Dare to read: Нэнси Дрю и Братья Харди
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ПРИЯТНОГО ЧТЕНИЯ!
Carolyn Keene
Nancy Drew Mystery Stories: Volume Thirty-Five
The Haunted Showboat
Copyright © 1981, 1957 by Simon & Schuster, Inc.
Published by Grosset & Dunlap, Inc.
Nancy, Bess, and George travel to New Orleans for Mardi Gras, but they are then enveloped into a mystery involving an old showboat that is said to be haunted.
CHAPTER I
The Stolen Car
"WOULD A TRIP to the Mardi Gras interest you, Nancy, with also a mystery to solve?" Bess Marvin asked.
Nancy Drew's blue eyes sparkled and her attractive face became animated. She gazed fondly at her two best friends, who had just arrived and were seated in the Drew living room. Bess Marvin was blonde and slightly plump. Her cousin, George Fayne, who had been given a boy's name, was an attractive brunette.
"Do you mean you're inviting me to go with you?" Nancy asked.
"That's right," George replied. "Our New Orleans relatives are extending an invitation not only to Bess and me, but also to the world's best girl detective!"
Nancy chuckled. "Thanks. What is the mystery about?"
"I don't know," Bess replied. "But they indicated in their letter that it must be solved by Mardi Gras time, which is not far off. You'll just love the Colonel and Aunt Stella."
"They have a daughter, haven't they?" Nancy asked.
Bess nodded. "Donna Mac is charming and pretty like her mother."
"But a bit spoiled," George added.
Bess explained that Donna Mae had formerly been engaged to a wonderful young man, named Charles Bartolome, who lived near the Havers outside New Orleans. "But along came Alex Upgrove from New York and Donna Mae lost her heart to him completely. Their engagement is going to be announced the night of the big ball the Havers are giving at Mardi Gras time."
"It all sounds marvelous," said Nancy. "I accept the invitation!"
"Great!" Bess hugged her friend. "Before the ball, the Havers will put on a pageant of The Sleeping Beauty. The Havers will be king, queen, and princess. Afterwards, they will greet their guests in these royal costumes."
"And I suppose," said George, "Alex Upgrove will be the prince."
Bess, still loyal to Donna Mae's former fiance, said that Charles Bartolome had been invited to the ball, but had refused to attend.
"You can't blame him," said George dryly. "But he's being a good sport and not leaving a job he promised to do. Charles is in charge of restoring the showboat."
George explained that in a bayou on the Haver property was an old, abandoned showboat, the River Princess. "The Colonel is planning to have it brought to a dock on his estate. The ball will take place in the theatre on the boat."
"Oh, it will be such an exciting trip," said Nancy enthusiastically. "Shall we drive to New Orleans in my car?"
"We'd love to," the cousins said in unison.
"When do you want to leave?" Nancy asked.
"As soon as possible," George replied. "The Colonel wrote that he wants to get the mystery cleared up 'right quick'."
"I'll do my best," Nancy said eagerly.
Just then, the Drews' pleasant housekeeper came into the room. At once Nancy told her of the intriguing invitation.
Hannah Gruen smiled at the young detective. "So you're off on another case. Nancy. Well, I venture to say you won't return until you solve the mystery."
Middle-aged Hannah Gruen had lived with the Drews since the death of Nancy's mother many years before. She had acted as mother and counsellor to the girl. Nancy, in turn, had a deep affection for Hannah.
"How do you plan to travel?" Mrs Gruen asked.
When she heard the long trip was to be made in Nancy's blue convertible, Hannah looked dubious. "Are you going to do all the driving?"
"Oh, Bess and I will take turns," George spoke up.
Hannah looked relieved. But a moment later, as she gazed out of the window, her face took on a worried look. "I'm afraid there's some snow in store," she said. "Oh, I do hope it holds off until you girls reach your destination."
"Don't worry, Hannah dear," said Nancy reassuringly. "We're all experienced drivers, and my faithful little car has gone through practically all kinds of weather."
Mrs. Gruen admitted this was true. "When will you girls be leaving?” she asked a more cheerful expression on her face.
"Let's start the day after tomorrow," George suggested. "Bess and I are almost packed now. Is that enough time for you to get ready, Nancy?"
"Oh, yes."
After the cousins had left, Nancy telephoned her father, a prominent attorney in River Heights. When Mr. Drew heard about the Havers' invitation and the mystery Nancy was to solve, he said, "Go ahead by all means. This is a good opportunity to see New Orleans and you girls should have a wonderful time at the Mardi Gras."
