Read The Hidden Window Mystery Online

Authors: Carolyn Keene

Tags: #Women Detectives, #Detective and Mystery Stories, #Mystery & Detective, #Juvenile Fiction, #Mysteries & Detective Stories, #Fiction, #Women Sleuths, #Adventure Stories, #Drew; Nancy (Fictitious Character), #Mystery and Detective Stories

The Hidden Window Mystery (13 page)

BOOK: The Hidden Window Mystery
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“Luke Seeny, this is the hide-out of Ivy Hall’s ghost,” George intoned in a sepulchral voice.
The girls laughed and Annette said, “Our tour is almost over, Luke, so don’t worry.”
She locked an arm into his and guided him toward the trap door, from which the trunk had been removed. Pausing directly on top of the door, she pointed out an antique water jug.
“Isn’t it quaint?” she asked.
In the meantime, Nancy had moved to the side wall and was now pushing back the secret panel. “Luke,” she said, “there’s a lever back here that—”
A look of terror came over the young man’s face. “Don’t touch it!” he yelled. “Don’t you dare touch it!”
Luke jumped off the trap door, dragging Annette with him!
CHAPTER XVII
A Ghost Confesses
 
 
 
“So you’re the ghost of Ivy Hall!” Nancy cried triumphantly.
Luke kept silent.
“You work for Mr. Honsho and brought a peacock from his place over here the other night, didn’t you?” George accused him.
“I told you before I wouldn’t discuss Mr. Honsho,” Luke said defiantly. “What is this? The third degree?”
Nancy smiled and said in a coaxing manner, “It’s no use, Luke. There’s too much evidence against you—your knowledge of the mechanism that opens the trap door, your leaving the trunk open after you took the sheet out of it, the bronze peacock’s foot strapped to your own shoes—and lost in the mud—”
“Don’t say any more!” Luke begged. “I don’t know how you found out all those things. You’re a pretty smart girl, but I haven’t done anything wrong—really I haven’t.”
“Suppose you tell us the whole story,” Nancy suggested. “We’ll go downstairs and sit in some comfortable chairs.”
“And you won’t call the police?” the young man asked fearfully.
Sheila Patterson spoke up. “We’ll answer that question when we’ve heard your story.”
By the time they were seated in the old parlor of Ivy Hall, Luke seemed completely crestfallen. He was very pale, and as he began to speak, his voice shook.
“I worked as a cowboy in Oklahoma. My parents had no money and the only cash I ever had was what I earned. I saved a little and decided to try my luck here.
“What I told you about Mr. Honsho getting in touch with me,” Luke continued, “was pretty near the truth. Right after I got here, the hotel manager asked me if I’d like a job. When I said yes, he told me that Mr. Honsho was looking for somebody to help around his place. I rented a bicycle and rode out there.”
The Oklahoman went on to say that while working at Cumberland Manor he had found an old diary that belonged to a former owner of the estate. In it he had found a notation that mentioned that there was a very unusual stained-glass window on the neighboring property.
“That same day I happened to see an article in a copy of
Continental
magazine, which contained Sir Richard Greystone’s offer to the finder of a certain stained-glass window. I thought the window might be hidden at Ivy Hall, and I decided to find out.”
Luke hung his head. “First I tried to date Annette so that I could get a good look at the inside of the house. When she refused, I figured the only way to find out about the window was to get inside the place somehow. I decided to try scaring the Pattersons away by bringing over one of Mr. Honsho’s peacocks—he has a flock of them.”
Annette looked at the young man in disgust. “You nearly succeeded in driving us out,” she said. “If it hadn’t been for Nancy Drew, we probably wouldn’t be here tonight.”
“Please go on with your story, Luke,” Nancy urged.
The cowboy said that after he had failed to scare the Pattersons away, he had risked entering the old house at night. He had become pretty well acquainted with it, even to finding the mechanism that worked the trap door.
“So they were your footsteps we heard!” Annette remarked.
Luke nodded. When the girls had nearly discovered him in the attic, he had hidden behind the secret paneL He had seized the opportunity to open the trap door and send Nancy and George down the slide, convinced that this would frighten the group away from Ivy Hall.
Luke said he had used the slide himself previously and had found the secret opening into the kitchen. He had figured that the two girls would also locate it and escape.
Bess interrupted Luke to ask, “Why did you nearly scare me out of my wits, playing ghost in the attic? You could have stayed behind the panel until I left.”
“I suppose I could have,” Luke replied. “But you just seemed like the scary type and I thought my trick would drive you all away.”
“And you played the same trick,” George said, “when Nancy and I chased you and the peacock over to Cumberland Manor.”
Luke admitted that he had taken the sheet along and hidden it in some bushes. When his attempt to scare Nancy and George had failed, he had turned Mr. Honsho’s fire hose on them.
“I guess I’m just a good-for-nothing,” the cowboy said. “But I don’t want to go to jail. Please don’t call the police,” he begged again.
Nancy said this decision lay with the Pattersons. “What I’d like to know is, Did you find any clue to the missing peacock window?”
“No, I didn’t,” Luke said. “You’ve got to believe me.”
He looked pleadingly at Sheila Patterson. She was silent for a minute then said, “I suppose we all make mistakes, especially if we’re trying too hard to make quick money.”
Luke looked relieved. “I’ll tell you what,” he burst out. “To show you I’m on the level, I’ll take you all over to Cumberland Manor and introduce you to Mr. Honsho. Then you can ask him to open his place for Garden Week.”
The unexpected offer surprised the group so much that for a moment no one answered Luke.
Then Nancy spoke. “When do you want us to go?” she asked.
“Why, right away,” he answered. “Mr. Honsho doesn’t go to bed until very late.”
Nancy relaxed. It began to look as if Luke Seeny were not a malicious character—but a weak person who could not resist temptation.
