Burt turned the car and headed toward the farmhouse. When they had almost reached it, he said, “You girls go on back to Emerson and pick us up at the farm early in the morning.”
They agreed. Half a mile from the house the two boys got out and to keep from being seen approached the building from the rear.
Meanwhile, Nancy had taken the wheel and the girls had gone on. When they returned to the fraternity house, students crowded around and asked many questions.
“Any news of Ned?”
“What did you find out?”
The girls admitted that they had learned very little but suspected a certain place might offer a clue, so Burt and Dave were spending the night there to see what they could find out. This seemed to satisfy the boys, and the girls hurried off to the guest room.
“I certainly need a bath and a shampoo,” Bess spoke up. “Anybody mind if I use the shower first?”
“Go ahead,” said Nancy. She sat down in a chair and stared out a window, but her mind was not on the scenery. She was recalling the day’s adventures and trying to fit the pieces of the puzzle together. She asked herself, “If Crosson goes to the farmhouse, does he bring Ned with him?
“Probably not,” the young detective decided. “Oh, Ned, where are you?” she thought wistfully. “If you can’t send me another message, concentrate real hard on transmitting a clue into this brain of mine.”
A while later George tapped her on the shoulder. “Time’s up for daydreaming,” she said. “Bathroom’s free. Your turn for a shower.”
Almost absentmindedly Nancy got up and went to take a refreshing bath. After it, she felt less edgy and hurried to put on fresh clothes for dinner.
Ned’s fraternity brothers were very kind and solicitous and tried their best to entertain the three girls, Nancy in particular. When dinner was over, a tall blond boy with deep-blue eyes, named Tom Rankin, put some hit records on the stereo. Nancy enjoyed the music, but before one album had finished, she was called to the telephone.
“Hello! Who is this?” she asked.
“Never mind who I am. What I want to know is, where are Burt Eddleton and Dave Evans?”
Nancy was instantly alert. Instead of giving the information, she said, “I won’t answer your question until you identify yourself.”
She waited for an answer but none came. There were several seconds of silence, then the caller hung up.
As Nancy came back to join the group, she began to worry about Burt and Dave. She asked the boy who had originally taken the call if the speaker had asked for either Burt or Dave.
“Yes, he did. When I said they were not here, he wanted to speak to you. Is something wrong?”
“I don’t know, but the man wouldn’t give me his name,” Nancy replied.
Bess and George were upset when they heard what had happened. Bess, who was frantic with worry, said, “I’m sure the caller was Crosson. He isn’t satisfied with having kidnapped Ned. Now he’s going to get Dave and Burt!”
George did not share her cousin’s fears. “I’m sure Burt and Dave will know how to take care of themselves if he arrives.”
“But suppose,” said Bess, “that he brings along some pals and they overpower Dave and Burt?”
There was a discussion about whether or not the girls should notify the police, but they had confidence in their friends’ resourcefulness and strength to meet any emergency.
George said, “Let’s get some sleep and go out there early in the morning.”
The girls said good night to Ned’s fraternity brothers and went to bed. None of them slept well and were up at six o’clock.
The friendly blond boy Tom Rankin was also up. It was his turn to be on kitchen duty. Nancy, Bess, and George helped him and the four had breakfast together.
“Where are you off to?” he asked.
“To get Burt and Dave,” Nancy replied, but gave no other information.
When the girls reached the farmhouse, it appeared to be deserted. Nancy opened the front door and called out. There was no answer. Quickly the three made a search of the place and George even got the ladder from the closet and went to the cellar. She looked in the clothes chute. Burt and Dave were not on the premises.
Moments later Nancy, Bess, and George stood in the middle of the living room, staring at one another, the same thought going through their minds. Had Burt and Dave been kidnapped?
“Oh, I can’t stand it!” Bess wailed, tears welling up in her eyes. “Why did we ever let the boys stay here?”
“Shush!” George commanded. “Crying over the situation isn’t helping any. Put on your thinking cap, Bess, and help us figure out—”
Nancy interrupted to ask a pertinent question. “George, were there clothes in the chute?”
George admitted that she had not noticed. Once more she climbed down the ladder to the cellar, then slid back the door to the chute. There was nothing in it.
“Now I know Crosson was here!” she thought.
George was not the kind of girl to give in to tears, but it was difficult for her to come back up the ladder and tell the others of her suspicion.
“I’m going outside and look around,” she said.
Nancy and Bess began to hunt in the house for anything which might give them a clue to the boys’ whereabouts. They hoped that Burt and Dave might have managed to leave some kind of message. But their search revealed no leads.
George, who had just finished scrutinizing the ground in front of the farmhouse for clues, saw a State Police patrol car coming. She was about to hail it, when the car pulled in and stopped. The uniformed driver opened the door on the passenger side and shouted to George, “Is Nancy Drew here?”
“Yes, she is,” George replied, wondering whether the man was bringing bad news.
George rushed up to the front door and called to Nancy. She came downstairs with Bess at her heels.
“I’m Anthony Russo,” the policeman said.
