The detective nodded. He tapped on the door lightly and called, “Green Acres! Green Acres!”
Within seconds the group heard footsteps, and a man opened the door. The startled occupant gave one look at the visitors and tried to slam the door. When Detective Foster prevented this, the man took to his heels through the apartment.
“That’s Sam Longman!” Nancy cried, recognizing him as Whipley’s companion at the Green Acres Restaurant.
The girls and the detectives rushed after the suspect. By this time Longman had reached a bedroom. He banged the door shut and locked it.
Suddenly Nancy exclaimed, “There may be a fire escape off that room! He’ll get away!”
“No, he won’t!” said Detective Dougherty. “Foster, you and Miss Drew run down and stop him. I’ll break down this door!”
CHAPTER XVII
The Chase
As DETECTIVE Foster and Nancy rushed from the apartment house, they almost collided with a woman hovering over a baby in a carriage. A tall, husky man stood beside her.
Foster stopped, opened his coat to show his detective badge, then commandeered the services of the man. “We’re after a suspect, and I may need help,” the detective said.
Nancy, meanwhile, had asked the woman if there was a fire escape from the left side of the building. The young woman nodded, saying, “You can get onto it from every floor through a bedroom in the rear apartments.”
The detective, the other man, and Nancy sprinted into an alley. Nancy pointed. “There he is! Just jumping down from the foot of the fire escape!”
The three pursuers doubled their speed but were not able to lessen the gap between them and the fugitive.
“He mustn’t get away!” Nancy cried out.
To the men’s amazement, she was more fleet-footed than they. Nancy had vaulted a fence which the suspect had jumped over, and was now running down an alley toward the next street.
The detective and the other man finally caught up with her at the street. Longman was weaving his way to the opposite side, dodging traffic.
“Stay here!” Foster commanded Nancy.
At that moment a red light on the nearby corner stopped all traffic, giving the two men a chance to dash across the street. After a short chase up the block, they nabbed their quarry! He was putting up a fight, Nancy observed, flailing his arms and trying to wrench free.
Longman soon found it was useless to fight, and accompanied the men to the corner. At a green light they all walked across to where Nancy was waiting.
“We’ll go back to the apartment,” said the detective. He turned to the stranger who had helped him. “Thank you for your assistance. Here comes Detective Dougherty. He’ll take over.”
The stranger gave a quick salute, said he had been glad to help, and walked off. The others returned to Longman’s apartment.
Detective Foster told everyone to sit down in the somewhat shabby living room. To Longman, he said, “Now talk!”
The prisoner began to bluster. “What’s this all about? You have no right to hold me! I haven’t done anything!”
“If you won’t tell your story,” said Detective Dougherty, “suppose we ask you a few questions. Do you know that we have located the emerald necklace you stole at the Green Acres Restaurant?”
Longman glared at the detective. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“What is your right name?” Foster pursued the interrogation.
When the man refused to answer, Nancy spoke up. “I know two names he uses, but maybe neither one is his right name. One is Owen Whipley, and the other is Sam Longman.”
Suddenly the prisoner, his eyes blazing, cried out, “Who’s this girl, anyway? What right’s she got to question me or say who I am?”
Quietly Bess spoke up. “Nancy Drew is a detective—and a very good one too!”
Dougherty now told Longman that his pal, John Terrill, who also used the name Whipley, was behind bars. Longman gave a visible start and looked frightened. Then his bravado returned, and he said, “Well, that’s his hard luck!”
The officers tried in various ways to get the prisoner to say more, but he merely continued to protest his innocence. Finally Dougherty asked Foster to guard him, while he made a search of the apartment.
“It’s against the law!” screamed Longman.
Dougherty pulled a search warrant from his pocket. Then he and the three girls began a really intensive search for evidence. Every closet and bureau drawer was investigated. Twenty minutes later the searchers were ready to admit defeat. They had arrived in the kitchen as the last area in which to hunt. Longman, a self-satisfied smirk on his face, was standing in the doorway with Foster behind him.