“We’ll go,” Nancy said. She led the way out to the car and the whole group piled in.
When they reached Cumberland Manor, Nancy parked, and the party walked down the path lighted by the beam of Nancy’s flashlight. After Luke had unlocked the gate, the visitors stepped inside and the young man carefully locked it again.
“Follow me,” he said, and led the way among towering trees and lovely gardens to the old stone mansion. It was English Tudor in style, and the lights within seemed to beckon the visitors hospitably.
Luke gave a peculiar whistle to announce their approach. After he had repeated it a second time, the front door of the mansion opened. A slender man of medium build, with dark skin and hair, came outside.
“Mr. Honsho,” Luke called out, “I’ve brought you some visitors.”
Although the callers realized that the Indian gentleman must be very much surprised and perhaps annoyed, he gave no evidence of it. Cordially he invited them into the house, which was furnished exquisitely. Luke introduced the visitors one by one and told Mr. Honsho where they were from, adding that the Pattersons had recently bought Ivy Hall.
“I am pleased to meet you all,” said their host. He spoke flawless English with a British accent. Then he turned to Luke and with a smile said, “I presume the visitors have learned our little secret?”
“Yes, they have, sir,” Luke replied. “Miss Drew is an amateur detective. She recognized the screeching of the peacocks.”
Mr. Honsho looked at the girl in combined perplexity and admiration. He made no comment on the subject, however. Instead, he said, “Is it because of my peacocks that I have the honor of your visit this evening?”
“Not entirely,” said Nancy. “I’m a cousin of Mrs. Clifford Carr’s, one of your neighbors. She’s on the Garden Week committee. Because I love to solve mysteries, she asked me if I would try to find out why you refused to open your gardens to the public.”
Mr. Honsho chuckled. “And you know the answer? That I would not do it because I heard some people in this area are superstitious about peacocks?”
Nancy smiled. “Whatever I thought, I did not mention it to anyone. But I assure you, Mr. Honsho, you have perhaps been misinformed about Americans believing that peacocks bring bad luck. Most of us, like people in your country, think the birds are very beautiful and we admire them.”
The Indian’s face broke into a broad smile. “I am relieved to hear that,” he said, “because I am very proud of my beautiful birds. Come, I will show them to you.”
After turning on several switches, which lighted the grounds, he led the way back of the house to an extensive wire enclosure. In it, roosting among the trees, were a large number of birds. Mr. Honsho made a low cooing sound and instantly one of them left its roost and flew down to him. It was pure white and very stately.
“This bird is sacred to us Indians,” Mr. Honsho said, gazing affectionately at the beautiful feathered creature. “If you can assure me, Miss Drew, that visitors to my place will not injure my peacocks, I will be happy to open my gates.”
The girls expressed their thanks and voiced their admiration of his proud-looking birds. “I hope every one of them will spread its fan when the sightseers come,” said Bess.
Mr. Honsho bade his callers good night, adding that he would leave the lights on until Luke had escorted the group outside the gate.
“Isn’t Mr. Honsho charming?” Bess burst out as they drove off. “And so different from what I expected.”
“He’s been very good to me,” said Luke. On the way back to Ivy Hall, the cowboy was silent until they reached the house. Then he asked apprehensively, “Have I cleared myself?”
Sheila looked at him steadily. Then she said, “Luke, I think maybe you’ve learned your lesson. I won’t prosecute you.”
Meanwhile, Annette had gone into the house and now came out with the feather fan. “I want you to take this with you,” she said, handing it to Luke.
A look of pain crossed his face. “I made it for you myself,” he said. “Please keep the fan. It’ll help to make up for all the trouble I’ve caused.”
“Well, if you insist. And thank you,” the girl answered.
Luke expressed his gratitude to the group for their leniency toward him, hopped on his bicycle, and pedaled off into the darkness.
As the girls from River Heights were preparing for bed, George patted Nancy on the shoulder. “Congratulations, old pal. You’ve solved one of the mysteries of Charlottesville!”
Nancy grinned. Now she could concentrate on the others. She was the first one up the following morning and at once telephoned Susan Carr.
“Hi, Sue!” she said. “Good news! Mr. Honsho is going to open his gardens to visitors this morning and for the rest of Garden Week!”
Susan exclaimed, “I don’t know how you did it!” Nancy briefly told her what had happened.
Susan said she would notify the rest of the committee at once and each of them would make phone calls to spread the word that Cumberland Manor would be open to the public.
The group at Ivy Hall had a quick breakfast and set off immediately for Mr. Honsho’s estate. He greeted them cordially and said that Luke had come directly back to Cumberland Manor after leaving the girls. He had worked all night to get the place ready for display.
The Indian told them that Luke had confessed everything, including taking the peacock. He felt the young man sincerely regretted his actions. Nancy and her friends were glad to hear this.
They spent the whole day welcoming the many visitors to the Cumberland Manor gardens. Men and women especially admired the exquisite peacocks. To the delight of the crowd, many of the birds strutted around with their fans spread.
It was late in the afternoon when Nancy and her friends returned to Ivy Hall. All were weary and declared that as soon as supper was over, they were going to bed.
“I’m warning everybody now,” said Nancy, “that I’m getting up at the crack of dawn to hunt for the stained-glass window.”
“I’ll be with you,” said George, and Bess nodded her agreement.
By this time Sheila had unlocked the great front door and the group walked in.
Suddenly the actress shrieked. “Oh, my home! My home!” she cried out.
Everyone stared in stupefied amazement at what they saw. Walls, floors, and ceilings had been hacked. The place was a shambles!
CHAPTER XVIII
Rifled Luggage
 
