Dare to read: Нэнси Дрю и Братья Харди
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ПРИЯТНОГО ЧТЕНИЯ!
Carolyn Keene
Nancy Drew Mystery Stories: Volume Thirty-Six
The Secret of the Golden Pavilion
Copyright © 1987, 1959 by Simon & Schuster, Inc.
Published by Grosset & Dunlap, Inc.
Nancy is on the case, once again!
Her father’s client, Mr.Sakamaki needs help. His deceased grandfather’s estate, Kaluakua, has a mystery nobody knows. Its Golden Pavilion may be haunted, and two middle-aged suspects claim to be the grand children of Grandfather Sakamaki and are going to run and take over the estate.
Nancy must prove them wrong and stop a terrible gang called the Double Scorps who are trying to steal the secret kings cape in the Golden Pavilion. Are the posing grandchildren part of the Double Scorps and are going to inherit the estate for all of the Double Scorps? What does a sacred king’s cape have to do with the Secret of the Golden Pavilion? And who is that ghost that dances by the Pavilion every night?
Nancy is going to find out everything, from the Double Scorps, to perhaps two Grandfather Sakamaki. Could the Grandfather Sakamaki in California be the wrong one that owns the Kaluakua? Help Nancy Drew solve the mystery!
CHAPTER I
A Moonlight Burglar
NANCY DREW, her lovely blue eyes sparkling with excitement, stared in fascination from the cabin of a private helicopter. The craft was headed for the River Heights airport, a few miles beyond. Below, the rooftops of the town stood out clearly in the moonlight.
“We’re almost home, Togo,” Nancy said to the terrier beside her. Fastened to his collar was a blue ribbon that he had won at a dog show in a city some distance away.
Leaning forward, Nancy asked the pilot, “Could we please go lower? I’d love to see my house from the air.”
The young man shook his head. “It’s against regulations. Maybe these will help you.” He handed her a pair of binoculars.
Nancy adjusted them and in a moment her home came into focus. “I see it!” she exclaimed. But a second later she suddenly gasped in alarm, “A man’s climbing into a dormer window on our third floor!”
“You mean a burglar?” the pilot asked.
“Yes. All our windows on the first and second floors are wired for a burglar alarm. The thief must know that. Oh, dear, he may harm Hannah! ”
Quickly Nancy explained that Hannah Gruen was the Drews’ housekeeper and that Mrs. Gruen had been like a mother to her since she was a little girl and had lost her own mother.
“Radio the airport tower, please!” Nancy urged. “Tell them what’s happening and ask them to page my father. He’s waiting for me. He can contact the police to catch that burglar!”
Instantly the pilot made the call. Then, at Nancy’s request, he began to circle above the Drew home. Less than five minutes later, they saw the burglar step out backward from the dormer window onto a long, slender ladder. In his hand was a brief case.
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“It must be one of Dad’s,” Nancy told the pilot.
The intruder made a nimble descent. Then he collapsed the ladder into a small bundle, picked it up, and disappeared among the trees that lined the Drew driveway.
“Please relay all this to the tower,” Nancy begged.
The pilot followed her request, then said, “I’d better get to the field pronto.”
His landing was cleared and soon the helicopter was standing on the concrete runway. Nancy tucked Togo under one arm and her purse under the other, while the pilot grabbed her week-end bag. Then the two hurried to the gate.
At the exit stood a taxi driver whom Nancy knew well. “Good evening, Joe,” she said.
“ ’Evening,” he replied. “Your father asked me to drive you home. I hear you’ve been having some excitement at your house. Mr. Drew said something about his fetching the police and nabbing a burglar.”
“Then Dad did get the message!” Nancy exclaimed. “Let’s hope they caught the thief before he got off the grounds.”
She thanked the pilot for his assistance, then ran to Joe’s taxi and hopped in. He drove as quickly as possible to Nancy’s home.
As the taxi came to a halt at the front door of the large, brick house, Mr. Drew stepped from the doorway and took Nancy in his arms. “So good to see you again,” said the tall, distinguished-looking lawyer.
“It’s good to be here,” his daughter replied. “The burglar—Did you catch him?”
“Unfortunately, no.”
Togo, who had scampered into the house, was running around in circles and yipping with joy at being home. In a moment Hannah Gruen appeared from the rear of the house.
