As Nancy climbed into it, she cast a glance over her shoulder. There was no sign of Mr. Aborn. Had he gone into the shack? Was someone there? Had he been delivering packages to the person?
Nancy started the car’s motor and backed out to the main road. As she drove along, her thoughts were entirely on Mr. Aborn. She had no doubt but that the man had been lying about Laura’s behavior.
“I must find out more about that man,” Nancy decided.
Reaching the highway, she stopped at a service station, had the gas tank of her car filled, and asked directions to the Donnell home. The attendant told her how to reach the place, and a short while later Nancy drew up before a lovely redwood house located well off the road.
She got out and rang the front doorbell. There was no answer. Nancy walked around to the back of the house. A gardener was there, trimming the flower beds.
“Howdy, miss!” the elderly man hailed her. “Looking for the Donnells?”
“Yes. Are they away?” Nancy inquired.
“Yep. They’re visiting relatives in Crescent Gardens ’til tonight. Any message?”
Nancy said no, that she would call again, and thanked the man. As she drove away Nancy was disappointed that she had been unable to pick up any information regarding Mr. Aborn.
“I don’t want to leave Melrose Lake until I have learned something to help Laura,” she thought. “Mr. Aborn may trace her whereabouts to our home and force Laura to return with him before Dad gets back to town. I suppose he has a legal right to do it.”
At last an idea came to Nancy. “I’ll go to one of the hotels on the lake and engage a room. Then, after it gets dark, I’ll do a little more investigating.”
Fortunately, Nancy always carried an overnight case in her car trunk. It contained pajamas and robe, two changes of clothing, toilet articles, and, this time of year, a bathing suit.
Presently she saw a large white building ahead of her. Its green lawn sloped down to the sandy beach. On the stone pillar at the side of the driveway was the sign: Beach
Cliff
Hotel.
“I think I’ll stop here,” Nancy decided. She parked her car and entered the pleasant lobby. In a few minutes she had registered and been taken to a comfortable room overlooking the lake.
“I’ll telephone home,” Nancy said to herself, “and tell Hannah where I am.”
As Nancy placed the call, a chilling thought suddenly popped into her mind. Perhaps the detective whom Aborn had engaged had already traced the runaway girl, and knew Nancy had not told all she knew about Laura. If so, Nancy might find that her guest had already been whisked away from the Drew home!
CHAPTER XI
Trapped!
WHEN Hannah Gruen answered the telephone at the Drew residence, Nancy at once asked, “Is Laura all right?”
“Why, of course,” Hannah answered in surprise. “She’s upstairs setting her hair for the party this afternoon.”
“Well, tell her to be very careful,” Nancy urged. “Mr. Aborn has a detective looking for her!”
“Oh dear!” exclaimed Mrs. Gruen. “And when will you be home, Nancy?”
The young detective explained where she was and that she planned to stay at Melrose Lake and do more sleuthing.
“I think I may be on the trail of something big.”
“I don’t like the idea of you prowling around the Aborns’ home in the dead of night,” the housekeeper objected.
“I’ll be careful,” Nancy promised. “I may even get home tonight.”
“Well, all right,” Hannah consented reluctantly. “By the way, Nancy, I had a repairman fix the window in Mr. Drew’s study this morning, and also requested the police to keep a lookout for anything suspicious going on in this neighborhood.”
“Wonderful!” Nancy said, feeling relieved. “Any more news?”
“Everything’s quiet here,” Hannah reported. “And Laura seems happy.”
Laura came to speak to Nancy and was alarmed when she heard that a detective was looking for her. “But I won’t go back to those awful Aborns! They can’t make me! If they try it, I’ll—I’ll run right to the police!”
“That’s a good idea,” said Nancy. “By the way, I’d like to do some sleuthing at the Aborn house. I may want to get inside without ringing the bell.” The young sleuth chuckled. “Since it’s now your house too, may I have permission to go in and look around?”
“You certainly may,” said Laura with a giggle. “If no doors are unlocked, try my bedroom window. I left it open a crack and there’s a sturdy rose trellis right alongside it.”
“Terrific!” said Nancy elatedly.
