“I’ll give him a ring at once and tell him,” Nancy promised.
She put in a second call to the farm. To her relief Mr. Thurston told her he had already disposed of the lifeless birds and thoroughly sprayed the cages with disinfectant.
“Fortunately none of the other birds have been affected,” he said, “and Rausch reports that all the animals in the zoo are okay.”
Nancy felt relieved. “Oh I’m glad.”
After hearing about Ned’s condition, Oscar told her to give the young man his best wishes. “Tell him how sorry I am he picked up the virus at my bird farm. I’m wondering,” he went on, “if by any chance the intruder deliberately infected the birds in order to make us believe we’re jinxed.”
“That’s a possibility,” Nancy remarked. “In any case, it’s a shame you had to lose all those beautiful birds.”
Nancy said she assumed it would be safe now for her, Bess, and George to help with the cleaning and feeding of the healthy birds. Oscar gladly accepted her offer. As soon as Nancy finished talking to him, she called Bess, then George. Both were astounded to hear her report about Ned.
“Since I’m not allowed to help take care of him,” said Nancy, “how about the three of us pitching in at the Thurston farm?”
The cousins eagerly agreed to go. On the way, the girls decided to buy some groceries and prepare a couple of meals for the Thurstons.
When they arrived at the farm, they again found Martha Thurston in her wheelchair. After a quick pleasant greeting, the woman began to relate a terrible dream about a giant bulldozer coming on their property, knocking over all the buildings, and letting the birds fly away.
“You were overtired yesterday,” Nancy said to her kindly. “That’s why you dreamed last night. Try to forget the whole thing. We’ll show you what we brought, then we’ll go out to the cages and help your husband.”
The woman was very much pleased with the gift of meats and vegetables and an angel cake. The visitors put the articles away, then headed for the back yard.
When the work was finished, Oscar said, “You three are certainly good workers. Thank you.”
While Bess and George prepared lunch, Nancy told Oscar about the conversation with Mr. Hinchcliff. The bird owner was disappointed by the man’s attitude but said he still hoped the town council would vote in his favor.
“You know other farms are involved in various developments of Mr. Wright’s, but none has a setup like mine.”
“I’m going to call on Councilman Ryan this afternoon,” Nancy told him. “He owns the clothing store, doesn’t he?”
“Yes, he does.”
Oscar gazed into the distance before speaking again. Finally he said, “I hope you won’t find Mr. Ryan difficult.”
“Is he supposed to be?” Nancy asked, smiling.
The man nodded. “He’s a great bargainer and in the town council meetings never budges from his original opinion. Nancy, I wish you luck. Actually I believe you can handle him.” Oscar chuckled.
About two-thirty the three girls set off. When they reached the shopping center in Harper, they parked in front of the clothing store and went inside. Nancy asked for the proprietor and was told he was in his office on the balcony.
“I guess it’s all right for you to go up,” said the young man who had answered her query. “Just knock.”
Nancy, Bess, and George ascended the stairway, with Nancy in the lead. She knocked on a door marked Mr. Ryan. A loud dictatorial voice boomed, “Come in!”
As the three callers walked in, Mr. Ryan, who was seated behind his desk, greeted them with a snappy question.
“Do you all work here?”
“No, we don’t,” Nancy told him.
When he made no attempt to carry on a conversation, she said, “We heard about High Rise’s new development plans. I suppose it will bring a lot of new shoppers into town and that will please you.”
“I suppose it will,” he said evenly. “Are you thinking of applying for jobs in my store when the development opens?”
The girls were a bit amused by his assumption but kept straight faces. Nancy said, “Wouldn’t we be a little early to think of that?”
“Yes, you would be. Well, what did you come for? I can’t give you much of my time. I’m a very busy man.”
Bess assured Mr. Ryan they would not stay long. She turned to Nancy, “Tell him what you have in mind.”