“You’re nuts if you think you’re going to find anything here,” he bragged.
Cupboards were opened. They revealed a few dishes and several cans of food—nothing more. Discouraged, the searchers stood in the center of the room, while Longman watched, grinning.
“What did I tell you?” he said. “Now get out of here, all of you!”
Suddenly Bess had an inspiration. She dashed across to the gas range and opened the large oven door. The eyes of the other searchers popped in amazement.
Jammed inside the oven was the missing dancing puppet!
“For Pete’s sake!” Dougherty cried out. “What’s this?”
To the astonishment of the two detectives, Nancy explained that this figure had been seen dancing eerily around the Van Pelt estate. “My friends and I have been trying to solve the puppet mystery,” she said.
Longman screamed, “Don’t touch that!
You’ll be electrocuted.”
Everyone now turned toward Longman. Foster asked him, “Where’d you get this, and what’s all this about having a dance on the lawn?”
“I’ll tell you nothing,” the prisoner answered, “except to admit that my friend and I have used the name Whipley as an alias.”
Nancy spoke up. “Then at least one of your drivers’ licenses is forged?” she guessed, and Longman nodded.
By this time Bess had carefully lifted the puppet from the oven. It was carried into the living room and set on a straight chair. Nancy began to examine the figure in its frilly dress. Now was her chance to find out how the puppet worked!
Longman’s eyes had narrowed almost to slits as he watched the girl. Presently Nancy said, “Oh, the whole back comes off!”
“What’s inside?” asked George. Before Nancy could reply, Longman jumped toward her and screamed frantically, “Don’t touch that! You’ll be electrocuted!”
All eyes turned on Longman. “I’m an electrician,” he continued. “That puppet is highly mechanized and works by remote control to electric wires. There’s a live one inside. If you touch it, it’ll be curtains for you!”
“Oh, Nancy!” Bess exclaimed. “You might have been killed!”
Nancy seemed less ruffled by Longman’s announcement than the others in the room. If there were a live wire, it had been put there for a reason. “I’ll bet,” she thought, “that Sam Longman has something hidden inside this puppet he doesn’t want us to find!”
She communicated her idea to the others. The suspect glared at her.
Detective Dougherty looked at Nancy in admiration. “You are probably right. We’ll look inside this puppet, but we won’t take a chance. I’ll call the police electrician to handle it with the proper tools.”
He told Foster to go down to their car and radio Chief McGinnis. The detective made the call, and within a short time Smitty, the police electrician, arrived. He admitted that Longman’s statement was partly true and it was just as well that Nancy had not put her hand inside the back of the puppet. Smitty unhooked wires leading to strong batteries.
“Once upon a time this puppet worked by being wound up,” he announced. “There’s a sturdy spring here, but the key has been removed.”
“We think the puppet may be used to conceal something valuable,” Nancy told Smitty. “Do you se
e anything in there?”
The police electrician pulled a small flashlight from his pocket and trained it on the interior of the puppet. “Wait till you see what’s here!” he cried out suddenly as he reached inside.
CHAPTER XVIII
The Hollow Laugh
THE THREE girls crowded forward to see what the police electrician was going to pull out from the back of the dancing puppet. The detectives kept a tight grip on Sam Longman in case he should try to get away again.
“A pearl necklace!” Bess squealed.
“Those look like genuine pearls,” George commented.
“And obviously stolen too,” Detective Foster spoke up.
By this time the police electrician had drawn out several more valuable necklaces—one of diamonds, another of sapphires, two of rubies, and two more of pearls.
“These must be worth a fortune!” Bess exclaimed.
“They sure are,” Detective Dougherty agreed. “We’ll take it all down to headquarters. Well, Longman, what do you have to say now?”
Instead of replying, the prisoner suddenly went dead white and clutched at his heart. “I’m going to have an attack!” he said.
Instantly Dougherty led him into the bedroom, laid the man on the bed, and felt his pulse.
