was a short, heavyset man with dark hair. Walter O’Hare was taller than Simmons, with red hair and green eyes.

  They sat down at the table, where a map of the dock area was spread out. Agent O’Hare began to detail the ransom drop-off.

  “Ed and I will be on a boat on the opposite shore from dock number five,” he said, pointing to the map. “As soon as the kidnapper picks up the money, we can pursue him—if he escapes by boat.”

  “I’ll be with three officers,” Officer Brody said. “We’ll hide in the warehouses. We want you next to the Magic Shop in the first alley opposite dock number five, Nancy. Make sure Diego comes back to that same alley after he places the coins on dock five.”

  “Where do you want me?” George asked.

  Mr. Simmons pointed to a place on the map a short distance from the dock. “You can watch for boats approaching from that direction. Ms. Marvin will be in a parked car near the second alley and can alert Ms. Drew if anyone approaches on foot or by car from Front Street.”

  Bess seemed relieved that she’d be in a locked car, and Nancy threw Officer Brody a grateful look. He winked at her, and Nancy smiled.

  The meeting over, Nancy drove Bess and George home to change into dark clothes.

  • • •

  Three hours later Nancy looked up at a glowing full moon. She was hiding behind two trash cans in the alley opposite dock five. The moon would make it harder to stay hidden, but it would also make it easier to see Ian MacDonald when he picked up the coins.

  Nancy leaned forward to watch Diego, who was waiting in the alley in front of the trash cans, clutching a bag of coins. He cleared his throat. He’s nervous, Nancy thought. Not that I blame him. I’m nervous, too.

  It was close to midnight, and the dock area was deserted. The river made soft slapping noises against the dock, and a police siren wailed somewhere in the distance.

  Nancy heard Diego clear his throat again. He walked slowly past her to dock five. The tower clock at City Hall struck twelve deep bongs as he reached the end of the dock. He set down the bag of coins and hurried back to the alley, looking nervously over his shoulder.

  Nancy motioned him behind a Dumpster, then she hurried and crouched behind the trash cans again. Carlos was just above her, asleep in David’s apartment on the second floor of the Magic Shop, supervised by a baby-sitter.

  Nothing happened for several minutes. Nancy waited tensely in her hiding place. Her eyes were beginning to hurt as she stared, barely blinking, at the bag of coins. MacDonald was probably checking the dock area for police. He was too smart not to expect a trap—she just hoped they could outsmart him.

  Nancy heard a splash. She turned toward the river and saw a hand come up over the edge of the dock. It grabbed the bag of coins and disappeared. Someone was in the water under the dock.

  Nancy crept forward and heard another splash after the hand disappeared. MacDonald must have swum under the dock, Nancy thought. The water had to be ice cold this time of year. He must have on a wet suit. She wondered whether the agents had seen him from their boat.

  Nancy stayed in the shadows for a moment. Officer Brody and the undercover officers dashed out of a warehouse and headed for the shoreline. Nancy ran toward the dock and saw George running to the shore, followed by Officer Volpi. The police were running along the water’s edge, looking for the kidnapper.

  Alone on dock five, Nancy searched the area desperately, looking behind the barrels and crates stacked near the dock. Would MacDonald have stashed Juanita som
ewhere nearby while he picked up the coins?

  Nancy heard a car door slam, then more running feet. “Nancy—where are you?” Bess yelled from the second alley. “Diego’s hurt!”

  Bess must have seen Diego from the car. But what was Diego doing in the second alley?

  Nancy rushed toward Bess’s voice, then gasped. A man leaped out from behind a barrel. He clamped his hand over her mouth and pulled her off her feet. She squirmed to get free and saw his face—it was Ian MacDonald!

  “Nancy!” Bess called again. She sounded farther away.

  Mr. MacDonald dragged Nancy backward along the docks. Finally, he stopped and pulled her behind a stack of crates on dock three. He took his hand away from her mouth but kept a tight grip on both her arms.

  Nancy gasped for breath. “You have the coins now, so let Juanita go!” she cried.

  MacDonald glared into her eyes. “Shut up! That double-crossing idiot Max stole the coins before I could get here.”

  Nancy’s breath caught in her throat. The Treasury agents, the police, and George were all following Max! No one was left to help her, except Bess, and Nancy couldn’t hear her any longer.

  She thought about kicking MacDonald hard in the shins, but then wondered if she shouldn’t let him take her hostage. If she went where he wanted to go, he might lead her to Juanita.

  MacDonald pulled a length of rope out of his pocket and jerked Nancy’s hands behind her back. “I thought Max was stealing the Double Eagles for you,” Nancy said, hoping to stall him. He began to twist the rope around her hands.

  “He double-crossed me!” MacDonald said in a fierce whisper. “He kept one of the Kiley kids’ coins and the one he got from Carlos when he knocked him into that Dumpster.”

  Nancy fought to stay calm and remembered the rope trick David had showed her. She clutched a small loop of rope in her fist before MacDonald knotted the rope around her wrists. “But weren’t you there when he took Carlos’s coin?” she asked.

  “No! I’d already left the rink. I’d lured Juanita and David outside the rink and locked them in the trunk of my car,” MacDonald said. “I was too busy to watch Max. I thought I’d get back at him by not letting him in on the ransom pick-up. But he found out somehow, hid under the dock, and took the coins!”