“Are you all right, Hannah?” Nancy asked, as she hugged the housekeeper affectionately.
“Oh, yes. But to tell the truth, I’m mighty embarrassed. I didn’t even hear that burglar,” she went on. “I dropped off to sleep waiting for you and your father, and never woke up once. By the way, what did the man take?” she asked Mr. Drew.
The lawyer said that so far as he could find out, the burglar had been after only one thing—a brief case containing papers relating to a new case which he had just taken.
“The intruder may have wanted these for some special reason, but also he may have been after an odd-looking object that was in the brief case. My client was sending it to you, Nancy. It was a copy of a rare old Polynesian artifact—a wooden figure, half human and half bird. It had little monetary value, so I’m puzzled about that aspect of the burglary.”
“Perhaps,” said Nancy, “the thief believed the piece to be old and rare.”
“Possibly,” her father agreed.
Nancy inquired how the burglar might have learned about the contents of the brief case. Mr. Drew stared into space a moment, then answered, “I had luncheon today with my new client, Mr. Sakamaki. He’s a Hawaiian. He talked rather freely about his case. It was a public restaurant and perhaps the burglar was seated nearby listening to the conversation.”
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“Does the case involve something Polynesian?” Nancy asked.
“Well, yes and no,” the lawyer replied. “I’d prefer that Mr. Sakamaki tell you the whole story himself. You may pick up a few points which I missed,” he complimented his daughter. “When I happened to mention to him that you loved to solve mysteries, he was interested at once.”
Mr. Drew looked directly at Nancy, a slight smile playing around the corners of his mouth. “There is a very unusual mystery in connection with the case. Mr. Sakamaki would like you to solve it for him.”
Nancy’s face broke into a broad grin. “And I’d like to do it!” she said eagerly. “How soon may I talk to Mr. Sakamaki?”
“Tomorrow morning at my office.”
While Hannah prepared a midnight snack of angel cake and fruit juice, Mr. Drew went to the telephone and called police headquarters. The sergeant on duty reported that his squad had not apprehended the burglar as yet. The clue of the collapsible ladder was an excellent one, he said, and his men had stopped and searched a hundred cars in the general area of the Drew home. But no ladder had been found in any of the automobiles.
“We’ll keep on looking,” the sergeant promised. “Something may turn up yet.”
The next morning after breakfast Nancy and her father set out for his office. It was not long after they arrived that Mr. Drew’s secretary announced a caller.
“Mr. Kamuela Sakamaki is here.”
“Please show him in,” Mr. Drew replied.
A smiling man about forty years old walked in. He was of medium height, with lightly bronzed skin and friendly dark eyes. Mr. Drew presented him to Nancy.
“I’m very happy to meet you,” Mr. Sakamaki said. “And I hope that you, as well as your father, will consent to taking my case.”
As everyone sat down, the caller explained that he was part Polynesian, part Japanese. “My Polynesian first name means ‘Sam’ and when necessary I use the English version for business. I am very proud of my Polynesian forebears.”
Mr. Sakamaki explained that he had perfected certain methods for finishing handmade furniture —an art practiced by his Polynesian ancestors. Like them, he used sharkskin instead of sandpaper.
“At present I am lecturing and demonstrating in a furniture factory here. Mrs. Sakamaki and I have rented a house in River Heights for a year.”
He went on to say that he had recently inherited a large estate of both money and property from his grandfather, Nikkio Sakamaki, in Honolulu. The estate was called Kaluakua. Abruptly he asked:
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“Miss Drew, would you like to go out there to solve my mystery?” From his pocket he brought out a paper on which two symbols had been drawn. “I believe these are a clue that will help.”
He handed the paper to Nancy, who studied the strange figures. “Do you know what they mean?” she asked.
“No, I’m ashamed to say I don’t,” Mr. Sakamaki replied. “I intended trying to find out but haven’t had a chance.”
The Hawaiian said that shortly before his grandfather’s death, the elderly man had mailed the symbols to him without any translation. But a letter accompanying the strange piece of paper had said:
“Never sell or give away Kaluakua until you solve its mystery.”
CHAPTER II
A Suspect
AS NANCY stared at the strange symbols, her heart beat a little faster. This was a new and different kind of mystery for her to solve!
