The Mystery of the 99 Steps (2 page)

Conversation turned to Mrs. Josette Blair’s mystery. The sisters felt sure none of the family in France had given their aunt’s address to anyone. Marie and Monique were worried about the mysterious message she had received.

“Perhaps Tante Josette should go away,” said Marie.

“I’m sure Mrs. Gruen would be glad to have her stay here,” Nancy offered. “Perhaps she wouldn’t be so frightened if she weren’t alone.”

“Merci bien,”
Monique said gratefully.

Presently Hannah announced dinner. At the table the group continued to discuss the mystery of the 99 steps, but the French visitors could shed no light on the subject. Nancy did not refer to her father’s case. Bess and George, though disappointed, realized that it was a confidential matter and Nancy would tell them about it later.

Nancy herself was thinking, “I’ll drive Bess and George home and tell them Dad’s mystery then.”

A luscious-looking lemon meringue pie had just been served by Hannah Gruen when the front doorbell rang.

“I’ll get it,” said Nancy. “Excuse me.”

At the door Nancy was startled to see a man wearing a half mask! “This is the home of the Drews?” he asked in a strong French accent.

“Y-yes,” Nancy replied. Fearful he would force his way inside, she held the door firmly.

The masked man did not try to enter, and Nancy made quick mental notes of his appearance. He was tall, with exceptionally long arms and feet.

The stranger, who wore heavy leather gloves, handed Nancy a sealed envelope, turned on his heel, and left. She noted that he walked with a slight limp and wondered if this was genuine. He disappeared down the winding driveway and Nancy closed the door. The typewritten address on the envelope was to Mr. and Miss Drew.

“Why was the man wearing heavy leather gloves—in June? This could be a dangerous trick,” Nancy thought, her detective instinct for caution aroused.

She carried the envelope upstairs. To be rid of any possible contamination from it, Nancy washed her hands thoroughly, then put on leather gloves.

Using a letter opener, she carefully slit the envelope. A single sheet fell out with a typed message:

“Monsieur Neuf!” Nancy thought in dismay. “Was he the man who brought this?”

 

 

 

AT ONCE Nancy rushed to the telephone in her father’s bedroom and called Mrs. Blair. She told her of the warning note and asked if the first message from Monsieur Neuf had been typed also.

“Yes, on a French typewriter. You know many of the keys have different characters.”

“Then the warning I just received was typed on another machine—an American one,” Nancy said. “Monsieur Neuf probably has a confederate in this country. By the way, Mrs. Blair, we were going to suggest that you stay here with our housekeeper and your nieces while Dad and I are away.”

“That’s sweet of you,” said Mrs. Blair. “Let me think it over. It’s you I’m worried about—not myself. I don’t want you to take any undue risks for me.”

Nancy replied in as lighthearted a tone as she could muster, “Oh, don’t worry, Mrs. Blair, I must take risks when solving a mystery.”

Some traps and scary situations in which she had found herself flashed through the young detective’s mind, from her very first mystery involving
The Secret of the Old Clock
to her recent adventure—capturing
The Phantom of Pine Hill.

“I’m sure you do take risks,” Mrs. Blair said. “But I beg of you, be careful.”

When Nancy returned to the dining room, she told the others about the masked man who had left the warning note. Everyone looked worried.

“Oh dear! You are in danger, Nancy, because of Monique and me,” Marie burst out. “We will leave.”

“No indeed you won’t,” Nancy replied firmly. “Monsieur Neuf is trying to keep me from going to France. But I’ll go just the same. Dad wants me there. Besides, I have a job to do. I must solve your aunt’s mystery. After I leave, I hope you people won’t be bothered again.”

Marie and Monique glanced at each other, as if unconvinced, but finally they smiled. Monique said, “Nancy, you are brave as well as kind. We will remain.”

All the girls thanked Mrs. Gruen for the delicious meal, then insisted that she watch television while they cleared the table and tidied the kitchen. Shortly afterward, when Marie and Monique excused themselves to unpack, Bess and George declared they must leave. Nancy offered to drive them home.

