Nancy said, “Would you mind telling me the names of these people? I think I found something near the camp that may belong to them.”
“I’ll be glad to tell you,” Mrs. Tarpey answered. “They’re Wilbur and Beatrice Prizer.”
“Did you see the couple’s children?” Nancy asked.
The realtor shook her head. “No. The Prizers were going to go back home and bring them here yesterday.”
Nancy told Mrs. Tarpey how much she appreciated the information and the group left her office.
When they reached the street, George said, “Well, what next?”
Nancy grinned. “I suggest we call on the Prizers. I have a hunch they do not have eight children and aren’t going to have a party.”
CHAPTER IV
The Octopus
“Hi!” a voice called from behind Nancy and her friends. “Where are you folks heading?”
The speaker was Bab Hackett. She and the other ghost hunters said they had come downtown to do a little shopping. “How about you?”
“We’ve picked up a clue to that ghost last night,” Nancy said, and told of their plan to call on the Prizers.
“My goodness, Nancy,” said Bill, laughing, “you really mean business when you’re on a case. Pretty soon you’ll have all these mysteries solved without ever giving us an opportunity to track a ghost.”
Nancy smiled. “Not a chance. But how about coming along with us right now and helping to interview the suspects?”
There was a chorus of yeses. The two cars which had brought the married couples to town followed Nancy’s convertible down the street and onto the lake road.
It was difficult to find the Prizer cottage which stood in a wooded area some distance from both the road and the waterfront. The callers after a long search finally located it.
“This place certainly is secluded,” Bab remarked.
There was no one around, but an elderly man answered Nancy’s knock.
“Is this the Prizer cottage?” she asked.
He nodded and invited the young people inside. They entered and sat down, some on the floor. Nancy’s eyes scanned the living room which was plainly but tastefully decorated. On a mantel-shelf lay a beautiful cradle-shaped shell.
“I must ask him about it later,” Nancy thought. Aloud she said, “Mr. and Mrs. Prizer aren’t at home? Will they be back soon?”
“Oh, they only come once in a while. They rented this place for me,” the elderly man answered. “I’m Mr. Prizer’s father.”
“I see,” Nancy remarked. “The place is so lovely I should think they’d want to be here all summer. It would be especially nice for their children.”
“Children!” Mr. Prizer exclaimed. He laughed softly. “They have no children.”
Ned spoke up and asked in what business the son was engaged.
“He dabbles in real estate,” was the answer. “Wilbur and Beatrice keep mighty busy traveling around in connection with their land interests.”
Instantly Nancy recalled the loss of patronage at Pine Grove Camp, the possibility of its being sold, and also of the younger Prizer’s interest in the camp. She dared not ask more questions, however, for fear of arousing the suspicions of elderly Mr. Prizer.
Bab inquired if he minded staying alone. “Oh no,” he said. “I’ve got my books—lots of them, and my shells.”
“That’s a beauty on the mantel,” Bab remarked. “May I look at it closely?”
Mr. Prizer got up and went to get the shell. He asked, “Do you know what kind of creature made this?”
Bab smiled. “An octopus,” she answered.
“Right,” said Mr. Prizer. “Are you a shell collector?”
“Yes I am, and I think the story about this Argonaut Argo is one of the most interesting of all the shells. Please tell the others about it.”
“Glad to,” the elderly man said. “At certain times the female octopus deposits about forty festoons of eggs in a cradle shell like this. The eggs are nearly transparent. Next, she waves her arms over the clusters so that the salt water circulates among the eggs.
“It takes about two months for the little creatures to hatch. During that time the mother octopus watches over the eggs and doesn’t eat one mouthful of food.”
“Wow!” Burt exclaimed. “I’m glad I’m not a mother octopus!”
This remark sent the others into gales of laughter.
“When the eggs are hatched, what form are the babies in?” Nancy asked.
Mr. Prizer replied, “They’re miniature octopi. But they grow very fast. When adults, they often have a spread of ten feet and weigh about ten pounds.”
He continued, “The octopus is a very intelligent creature. As you probably know, it has eight legs and can swim or walk. The only hard part of its body is the beak, which the creature uses to open clams, oysters, and crabs. It eats every speck of meat without breaking their shells.”
“How does he manage that?” George asked.
