As soon as everyone had left, Nancy and the others living in the house hurried to the attic.
“I have a hunch that the fourth puppet is hidden somewhere near the secret closet,” Nancy said.
One by one, trunks and boxes were moved. With a flashlight the girl detective examined the floor carefully. Finally she decided on a spot and asked the men to help her pry up the floor boards.
George and Bess each held a flashlight. Margo looked on intently. Suddenly one of the wider boards came free. Below lay a handsome male dancer puppet in Spanish costume!
“We’ve found it!” Bess exclaimed gleefully. She whirled around, causing her light to shine in another direction.
“Bring that light back here!” Mr. Spencer called excitedly.
He and Emmet Calhoun, with Nancy and Margo helping, pulled up another floor board. The hidden puppet was freed.
“He looks almost real!” George remarked.
Nancy already was lifting his velvet bolero and white silk blouse to look at his back. In it was a door with a tiny knob. Quickly she turned it and opened the little door.
“Papers!” she cried.
Nancy pulled them out and with a quick reading of the first page discovered that here were the directions and working drawings for a clever invention.
Mr. Spencer was extremely interested. “I studied engineering before I switched to acting,” he said. “These drawings are of a device that we now call ‘fuel cells’—machines for continuously producing electricity from chemical fuels. The Van Pelt type was to be used on melted aluminum. Of course, fifty years ago that element cost too much to make this invention feasible. But today, with aluminum inexpensive, it’s a very worthwhile idea.”
“Oh, Nancy, you found it!” Bess cried proudly. “It’s yours! You can sell it for a mint of money.”
Nancy smiled and shook her head. “This discovery belongs to the Footlighters, and any money it may bring will go to them.”
During the momentary silence following Nancy’s announcement, the group in the attic heard a voice from downstairs calling, “Anybody home?”
Quickly Mr. Spencer descended the stairs, with the others at his heels. When they reached the main hall, everyone burst into laughter. There stood Chief McGinnis, grinning sheepishly. Under one arm he was carrying the Pierrot puppet; under the other, the witch!
Behind him, just coming through the doorway was Detective Dougherty, lugging the dancing puppet. Chief McGinnis explained that the two missing puppets had been found in Terrill’s apartment. Both had contained several pieces of valuable jewelry.
Just as the explanation was finished, the front doorbell rang. Mr. Spencer opened the door.
“Good evening, Mr. Trask,” he said. “Come in.” The actor introduced the caller as the owner of the puppet show which would be presented in the theater a week from that night.
Mr. Trask barely acknowledged the introduction. His eyes opening wide, he asked, “Where did these marvelous marionettes come from? If they’re for sale, I want to buy them. How much are you asking for them?”
Despite the fact that the caller was serious, the whole situation seemed so comical that everyone smiled. Emmet Calhoun threw back his head and gave a long, hollow laugh.
Nancy looked at him in amazement. “You were the one who laughed behind the secret closet! How did you do it?”
Emmet Calhoun stopped laughing long enough to say, “Nancy Drew, I’m surprised you didn’t discover the secret stairway which leads from the closet in my room to the back of that little attic closet. I’m a bit of a detective too, you see. I imagine that stairway opened into the attic years ago.” Gaily he quoted the lines from King John:“‘The day shall not be up so soon as I,
To try the fair adventure of tomorrow.’ ”
“That fits me,” thought Nancy. “I’m ready for a new mystery to solve, even if it’s before dawn!” Fate was waiting for her to take on The Moonstone Valley Mystery.
The caller, Mr. Trask, who had been looking on in astonishment, now repeated his offer to buy the puppets.
“More money for the Footlighters!” George exclaimed. “Nancy’s not only an ace detective, but a money-maker and a top actress!”
Nancy waved aside the praise. “The club will vote, of course, on what to do with the puppets; but if you ask me,” she added, her eyes twinkling, “we should keep the dancing puppet and her friends. They may come in handy sometime, when a live performance isn’t ready to go on!”
Mr. Spencer laughed heartily. “Detective Drew,” he said, “you’re absolutely right. Puppets saved us once, and these just might save us again!”
Carolyn Keene, The Clue of the Dancing Puppet
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