The girls introduced themselves and Nancy said, “Do you have a message for me?”
The officer nodded and said that he had been there earlier and talked to Burt and Dave who had explained their reason for trespassing. The officer grinned. “I found out they hadn’t had a meal since lunchtime yesterday so I took them to Campbell’s Diner in town. You’re to meet them there.”
The three girls heaved sighs of relief and Nancy told the policeman how frightened they had been that possibly the boys had been kidnapped.
Russo laughed. “It would be pretty hard to subdue those two huskies,” he said.
Nancy asked the officer if he knew who lived at the farmhouse.
“Nobody.”
“Do you think a tramp might be using the place?” Nancy queried.
Russo said he doubted this, although he had noticed a dirty dish and silverware in the sink. “I come by here fairly often and I’ve never yet seen anybody around.”
Nancy thanked him for bringing the message and said the girls would pick up the boys at once.
When they arrived at the diner, Burt and Dave were standing in front. “Hi!” they said cheerily.
Bess did not smile in return. “Why didn’t you leave us a note?” she scolded. “We’ve been beside ourselves with worry that you had been kidnapped.”
“Kidnapped!” Burt said, and burst into laughter.
He told them that the boys had found nothing at the farmhouse to connect Crosson with the place and had not been disturbed during the night.
George was unwilling to accept this statement without an explanation. “When did the clothes vanish from the chute?” she asked.
Burt and Dave looked blank. They admitted they had failed to look in the chute and had no idea when the clothes might have been taken out.
“But I’m sure it wasn’t after we arrived,” Burt declared. “Someone must have removed them between the time Bess and Dave were there and we guys went back to the farmhouse.”
On their return trip to Emerson, Bess and George continued to tease D
ave and Burt. They accused them of sleeping so soundly that they did not hear the man, and worst of all of snoring so loudly that the man knew the boys were there.
“Enough! Enough!” Dave cried out, putting his hands over his ears. “I have to concentrate now on my next class.” He looked at his watch. “Burt,” he said, “you’d better speed up or we’ll both be late.”
Nearing the campus, Nancy told the boys about the mysterious phone call asking where they were. “I wonder if it was before or after the caller visited the farmhouse.”
Burt and Dave felt sure it was before. “On the other hand, if he came there after we arrived, he probably didn’t realize we were there,” Burt added. “We don’t snore!”
He drove directly to the classroom building and the boys got out. Nancy took the wheel and headed for the fraternity house. A student was on duty in the front hall.
“Any word about Ned yet?” Nancy asked him.
“Nothing,” he answered. “But say, there’s been some more excitement on the campus. A burglary!”
“Really?” George spoke up. “Where?”
“Over in the office and lab where the electronic and computer work is done. Ned and Mr. Crosson experimented there. Lots of things were taken.”
At once Nancy, Bess, and George wanted to know the full story of the theft. They jumped into the convertible and Nancy sped to the scene. Could there be any connection between the burglary and the mysterious disappearance of Crosson and Ned? Nancy wondered.
CHAPTER VII
The Explosion
WHEN Nancy, Bess, and George reached the laboratory, they found the entrance door wide open. Professor Titus, who was in charge of the department, and a policeman were at work hunting for clues to the burglar’s identity. The officer was taking pictures of fingerprints.
Nancy introduced herself and her friends and told the professor that they were trying to solve the mystery of Ned Nickerson“s strange disappearance.
“Oh yes,” Titus said, “and I understand you are being very thorough. No doubt that is why you are here.”
“We’ve been away on a sleuthing mission and just got back,” Nancy explained. “When we learned what had happened here, we came right over.”
Professor Titus took the girls to meet the fingerprint expert, who by this time had developed all his pictures from the fast-processing film.
He remarked, “These very faint old ones and the newly made group are the same.”
“Does that mean,” Nancy asked, “that the person responsible for the theft is well acquainted with this lab?”
The officer was inclined to think so. “I’ll see if the college has the fingerprints of everyone using this laboratory.”
Professor Titus spoke up. “That has never been required,” he said. “I am afraid you’ll have to look elsewhere for identification.”
Nancy was sorry to hear this. She wanted to mention Crosson’s name because in her own mind she felt sure that he had burglarized the lab. But on the other hand, why would he rob the place when he could work there? She decided to say nothing yet to the police.
“Perhaps Crosson has gone away for good,” the young detective said to herself.
She asked Professor Titus if it would be all right for her to look around.
“Yes, indeed,” he said.
The three girls walked about slowly, examining the long worktables, some with sinks, others with electric outlets. Against one wall were computers of various sizes. The electronic equipment seemed complicated.
“This place is like a maze,” she thought.
Idly Nancy wandered over to a metal file cabinet which stood by itself on one side of the room. “I think I’ll just peek inside. Maybe I can pick up some information to help solve this case.”
She pulled open the top drawer and found it filled with books. They were of a technical and specialized nature and Nancy doubted that they would lend a clue.
“I’ll look at them later,” she decided, closing the drawer.
Next she drew out the large second drawer. Before Nancy had a chance to find out what it contained, there was a sudden explosion inside the drawer. It tore the file cabinet apart.