“The octopus merely sucks up his food. By the way, an octopus is pretty lucky—it has three hearts.”
“O-oh,” said Bess. “What does it do with them all?”
Mr. Prizer chuckled. “I suppose they provide a better circulatory system to get the blood to all the eight legs.”
As the man paused, Bab remarked that an octopus exudes an inky smoke screen when it is confronted by an enemy. “The moray eel is the natural enemy of the octopus.”
Bab asked Mr. Prizer if she might see the rest of his collection of shells.
“It’s not unpacked yet. But I’ve got some beauties.”
The elderly man did not sit down again and the visitors took this as an indication that the interview was at an end. They all thanked him for his interesting talk, but Nancy and Ned noticed that he did not invite them to return. They mentioned this to the others as the group trudged up the hill to the road.
“That’s a bit strange,” Bab remarked. “Most shell collectors are eager to show off their specimens and talk about them.”
When the ghost hunters reached Pine Camp Lodge, Bess suggested, “Let’s go to the beach and have fun.”
“And give up the ghost hunting?” George asked.
“Do we have to work every minute?” her cousin countered.
George turned to Rita Rodriguez. “Have you any hunches? You have ESP, I hear.”
Rita smiled. “Would you like me to give some predictions about this trip?”
Bess forgot all about the plan to go swimming. “Please do,” she said.
The ghost hunters sat down and remained quiet. Rita bowed her head and remained motionless for several minutes. Then she raised her eyes.
“I’m afraid what I see in my mind’s eye is not good news. Perhaps I should not worry you with it.”
George said at once, “We’ve gone this far. We may as well hear the worst. Please go ahead and tell us.”
Rita said solemnly, “In the very near future I see an accident in a boat to a young couple. I cannot make out who they are but the message is that it may ruin our trip.”
“Oh!” exclaimed Bab. “Maybe all of us should stay out of boats.”
Nancy did not comment, feeling that the premonition should be considered as a warning, not a hindrance. No one else expressed an opinion. Ned broke the uneasy silence by suggesting that they all hurry to their cabins and change to swimsuits.
When they reached the shore a little later, Ned said to Nancy, “Did Rita’s warning scare you? Are you game to go out in a canoe with me?”
Nancy laughed. “You know I’m not scared. Let’s go!”
Ned picked a good-looking red aluminum craft. He chose paddles and said he would sit at the stern.
“You can just take it easy if you like,” he told Nancy, but she said she would like to paddle from the forward position.
It was a beautiful day and the sun was pleasantly warm.
They had gone about a quarter of a mile when Nancy exclaimed, “Ned! The self-paddling canoe is just ahead of us!”
He stared in the direction of the mystery craft. It was indeed the same canoe!
He and Nancy began to paddle at breakneck speed after it. “We’re getting closer!” he cried gleefully.
The canoe veered toward a cove. They sped along after it, wondering if this time they would find the place where the mystery craft was hidden.
Suddenly Nancy and Ned found it almost impossible to paddle. It seemed as if some terrific pressure were pulling them backward.
“What’s the matter with this canoe?” Nancy asked.
“I don’t know,” Ned replied. “We’re paddling like mad, but the canoe is almost standing still.”
He and Nancy dug in deeper but their efforts were of no avail. The two looked at each other in dismay. What unknown source was hindering their progress?
Before either could express the thought aloud, the canoe suddenly overturned. Taken unaware, they plunged deep into the lake.
Nancy immediately began to claw the water and made her way to the surface quickly. She looked around for Ned but he was not in sight. After several seconds had gone by and he did not rise to the surface, she became alarmed. Could the canoe have hit Ned and knocked him out?
Nancy dived and searched under water. She rose again. This time she spotted her friend. The sight horrified her.
Ned, apparently unconscious, was being towed ashore by giant arms that looked like those of a great octopus!
CHAPTER V
The Suspicious Flight
IN a panic over Ned’s safety, Nancy raced through the water after him and his captor. Was the creature that was dragging him along a real octopus or a man wearing a disguise?
The chase seemed endless.
“Let him go!” Nancy cried out as she thrashed through the water. But just when she was on the verge of overtaking the tentacled creature, it suddenly released Ned and dived under the water. A new fear took possession of Nancy. Was the octopus going to attack her?