“You’re having no heart attack,” he said acidly. “Your heart beats fast because you’re scared, but that won’t keep you out of jail. Come on!” He helped the man to his feet, and together the two detectives started for the door with him.
Dougherty turned to Nancy and her friends. “Would you girls mind staying here until we return?” he requested. “If any callers come, try to keep them here. We’ll get this fellow booked as soon as possible, and be right back.”
The girls agreed to remain. While awaiting the detectives’ return, Nancy examined the puppet herself. “My, what a maze of wires there are in here!”
Bess and George peered inside the back of the figure. “Whoever made this was an inventive genius,” George remarked.
“Let’s try to make the puppet dance by holding her up,” Bess suggested with a giggle.
The three girls stood the puppet on its feet and manipulated its limbs and head from the various gadgets inside. Nancy and her friends were still playing with the puppet when Dougherty and Foster returned. The two detectives laughed heartily.
“I guess girls never get tired of playing with dolls,” Dougherty said with a grin.
Nancy’s eyes danced. “Especially when there’s a mystery connected with one. I was just thinking —Longman never explained how he happened to be in possession of the dancing puppet.”
“We tried to make him,” Foster told her. “On the way to headquarters we asked him to explain the mystery of this puppet, but he kept insisting he knew nothing about any mystery. He said a friend of his had found the puppet in a junk shop. Being an electrician, Longman had been intrigued enough to try making it work by putting in wires and batteries. He still insists he doesn’t know how the stolen jewelry got inside.”
“Do you think he’s telling the truth?” Nancy asked the detectives.
The two men shrugged, and Detective Foster answered, “Even the mystery of the stolen jewelry is far from solved.” He smiled. “The police certainly want to thank you girls for all your help. If you find out anything more, let us know!”
The three young sleuths laughed and promised to do this. Then they drove back toward the Van Pelt estate. Bess had seen a morning newspaper lying on a table in Longman’s apartment and had helped herself to it. Now she began to read.
In the meantime, George and Nancy continued to discuss the mystery of the dancing puppet. “Do you think,” George asked, “that there may be other members of a gang stealing jewelry and using the puppet as a hiding place until it’s safe to sell the pieces?”
“That’s a possibility, George,” Nancy agreed. “If so—I’m wondering if we’ll be bothered any more out at the mansion.”
“How could we, with the puppet in the hands of the police?” George countered.
“There could be more puppets,” Nancy replied. “We already know of two others.”
George’s reply was interrupted by Bess. “Listen to this!” she cried out, reading from an inside page of the newspaper. “‘Unknown Amateur Steals Show.’ And underneath it says, ‘Nancy Drew Makes Big Hit in First Performance.’”
“Oh, no!” Nancy exclaimed, blushing. “Why, that makes it look as if I were better than Tammi, and that’s ridiculous.”
“You were better than Tammi,” Bess said staunchly.
“Just as good, anyway,” conceded George. She suddenly laughed loudly. “If Tammi Whitlock sees this, she’ll be back on stage tonight even if she sounds like a frog!”
Nancy was silent during the balance of the ride. She did not care for Tammi, yet she did not wish to make an enemy of her. Vividly Nancy recalled Chuck Grant’s saying that his sister was a firebrand when she became angry. Nancy thought, “Why, there’s no telling what Tammi may do!”
Upon reaching the estate, she parked the car, then the three girls went into the kitchen. Mr. Spencer stood inside, a copy of the same newspaper in his hand. He wore a broad smile. “I suppose you know what the paper said about your performance, Nancy.”
“Yes,” she said quietly. “I’m glad my performance was good, but I hope that Tammi gets back here in a hurry.”
Mr. Spencer looked directly at Nancy. “Listen to me,” he said. “Even if Tammi returns, you are going to continue in the leading role. I’ve had enough of her temperamental fits—and there are certain scenes in the play which she refuses to do according to my direction. Fortunately, you are co-operative.”
