Тайна загадочной лестницы [with w_cat] | страница 47

[688] "Hello, Miss Skade," the taximan said. "How are you today?"

[689] "Oh, I'm all right," the nurse responded. "Listen, Harry. You told this young lady that you didn't carry any passenger yesterday that looked like her father. Now I saw one get into your cab. What about it?"

[690] Harry hung his head. "Listen, miss," he said to Nancy, "I got three kids and I don't want nothin' to happen to 'em. See?"

[691] "What do you mean?" Nancy asked, puzzled.

[692] When the man did not reply, Miss Skade said, "Now look, Harry. This girl's afraid that her father has been kidnapped. It's up to you to tell her all you know."

[693] "Kidnapped!" the taximan shouted. "Oh, goodnight! Now I don't know what to do."

[694] Nancy had a sudden thought. "Has somebody been threatening you, Harry?" she asked.

The cab driver's eyes nearly popped from his head. "Well," he said, "since you've guessed it, I'd better tell you everything I know."

[695] He went on to say that he had taken a passenger who fitted Mr. Drew's description toward Twin Elms where he had said he wanted to go. "Just as we were leaving the station, two other men came up and jumped into my cab. They said they were going a little farther than that and would I take them? Well, about halfway to Twin Elms, one of those men ordered me to pull up to the side of the road and stop. He told me the stranger had blacked out. He and his buddy jumped out of the car and laid the man on the grass."

[696] "How ill was he?" Nancy asked.

[697] "I don't know. He was unconscious. Just then another car came along behind us and stopped. The driver got out and offered to take your father to a hospital. The two men said okay."

[698] Nancy took heart. Maybe her father was in a hospital and had not been abducted at all But a moment later her hopes were again dashed when Harry said:

[699] "I told those guys I'd be glad to drive the sick man to a hospital, but one of them turned on me, shook his fist, and yelled, 'You just forget everything that's happened or it'll be too bad for you and your kids!'"

[700] "Oh!" Nancy cried out. and for a second everything seemed to swim before her eyes. She clutched the door handle of the taxi for support.

[701] There was no question now but that her father had been drugged, then kidnapped!

[703] Miss SKADE grabbed Nancy. "Do you feel ill?" the nurse asked quickly.

[704] "Oh, I'll be all right," Nancy replied. "This news has been a great shock to me."