“Why not?” Nancy inquired, startled by her words. “If Bess is there—”
“We can go,” Penny amended quickly, “but there’s no electricity going to that end of the island now, so I don’t know how much searching we could do.”
“What do you mean there’s no electricity?” Mr. Drew asked.
“The two ends of the island are served by separate generators,” Penny answered. “Luckily, my grandparents left the generator on here. I have no idea how to turn them on.”
“Dad, do you think you. . Nancy began. Her father chuckled. “I could try, but I doubt that I could manage it in the dark. Besides,” his grin deepened. “I can’t imagine that Bess would have taken such a hike. This island must be close to a mile and a half long.”
Nancy had to nod, knowing that he was right about Bess. Long hikes were not her favorite exercise. Her smile faded, however, as they reached the top of the path and she looked up at the main resort building.
Darkness was coming quickly now, and the lovely building no longer looked warm and welcoming as it had earlier. No light burned inside and the silence seemed threatening.
“I guess I’d better get to the kitchen and start dinner,” Penny began, looking guilty. “I’m afraid I’m not much of a cook, but. . .”
“We’ll come with you,” Nancy assured her. “Whatever is going on here, it’s obvious that we really aren’t supposed to be guests here.”
“Oh, but if my grandparents invited you. . .” Penny said, looking uncomfortable. “Where are they, Mr. Drew? Nancy?” she asked.
Nancy looked at her father, not sure how to answer the question.
He sighed. “I’m sure George and Bess told you about the contest prize letter that Nancy received,” he began.
Penny nodded.
“Well, the reason that Nancy and I didn’t come here immediately was because we were asked to look at an abandoned boat in Florida, a boat that we now believe belongs to your grandparents.”
“The Polka Dot?” Penny looked shocked. “But they would never have abandoned it, Mr. Drew. And why would they be in Florida?”
“I really don’t know the answers to any of that,” he admitted. “We were called in because there was a folder of clippings about Nancy found on board. All other identification of the boat was removed.”
“Then how did you know that it belongs to my grandparents?” Penny asked.
“We aren’t positive,” Nancy admitted. “The sheriff made the identification, but—” “Couldn’t Penny identify the boat for him?” George asked. “I mean after we get off here.” “She probably can,” Nancy agreed. “Only the boat disappeared some time last night. The sheriff blamed us at first. He didn’t even want
to let us come here to look for you and Bess.” The mention of Bess stopped the conversation for a moment, then Penny spoke. “But where are my grandparents?” she asked. “They must be somewhere.”
“I’ll tell you everything we know,” Carson Drew said, a fatherly arm resting on her shoulders as he led her to one of the couches.
“We’ll go start dinner,” George said, drawing Nancy away.
The lights they turned on as they passed from the lobby area through the handsome dining room and on into the spacious kitchen helped lift a little of the gloom, but Nancy was still conscious of Bess’s absence. “What do we have to work with?” she asked, looking around the room.
“Most anything you want,” George answered. “There’s a big freezer full of meat and fish, and there’s loads of canned stuff. Fresh fruit and vegetables are about all that we don’t have. Penny says they have to come in by boat. What do you think is going on?” she asked.
Nancy shrugged. “Well, if the boat is the Polka Dot, I’d say that the contest prize was definitely meant to get Dad and me to come down here. Someone read about us in the papers and thought it was the perfect way to attract our attention.”
George grinned. “And got us instead.”
“I think it’s more than that,” Nancy continued. “I mean, if it was the DeFoes, why would they go to Florida if they were expecting us and Penny, too.”
George nodded. “You’re right about that. And that note that Penny found. She says it’s her grandmother’s handwriting all right, but the message seems strange. What kind of a note is that to leave for someone you’ve invited to spend the summer?”
“Could I see it?” Nancy asked, aware that she was grasping at straws.
“As soon as we get something started for dinner, we can ask Penny where it is.” George moved to the huge old freezer with confidence. “Now, do you want to cook something or shall we just heat one of the casseroles?”
“Casseroles?” Nancy asked, arching an eyebrow.
“The freezer is full of them, and they’re good, too. Penny says that the resort chef fixes them from the leftovers every day during the season.
They eat some of them and so does the staff, but the rest they freeze for the summer.”
“That sounds fine to me,” Nancy said. “I’m so worried about Bess, I’m not really hungry.” “I just don’t know what could have happened to her,” George admitted. “It was just kind of hot in the office where Penny and I were working, so Bess said she’d go out and take a little walk to cool off.” She looked miserable. “I guess I should have gone with her.”
“Oh, George, don’t blame yourself,” Nancy responded quickly while she helped her take things out of the freezer. “You certainly couldn’t know that she was going to disappear.” “But I should—” George began, then stopped as a scream came from outside the well-lit kitchen. “Penny?” she shouted.
Nancy ran through the door into the dining room, then followed the sounds across to the lobby and into the small room behind the big resort desk. There she found both Penny and her father.
“What in the world. . .” Nancy asked, then stopped as she followed their horrified gaze to the sturdy table in the corner. “What was that?” she gasped.
