“He may be the thief!” Nancy cried out
Abe Antok looked at Nancy in amazement. “That’s a funny question, miss,” he said. “As a matter of fact, I did, just once. That was last night.”
“What did the person who rented the ladder want to do with it?” Nancy asked quickly.
“To tell you the truth, miss,” Abe replied, “Mr. Jim O’Keefe—that’s the name of the man who rented the ladder—said he wanted to try it out. He came to our place just about quittin’ time and gave my boss and me a great sales talk. Said he handled stock or something like that. He told us he could set us up in business and make a lot of money for us. We fell for it and gave him the ladder to try out.”
“Where is Jim O’Keefe now?” Nancy inquired eagerly.
Abe Antok’s face took on a sour look. “My boss and me sure had the wool pulled over our eyes. We found the ladder back of the shop this mornin’. When we didn’t hear nothin’ from O’Keefe, my boss called the hotel where he was stayin’. He’d skipped out without payin’ his bill!”
“That’s very interesting,” said Nancy. “What did this man look like?”
Abe described Jim O’Keefe as being of medium height, dark, slender, and with thinning hair.
“Did he have any outstanding characteristics by which you could identify him?” Nancy inquired.
Abe thought for a moment. Then he answered, “Yes, he did. O‘Keefe drummed on my boss’s desk with his fingers. Then he raised up his two forefingers and put the tips of ’em together. Kind of a funny thing to do, wasn’t it?”
Nancy agreed. She thanked Abe for answering her questions, then hurried over to her father who was conversing with his lawyer friend. “I have a wonderful clue to our thief,” she said excitedly, then told the two men about Jim O’Keefe.
Mr. Drew asked permission to use the phone and called the police. Captain McGinnis thanked him for the new clue and said he would get in touch with the lawyer as soon as he had any news.
Nancy and her father returned to Mr. Drew’s office. For several minutes they discussed the mystery—Kaluakua and its secret, the strange claimants to the Sakamaki estate, the burglar, and the proposed trip to Honolulu.
Suddenly Nancy chuckled softly. “You know, Dad, there’s one thing I haven’t told you. Certain friends of Bess, George, and myself are going on a chartered plane trip from Emerson College to Honolulu when their vacation begins.”
“You mean Ned Nickerson, Burt Eddleton, and Dave Evans?” her father asked.
“That’s right, Dad. We’ll have a whole fleet of mainland detectives to solve the Kaluakua mystery!”
CHAPTER III
Strange Symbols
MR. DREW’S eyes were twinkling. “This sounds like a Hawaiian house party,” he remarked. “Seriously, I’m glad the boys will be there to help solve the mystery. There are a few angles to this case that worry me, and I’ll feel better with a crowd of you at Kaluakua.”
“I’ll call Bess and George right away,” said Nancy. “Suppose I make it on the outside phone, Dad. See you later.”
She gave him a quick kiss and left. From his secretary’s desk, Nancy called first Bess, then George. No one answered at either of their homes. Nancy, eager to share her secret and hopeful that her friends could make the trip, was disappointed.
“Oh, well, I’ll try later,” she said to herself.
The young sleuth decided to start work on the case immediately. First, she went to the library to see if she could learn from reference books there the meaning of the Polynesian symbols which Nikkio Sakamaki had sent to his grandson. The reference librarian was very helpful, but neither she nor Nancy could find the answer to the riddle.
“I’m sorry,” said Miss Taylor, who knew the young detective well. “I suppose you’re working on another mystery. Perhaps I can help you. Something just occurred to me. I believe I know the very person who might be able to tell you what these symbols mean. He’s Professor Wharton. I understand he speaks many languages and is an authority on hieroglyphics and other forms of ancient writing.”
Nancy smiled. “That’s wonderful. I’d like to talk to him. Where does he live?”
“Just a minute,” Miss Taylor replied. She opened a drawer of her desk and looked through a stack of cards. Presently she pulled one out. “Here it is. He lives in the newly developed section of River Heights called Elwynd Estates. I’m sorry I don’t have the name of the street.”
“I’ll be able to find him,” Nancy said, eager to start. “Thank you very much for everything, Miss Taylor.”