The force knocked Nancy against the opposite wall, but fortunately she was not hit by any of the flying debris. The others in the room rushed over to see if she was all right.
“Nancy!” Bess cried out.
“I’m okay,” the stunned girl answered shakily. “I must have triggered off a bomb.”
As George glanced toward the wreck, she yelled, “Fire! The papers are on fire!”
Professor Titus had rushed to a nearby extinguisher and told the others to get another from the outer office. The flaming papers crackled and sent up greenish smoke. The two extinguishers failed to douse the flames.
“Notify the fire department!” Professor Titus shouted, and George dashed to the office phone to put in the call.
The odor from the burning contents of the cabinet became intolerable. Everyone was forced to leave and the door was closed. Professor Titus suddenly recalled that there was a manual sprinkler system in the ceiling of the lab. He turned two metal wheels on the wall, then opened the lab door a crack and peered in. Water was streaming down. By the time the firemen arrived, the blaze had been extinguished.
“I guess our equipment isn’t needed,” said one of the men with a smile, “but we’ll investigate the cause of the fire.”
Professor Titus looked a little sheepish. “I only remembered about the overhead sprinkler system after we called you,” he said. “What I think we do need here is an inspection by the police bomb squad.” He told about the explosion in the file cabinet, and the fire captain in charge telephoned at once to the head of the bomb squad.
Nancy remarked to the other girls, “If there was anything important in the file, it’s no good to us now.”
George replied, “I guess that’s the way the burglar planned it.”
Nancy turned to Professor Titus. “Please tell me all you know about Zapp Crosson.”
“Actually I know very little,” he replied. “Why? Do you—?” When the young detective did not offer to explain her interest in the graduate student, Professor Titus went on, “The young man was secretive and uncommunicative. Several times I tried to engage him in conversation, but all he ever told me was that his parents were foreign and he had had part of his education in Europe.”
Nancy said she understood that Crosson worked next to Ned in the lab.
“Yes,” Professor Titus said, “and he often assisted Ned, mostly when no regular classes were being held in the lab or when no other students were working there on experiments.”
At once Nancy thought, “Here’s a clue!” She wondered if Ned was doing original experiments. Was Crosson helping him or only being an inquisitive bystander?
At that moment two fully equipped representatives from the police bomb squad arrived. They entered the soaking wet lab and checked every inch of its walls and floor to be sure that no other bombs had been planted.
By this time the rank odor which had accompanied the fire had vanished up the ventilator and the fire captain declared the room was now safe to enter.
“I’d like to take a look around the place again,” Nancy told the professor.
“Go ahead,” he said. He introduced her to the bomb squad men and said she was an amateur detective. “But her methods seem very professional,” he added with a smile.
“Then we would be glad for any help you can give us,” one member of the squad said. “I’m Jake Reilly.”
Nancy grinned. “Thank you for the compliment,” she said. “I’m sure I can’t tell you well-trained men anything you wouldn’t be able to find out yourselves.”
Professor Titus spoke up quickly. With a grin he said, “The police have not yet found our students Ned Nickerson and Zapp Crosson. Miss Drew, on the other hand, has uncovered several leads.”
The men were very much interested. “Can you tell us about any of them?
” Reilly asked the young detective.
Nancy took a deep breath before answering. “I’m afraid Professor Titus is exaggerating about my discoveries. I became involved in the case because of a strangely worded message I received in a robot copter. Actually it was a warning to me to beware of Cyclops.”
“Cyclops?” Reilly repeated. “What is that?”
“That’s what I’m trying to find out,” Nancy revealed.
She changed the subject so that she would not be questioned any further. “I’d like to continue what I was doing before the explosion, if it’s all right.”
“Go ahead,” Reilly replied.
Nancy walked off, scanning the littered floor. Suddenly in one corner she noticed a giant-sized glass eye. Her heart pounding with excitement, she hurried toward it. The object might be a link to the intriguing eye at the Anderson Museum! Although this eye was not glowing, she asked Reilly if it had been tested for radioactivity.
“It has none,” he reported.
Nancy picked up the glass eye. Upon close inspection she discovered that the glass was a lid over a painted eye. She lifted the lid and studied the eye. Was it hiding something beneath? A small computer perhaps? She gazed at it a long time, then closed the lid.
“Professor Titus, do you know anything about this?” Nancy asked.
“Never saw it before.”
“How about the glowing eye at the Anderson Museum?” the young detective queried.
“I don’t know anything about it.”
Nancy thought this was strange since she had been told the eye belonged to Emerson’s science department, and students from there were in charge of it.
Suddenly the eye began to quiver in Nancy’s hand. The catch had become unfastened. Before she could close it, a voice from inside the gadget said, “Don’t touch me! I am the deadly Cyclops!”
The young detective quickly closed the lid and laid the eye back on the floor. The voice stopped speaking.
“Let me see it,” Reilly said in bewilderment.
Nancy handed it to him and in a few seconds the message was repeated. Reilly closed the lid and the voice stopped.