As soon as the three girls were on their way, George said, “Now tell us about your father’s case.”

Nancy chuckled. “He calls it ‘The Case of the Frightened Financier.’”

Bess giggled. “Who is this money man?” she asked. “And what’s he frightened about? The stock market?”

“His name is Monsieur Charles Leblanc. We don’t know why he’s frightened.”

Bess murmured dreamily, “Frenchman. Mmm!”

Nancy went on, “He lives in a chateau in the Loire River valley, and his office and a factory he manages are in Paris. He’s wealthy and influential in business circles but inherited most of his financial empire. Lately he has become very secretive—is drawing large sums of cash from banks and threatens to close up his factory.”

“And put all those people out of work?” George broke in.

“Right. He has sold large holdings of stocks and bonds, too, which isn’t good for the country’s economy.”

“Nancy, how does your dad fit into this pic ture?” Bess asked.

“Monsieur Leblanc’s business associates have engaged Dad to find out what has scared him into doing this. An American lawyer on vacation in France wouldn’t be suspected by the ‘frightened financier’ of trying to learn what’s going on.”

As Nancy finished speaking, she pulled up in front of the Marvins’ home. The girls said good night and Nancy went on to the Faynes’.

“By the way,” said George, “when are we taking off?”

“Day after tomorrow. Meet you at the airport eight-thirty A.M. sharp. Good night.”

During the drive home Nancy’s thoughts dwelt on the mystery. On a deserted street she was suddenly startled when a man stepped off the curb directly into her path! He limped forward, then fell. Nancy jerked the steering wheel hard and jammed on her brakes to avoid hitting him. Shaken, she stared out at the prone figure.

“Help!” he cried, with a French accent. “I am sick!”

Nancy’s first instinct was to assist him, but instead she reached for the door locks and snapped them.
The man on the pavement was the masked messenger who had come to her house earlier.
This must be a trick! He had followed her and knew the route she probably would take home!

Quickly Nancy pulled the car near the opposite curb and drove off. In the rear-view mirror she could see the man picking himself up and limping to the sidewalk. On a chance she had been wrong, Nancy stopped a patrol car and told her story.

“We’ll investigate at once, miss,” said the driver.

A little while after arriving home Nancy telephoned police headquarters and learned that the suspect had vanished. The young sleuth, convinced the man had been feigning illness, told her French friends and Hannah of the incident.

Mrs. Gruen sighed. “Thank goodness you’re home safe.”

Marie and Monique looked concerned, but made no comment. Nancy felt sure they were wondering if all American households were as full of excitement as this one!

The trying events were forgotten temporarily, when the visitors offered to sing duets in French. Nancy and Hannah were delighted.

“These are old madrigals from the Loire valley where we live,” Monique explained. “You will hear them often while you are there.”

“The songs are beautiful,” Nancy said, clapping.

Mrs. Gruen applauded loudly. “This is just like having a free ticket to a lovely concert,” she said, smiling.

Before the group went to bed, Nancy invited the visitors to accompany her to the airport the next day. She told them about the helicopter that had buzzed the Drew home.

The three girls arrived there in the middle of the morning. Nancy spoke to the man at the regular service counter and was directed to the office of a private helicopter company.

A young man at a desk had to be prompted twice before replying to Nancy’s question. He kept staring with a smile at the two French girls.

“Oh, yes,” he finally said to Nancy, “a man was up with me yesterday—the one who’s going to build the helipad on your roof.”

Nancy stared at the young pilot, speechless. Then she said, “You’re kidding!”

“Kidding, the girl says!” He rolled his eyes around and shrugged his shoulders. “No, this is for real.”

Suddenly Nancy realized the pilot had been the victim of a hoax that perhaps tied in with Monsieur Neuf. She decided to be cagey in her questioning.

“Who told
you?”
she asked.

“Why, the man I took up. Guess you know him—James Chase.”

“Was he from the—er—company that’s going to build the helipad on our roof?” Nancy asked.

“Yes. He showed me a letter from the A B Heliport Construction Company signed by the president. I don’t remember his name. It said what they were going to do and asked if I’d fly him low over your house. I got permission to do it.”