“It sounds like a fascinating case,” she commented. Nancy recalled the exciting adventures she had had solving The Secret of the Old Clock, her first mystery, and how many thrilling moments she had experienced during her recent adventure, The Haunted Showboat. But none of the mysteries had started out with a more challenging clue than the one just presented to her.
Mr. Sakamaki smiled. “You will love Kaluakua. The estate is right along the water of the Waikiki Beach area of Honolulu. It has beautiful gardens and a lovely house, and is a perfect place for a vacation.”
Nancy looked toward her father. She wondered wkat he was thinking.
The lawyer smiled and said, “Mr. Sakamaki, I should think you would want to go there yourself and attend to matters.”
“I suppose I should,” the Hawaiian replied, “but it would be most inconvenient at this time. Many pressing business matters will keep me on the mainland.” He turned to Nancy. “We Hawaiians call the people in the Continental United States ‘mainlanders.’ ”
Mr. Sakamaki now amazed the Drews by saying that actually there were two mysteries in connection with settling his grandfather’s estate. Only that day he had learned of two claimants, a brother and a sister, who had suddenly appeared in Honolulu, declaring that they were grandchildren of the deceased man.
“Besides that disturbing news,” Mr. Sakamaki went on, “I have had word from the caretaker that there have been queer happenings at Kaluakua.”
“What kind of happenings?” Nancy asked.
“For one thing,” the caller replied, “a stranger was seen lurking on the estate beach, and when the caretaker went to question him, the man took off hurriedly in a boat. Then, there is a Golden Pavilion on the grounds, and someone has been hacking the floor of it.”
“A Golden Pavilion?” Nancy repeated.
Mr. Sakamaki said that it was a circular open building about thirty feet in diameter. It had columns and a roof, all covered with gold leaf.
“It sounds very unusual,” Nancy remarked. “Is the secret of Kaluakua connected with this pavilion?”
Mr. Sakamaki shrugged. “Wherever or whatever the secret is, I should like to have it discovered as quickly as possible. I intend to present the estate to Honolulu, with the Golden Pavilion to be used as an outdoor theater. You see, I really don’t need Kaluakua for myself financially. And I have a lovely home in Honolulu where I prefer living.”
Then the man’s face clouded as he continued, “I keep forgetting about the Chatleys. They are the claimants. If they should prove their case, I suppose the estate would have to be split three ways. It is doubtful if they would agree to donate Kaluakua to Honolulu. They probably would want to sell it and take the money to the mainland.”
Mr. Drew now spoke up. “You never heard about these relatives from your grandfather or anyone else?”
Mr. Sakamaki shook his head. “These people are claiming that my grandfather had a wife in California some years before he moved to Honolulu. They further claim that my grandfather abandoned his wife and a baby daughter. Knowing my grandfather as I did, I cannot imagine him doing such a thing. He was somewhat eccentric, but full of kindness. My own parents, who are deceased, never mentioned any such thing taking place.”
“Was your grandfather a Hawaiian?”
“No, he came from Japan. But he married a Polynesian.”
Mr. Sakamaki told the Drews that the claimants’ full names were Roy Chatley and his married sister, Janet Chatley Lee. Both were about forty-five years of age.
“As I said, I have never seen them nor heard of them before,” Mr. Sakamaki continued. “I had come to your father, Nancy, to ask him to help me settle the estate before this complication arose. I just received a letter about the Chatleys from the bank in Honolulu which is acting as executor. Now I’ve come to beg you, Mr. Drew, to investigate this new angle.”
“Just how did your grandfather’s will read regarding beneficiaries?”
“It stated simply that everything was left to any living grandchildren,” Mr. Sakamaki replied. “I thought I was the only living blood relative until the Chatleys suddenly came into the picture.”
He went on to say that Mr. Drew would be handling the legal angles pertaining to the settling of the estate, including the Chatleys’ claim. He had thought Nancy would like to take over the part of his case having to do with the secret at Kaluakua.
“Oh, I’d love to,” said Nancy eagerly. “May I, Dad?”
The lawyer smiled fondly at his daughter. “There is only one hitch,” he said. “I cannot leave here immediately. Besides, I think my first stop should be Los Angeles, where I’ll look into the background of these claimants to the estate. Valuable time would be lost before I could reach Honolulu.”
Mr. Sakamaki leaned forward in his chair. “Perhaps,” he said to Nancy, “you have some young friends who would go with you? And also your housekeeper?”