After she completed the call, Nancy went to the hotel coffee shop for a hearty lunch. Since it was now almost one thirty, the room was empty.
After eating, Nancy put on her bathing suit and wandered down to the beach. A boy in attendance gave her a towel and Nancy stretched out on the sand, unaware of the steadfast glance of a couple hidden behind a large green-and-white striped umbrella not far away. They nodded to each other, then when Nancy was not looking, they quickly left the beach.
“Guess we’re safe,” the woman muttered. “She’s here to stay and have a good time.”
As the strong rays of the sun beat down on the unsuspecting girl, she rehearsed her plan for the evening. When it was dark she would visit both Jacob Aborn’s home and also the shack in the woods, if time permitted.
“I’ll miss Dad’s call tonight,” Nancy reflected.
Standing up half an hour later, Nancy put on her bathing cap and walked to the water. She stuck her toe in. The lake water felt icy cold, and Nancy noticed that there were more people on the beach than in swimming. Nevertheless, she waded out to where it was deep enough to make a surface dive and plunged in. Once she was wet, the water was invigorating.
After swimming for a while, Nancy came back to her beach towel and dried off. Then she returned to her room, showered, and slept for two hours, realizing that the rest would give her more endurance for the evening ahead.
Awakening at six o’clock, Nancy put on the simple black cotton dress from her suitcase and pumps. After brushing her hair until it snapped with electricity, she was ready for supper.
“What will it be this evening, miss?” asked the friendly waitress.
Nancy selected steak, a baked potato, and tossed salad, then sat back to enjoy the soft dinner music playing in the background. The orchestra was in an adjoining lounge.
Nearby diners regarded the lone girl with interest, for the prospect of the daring adventure had brought a becoming flush to her cheeks.
“If I’m wrong in suspecting Jacob Aborn of being dishonest,” thought Nancy, “then I guess I’d better give up sleuthing!”
Upon leaving the dining room an hour later, she lingered on the porch for a few minutes, watching couples dance. As a red-haired young man began to walk toward Nancy with an invitation in his eyes for her to dance, she hastily went to her room.
Chuckling to herself, Nancy said aloud, “Romance and detective work won’t mix tonight!” Then she changed to walking shoes, sweater, and skirt.
The moment it became dark enough for her purpose, Nancy left the hotel in her car. As she drew near the Aborns’ lane a short while later, she turned the convertible off the road and ran it into a clump of bushes where it would not be seen.
Switching off the engine and locking the doors, Nancy started down the lane leading to the house, holding her flashlight securely. She found the windows of the house dark.
“The Aborns are out, I guess,” she told herself. “Well, that means I can do some looking around.”
Circling the structure cautiously, Nancy noted that the second-floor wing, where the bedrooms apparently were located, was in the back. She found the trellis easily.
“I’ll try the doors first,” Nancy decided, and darted to the front. Gently turning the handle, she found the door locked.
An investigation of two other doors revealed that they, too, were securely fastened.
“I guess I’ll have to climb after all,” Nancy said to herself.
As quietly as possible, she climbed the trellis. It wobbled and creaked a little but did not give way. When Nancy reached the window ledge of Laura’s bedroom, she found to her delight that the window raised easily. She crawled through and switched on her flashlight.
As Nancy tiptoed across the room, which was in disorder, she heard a noise. Halting, she listened. A car was approaching the house. Looking out the window she could barely make out the figures of a man and a woman who alighted. Who were they and what should Nancy do?
“I’ll stay right here,” she determined.
As Nancy waited tensely she realized someone was walking up the stairs. Quickly Nancy closed the window without a sound. As she looked around for a hiding place she saw a closet, and darted inside it, switching off her flashlight. Crouched in a far corner behind some of Laura’s dresses, Nancy scarcely dared to breathe.
The door to the room was opened a moment later and the boudoir lamps switched on. Cautiously Nancy peered out through the keyhole in the closet door. She saw Jacob Aborn!
The man went directly to Laura’s dressing table. Apparently he had not heard Nancy, for he did not glance toward the closet.
Ruthlessly he jerked out drawers from the dressing table and emptied their contents upon the bed. As he surveyed the assortment of tiny bottles, boxes, and other paraphernalia, Laura’s guardian gave a disgusted grunt.