The young sleuth hurried home to get her convertible, then drove out to Elwynd Estates. At the entrance were large stone pillars with a small office to one side. She inquired where Professor Wharton lived and was given directions to Hilltop Road. Hoping that the elderly man would be at home, she hurried to his house, parked the car, and went up the front walk.
She lifted the huge knocker on the front door. After a moment the door was opened by a tall, frail-looking man, with brilliant blue eyes and a shock of white hair.
“Professor Wharton?” Nancy inquired.
The man nodded, and asked her to come in. As Nancy introduced herself and told why she was there, Mrs. Wharton came forward and was introduced.
“I am very much interested in trying to help you,” the professor said, as Nancy opened her purse and handed him the piece of paper bearing the symbols which Mr. Sakamaki had given her. “Ah, yes,” the professor murmured.
Mrs. Wharton asked Nancy to be seated, and her husband excused himself to go to his study. He was gone only a few moments.
“I have your answer,” he said, smiling. “These are ancient Polynesian symbols, to be sure. The first one means water, and the second sleep or death.”
“Water, and sleep or death,” Nancy repeated thoughtfully. “This is a wonderful help to me. Thank you very, very much, Professor Wharton.”
Nancy was so excited by what she had learned that she decided to stop at her father’s office and tell him about the meaning of the symbols. To her delight, Mr. Sakamaki was there.
Mr. Drew looked at his daughter intently, then broke into a chuckle. “Mr. Sakamaki, I can tell you right now that Nancy has already solved one part of our mystery.”
“So soon?” the Islander asked unbelievingly.
Nancy told the two men how she had learned the meaning of the Polynesian symbols. “Have you any idea, Mr. Sakamaki, what your grandfather could have meant by water and sleep or death?” she asked.
Mr. Sakamaki shook his head. “I can only make a guess. Since Grandfather told me not to sell Kaluakua before I learned its mystery, I would say that perhaps he meant the Golden Pavilion contains the secret because it is near the water. As to the sleep or death symbol, I have no idea.”
“Is it possible,” Nancy asked, “that someone who was dear to your grandfather sleeps in death beneath the pavilion?”
After a few moments of thoughtful silence, Mr. Sakamaki said that he was sure such was not the case. Then he changed the subject of conversation.
“I came here to tell your father that I have just had an airmail letter from the caretaker, Kiyabu. It said that the night before, at dusk, a mysterious native dancing girl had appeared in the pavilion. Kiyabu claimed that she looked like a ghost dancing the hula. He and his wife sneaked up on the figure with the thought of questioning her. But just before they reached the pavilion, she seemed to vanish into nothingness, and that frightened them.”
“A ghost!” Nancy cried out excitedly.
“One could come to that conclusion,” Mr. Sakamaki replied. “But I have a theory that some person or persons may have cleverly rigged up a contrivance to make it appear as if a ghost were dancing in the pavilion.”
“But why should anyone go to all that trouble?” Nancy asked.
The Hawaiian could give no explanation. He wondered whether he might have some enemies who had in some way heard of Kaluakua’s secret, and were trying to learn what it was. They pr
obably figured it to be a great treasure.
“Nancy,” the man said earnestly, “you may be running into plenty of pilikia.”
“Pilikia?” Nancy questioned.
“That means trouble,” Mr. Sakamaki told her. “I am not taking back my invitation, but I did not realize there might be so much pilikia. I believe you should think over the whole matter carefully before you decide to go.”
“Instead of discouraging me, your latest news makes me want to tackle the mystery of Kaluakua all the more!”
The Hawaiian smiled. “I was hoping you would say that,” he told her. A moment later he arose to leave. “My very best wishes to you and all your party,” he said.
After Mr. Sakamaki had left, Nancy once more telephoned to Bess and George. This time she found both of them at home and asked the two girls to come to the Drew house immediately. “Big adventure coming up,” she told the cousins, who promised to hurry over.
They arrived at the Drew home the same time Nancy did. Bess, blond and slightly plump, dimpled as she smiled. “Is this adventure just for fun, or is it going to be full of hair-raising episodes like the other mysteries we’ve worked on together?”