Pushing the thought out of her mind, Nancy gave a final spurt and reached Ned. Fortunately the shore was not far away. Could she tow Ned there in safety?
Apparently the attacker did not intend to make further trouble. It did not reappear and Nancy managed to get Ned onto dry land and began giving him first aid. She knew he had not taken any water into his lungs, because he kept blinking and murmuring, “Get the octopus!”
Presently he was able to tell Nancy what had happened.
“When we were thrown into the water, the octopus grabbed me. It hit my head with one of the tentacles and I went under. I had enough sense to hold my breath until we rose to the surface. Then I managed to flop onto my back, but after that I guess I blacked out for a while.”
Nancy said the strange creature had disappeared under water. “Have you any idea who or what it was?” she asked.
Ned shook his head. “I’m sure octopuses don’t live in this lake so this one must have been imported.”
“I think,” Nancy said, “that it was a man in disguise. It’s further evidence that someone is doing all these weird things to frighten us away from Pine Grove Camp. I have a hunch it’s young Mr. Prizer.”
“You’re probably right,” Ned agreed. “Well, shall we start back to camp?”
Neither their overturned canoe nor the self-paddling craft was in sight.
“I’ll dive down and see if ours sank,” Nancy offered.
When she surfaced, Ned asked, “Any luck?”
“Not yet.” Nancy dived deeply and swam underwater for nearly a minute.
“I certainly don’t see our canoe,” she told herself ruefully. After a rest she tried once more.
Her search was fruitless. She and Ned concluded that it had been stolen by the octopus-man.
“Do you feel up to a trek?” she asked him.
“Oh sure. I guess we’ll have to walk way around the lake to get back to camp.”
“I’m afraid so.”
The other ghost hunters were still on the beach when Nancy and Ned returned. They were amazed when Nancy related what had happened.
Rita did not express her thoughts aloud, but the smile on her face plainly indicated an “I told you so.”
Burt and Dave decided to take a powerboat and hunt for the missing camp canoe, the craft that propelled itself, and the octopus.
“I’m sure there’s a connection between the last two,” Nancy told them just before they roared off.
Bess insisted that Nancy and Ned take a rest. They agreed but first stopped at the lodge to tell Mr. Leffert about the missing canoe and the other mysterious incidents. He was standing behind the desk, talking to the clerk.
When Ronny, the clerk, heard the story, his eyes opened wide. “I’ve been told there’s a monster in the lake,” he said. “I didn’t believe it, but now I do.”
Mr. Leffert pounded the desk and said, “That settles it! I’m selling the place! The whole thing has gone far enough. Just this morning I received an offer for the camp. I’ll take it and get out of here before I lose any more money.”
As he bellowed, an idea came to Nancy. She asked, “By any chance is the prospective buyer’s name Prizer?”
Mr. Leffert looked at her in surprise. “Why, yes, it is. How did you know that?”
She and Ned explained about going to see Mrs. Tarpey, the realtor, and learning that a man named Wilbur Prizer had been inquiring about the camp.
“Please wait a little longer,” Nancy urged Mr. Leffert. “I have a hunch we’re going to solve the mystery. By the way, I suppose the price you were offered for the camp is very low compared to what it’s worth?”
“Yes, it is,” Mr. Leffert said.
“Then please wait,” Nancy pleaded.
Mr. Leffert agreed to do this. He had just made the promise when the telephone rang and he scooped it up. In a moment he said, “Yes, Mr. Prizer.”
Nancy and Ned looked at each other, wondering whether Prizer would be persuasive enough to talk Mr. Leffert into selling after all. But the proprietor put him off.
“I’d like a few days to make up my mind,” he said.
The caller became very angry and insistent and talked so loudly that Nancy and Ned could hear every word. Prizer did everything but threaten Mr. Leffert into agreeing to sell the camp. At one point Nancy was afraid the proprietor might give in and kept shaking her head to encourage him to delay.
“This is my final answer for the moment,” Mr. Leffert told his caller. “I will let you know my decision in a few days.”
As Prizer yelled louder, Mr. Leffert said, “I am very busy. I must say good-by.” He hung up.