Nancy did not reply at once. Her mind flew to her two chums, Bess Marvin and Bess’s tomboy cousin George Fayne, but she knew that the expense involved in such a trip would be prohibitive.
The Hawaiian apparently had guessed her thoughts. Smiling, he said, “I want this mystery solved. Expense means nothing to me. I’ll finance the trip for the entire group.”
Nancy was overwhelmed by the offer. Feeling that it was up to her father to make the decision, she waited for him to speak.
Mr. Drew gazed out his office window a few moments before replying. Then he turned to Mr. Sakamaki. “I will consent to all of this on one condition. The expense involved will be my fee.”
“As you wish,” Mr. Sakamaki said. “I will do everything I can to make it a most enjoyable stay for you.” He arose and shook hands with the two Drews. “You have made me very happy,” he added, “and I will leave you now to make your own plans. I will be in touch with you soon.”
Bowing slightly, he left the office. At once Nancy went over to her father and threw her arms about his neck. “It sounds marvelous, doesn’t it? Almost like a dream. I can hardly believe it!”
Her father agreed, and said he hoped that Bess and George would be able to go with Nancy, as well as Hannah Gruen. “I’ll make arrangements for you all to fly to Honolulu as soon as you let me know if the girls can go.”
He suddenly noticed that his daughter’s smile had faded. Her expression was tense and she was staring out the window.
“What’s the matter?” the lawyer asked her.
Nancy pointed and her father turned to look in that direction. On the rooftop of a nearby office building a man was opening a collapsible ladder. As the Drews watched, he placed it against a window of the adjoining building.
“He may be the thief who got into our house last night!” Nancy cried out. “It looks like the same kind of ladder!”
“He may be the thief!” Nancy cried out
Instantly Mr. Drew turned to his telephone. He put in a call to a lawyer he knew who occupied the office where the open window was. After a few moments of conversation, he hung up and said to Nancy, “The man is a window washer, but we probably should investigate him.”
“Let’s go talk to him right now,” Nancy urged.
Mr. Drew agreed and they went immediately to the office of his lawyer friend. They learned from him that the window washer’s name was Abe Antok and that he worked for the Acme Window Cleaning Company.
Nancy hastened to the window where the man was working. After a few casual remarks to Abe Antok, she asked, “Isn’t it unusual for ladders to be used for washing office windows?”
“Yes, ma’am, it is,” Abe replied. “But my boss and me, we been inventin’ this ladder. You notice it’s kind of special. We hope to put it on the market someday and make a lot of money. But a few kinks have to be ironed out yet. I use it in places that are hard to get to.”
“I see,” said Nancy. “By the way, how high will it reach?”
“Oh, very high, miss,” Abe replied proudly.
“Could it reach to the third floor of a house?”
“Oh, sure,” Abe answered. “I’ve used it a couple of times for that. Worked fine.”
During the conversation Nancy had made up her mind that Abe in no way seemed like a house-breaker. A new thought suddenly came to her and she asked, “Do you ever rent out this kind of ladder?”
Abe Antok looked at Nancy in amazement. “That’s a funny question, miss,” he said. “As a matter of fact, I did, just once. That was last night.”
“What did the person who rented the ladder want to do with it?” Nancy asked quickly.
“To tell you the truth, miss,” Abe replied, “Mr. Jim O’Keefe—that’s the name of the man who rented the ladder—said he wanted to try it out. He came to our place just about quittin’ time and gave my boss and me a great sales talk. Said he handled stock or something like that. He told us he could set us up in business and make a lot of money for us. We fell for it and gave him the ladder to try out.”
“Where is Jim O’Keefe now?” Nancy inquired eagerly.
Abe Antok’s face took on a sour look. “My boss and me sure had the wool pulled over our eyes. We found the ladder back of the shop this mornin’. When we didn’t hear nothin’ from O’Keefe, my boss called the hotel where he was stayin’. He’d skipped out without payin’ his bill!”
“That’s very interesting,” said Nancy. “What did this man look like?”
Abe described Jim O’Keefe as being of medium height, dark, slender, and with thinning hair.
“Did he have any outstanding characteristics by which you could identify him?” Nancy inquired.