The next day, Nancy and Hannah went over the girl's wardrobe and chose what they thought would be appropriate for the trip. Later, Nancy dashed downtown to buy a new skirt, blouse, and play suit to wear in New Orleans in case the weather should turn very warm.
When she returned, Nancy found the housekeeper inspecting a beautiful old black lace shawl and an intricately carved ivory fan. "I found these in a trunk in the attic," she said. "They belonged to your mother, Nancy. Would you like to use them at the ball, dear?"
"Oh, yes," Nancy agreed enthusiastically. "I'll get a costume to go with them."
Hannah Gruen left the room and Nancy laid the lovely old shawl on the bed. As she stood before the mirror, practicing how to use the fan, Togo, her little terrier, ran into the room.
"Hi, fellow!" Nancy said to the dog as she turned away from the mirror. The next moment she cried out, "Togo, bring that back! Drop it!"
The mischievous terrier had grabbed the shawl in his teeth and gone dashing up the hall with it. Nancy ran in pursuit and managed to get hold of Togo and the heirloom, but not before he had made a long tear in the lace.
"Oh, you naughty boy!" Nancy scolded.
The housekeeper came out of her bedroom and investigated the damage. "Don't worry. Nancy, I think I can mend it so the tear won't show too much," she said soothingly.
An hour later Hannah Gruen brought the shawl to Nancy's room. The girl's eyes sparkled. "Why, I can't even tell where the rip was!" she exclaimed, planting a kiss on the housekeeper's cheek. "Thank you so much."
By evening Nancy's suitcase was packed and she put it in the luggage compartment of her convertible. With Togo at her heels, she locked the car doors, but left the garage open, since her father had not yet returned with his car.
A short time after Nancy and Hannah had gone upstairs again, Togo began to bark menacingly.
"I think I'd better go down and see what's bothering him," Nancy called to the housekeeper.
Nancy ran downstairs. As she reached the back door she was thunderstruck to see her car being backed out of the garage!
"Someone's stealing it!" Nancy gasped.
She hurriedly turned on the porch light, opened the door, and ran out to the driveway.
"Stop!" she called to the man at the wheel. "Stop!"
“Stop!” Nancy called to the man at the wheel
The driver, instead of slowing down, put on a burst of speed, swerving the rear of the car directly towards Nancy! The left fender grazed her, knocking her down! Then the driver straightened the wheels and the car roared off!
CHAPTER II
A Bomb Scare
HANNAH GRUEN had hurried downstairs. From the kitchen doorway she saw Nancy fall. With a cry of alarm she rushed from the house.
"Are you hurt?" the woman asked.
"It—the car just knocked the wind out of me for the moment," Nancy replied.
As Hannah helped Nancy to her feet, the girl looked mournfully down the street as the convertible disappeared round the corner.
"I'll call the police!" Hannah declared.
She and Nancy went into the house. The housekeeper urged Nancy to lie down for a few minutes, but the young detective insisted upon going to the phone herself.
"I can give the police a description of the car thief," she said. "He was dark and slender, with small, piercing black eyes. He had a very low forehead, and his hair looked coarse and stiff."
"That's an excellent description. Nancy," said the housekeeper. "I hope the police catch him soon."
Before going to the phone, Nancy looked up the serial number of her car. Then she got in touch with Captain McGinnis of the River Heights police department.
After giving the thief's description, along with the car's serial and license plate numbers, Nancy recalled that her packed suitcase was in the car. She told the captain about this, then hung up.
"Oh, dear," she said to the housekeeper, "all my things are gone! I can get new clothes for myself, but I'd certainly hate to lose Mother's shawl and fan."
"I don't blame you, honey," said Mrs. Gruen. "But tell me this. How in the world could that man have taken the car? You locked it, didn't you?"
"Yes, I did. It means the man who stole it must be an experienced car thief."
Just then, they heard Mr. Drew's coupé come into the driveway. Nancy hurried to the kitchen door to meet her father, a tall, distinguished looking man.
"What happened, Nancy?” Mr. Drew cried out, noting his daughter's disheveled appearance.
Quickly Nancy explained and Mr. Drew looked stem. "It's the work of an expert, all right. It wouldn't surprise me if the thief has a police record."
"That should make it easier to find him," said Nancy. She went back to the phone and called first Bess, then George at their homes. Both girls were aghast at the news and said they hoped the convertible, as well as Nancy's suitcase, would soon be recovered.
"I suppose we'll have to postpone the trip until we can make other arrangements," said Nancy. "I'll have Dad see if he can get us plane reservations in the morning."
"Oh, another day won't make any difference," said George. "Maybe by that time you'll have your car back."
But a phone call to the police department the next day was discouraging. Nancy's blue convertible had not been sighted on any road leading out of River Heights.