The other ghost hunters entered the lodge just then and were apprised of the latest development. All were pleased that Nancy had persuaded Mr. Leffert to wait before selling his property. The group was about to scatter and dress for lunch when they heard the dock bell ringing furiously.
“Something’s happened!” cried Mr. Leffert.
Nancy was already out the door and running toward the dock. Bess and George were close at her heels. Burt and Dave were standing up in the camp’s motorboat. As their friends arrived Burt held up an octopus, its eight tentacles waving menacingly.
“Look out!” he cried.
“Look out!” Burt cried
With that, he threw the octopus directly toward the oncoming ghost hunters. Bess screamed and turned around. George and the others dodged the creature as it landed on the dock. Though its great arms continued to wave around, the octopus did not move away. Burt and Dave burst into uproarious laughter.
Nancy grinned. “You old fakers!” she exclaimed. “Where did you get this rubber octopus? And what makes it wiggle?”
“We found it near where Ned was attacked,” Dave replied.
Ned looked puzzled. “If this is what attacked me, a man must have been inside the thing or back of it.”
“If he’s using the creature to scare people,” said Nancy, “why did he let the octopus loose?”
George spoke up. “Maybe he didn’t plan to let it go, but had to when Nancy drew close to him.”
Burt said that he and Dave had found the fake octopus lying on the beach. While examining it, they had discovered how to start the mechanism which made it wriggle through the water. In a few moments the tiny motor ran down and the rubber octopus lay still.
Nancy had gone to the edge of the dock and noticed that the canoe was tied to the motorboat. “Is this the camp canoe?” she asked.
Dave nodded. “It was way up at the far end of the lake. But we didn’t find the one that propels itself.”
Ned pulled the aluminum craft up on the beach and began to inspect it. He said, “Something was keeping Nancy and me from making any progress in the water. Maybe there’s a hidden gadget.”
Bess looked fearful again. “You mean someone deliberately put a gadget in it so he could control the canoe?”
“I suspect so,” Ned replied.
He searched the craft thoroughly but found nothing. “It was removed,” Ned decided.
As he straightened up, George said, “If someone was trying to cause an accident, he wouldn’t know which canoe would be chosen to take out on the lake.”
“You’re right,” Ned agreed. “Let’s look in the others. Come on, fellows.”
Under the rear seat of each craft the boys found a radio-controlled mechanism. The movements of the canoes could be controlled from some hidden spot along the shore!
“I see it all now,” Nancy remarked. “The canoe that propels itself is probably also radio-controlled. At a certain point where the operator was hidden along the shore, the canoe was used as bait. Ned you and I swallowed the bait.”
He nodded. “Then the person held our canoe back and finally upset it. He or someone else jumped into the water with the octopus and attacked me.”
Jim Archer spoke up. “I’d say that the octopus-man or people working with him are trained engineers.”
“But nuts,” George commented in disgust.
The gadgets were removed from the canoes and turned over to Mr. Leffert. He notified the police, who later came to take the gadgets. The two officers were amazed and greatly concerned about the rash way in which the devices were being used.
The next morning Nancy said to the ghost hunters, “I think we should call on elderly Mr. Prizer again and tell him about the canoes and the octopus. We might learn from his reaction if his son was really behind the attack.”
Bab said she would like to go and see the man’s shell collection. Don offered to drive her. Ned, Burt, and Dave agreed to go, but the other ghost hunters decided not to join them.
“You tell us about it,” Anne said, smiling.
When Nancy and her friends arrived at the Prizer cottage, there was no answer to their knock. They looked in the windows and could see every part of the interior. No one was there and Nancy noticed that the cradle shell was gone.
“Well, we can’t break in,” Bab remarked. “I guess we’ll have to go back to camp without learning anything.”
Just then they saw a woman coming down the path toward the cottage. She was striding vigorously and swinging her arms. There was a set expression on her face.
“She sure looks mad,” Don remarked.
“That’s Mrs. Tarpey, the realtor,” Nancy told him.
As the woman stormed up to them she did not recognize any of the callers at once.
“If you’re looking for that old geezer who was staying here,” she said, “he’s skipped!”
“Skipped?” Nancy repeated. “You mean he has left?”
“I mean more than that,” Mrs. Tarpey said angrily. “Not only did he move out bag and baggage, but his relatives gave me a check that bounced!”