“Mr. Ryan,” said Nancy, “we’ve been looking over the area where the apartment buildings may be put. We understand that these will replace Mr. Thurston’s zoo and aviary.”
“That’s right,” the shop owner agreed.
“Have you ever thought,” Nancy asked, “how much more attractive the development would be if the Thurston farm were left intact?”
Mr. Ryan gave a start. “What do you mean?”
Nancy told him that she could visualize the development very clearly. A cluster of high-rise apartment houses would face on a man-made lake. There would be a swimming pool, a park, and a playground. And on the other side of the lake Mr. Thurston’s zoo and aviary as an added attraction.
“The tenants’ children would love to go over there and see the birds and animals and hear Oscar Thurston talk about them. It would be very educational and relaxing for adults too.”
The shop owner thought this over a few seconds, then suddenly a sneering look came over his face. “Who sent you here to propose this to me?”
“Nobody,” Nancy replied. George and Bess echoed the comment.
“I don’t believe you,” Mr. Ryan shouted. “Well,” the councilman added, “I don’t care who it was and you tell him for me to mind his own business! I’ll vote exactly the way I want to without any advice from someone else! I’ve already made up my mind that the Thurston farm must go!”
He arose from his desk chair and walked to the door. Opening it wide, he glared at the callers and said, “You’ve already taken up too much of my valuable time. I would appreciate your leaving at once!”
The three girls walked out of the office without saying a word. Then George burst out, “What a mean man he is!”
Bess added, “I never met anybody so narrow-minded and pigheaded in all my life!”
Nancy heaved a great sigh. “That certainly was a disappointing interview, but I’m not giving up. I’ll call on the other councilmen as soon as I have a chance.” She added that there were three more.
When the girls reached the car, Nancy asked George to drive.
“I don’t know why, but I’m really exhausted. I’ll take the car from your house.”
George dropped her cousin Bess at the Marvin home, then went to her own house. She said good-by to Nancy and advised her to take a nap or at least to go to bed early that evening.
“Will do,” Nancy replied and drove off.
After putting her car in the garage, she entered the house through the kitchen door. Hannah Gruen came bustling down the front stairway into the hall to meet her.
“Oh, Nancy,” the housekeeper cried, “Ned seems to be much worse. I can’t reach either the
doctor or your father on the phone. I don’t know what to do!”
She went on, “Ned is slightly delirious and he keeps calling for you, insisting he must see you. I don’t know what to do!”
Instantly Nancy rushed to the stairway. “If Ned wants to see me, he’s going to!”
Hannah Gruen grabbed the girl’s arm. “Dr. Black and your father told you not to go in that room.”
“I know,” Nancy replied sheepishly. “I’ll stop at the door and call to Ned.”
The housekeeper released the girl’s arm and Nancy raced up the steps, two at a time. “Oh, Ned,” she kept saying to herself, “you must get better!”
CHAPTER XI
Missing Pet
NANCY stood at the doorway of Ned’s bedroom. He was tossing restlessly and calling Nancy’s name over and over. Now and then he would mumble something she could not understand.
“I mu
st find out what it is he’s trying to tell me,” she thought, and moved closer to the bed.
The patient opened his eyes partway and realized that Nancy was standing beside him. He put out a hand as if to grasp hers. It was all she could do to restrain herself from taking his. She pretended not to see it and he dropped his hand listlessly back on the bed.
“Ned,” she said soothingly, “everything’s going to be all right. Do you want to tell me what’s troubling you?”
“Yes,” he mumbled. “Slick Fingers probably has this. Find him, Nancy.” Ned closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.
Nancy stood pondering Ned’s startling statement. What had he meant? After a few moments’ thought, she decided that he figured Slick Fingers had contracted ornithosis from the diseased birds at the Thurston aviary.
“Ned thinks he must be lying ill somewhere and probably had a doctor. If I can only locate Slick Fingers through a hospital or a doctor, the authorities can arrest him.”