“The radio-phone,” her father answered, his eyes leaving the wreckage to meet her gaze.
“But what. . . ?” George began. “Who wrecked the radio-phone?”
“It would seem,” Carson Drew said, “that we are not alone on this island.”
10. The Pirate Legend
“But,” Penny began. “Who would do something like that?”
“Someone who doesn’t want us to reach anyone outside the island,” Nancy answered promptly. “Right, Dad?”
Her father nodded, his face grim. “What worries me is why they don’t want us to make calls.”
“I’d like to get my hands on whoever did this,” Penny said. “That radio-phone cost my grandparents a lot of money and they need it to run this resort.”
“I’m sure we’ll find out who and why,” George murmured.
Watching a look of helplessness grow in Nancy’s eyes, Mr. Drew touched her cheek lightly. “We’re all worried about Bess, Nancy,” he told her. “But there’s nothing we can do in the dark—especially now that we know there’s someone out there.”
“What should I do?” Penny asked.
“I think it might be a good idea to lock up,” Nancy said. “I realize it’s too late for us to protect this.” She waved a hand at the destroyed radio-phone. “But I would like to know that we’re safe here tonight.”
“But if they’re already inside the building,” Penny protested.
“We’ll lock the doors, then search the whole building,” Carson Drew explained.
“How do you suppose anyone knew that we were here to use the radio-phone?” Nancy asked.
“Tom!” George gasped. “We thought the DeFoes had sent him, but now I wonder. They would have had him meet Penny, too, wouldn’t they?”
Nancy nodded. “But he must have known about the tickets,” she reminded her. “He was looking for me at the airport. But you didn’t know we were coming, did you, Penny?”
The girl shook her curls. “If they told him to
meet you, may
be he knows where they are. I really want to know what’s going on.”
“So do we,” Mr. Drew assured her. “Now, if you’ll show me what should be locked up, Penny, we can secure the resort.”
“While we see to dinner,” Nancy agreed. “Good girl,” her father murmured, giving the radio-phone one last glance, then shaking his head.
“What could anyone want around here?” George asked Nancy as they resumed their interrupted dinner preparations.
Nancy shook her head. “You’ve seen more of the place than I have.”
“It’s beautiful, but there’s nothing to steal. I mean, it’s the resort itself that’s valuable. It just doesn’t make sense, Nancy. Nothing does.” Nancy had to agree. “Nothing has made sense since I got the tickets.”
The search of the resort building didn’t take long, and by the time they returned to the kitchen, the casserole was beginning to fill the air with a delicious scent. George sniffed appreciatively. “If Bess is nearby, that will get her back here in a hurry,” she joked, though her eyes told Nancy that she was far from lighthearted. “Do you think that whoever is on the island is
holding her prisoner?” Nancy asked, putting into words the fear that had been haunting her since she’d seen the vandalized radio-phone. “Why would they take Bess?” Penny asked. “Perhaps she saw them,” Carson Drew suggested. “You did say that she went out for a walk alone.”
“But why would they care?” Nancy asked. There was no answer to that question, so they continued setting the table in silence. Penny sighed as she surveyed the food that Nancy and George had produced from the kitchen.
“I’m sorry I can’t offer any fresh fruits or vegetables,” she said. “My grandparents have a standing order with the ferry to bring in fresh goods every week, but I’ve checked the dock and nothing has been delivered so far.”
“Perhaps they left word to stop the deliveries while they were gone,” George suggested.
“But why would they leave if they knew that Penny was arriving?” Nancy asked. “That really doesn’t make sense.”
“Do you think whoever is on the island is staying in the village?” George asked, changing the subject slightly.
“I suppose they could be,” Penny admitted. Nancy said nothing for a moment, her mind
busy; then she smiled a little. “If they came to the island by boat, maybe we could find out where it’s docked,” she suggested. “That way, one of us could go for help.”
“Or radio,” Penny said. “Most boats in this area have radios on board.”
“I hope we find it fast,” George said.
Nancy nodded her agreement, then turned to Penny. “Do you have any idea why your grandparents would want my father and me here?” she asked. “Have they ever mentioned a mystery about the resort or the island?”
Penny considered for a moment, then shook her head. “I can’t remember anything. Of course, I haven’t spent much time here the last few years, but before that I did lots of exploring on the island. It had no secrets then.”
“I suppose it could have been someone else who sent the tickets,” Carson Drew admitted.
“But why would someone else want us here?” Nancy asked.
“Perhaps it has something to do with the medallion,” her father suggested.
“What medallion?” Penny and George asked. Nancy gasped, realizing that in her worry over Bess’s disappearance she hadn’t even thought about the beautiful golden antique
necklace. She jumped to her feet and ran to her room, suddenly afraid that it, too, might have disappeared.
Surprisingly, the black box was still in her purse when she opened it and she took a moment to look at the lovely medallion before carrying it out to the dining room. There she handed it to Penny. “Do you know anything about this?” she asked.
Penny’s eyes grew round in astonishment.
“What is it?” George asked. “What does it mean?” She, too, stared at the beautiful piece of golden workmanship.
