Startling News

"WHEN we get home," said George, her jaw set firmly, "I'm going to have it out with Ross and Audrey Monteith! They're a pain, and besides, I can't take being followed any longer."

Nancy tried to dissuade her friend from carrying out her threat. "It may only drive Ross and Audrey into hiding and then they'll have the advantage over us. They'll know where we are, but we won't know where they are."

"All right," George finally conceded. "But it certainly burns me up having them act the way they do."

After the girls had put the car in the parking lot, they walked up to the front of Camp Merriweather lodge. Rick Larrabee and his friends arose from a nearby bench to greet them. All three looked very sober.

"I'm glad you came," said Rick. "We have news for you."

Before he could go on, Hobe White burst forth with, "The Monteiths have checked out!"

"What!" the three girls exclaimed together.

Rick explained that he and the other fellows had decided to do some sleuthing. "We thought we'd surprise you girls," he said. "To our amazement, we learned that the Monteiths had packed their bags and left Merriweather before breakfast."

"Where did they go?" Nancy asked quickly.

Rick shrugged. "I asked the clerk if he knew where. All he could tell me was that the Monteiths had asked that their mail be forwarded to a post-office box in New York City."

"And that sounds zany to me," said Hobe. "The Monteiths have been here for two weeks. The clerk says they haven't received one piece of mail."

"That does look suspicious," Nancy agreed. "It wouldn't surprise me if the Monteiths have moved to another hotel in this area, or more likely to a private home and perhaps under an a.s.sumed name."

"What about their car license?" Bess asked. "Wouldn't that give them away?"

Nancy smiled and said, "When I phoned the police this morning, they told me the car which the Monteiths are driving is registered in the name of Frank Templer."

"So they are using an a.s.sumed name!" George cried out. "I knew they were phonies from the start."

"Not so fast," said Nancy. "The Monteiths might have borrowed the car from Mr. Frank Templer."

"Or," Rick spoke up, "Ross's real name may be Frank Templer," and Nancy nodded.

Rick now told the girls his other bit of news. "We fellows are mighty sorry, but we must leave camp right away."

"Now?" asked Bess, genuinely sorry to hear this. Nancy and George were too.

"I'm afraid so," Rick answered. "A little while ago I had word that my father is very ill. Mother wants me to come home. I told Hobe it wasn't necessary for him to drive me there-that I'd take the train."

"But I insisted," said Hobe. "We're leaving in a little while. I hope you girls get your mystery solved. Lots of luck!"

Nancy thanked Rick for all the help he had given her. She and the other girls said they hoped Mr. Larrabee would have a speedy recovery.

Hobe's car was parked not far from the hotel entrance. The whole group now walked over to it and the boys climbed aboard. Good-bys were said and the girls waved as the car went down the driveway and out the entrance gate.

"They're three nice fellows," George remarked, as the girls went into the lodge and took the elevator to their rooms.

Nancy and Bess agreed and Bess added, "This mystery is going to get dangerous-I just have a hunch. We need some boys to help us. I'm glad Ned and Burt and Dave are coming."

Nancy laughed. "Danger or no danger," she said, "I'm glad they're coming too."

After she had showered and dressed, the young sleuth sat in deep thought for some time. What should she do next? Suddenly her puzzled mood changed. "I know what I'll do," she told herself. "I'll call Dad. He'll give me some good advice."

It had been arranged at home that while Nancy was on vacation with Bess and George, her father would live at his club. Their housekeeper, Hannah Gruen, was going to visit relatives. Mrs. Gruen had lived with the Drews for many years and had helped to rear Nancy, whose mother had pa.s.sed away when Nancy was only three years old.

Nancy stuck her head into the adjoining room and told the girls she was going downstairs to a private phone booth and put in a long-distance call to her father. Soon she had the club on the wire and asked for Mr. Drew. Hoping fervently that he would be there, Nancy held the receiver and tapped one foot in nervous antic.i.p.ation.

A few moments later she was delighted to hear a deep-sounding voice say, "h.e.l.lo, Nancy dear!"

"Dad!" his daughter cried happily. "I'm so glad you were in. Dad, I'm full of problems and I need your advice."

Carson Drew chuckled. "Shall I have my dinner sent here and eat it while you talk?" he teased. "But seriously, tell me first how you are and then I'll listen to your problems. I'm sure they involve some mystery."

Nancy said she was feeling fine, then launched into the story of the stagecoach mystery and the various setbacks she had had.

"Well, you certainly have been busy," Mr. Drew remarked, as she finished. "And the mystery sounds like a most intriguing one. Now what is it exactly you want me to help you with?"

"Tell me first, am I on the right track in the way I've gone about this?" the young sleuth asked.

"I'd say you are," the lawyer replied. "And I think your surmises so far have probably been correct. So go on with your digging operations. But if I were you, before I did any more of it, I'd try to find out who the former owners or tenants of the Zucker property were. Perhaps they can give you some clue as to where the stagecoach might have been buried."

"Dad," said Nancy, feeling a new surge of enthusiasm, "I knew you'd tell me exactly the right thing to do. I'll ask the Zuckers, and if they don't know, I'll go to the courthouse and look at the records."

"I wish I could come up there and help you," said Mr. Drew, "but I'm deep in problems of my own here on a case. I must own up, though, I'm getting lonesome. Don't let that case of yours take too long to solve!"

"Dad, I miss you very much too," said Nancy. "I'll speed things up and get home as fast as I can."

When Nancy met Bess and George for dinner, both cousins remarked that Nancy seemed very refreshed and gay. Chuckling, she told them why. "Tomorrow morning we'll go to see the Zuckers. I have a strange feeling that I've sort of turned the corner in this mystery."

"Thank goodness," said Bess. "Nancy, I was beginning to worry about you."

Fortunately, the Zuckers had a complete list of the former owners of the farm, starting with the man from whom AbnerLangstreet had rented it.

"But only two of these people are alive now," Morton said. "One is elderly Mr. Hanson who lives in a government home for war veterans outside Francisville. The other is Mrs. Stryker, who is much younger. She's the widow of the man who owned this place just before we bought it. He was killed on that hill"-she pointed-"when a tractor overturned on him."

"How dreadful!" Bess murmured.

Nancy said the girls would go immediately to interview these people and then perhaps come back to do some digging. Morton Zucker told them he had done a little more work up near the knoll the evening before but had found nothing.

"See you later," Nancy called, as she started the car's motor.

She drove directly to the veterans' home. Mr. Hanson, old and feeble, was delighted to learn he had callers. Once he started to talk, there was no stopping him. It soon became evident that while he could recall vividly events which had happened a long time ago, he was very hazy about the days when he had lived on the farm.

"I'm not learning anything about the stagecoach," Nancy thought.