“Last place to look!” he said, as if addressing someone out in the hall, probably his wife. “Guess Laura really took the jewels with her. Well, I’ll soon have them back!”
Nancy’s heart leaped. There was no longer any doubt in her mind as to the character of this man. She was now certain that his sole interest in Laura was to get possession of her property! Only the girl’s opportune escape from the house had prevented him from seizing the valuable jewelry collection!
“Laura’s mother couldn’t have known his true character, or she wouldn’t have entrusted her daughter to Aborn’s care,” Nancy pondered.
Her thoughts came to an abrupt end as the man moved toward the closet. Fearfully, Nancy ducked down behind Laura’s dresses again and fervently hoped that she would not be discovered.
Suddenly, as Nancy’s legs began to grow cramped, the closet door was jerked violently open. Jacob Aborn looked in!
CHAPTER XII
A Black Abyss
As JACOB ABORN stared into the closet where Nancy was hiding, the girl detective wished wildly that she were invisible. There was no telling what harm the man might inflict if he saw her!
“He has such a violent temper,” Nancy realized.
But Aborn’s glance did not stray to the dress section. Instead, he reached up for two large suitcases which were on a shelf above the clothes. He set them on the floor outside and shut the closet door.
Beads of perspiration trickled down Nancy’s neck as she relaxed. Presently she heard the man leave the room and shut the hall door with a loud bang.
Nancy waited a moment, then left her hiding place. “I suppose I’d better leave while I can,” she advised herself.
But running away from a chance to pick up a clue was not in Nancy’s nature. As she heard Laura’s guardian descending the stairs to the first floor, she became aware of a woman’s voice somewhere below. Nancy decided, “I’ll stay and see what’s going on.”
Before leaving Laura’s bedroom she gave it a final searching look and shook her head, puzzled. The room was one which Nancy would be happy to call her own. The feminine furnishings and good colonial pieces showed evidence of discerning taste. They did not fit the Aborns’ character. Perhaps an interior decorator had planned it!
“One could believe from this room that the Aborns really wanted Laura,” Nancy pondered.
It just did not make sense. Many criminals, Nancy knew, laid the groundwork to lull any suspicion on the part of their victim, then cornered him. But Laura had not even been settled in her new home when the Aborns had begun to persecute her.
Soundlessly Nancy opened the bedroom door, and keeping her flashlight low to the floor, tiptoed along the carpeted hall. Step by step, she edged down the stairway to the floor below. Here there was no sign of activity but Nancy saw a light shining through louvered doors to her left.
“That’s probably the kitchen. The Aborns are in there,” she thought.
A moment later the woman said, “Here’s the combination. I’ll pack this stuff while you open the safe.”
Quickly Nancy stole into the living room and hastily ducked out of sight behind a large sofa. She was just in time. One of the louvered doors opened and Laura’s guardian came into the living room carrying a suitcase. He flicked on a table lamp.
Near it hung the small oil painting of a ship. Aborn lifted it from the wall and set the picture against a chair.
Nancy’s eyes widened as she saw that the painting had concealed a wall safe. Aborn deftly twirled the dial to the left, then several notches to the right, and back to the left again. He swung the safe door open.
With a grunt of satisfaction, the man removed several packages of bank notes and some papers which looked like stock certificates. Mr. Aborn chortled and called to his wife:
“When we get the rest of these cashed, you and I will be set for life—thanks to Laura and a few others.”
Nancy, startled, almost gave herself away. So Laura did have a sizable inheritance other than the jewelry! But how had the securities reached the safe? Had Aborn brought them here or was he stealing them from someone else? Nancy felt more confused by the moment.
As her thoughts raced, Aborn replaced the loose papers in the safe and closed it. Then he put the money and securities into the suitcase. Giving a tired yawn, he switched off the lamp and left the room.
“Guess I’ll turn in,” he called to his wife. “Got to be up early tomorrow and get Fred. You ready?”
“Yes.”
Marian Aborn came from the kitchen carrying the other bag. Together the couple ascended the stairs. Nancy heard a bedroom door above close.