“Next time you fly low you’d better be more
careful,”
Nancy warned. “We had a fire going and you caused a downdraft that could have set our house on fire.”

“Gosh, I’m sorry about that.”

“I don’t know this James Chase,” Nancy said. “What does he look like?”

The pilot grinned. “Queer-looking duck about fifty-five years old. Real long face and arms and feet. Limped a little.”

“Anything else?” Nancy asked, her pulses quickening.

“Well, he spoke with a French accent.”

Nancy thanked the pilot for his information and left with her guests. When the three were out of earshot of his office, Nancy said excitedly, “James Chase is the masked man who came to my house!”

Marie and her sister exchanged quick glances. “Nancy,” Marie burst out, “we think we know who this man is. His name is not James Chase!”

 

 

 

“You know who the masked man is?” Nancy cried out unbelievingly.

“We are not acquainted with him,” Marie answered. “But I’m sure he was a gardener at the chateau of friends of ours. He was discharged for not being honest. In fact he was later suspected of stealing large sums of money from several shops.”

Monique spoke up. “We remember him because he was so odd looking, although I don’t recall he limped. His first name was Claude. We don’t know the rest.”

“And,” Nancy said, “he could be Monsieur Neuf! But if Neuf is trying to keep people away from the 99 steps, why would he leave France? Girls, you’ve given me a very valuable clue, anyway. Since you say Claude was not honest, and he’s using an assumed name and sent that warning note to Dad and me, I think our police should be alerted.”

When they reached headquarters, Nancy took the Bardot sisters inside to have them meet Chief McGinnis. The middle-aged, rugged-looking officer, a good friend of the Drews, greeted them all with a warm smile.

“I’m glad to meet your French visitors, Nancy,” he said.

“You’ll be doubly glad,” said Nancy, “when they tell you about the man who is trying to keep me from going to Paris.”

After Chief McGinnis had listened to the story, he nodded gravely and turned to the Bardots. “Will you young ladies compose a cable to your friends and ask for Claude’s last name and his address in France. I’ll send it, but the reply will come to your house, Nancy.”

The officer winked, adding, “I wouldn’t want the Bardots’ friends to think Marie and Monique are having trouble with the River Heights’ police!”

“Oh, no, no,” said Marie, and the sisters laughed.

Everyone was pleased at the quick response that came from France. The three girls, after a sightseeing trip on the Muskoka River, arrived home at five o’clock. Hannah Gruen had just taken the message over the telephone. It said:
Name Claude Aubert. Whereabouts unknown.

“Good and bad news at the same time,” Nancy remarked. “Apparently Claude the gardener has disappeared from his home town. But won’t he be surprised when our River Heights police pick him up!”

She dialed headquarters at once. Chief McGinnis was still there. Upon hearing Nancy’s report, he said, “I’ll get in touch with immigration authorities in Washington at once to check if Aubert entered this country legally. Most offices will be closing, but I’ll call anyhow.” He paused. “My men are out looking for this Frenchman. When do you leave, Nancy?”

“At eight tomorrow morning.”

“Well, if I have any news before then I’ll let you know. Good-by now.”

“Good-by, and thanks!”

Monique turned to Nancy. “Oh, I hope the police catch Claude! He may try to harm you again before you leave.”

The telephone rang. Nancy answered. “Hi, Bess! What’s up?”

“You must help us out—tonight.”

“How?”

“By performing anything you like. Play the piano, do tricks, tell a mystery story.”

“Bess, what
are
you talking about? Is this some kind of gag?”

“No, indeed, Nancy. This is the night the Teeners Club entertains the Towners Club, remember? You had to decline because of your trip.”

“Sorry, Bess,” said Nancy. “I’m afraid I must decline again for the same reason. I haven’t finished packing yet, and I told Mrs. Blair I’d drop in to see her. She was trying to find some clues for me from old diaries of her mother’s.”

“But, Nancy, we need one more number. We Teeners can’t disappoint the older folks. Couldn’t you just—?”