Тайна загадочной лестницы [with w_cat] | страница 50

[730] "Mr. Drew being held a prisoner!" Mr. Barradale cried out. "Well, those underhanded property owners are certainly going to great lengths to gain a few dollars."

[731] "The police are working on the case, but I thought perhaps your firm would like to take a hand also," Nancy told the lawyer.

[732] "We certainly will," the young man replied. "I'll speak to our senior partner about it. I know he will want to start work at once on the case."

[733] "Thank you," said Nancy. She gave the address and telephone number of Twin Elms and asked that the lawyers get in touch with her there if any news should break.

[734] "We'll do that," Mr. Barradale promised.

[735] Nancy left the drugstore and walked back to her car. Climbing in, she wondered what her next move ought to be.

[736] "One thing is sure," she thought. "Work is the best antidote for worry. I'll get back to Twin Elms and do some more sleuthing there."

[737] As she drove along, Nancy reflected about the ghost entering Twin Elms mansion by a subterranean passage. Since she had found no sign of one in any of the outbuildings on the estate, it occurred to her that possibly it led from an obscure cave, either natural or man-made. Such a device would be a clever artifice for an architect to use.

Taking a little-used road that ran along one side of the estate, Nancy recalled having seen a long, grassed-over hillock which she had assumed to be an old aqueduct. Perhaps this was actually the hidden entrance to Twin Elms!

She parked her car at the side of the road and took a flashlight from the glove compartment. In anticipation of finding the answer to the riddle, Nancy crossed the field, and as she came closer to the beginning of the huge mound, she could see stones piled up. Getting nearer, she realized that it was indeed the entrance to a rocky cave.

[738] "Well, maybe this time I've found it!" she thought, hurrying forward.

[739] The wind was blowing strongly and tossed her hair about her face. Suddenly a freakish gust swept a newspaper from among the rocks and scattered the pages helter-skelter.

Nancy was more excited than ever. The newspaper meant a human being had been there not too long ago! The front page sailed toward her. As she grabbed it up, she saw to her complete astonishment that the paper was a copy of the River Heights Gazette. The date was the Tuesday before.

[740] "Someone interested in River Heights has been here very recently!" the young sleuth said to herself excitedly.