“I never believed that it existed,” Penny gasped. “I mean Grandpa told me stories about it all the time when I was little, but I always thought . . . He told me that it was just a legend.” She looked across the table at Nancy. “Where did you get this?”
Nancy explained quickly about losing her earring and finding the necklace beneath the floorboards. As she spoke, Penny’s face paled and the excitement of seeing the necklace faded back into worry and fear.
“What is it, Penny?” Carson Drew asked as Nancy finished her description.
“The abandoned boat was the Polka Dot,”
Penny gasped. “Where Nancy found this proves it. The place you found the necklace Grandpa calls his ‘hidey hole.’ He always kept any money he had on the boat in there or any valuables they were carrying. Said it was safer there than in his wallet or in Grandma’s purse.” “Then you think your grandparents put the medallion in there?” Nancy asked.
Penny nodded. “But where would they get something like this?”
“What do you know about the necklace?” Nancy asked, unable to answer Penny’s question.
“Well, the legend says that it belonged to some pirate, that he wore it at all times and guarded it with his life. He was an island man who hated and feared the Spaniards and raided their galleons whenever he had the chance.” Penny paused to take a sip of her iced tea.
“So did he succeed as a pirate?” George asked impatiently.
“According to legend, there were three Spanish ships sailing in the area that were separated when a terrible storm hit. Two of the ships managed to stay afloat till the storm cleared and they found their way back to each other. But the third was nowhere to be seen.”
Penny paused as though expecting comment, but no one spoke, so she went on. “The two ships searched and searched till they came upon a tiny island with wreckage on the beach. The Spanish sailors rowed to shore and discovered that it was from the galleon. They searched some more and found a few survivors, but no one who could tell them what had happened.” Penny stopped again, her eyes sparkling.
“What do you mean what had happened?” Nancy asked, her imagination caught by the story. “Didn’t the ship break up on the island?” Penny shook her auburn curls. “The wreckage was a small boat from the galleon and they soon learned that all the survivors had been in that boat and that they’d left the galleon without knowing for sure that it was going to sink.” Penny smiled.
“You mean that people thought the pirate had taken the galleon?” Mr. Drew asked.
Penny nodded. “The necklace was supposed to be part of the bounty he took from the galleon—the only part of it that was ever seen by anyone else.”
“You mean that’s the legend?” Nancy was both intrigued and a little disappointed.
“That’s one of them. I’ve heard all sorts of stories. That’s why I never really believed there was a necklace. And this might not be the one from the legend. I mean, I’m sure there are lots of antique gold necklaces from that era, so . . .” Her smile faded.
“That’s what the man who restored it for us said,” Nancy admitted.
“Only I think my grandparents would probably know about it—if it was genuine or not, I mean. Grandpa was always reading about the legend and talking to old-timers around here. That’s where he got so many stories to tell me.” Nancy reached out a hand to take the medallion from the girl. She studied it carefully, wishing that Mr. Yates had been able to bring out the entire design instead of just the strange hook.
“Do you think this could be why your grandparents sent me the tickets?” she asked at last. “I mean, if they really thought this was the necklace in the legend.”
“I’d be willing to bet on it,” Penny answered. She stopped with a gasp as the lights suddenly went out—leaving them in almost absolute blackness.
11. Blackout
“What happened?” Nancy gasped, her fingers automatically closing around the medallion box.
“Someone has cut the electricit
y, I imagine,” Mr. Drew answered quietly. “Where is the generator, Penny?”
“It’s back along the ridge. There’s a small building that protects it, and the wires carry the electricity to the cabins and to the main building from there.”
“Then it would be very easy for someone to cut power to the resort,” Nancy murmured.
“Just sit still,” Penny ordered. “I know where there are candles and hurricane lamps. My grandmother keeps matches and everything we need handy because of the storms that pass
through here and blow down the lines.”
They waited, hearing the sound of her chair, the whisper of her soft shoes on the tiled floor, the small noises of her passage through the forest of tables and chairs that blocked the area, and then the unmistakable opening of a drawer. A match flared and a candle caught.
At first the light seemed too feeble, but then as their eyes adjusted the shadows appeared to recede. More candles were lit, then four hurricane lamps bloomed to life.
“That’s better,” Penny murmured, her hand shaking only a little as she carried one lamp back to the table, leaving the others on the old- fashioned sideboard.
“Does that generator power anything else?” Carson Drew asked.
Penny looked confused for a moment. “Just the electrical appliances. The water comes from the spring that gave the resort its name, and the water heater and cooking facilities are gas.” “So we basically have a blackout,” George summed it up.
“That’s about it,” Penny agreed.
Nancy, however, was staring beyond them to the dark world outside the windows that gave a panoramic view of the cove and the ocean beyond. Suddenly she shivered—not from the cold, for the night was warm, but because she felt eyes in that darkness.
“What is it, Nancy?” her father asked gently. “They must be out there,” Nancy answered. “Watching us, listening to what we say.”
“And seeing the necklace,” George gasped, moving to drop her napkin over the gleaming medallion.
“Could that be what they’re after?” Carson Drew asked Penny while he moved to drop the bamboo shade that had been rolled up above the window.