 
 
SHEILA Patterson became so hysterical that the girls forgot everything else. The actress alternately laughed and cried, and continuously pointed to the hacked walls, floor, and ceilings.
“We must call a doctor,” said Annette. She was on the verge of hysterics herself.
George hurried to the phone while the others endeavored to calm Sheila, but this was impossible. There was nothing to do except wait for Dr. Tillett to come.
“We must notify the police also,” Nancy said, and phoned headquarters immediately.
Two officers arrived at the same time Dr. Tillett did. Sheila was put to bed and a short while later the physician announced that she was asleep. By morning, he said, the actress would have recovered from her shock.
In the meantime, Nancy had answered all the questions the police had asked, then had shown them through the house. They found that entry had been made by smashing a dining-room window. The various secret places of the mansion were revealed and investigated. There was no clue to the intruder.
One of the officers, named Hanley, said, “The fellow must have worn gloves and there are no distinct footprints.”
The two policemen had about concluded their work when Bess cried out from the girls’ bedroom. Nancy and the officers rushed to see what the trouble was.
“That horrible burglar,” Bess exclaimed, “mussed up all our clothes!” She explained that upon opening her suitcase she had found everything in it in disorder. “And my beautiful new slip is gone!” Bess added woefully.
BOOK: The Hidden Window Mystery
2.65Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
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