George remarked, “Then probably it’s just as well that he’s gone. You can rent the place to someone else.”
“Maybe and maybe not,” Mrs. Tarpey said. “With all the goings-on around here it’s doubtful.”
Suddenly she recognized Nancy. “You’re the girl who was asking me about the Prizers.”
When Nancy nodded, the realtor said, “Did you find out anything about them?”
Nancy repeated what little she had learned, particularly that the younger Prizers had no children.
Bess said, “I feel sorry for the old man. He’s not to blame for what his son and wife do.”
Nancy was not so sure that the old man deserved any sympathy. She was inclined to think he was part of the racket.
Bab remarked, “The senior Mr. Prizer said he had a fabulous shell collection. I wanted so much to see it.”
Mrs. Tarpey tossed her head. “If he had one, it was probably stolen from somebody.”
“Stolen!” Bab exclaimed.
“Yes. Didn’t you hear the news report this morning?”
CHAPTER VI
A Curious Prophecy
“WHAT was the news report?” Nancy asked.
Mrs. Tarpey said that a valuable collection of shells had been stolen in the nearby town of Sheldon. The collector had been away for a couple of weeks. Upon his return he had discovered the loss.
“The shells were worth a great deal of money,” Mrs. Tarpey explained. “Some of them are very rare. One of the Murex shells, a Brandaris, belonged to an ancient emperor. At the time he lived, people found that the Brandaris secreted a yellow fluid. When processed, it gave out a permanent purple dye which was used to color cloth for togas. Only emperors and kings were allowed to wear them.”
“How fascinating!” Bess remarked. “I can understand why the stolen collection was a real haul for the thief.”
Nancy said she would like to go into the cabin and see if she could find any clues to help solve the mystery of the lake.
“Also any clues to where the Prizers may have gone. May we go in, Mrs. Tarpey?”
“Yes, and I hope you find something so I can trace those crooks.”
The group entered and immediately began their search. George looked through a pile of newspapers in a corner. Those of local origin did not contain any stories which might give a clue, but on the bottom of the pile she noticed a Florida paper.
Suspicious, she called Nancy over and showed it to her. “There might be something here Mr. Prizer wanted to keep,” she said. “Help me look at all the articles.”
The girls scanned one column after another without finding anything that might relate to the Prizers. Then, on the next to the last page, Nancy spotted a marked article.
STOLEN SHELL COLLECTION REMAINS A MYSTERY
The item stated that an intruder had stolen a collection of priceless shells, some of them in the room where the owner was asleep.
“Nancy, do you suppose that intruder could possibly have been young Mr. Prizer after more shells?”
Nancy nodded. “Or old Mr. Prizer.”
By this time the other searchers were ready to give up. They had found no worthwhile clues.
“Look at this!” said Bess and showed them the news item.
Nancy went over to Mrs. Tarpey. “Is there an attic or a cellar in this cottage?” she asked.
“There’s no cellar, but there is an attic. You have to remove one of the panels in the ceiling to get to it.”
“I think we should look up there,” Nancy told her, and she agreed. “We’d better have one of the boys go up.”
Nancy asked Ned if he would do it. As everyone looked on, he hoisted himself to Burt’s shoulders and slid the panel back. Then he climbed into the attic. Those below waited expectantly. The attic floor squeaked and groaned as Ned moved around.
“That floor doesn’t sound very safe,” Bess whispered to Nancy.
“No, it doesn’t,” Nancy agreed.
The stillness was suddenly shattered by a shout from Ned. “The mystery is solved!” he called down.
“What did you find?” Nancy asked.
“The canoe! The self-propelling canoe!”
“How marvelous!”
Ned called out, “Burt, Dave, Don! You grab the canoe as I slide it through the opening.”
The girls moved out of the way and the boys took their positions under the attic opening.
“Here goes!” Ned cried out.
As he started to shove the canoe over the edge, there was a splintering sound and the whole floor at one end of the opening gave way. Ned and the canoe dropped into space!
While Burt and Dave braced themselves to catch Ned, George and Nancy leaped forward to help Don keep the canoe from smashing to the floor. Ned was caught neatly and the craft lowered with only a slight bump.