The question was how far away from River Heights the parolee might be. Was he still in the area of Harper? Nancy concluded that this was likely since Slick Fingers was working against the Thurstons.
Nancy glanced at her watch. It was still early afternoon.
“I’ll drive over to Harper and inquire at the hospitals there if a Clyde O’Mayley is a patient.”
She told Hannah Gruen her plan and said she would return as soon as possible.
“It seems to me,” the housekeeper remarked, “that your errand is like hunting for a needle in a haystack.”
Nancy smiled. “Why, Hannah dear, you’ve always told me that if you have the right magnet you can find even a needle in a haystack.”
Mrs. Gruen laughed heartily. “I’m glad you remembered some of my teaching.”
Nancy hugged her. “You have no idea how much you’ve really helped me in my detective work. Well, let’s hope I find the needle which, in this case, is Slick Fingers.”
“Watch your step!” Hannah warned.
Nancy nodded and began to check a telephone directory for the Harper hospitals. There were two: General and Mercy.
In a few minutes Nancy was rolling along the highway in her convertible. After entering Harper, she drove directly to General Hospital. To her disappointment, she learned that Clyde O’Mayley was not a patient nor had he visited the clinic for medical assistance.
“But I’ve just started my search,” the young detective consoled herself. “I’m not going to let one disappointment discourage me.”
A short time later she came to Mercy Hospital. A sweet-looking young woman sat at the visitors’ desk.
“Do you wish to visit someone?” she asked, smiling.
“Yes, if he’s a patient here,” Nancy replied, and gave the name Clyde O’Mayley.
The young woman consulted her roster, then shook her head. “No one by that name is here now.”
Nancy asked, “Would it be possible for you to find out if he stopped in your clinic during the past three or four days?”
The young woman nodded and dialed an extension. After a brief conversation, she told Nancy that the man she was trying to locate had not come to the Mercy clinic.
Nancy thanked her for being so helpful and left the hospital. Across the street she noticed a sign indicating a doctor’s office.
“I’ll start with him and then go on to other doctors in town asking them if Clyde O’Mayley has been to them for treatment.”
The young detective approached the building, pressed the doorbell, and then walked in as a small sign over the bell directed. She was surprised to find no patients waiting. A nurse, who came from an inner room, announced that the doctor would not be in for another hour.
“I just stopped here,” said Nancy, “to ask a question. I’m sure you can answer it.”
She told about her search for Clyde O’Mayley, whom she suspected might have ornithosis. “I’m trying to locate him. Has he been here recently?”
“I think not,” the nurse replied, “but I’ll check and make sure.”
She disappeared into the inner office and returned in a few moments. “No, he hasn’t consulted the doctor.”
Nancy asked if the woman had a list of all the doctors in town. “I should like to inquire at each office,” she added.
The nurse said she was sorry but there was no printed list.
“Then may I look at the classified pages in your phone book?” Nancy requested, certain that all the local physicians would be listed.
Nancy took a notebook and pencil from her handbag. When the nurse brought the book, Nancy copied the names and addresses. There were twelve.
“I hope you find the man you’re looking for,” the nurse said, after the young detective had thanked her. She smiled. “Is he a special friend?”
“No. Just the opposite. That’s why I’m trying to find him. The police are looking for Clyde O’Mayley. If he should ever come in here, please call Harper headquarters.”
The woman looked a bit startled that such a lovely and wholesome girl would be trying to track down a criminal, but she made no comment and said good-by.
For the next hour Nancy went from office to office. Some of the doctors worked in their own homes, others in office buildings. Finally Nancy, very weary, looked at her list.
“Only three more to go,” she thought. “I guess Hannah will prove to be right. I’m not going to find that needle in this haystack.”
Nancy drove to the next address. At the doctor’s office she was surprised to be greeted by a young nurse who had been in grade school with her.
“Evelyn Hatch!” she exclaimed. “So you’re a nurse.”
“I’m in training. I work here afternoons.”
“We lost track of each other after you moved to Harper,” Nancy remarked.