Abe thought for a moment. Then he answered, “Yes, he did. O‘Keefe drummed on my boss’s desk with his fingers. Then he raised up his two forefingers and put the tips of ’em together. Kind of a funny thing to do, wasn’t it?”
Nancy agreed. She thanked Abe for answering her questions, then hurried over to her father who was conversing with his lawyer friend. “I have a wonderful clue to our thief,” she said excitedly, then told the two men about Jim O’Keefe.
Mr. Drew asked permission to use the phone and called the police. Captain McGinnis thanked him for the new clue and said he would get in touch with the lawyer as soon as he had any news.
Nancy and her father returned to Mr. Drew’s office. For several minutes they discussed the mystery—Kaluakua and its secret, the strange claimants to the Sakamaki estate, the burglar, and the proposed trip to Honolulu.
Suddenly Nancy chuckled softly. “You know, Dad, there’s one thing I haven’t told you. Certain friends of Bess, George, and myself are going on a chartered plane trip from Emerson College to Honolulu when their vacation begins.”
“You mean Ned Nickerson, Burt Eddleton, and Dave Evans?” her father asked.
“That’s right, Dad. We’ll have a whole fleet of mainland detectives to solve the Kaluakua mystery!”
CHAPTER III
Strange Symbols
MR. DREW’S eyes were twinkling. “This sounds like a Hawaiian house party,” he remarked. “Seriously, I’m glad the boys will be there to help solve the mystery. There are a few angles to this case that worry me, and I’ll feel better with a crowd of you at Kaluakua.”
“I’ll call Bess and George right away,” said Nancy. “Suppose I make it on the outside phone, Dad. See you later.”
She gave him a quick kiss and left. From his secretary’s desk, Nancy called first Bess, then George. No one answered at either of their homes. Nancy, eager to share her secret and hopeful that her friends could make the trip, was disappointed.
“Oh, well, I’ll try later,” she said to herself.
The young sleuth decided to start work on the case immediately. First, she went to the library to see if she could learn from reference books there the meaning of the Polynesian symbols which Nikkio Sakamaki had sent to his grandson. The reference librarian was very helpful, but neither she nor Nancy could find the answer to the riddle.
“I’m sorry,” said Miss Taylor, who knew the young detective well. “I suppose you’re working on another mystery. Perhaps I can help you. Something just occurred to me. I believe I know the very person who might be able to tell you what these symbols mean. He’s Professor Wharton. I understand he speaks many languages and is an authority on hieroglyphics and other forms of ancient writing.”
Nancy smiled. “That’s wonderful. I’d like to talk to him. Where does he live?”
“Just a minute,” Miss Taylor replied. She opened a drawer of her desk and looked through a stack of cards. Presently she pulled one out. “Here it is. He lives in the newly developed section of River Heights called Elwynd Estates. I’m sorry I don’t have the name of the street.”
“I’ll be able to find him,” Nancy said, eager to start. “Thank you very much for everything, Miss Taylor.”
The young sleuth hurried home to get her convertible, then drove out to Elwynd Estates. At the entrance were large stone pillars with a small office to one side. She inquired where Professor Wharton lived and was given directions to Hilltop Road. Hoping that the elderly man would be at home, she hurried to his house, parked the car, and went up the front walk.
She lifted the huge knocker on the front door. After a moment the door was opened by a tall, frail-looking man, with brilliant blue eyes and a shock of white hair.
“Professor Wharton?” Nancy inquired.
The man nodded, and asked her to come in. As Nancy introduced herself and told why she was there, Mrs. Wharton came forward and was introduced.
“I am very much interested in trying to help you,” the professor said, as Nancy opened her purse and handed him the piece of paper bearing the symbols which Mr. Sakamaki had given her. “Ah, yes,” the professor murmured.
Mrs. Wharton asked Nancy to be seated, and her husband excused himself to go to his study. He was gone only a few moments.
“I have your answer,” he said, smiling. “These are ancient Polynesian symbols, to be sure. The first one means water, and the second sleep or death.”
“Water, and sleep or death,” Nancy repeated thoughtfully. “This is a wonderful help to me. Thank you very, very much, Professor Wharton.”
Nancy was so excited by what she had learned that she decided to stop at her father’s office and tell him about the meaning of the symbols. To her delight, Mr. Sakamaki was there.