"We've made inquiries around town," said Captain McGinnis, "but so far my men haven't turned up a single lead."
During the morning Nancy shopped for new clothes to take on the trip. About five o'clock that afternoon Mr. Drew phoned his daughter to say that bookings to New Orleans in Mardi Gras season were very heavy and it had been impossible for him to get plane tickets.
"But you're going just the same," he said. "Call Bess and George and tell them to be ready tomorrow morning."
"But how are we travelling?" Nancy asked. There was no reply. Her father had hung up.
Nancy phoned her friends and gave them her father's message. "Dad has something up his sleeve," she said. "Maybe you'd better come over here and find out what's going on."
The cousins arrived in a short time and waited for Mr. Drew to come home. Presently a stunning new yellow convertible entered the Drews' driveway. Nancy's father, at the wheel, honked the horn loudly.
Nancy sprinted outside. Bess and George followed, humping into each other to get to the car.
Mr. Drew wore a broad grin. "Like it, Nancy?" he asked.
"It's a beauty! Is it your new car and are you going to lend it to me, Dad?"
Mr. Drew stepped outside, made a low bow, and announced, "I'm going to do better than that. This car is yours!"
Nancy threw her arms around her father. "Oh, you're simply wonderful!" she exclaimed. "But what's going to happen if the police find my blue convertible?"
The lawyer said that he had arranged with the automobile dealer to take the blue car in trade if it should be recovered.
"I was thinking of turning it in, anyway," said Mr. Drew. "I was going to wait until your birthday and surprise you, but you sort of put one over on me by letting that thief take it!" he teased. Sobering, he went on, "That car had a lot of mileage on it and was showing wear."
"That's right," George spoke up. "And there was that big stain on the back of the rear seat where we upset an ink bottle and also a tear in the carpet."
Nancy chuckled. "Maybe that thief did me a favor," she remarked, then added wistfully, "But I certainly wish I could get my suitcase back."
As Bess and George said good-bye, assuring Nancy that they would be ready early the following morning to start the trip to New Orleans, Mr. Drew turned to Nancy.
"How about taking the girls home in your new car?" he suggested. "After you drop them off, stop at police headquarters. Captain McGinnis wants you to look over the pictures in their rogues' gallery and see if you can identify the thief."
"Hop in, girls!" Nancy invited.
The three girls were thrilled with the smooth-riding quality of the yellow convertible and Nancy declared that driving it was no effort at all. After dropping the two girls at their homes, she continued on to headquarters. Here she looked at photograph after photograph of known car thieves.
"Not one of these," the young detective said finally, "looks like the man who stole my car."
"He may never have been apprehended," said Captain McGinnis. "Well, we'll keep up our search."
Nancy thanked him and went home. In order to keep her new car from being stolen, Mr. Drew had purchased a special padlock for one of the rear wheels. This was put on and the garage door locked.
The night passed uneventfully. In the morning, after breakfast, Mr. Drew carried Nancy's suitcase to the convertible. Then he and Hannah wished her a happy time on the trip and kissed her good-bye.
"Thanks again. Dad," Nancy said as she waved and drove off.
A few minutes later she stopped at Bess's home, then at George's. All three girls wore smart wool dresses and warm fur coats. The trio chatted gaily as they drove out of town, discussing the recent trip they had taken to Virginia, where Nancy and her friends had had many exciting adventures solving The Hidden Window Mystery.
"Speaking of mysteries," said George, "has there been my news of the car thief?"
"Not a clue," Nancy replied. "It's such a beautiful day I think I'll take the back road through the country, instead of the highway, as far as Tartanville."
The road led through rolling farm land, where the houses were quite a distance apart. Nancy was driving just under the speed limit when the girls suddenly noticed a ticking sound coming from the dashboard.
"What's that?" Bess asked. "The electric clock? In a new car it shouldn't make that much noise."
Instantly Nancy pulled to the side of the road and turned off the ignition. She leaned down and looked up under the dashboard. Her face turned white with fear.
"There's an alarm clock taped on here!" she cried. "It may be the timer for a bomb! Girls, run as fast as you can! Stop anyone coming along!"
Bess and George dashed out of the right-hand door, while Nancy reached down and shut off the alarm switch, hoping that would prevent the bomb from exploding. Then, for safety's sake, she got out and raced away from the car. Nancy ran in the opposite direction to the girls, in order to warn any oncoming motorist of possible danger.
Ten minutes passed. No one drove up and there was no explosion from Nancy's car. Finally George, making a megaphone of her hands, yelled to Nancy:
“What’s next?”