Mrs. Tarpey, almost beside herself with excitement, said, “Well of all things! Those wicked people! And now I’ll have a big repair bill on that ceiling.”
The young people began to examine the canoe. Ned pointed out a complicated set of gadgets under both the front and rear seats. One motor worked the front paddle, another the stern. Both were attached by permanent swiveling fixtures. Still another motor was used to receive remote-control signals.
“Actually it’s very ingenious,” said Don.
Just then they heard voices outside and two police officers walked in. Mrs. Tarpey had reported the check swindle and the men had come to investigate the cottage.
Mrs. Tarpey introduced them to the group, then said, “I guess these young folks have solved the mystery of the ghostly happenings on Lake Sevanee.”
She told the officers of Nancy’s hunch there might be a clue in the attic and that the canoe had been found there.
The men looked at Nancy and smiled. “You have great sagacity, young lady,” one of them said. “You’ve saved us a lot of trouble.”
Bess showed the officers the Florida newspaper and they decided to take it along as well as the canoe for possible evidence against the Prizers. Since there was nothing more the ghost hunters could do at the cottage, Nancy suggested they leave. Mrs. Tarpey and the officers thanked them for their help as they said good-by.
Climbing the hill to their cars, Bab said, “I’m glad this case is closed. Now we can go on to the next one. That really should be exciting.”
“You mean the medium at whose hut thunder always rolls during her séances?” Don asked.
“Yes.”
Nancy reminded them that even though the ghost hunters had found the mysterious canoe and had unearthed information concerning the nefarious activities of the Prizers, they still had not caught them.
Bab sighed. “As long as we debunk the ghost business, do we have to capture the villains?”
George answered, “We usually do. Nancy never leaves a case unfinished.”
Ned laughed. “That’s right, and I’ll bet she’ll catch up with the Prizers.”
When they reached the lodge, Nancy told Mr. Leffert what they had learned. He was delighted and relieved that the Prizers had left town.
“Now I can fill my camp with guests and nobody will be afraid to go in or on the lake! I just can’t thank you young people enough!”
Nancy said she and her friends were sorry to leave such an attractive place. “But we have another job to do, so we’ll be checking out soon.”
The other ghost hunters were consulted and it was decided to leave early the following morning. Their destination was Vernonville. When they reached there, Helen and Jim made arrangements at an attractive one-story motel. As soon as the group had checked in, Helen asked the desk clerk, Miss Adelaide, about the medium and when she held séances. She consulted a calendar of local events. “Madame Tarantella is having a séance this evening just for women. Before it starts, she will hold consultations with troubled souls.”
This struck George funny. Striking a pose with her feet far apart and her hands on her hips, she said in a nasal tone, “Nancy, Bess, all of us are in real trouble, ain’t we?”
The other girls burst into laughter. Becoming serious, they decided they would go to Madame Tarantella’s directly after supper. Each would try to see her privately. The other women ghost hunters decided to attend the seance but not to go early for separate consultations.
“I’m surprised that you want one,” Rita said to Nancy. “You’re so practical.”
Nancy smiled. “My main reason for going is to study the woman and her hut.”
As the three girls drove off later in Nancy’s car, George remarked what a beautiful evening it was. “If there’s any thunder during the séance tonight, it’ll have to be artificial. I guess the medium pulls this trick to scare people.”
A few minutes later Nancy drove up to a wooden shack with a sign PROPHECIES on the door. The building seemed out of place in an area of small apartment houses.
“I guess we’re first to arrive,” said George.
A small man dressed like a gypsy admitted the girls and escorted them to a rear room. The light was dim but they could distinguish a rather heavy-set woman dressed as a gypsy fortuneteller. She was seated at a table.
Bess began to count the bracelets on her arm, but before she could finish, the woman said in a deep, husky voice, “I will take this young lady first.” She raised herself up a little to touch Nancy’s shoulder. “Will you two please remain outside.”
Bess and George left the inner room and sat down in the larger area where the séance would be held.
Madame Tarantella asked Nancy to be seated in front of her across the table. She took the girl’s right hand in hers, but did not look at it. She merely stared at Nancy’s face and began to talk.
It was a surprise to Nancy that the medium told her so many things about herself that were true. She did not see how the woman could possibly have found them out, since she did not know Nancy was coming.