Тайна загадочной лестницы [with w_cat] | страница 42

[613] "Okay," said Helen. In a few moments she joined Nancy, who asked if her friend had received a letter.

[614] Helen's eyes sparkled. "I sure did. Oh, Nancy, I can hardly wait for Jim to get home!"

Nancy smiled. "The way you describe him, I can hardly wait to see him myself." Then she told Helen the real reason she had called her into the kitchen. She described the footsteps on what she was sure was a hidden, creaking stairway, then added, "If we discover that food or something else is missing we'll know he's been here again."

[615] Helen offered to inspect the flat silver. "I know approximately how many pieces should be in the buffet drawer," she said.

[616] "And I'll look over the food supplies," Nancy suggested. "I have a pretty good idea what was in the refrigerator and on the pantry shelf."

[617] It was not many minutes before each of the girls discovered articles missing. Helen said that nearly a dozen teaspoons were gone and Nancy figured that several cans of food, some eggs, and a quart of milk had been taken.

[618] "It just seems impossible to catch that thief," Helen said with a sigh.

[619] On a sudden hunch Nancy took down from the wall a memo pad and pencil which hung there. Putting a finger to her lips to indicate that Helen was not to comment, Nancy wrote on the sheet:

[620] "I think the only way to catch the ghost is to trap him. I believe he has one or more microphones hidden some place and that he hears all our plans."

[621] Nancy looked up at Helen, who nodded silently. Nancy continued to write, "I don't want to worry Miss Flora or Aunt Rosemary, so let's keep our plans a secret. I suggest that we go to bed tonight as usual and carry on a conversation about our plans for tomorrow. But actually we won't take off our clothes. Then about midnight let's tiptoe downstairs to watch. I'll wait in the kitchen. Do you want to stay in the living room?"

[622] Again Helen nodded. Nancy, thinking that they had been quiet too long, and that if there was an eavesdropper nearby he might become suspicious, said aloud, "What would Miss Flora and Aunt Rosemary like for lunch, Helen?"

[623] "Why, uh—" Helen found it hard to transfer to the new subject. "They—uh—both love soup."

[624] "Then I'll make cream of chicken soup," said Nancy. "Hand me a can of chicken and rice, will you? And I'll get the milk."

[625] As Helen was doing this, Nancy lighted a match, held her recently written note over the sink, and set fire to the paper.