Nancy called back that she was going to ask the driver of the first car which appeared to go back to the next town and have someone sent out from the police force to remove the bomb.
Bess called, "How could anyone get into the car to plant a bomb with your garage locked?"
"The man probably jimmied open the garage window, and the car doors weren't locked."
As she finished speaking Nancy became aware of a delivery truck approaching in her direction. She signaled the driver to stop, and told him her story.
"Golly!" The young man whistled. "Sure, I’ll notify headquarters in a jiffy."
He turned and sped off. Twenty minutes later the girls were relieved to see a police car approaching.
"Thank goodness!" George exclaimed.
In a matter of seconds, a man wearing a mask, chest protector, and steel link gauntlets jumped from the car and opened the hood of the yellow convertible.
As the girls watched from a distance, the policeman lifted out a round object. There was no question but that it was a bomb! He dropped it into a bucket of oil before beckoning to the girls to come forward.
“What's behind all this?" he asked.
Quickly Nancy explained the little she knew.
"Looks as if you have a pretty devilish enemy," the officer remarked.
"Yes," Nancy agreed.
Bess said, "He's a fiend trying to blow us up!"
"Well, his scheme was spoiled this time," the policeman said, and added, "your car is okay now." He radioed a report of the incident to headquarters, then drove back to town.
The three girls stepped into the convertible and once more started off. As they entered the town of Tartanville, Nancy said she wanted to call her father and tell him what had happened. While she went into a drugstore to telephone, Bess and George waited in the car.
Just before Nancy returned, a man in a black convertible started to pass the cousins. He slowed down and stared first at Bess and George, then at the yellow car. Then the inquisitive man put on power and disappeared round a corner.
Suddenly Bess grabbed her cousin's arm. "George!" she cried. "That was Nancy's stolen car he was driving. It's been painted black!”
CHAPTER III
An Upsetting Delay
BY THE time George recovered from the surprise of hearing that the black automobile was Nancy's stolen car, the young detective herself had come from the drugstore.
"Quick! Jump in!" Bess urged.
Nancy instantly got behind the wheel of the yellow convertible. "What's up?" she asked.
"I saw your stolen car!" Bess told her. "The man drove it round that corner. Hurry!"
Driving as fast as she dared, Nancy headed in the direction her friend had indicated.
"It was painted black," Bess explained, "but I recognized the funny-shaped ink stain on the upholstery in the back seat."
"Say, that fellow could fit the description of the car thief," George spoke up. "I wish we had noticed the license number."
Nancy turned the corner and as she continued down the street, the other two girls looked in every driveway and crossroad. But their quarry was not in sight.
Alter they had gone nearly a mile, Nancy stopped. "The thief had too much of a head start," she said. "Let's go back to police headquarters and report this."
As she was about to turn the car round, the girls saw a black convertible dart from an intersecting road some distance ahead and shoot down the highway.
"There he is!" Bess cried out.
Nancy set off in pursuit, but at the crossing was stopped by a red light. Irked by the delay, she put on extra power as soon as the traffic light turned green. The other vehicle was far ahead, but Nancy sped after it.
Suddenly George said, "Oh, oh!" as a motor-cycle came roaring up behind them. In a moment it was alongside and the state trooper astride it motioned Nancy to the side of the road.
"Young lady," he said sternly, "don’t you know what the speed limit here is?”
"Yes, sir, I do," Nancy replied, "but we're after a thief who stole another car of mine."
"Another car of yours?" The officer looked skeptical. "What kind of story is this?"
"It's true!" Bess spoke up earnestly. "Please help us catch the man who stole it."
"Well, okay. Follow me," the police officer directed.
By this time the black car was out of sight, but the trooper sped along with Nancy close behind. Two miles of country road were covered without the pursuers getting another glimpse of the suspect.
Finally, the state trooper stopped. He said that he would radio headquarters to set up a road-block. The girls gave him a brief description of the black car and its driver. Then, taking a two-way radio from his pocket, the officer got in touch with his chief.
When he finished the radio report, the trooper turned to the girls. "Where are you from and where are you going?" he asked.
Nancy answered his questions, then added her theory that the same man might have planted the bomb. That would account for his stopping to look at the yellow convertible.
"We'll certainly try to find him,” the trooper promised.
Nancy asked that the police get in touch with her father if they located the stolen car.
"And thank you for your help, officer. By the way, is there a short cut from here to Route 57?"
"Yes." The trooper gave directions and the three girls set off. As they rode along, Bess wore a worried frown.
"Oh, cheer up!" George chided her cousin. "Don't feel bad because nothing came of your clue."