Mr. Drew looked at his daughter intently, then broke into a chuckle. “Mr. Sakamaki, I can tell you right now that Nancy has already solved one part of our mystery.”
“So soon?” the Islander asked unbelievingly.
Nancy told the two men how she had learned the meaning of the Polynesian symbols. “Have you any idea, Mr. Sakamaki, what your grandfather could have meant by water and sleep or death?” she asked.
Mr. Sakamaki shook his head. “I can only make a guess. Since Grandfather told me not to sell Kaluakua before I learned its mystery, I would say that perhaps he meant the Golden Pavilion contains the secret because it is near the water. As to the sleep or death symbol, I have no idea.”
“Is it possible,” Nancy asked, “that someone who was dear to your grandfather sleeps in death beneath the pavilion?”
After a few moments of thoughtful silence, Mr. Sakamaki said that he was sure such was not the case. Then he changed the subject of conversation.
“I came here to tell your father that I have just had an airmail letter from the caretaker, Kiyabu. It said that the night before, at dusk, a mysterious native dancing girl had appeared in the pavilion. Kiyabu claimed that she looked like a ghost dancing the hula. He and his wife sneaked up on the figure with the thought of questioning her. But just before they reached the pavilion, she seemed to vanish into nothingness, and that frightened them.”
“A ghost!” Nancy cried out excitedly.
“One could come to that conclusion,” Mr. Sakamaki replied. “But I have a theory that some person or persons may have cleverly rigged up a contrivance to make it appear as if a ghost were dancing in the pavilion.”
“But why should anyone go to all that trouble?” Nancy asked.
The Hawaiian could give no explanation. He wondered whether he might have some enemies who had in some way heard of Kaluakua’s secret, and were trying to learn what it was. They probably figured it to be a great treasure.
“Nancy,” the man said earnestly, “you may be running into plenty of pilikia.”
“Pilikia?” Nancy questioned.
“That means trouble,” Mr. Sakamaki told her. “I am not taking back my invitation, but I did not realize there might be so much pilikia. I believe you should think over the whole matter carefully before you decide to go.”
“Instead of discouraging me, your latest news makes me want to tackle the mystery of Kaluakua all the more!”
The Hawaiian smiled. “I was hoping you would say that,” he told her. A moment later he arose to leave. “My very best wishes to you and all your party,” he said.
After Mr. Sakamaki had left, Nancy once more telephoned to Bess and George. This time she found both of them at home and asked the two girls to come to the Drew house immediately. “Big adventure coming up,” she told the cousins, who promised to hurry over.
They arrived at the Drew home the same time Nancy did. Bess, blond and slightly plump, dimpled as she smiled. “Is this adventure just for fun, or is it going to be full of hair-raising episodes like the other mysteries we’ve worked on together?”
“Whatever it is, I’m ready for something different,” George remarked. She was tall and slender and wore her dark hair in a short casual cut. George, in contrast to her timid cousin Bess, was matter-of-fact and practical.
As soon as the girls entered the house, Nancy asked Hannah to come into the living room. After the four sat down, the young sleuth told about the proposed Hawaiian trip.
“Dreamy!” exclaimed Bess. “But it does sound dangerous.”
“Hypers, I can hardly wait to go!” George remarked. “I hope our parents will let us.”
Hannah Gruen wore a broad, contented smile. “Nancy,” she said, “this is one time I can keep an eye on you while you’re working on a mystery.”
The three girls laughed. But Hannah’s face suddenly clouded. “I don’t know, though, whether it’s safe to go out to that Pacific island. They have volcanoes out there that are apt to start up any minute. Then their food is so different!”
“Hannah dear,” said Nancy, “it’s high time you learned about our newest state of Hawaii. It is one of the most up-to-date places in the world and one of the most beautiful.”
“I can tell you a few facts about Hawaii,” George spoke up. “There are seven main islands on which people live. Honolulu is the capital and it’s on Oahu. The population is made up mainly of pure Hawaiians, part Hawaiians, Caucasians, and Orientals. The most handsome people in the world live there.”
Bess made a wry face at her cousin. “Well, you certainly have been reading up on it,” she gibed. “And now I’m going to call home and get permission to go.”
Her parents gladly consented, then George phoned her mother and father. She too was told she might make the trip.
As George announced this to the others, Bess suddenly gave a little squeal. “Girls, the boys are going out to Hawaii. Remember?”