Nancy was nonplused. But finally she said, “Mr. Spencer, don’t think I’m not appreciative of this honor, but I couldn’t continue to have an important part in any play. I help my father, you know, and I shouldn’t try to hold down two jobs.”
“I realize that,” the actor said. “I’ll talk to your father. I’m sure he’ll see things my way.”
Mr. Spencer was making it very difficult for Nancy. She loved to act, but far more than this, she loved working on mystery cases, either with her father or on her own.
The actor went on, “Nancy, you can’t let me down! Our new play goes on in a week, and you know what a sad state it’s in right now. Please learn the lines. I think you have a good influence on the cast, and they’ll probably work better with you than they did with Tammi.”
Bess and George knew that Nancy was in a tight spot. Bess had a sudden inspiration. “Mr. Spencer,” she said, “I think I may have the answer to your problem. Why don’t you substitute a puppet show for a couple of weeks until the next play can be whipped into shape?”
“Puppet show?” Mr. Spencer echoed. “You must be teasing—your mind’s been on the mystery of the dancing puppet too long.”
“Oh, no, I’m not fooling,” said Bess. “There’s a long article in the paper about a marvelous European puppeteer who is touring this country and putting on magnificent shows. Maybe you could get him to help you out.”
Mr. Spencer had not seen the item. After Bess pointed it out and he had read the article, Mr. Spencer scratched his head.
“Bess,” he said, “you may have a point.” Suddenly he became very enthusiastic about the idea. “I think it would be good to give the cast a rest. Maybe I’ve been pushing them too hard and they’ve gone stale. I’ll make some phone calls right away and try to locate this fellow.”
After he had left the kitchen, Nancy hugged Bess. “You’re a lifesaver, dear,” she said. “Let’s keep our fingers crossed and hope that Mr. Spencer will be able to engage that puppeteer!”
When Hamilton Spencer returned from the telephone, there was a broad smile on his face. “I’ve reserved the services of the puppeteer!” he announced. “The Footlighters can vote on this tonight.”
“Swell!” said George.
With this matter settled, Nancy now told Mr. Spencer about finding the d
ancing puppet.
“And her back was filled with necklaces!” George announced.
The actor listened spellbound as the girls related the entire story. But he was as puzzled as they to know why Longman, and probably his pal Terrill, had made the puppet dance on the Van Pelt lawn. “What are we going to do now?” he asked. “Forget the whole thing and assume that the mystery is ended, even though it hasn’t been entirely solved?”
Bess spoke up immediately. “Mr. Spencer, if you want us to leave, I’m sure Nancy—”
“Oh, no!” the man answered quickly. “I didn’t mean to imply that I wanted you to go away. Please don’t do that!”
Mr. Spencer became so embarrassed that Nancy felt sorry for him. She smiled sweetly. “I’d like to stay,” she said. “It bothers me to leave a mystery unsolved. I’d like to do a little more investigating around this place to see if I can pick up another clue. Who knows, maybe the witch and the Pierrot have stolen valuables hidden in them!”
“Before we do another speck of sleuthing,” Bess spoke up, “we’re going to have lunch. I’m starved.”
George began to laugh. “It would be good for you to go without it. How else can you lose those twenty pounds you’ve been talking about?”
Bess made a face at her cousin, then marched straight for the refrigerator. The first thing she pulled out of it was a large jar of mayonnaise.
“Uh-uh,” said George, grabbing the jar from her cousin. “Your rations will be one piece of lettuce, one tomato, and one thin slice of roast beef.”
“I have lost five pounds,” Bess contended. “Let’s not go overboard on this!” Then she sighed. “Oh, I suppose you’re right.” Mr. Spencer had left the kitchen, so Bess added, “I still want to get a better part in the play than just the maid. She only has a few lines.”
As soon as the girls had eaten and washed the dishes, Bess and George asked Nancy what she had in mind.
“Another trip to the attic,” said Nancy. “I want to look at Pierrot again. He may be more valuable than we think.”