"It's not that," Bess answered. "Now that we've lost the thief, there's not a ghost of a chance of finding the car again. He knew that we were chasing him. And now he'll paint the convertible yet another color."
George and Nancy agreed that Bess was probably right. "That isn't all there is to it, either," said Bess. "I have an awful feeling that thief doesn't want you to reach New Orleans, Nancy. He not only stole your blue convertible—he put a bomb in this car and now he's following us!"
"Even if that is true," George remarked, "what can we do?"
"Park this car in the next town and go to New Orleans by train," Bess declared.
There was silence for several seconds, then Nancy said reassuringly, "Oh, Bess, we won't have to do that. If the thief stops to have the car repainted, we'll get there way ahead of him."
Bess thought this over, then felt better. "Well, all right," she said. "But let's step on it!"
Presently Nancy pulled to the side of the road. "Your turn at the wheel," she said to George, who nodded and changed places with her friend.
Half an hour later they came to the bustling little town of Wrightsville.
"Oh, look!" Bess called out. "There's a showroom with the same make of car as this one. Isn't that green sedan in the window a beauty?"
"It certainly is," Nancy agreed. "But I'd rather have this yellow convertible."
George had gone only half a block farther when suddenly the new car developed a strange, grinding noise in the rear.
Bess groaned. "Now what?" she asked.
Nancy was frowning. She suggested that George go round the block and come back to the service station connected to the automobile showroom. George turned at the next corner, but had not gone far when the noise grew definitely louder.
"We'd better stop," Nancy advised.
As George pulled towards the curb, it sounded as if the rear end of the car had dropped to the street! Quickly the girls jumped out and rushed back to look. Nancy knelt to peer underneath.
"Oh, no!" she exclaimed in a woebegone voice. "The whole rear housing has given way!"
Nancy rose and for several seconds the three girls stared questioningly at one another. Was this a mechanical failure? Or had Nancy's enemy tampered with the chassis, in case the bomb failed to go off?
"I'll walk back to that service station and have the car towed in," said Nancy. "You stay here and guard our baggage."
Although Nancy tried to sound nonchalant, Bess and George knew she was extremely upset.
"This is a shame!" George declared angrily, after Nancy had left.
"And dangerous!" Bess added. "If we'd been out on the highway going fast, we might have been killed!"
In a few minutes a tow car arrived and the disabled convertible was hoisted up and pulled to the service station. The three girls watched as the mechanics examined the broken chassis. Presently one of them walked off to his workbench.
He searched among his tools for several seconds, then picked up a small leather case from which he took a magnifying glass. Holding this in one hand and a strong flashlight in the other, he made a thorough investigation of the metal section where the break had taken place.
Finally he turned to Nancy. "This wasn't any mechanical defect," he announced, "I'd say someone poured acid on the housing!"
The girls were aghast, but there was no question in their minds as to who had been responsible. Either the man who had stolen her car, or an accomplice, had damaged the new convertible.
"I'll get the boss," the mechanic offered. "He'll see what can be done."
The owner, Dan Compton, was summoned from the showroom. He examined the damage and agreed with the mechanic.
"This is certainly bad luck for you girls," Dan said. "Where was this car purchased?"
When Nancy told him, he nodded. "Oh, I know Harry Smith in River Heights. He's a good friend of mine." After a moment he added, "I'll phone him, and we'll work something out."
Without giving Nancy a chance to comment, he hurried to his office and put in the call. Five minutes later he returned to the garage, a smile on his face.
"Everything's arranged, Miss Drew," he said. "Harry wants me to lend you a car. I'm going on a little vacation and the car I normally use for demonstrations will be idle. You're welcome to take it for your trip. By the time you come back this way, your convertible will have a new housing in it."
Nancy's face broke into a broad grin. "I certainly appreciate your help," she said.
"Of course my demonstration car is not so fancy as yours," Dan Compton told her. "It's black, and the upholstery is just plain dark green."
He led them to a corner of the garage where the car stood. Bess smiled. "This suits me much better. The car is dark and inconspicuous. Now maybe that awful man won't notice us."
Before leaving town, the girls ate a belated lunch. Then they started off once more. By evening Bess was driving and the girls began to discuss how much farther they would go before stopping for the night.
"There's an attractive motel, The Cedars, about two miles from here," George said. "A neighbor of ours stopped there on a trip recently."
"Let's go there," Bess put in. "I'm starved!"
Nancy glanced at her watch. It was nearly seven o'clock and she, too, was getting hungry.
"I vote we stay at the motel tonight."
When they reached The Cedars, Bess turned in and parked. After the girls had been assigned to modern, comfortable rooms, they washed, brushed their hair, then went to a coffee shop next to the lobby.