“I can’t believe it! Nancy Drew! I’ve missed seeing you. How is everything?”
“Oh, I keep busy,” Nancy replied.
Evelyn grinned. “Are you still doing detective work?”
Nancy nodded. “That’s why I’m here.”
“The doctor’s not in just now,” Evelyn told her. “Is there something I can do to help you?”
Nancy told her about trying to find the man named Clyde O’Mayley who might have come for treatments for ornithosis. “Was he here?” she asked hopefully.
“Is he a criminal?” Evelyn asked.
“Well, yes, sort of,” Nancy answered.
“Then I may have an interesting clue for you,” Evelyn said. “There was a man in here who gave the name of Arthur Clyde. He did have ornithosis.”
“What did he look like?” Nancy asked.
Evelyn’s description fitted the wanted man. Nancy was thrilled. “Is he supposed to come back?”
The nurse told her that the patient had made an appointment for the following afternoon. “It’s at four o’clock.”
“I think I’ll report this to Chief Pepper,” Nancy remarked. “He can assign plainclothesmen to watch your office and nab the man if he’s Slick Fingers.”
“Who?” Evelyn asked.
Nancy laughed. “Oh, that’s Clyde O’Mayley’s nickname in the underworld.”
Evelyn wagged her head. “Nancy Drew, you’re really something! When I knew you in school you gave me the impression you would become a professional dancer, not a detective.”
The two chatted for a while, then Nancy said she would go on to Harper Police Headquarters and then home.
“By the way, did the man have any identifying marks on him so we could trace him more easily if he doesn’t show up tomorrow?”
“Yes, he did have one,” Evelyn answered. “I was quite intrigued. On the top of his left arm he had a small tattoo. It was unusual, not like any I had ever seen before.”
“What was it?” Nancy asked her.
“A circle with a cross in it. The vertical and horizontal lines extended fully from one side of the circle to the other.”
Nancy caught her breath. This was the symbol us
ed by Merv Marvel! She said nothing to Evelyn, but wondered if he and Slick Fingers were pals. Then a second thought came to her. Perhaps Merv had mesmerized Slick Fingers and got him to consent to the strange mark being tattooed on him.
“It must have been done recently,” Nancy decided, “because the description of him on record did not mention a tattoo.” Aloud she said, “Evelyn, this is important information. Thanks a lot. Let’s try to meet again soon.”
“I’d love to,” her old school friend replied as Nancy left.
She went directly to see Chief Pepper. He greeted her with a smile and said, “I’m glad you dropped in. The fingerprints on the can of chloroform were definitely those of Slick Fingers. And have you brought me a new lead on him?”
The young detective puckered her mouth into a half-grin and said, “Yes, I have.”
The chief listened attentively to her story. At the end he commented, “Every time I hear about your latest discoveries, I admire your sleuthing ability a little more. This bit of your detective work is excellent. I’ll station men to watch the doctor’s office and hope we can nab Slick Fingers.”
Nancy said, “If he doesn’t show up, can’t your men locate him by looking for a man with the strange tattoo?”
“It’s an excellent clue,” the chief said. “We’ll certainly use it.”
Nancy arose and said good-by. As she was walking toward her car, she saw Oscar Thurston’s assistant, Rausch, coming toward her. She waited for him.
“Oh hello,” he said. “Say, I’m certainly glad I met you.”
After greeting him, Nancy waited for the man to proceed. He went on to say that Kammy had phoned the Thurstons just before he had left the house.
“She was terribly upset,” Rausch said. “Her pet wryneck, Petra, has disappeared!”
“What! How?” Nancy asked.
“Someone must have sneaked into her room in the college dorm and opened the cage. The window was open but there’s no clue as to whether the bird got loose and flew away or was stolen.”
“That’s a shame,” said Nancy. “How long ago did this happen?”
Rausch said apparently it had occurred during the morning. Kammy made the discovery at lunchtime when she returned to her room after class.