“Whatever it is, I’m ready for something different,” George remarked. She was tall and slender and wore her dark hair in a short casual cut. George, in contrast to her timid cousin Bess, was matter-of-fact and practical.
As soon as the girls entered the house, Nancy asked Hannah to come into the living room. After the four sat down, the young sleuth told about the proposed Hawaiian trip.
“Dreamy!” exclaimed Bess. “But it does sound dangerous.”
“Hypers, I can hardly wait to go!” George remarked. “I hope our parents will let us.”
Hannah Gruen wore a broad, contented smile. “Nancy,” she said, “this is one time I can keep an eye on you while you’re working on a mystery.”
The three girls laughed. But Hannah’s face suddenly clouded. “I don’t know, though, whether it’s safe to go out to that Pacific island. They have volcanoes out there that are apt to start up any minute. Then their food is so different!”
“Hannah dear,” said Nancy, “it’s high time you learned about our newest state of Hawaii. It is one of the most up-to-date places in the world and one of the most beautiful.”
“I can tell you a few facts about Hawaii,” George spoke up. “There are seven main islands on which people live. Honolulu is the capital and it’s on Oahu. The population is made up mainly of pure Hawaiians, part Hawaiians, Caucasians, and Orientals. The most handsome people in the world live there.”
Bess made a wry face at her cousin. “Well, you certainly have been reading up on it,” she gibed. “And now I’m going to call home and get permission to go.”
Her parents gladly consented, then George phoned her mother and father. She too was told she might make the trip.
As George announced this to the others, Bess suddenly gave a little squeal. “Girls, the boys are going out to Hawaii. Remember?”
“That’s right,” said George.
Nancy said she would put in a call at once to Emerson College and talk to Ned, since his plane was leaving that night.
When Ned heard that the girls were going to Hawaii, he gave a loud whoop. “Nancy, this is the most wonderful news of the day! We fellows are leaving here in a little while. We’re going first to California and then fly on from there. As soon as you girls arrive, we’ll come out to Kaluakua. In the meantime, you’ll find our gang at the Halekulani Hotel.”
“That’s on Waikiki Beach, isn’t it?” Nancy asked.
“Yes, it is. And get there as fast as you can!”
After a few more minutes of conversation, in which Ned promised he would pass along the good word to Burt and Dave, he and Nancy said good-by. Then she turned to Hannah Gruen and the girls.
“Dad will get our reservations,” she said. “He may pick up something in a hurry, so you’d better start packing.”
Bess and George left at once to get started on their packing. Nancy and Hannah began looking over their own clothes for the trip.
During breakfast the next morning the telephone rang. Nancy answered it and learned to her surprise that the caller was the window washer, Abe Antok.
“I have an important message for you, miss,” he said. “I don’t want to give it to you on the phone ‘cause somebody else may be listenin’. I’ll be washin’ windows at 37 Maple Street. Can you come over there and talk to me?”
Nancy promised to meet him in a short while. Eager to learn what Abe had to tell her, she finished her breakfast quickly and started out. On the way she met George, who was going downtown to buy a new bathing suit.
“Please come with me first,” Nancy asked, and told her about Abe’s message.
“All right,” George agreed.
The two girls reached 37 Maple Street in ten minutes. As they approached the side of the house, closely planted with high bushes, they saw a ladder that extended to the second floor. Abe was at the top of it, busily washing a window.
As Nancy was about to call to him, the ladder began to sway. The next moment it was yanked away from the house!
Abe Antok, meanwhile, had grabbed for the window sill and now clung to it desperately, his legs hanging in mid-air. “Help!” he screeched.
At that moment Nancy spotted a man lurking among the bushes. He was holding onto the ladder. Suddenly he let it drop and dashed off through the back yard!
CHAPTER IV
A Rewarding Chase
FOR a brief second the eyes of the two girls were rooted to the sill of the second-floor window, from which Abe Antok hung, while the man who had caused the trouble was running away at top speed.
“Nancy, go after that man!” George ordered. “I’ll help Abe.”
Without a moment’s hesitation, Nancy started through the back yard of 37 Maple Street. The window washer continued to call for help. The house owner heard him and opened the window. She grabbed Abe’s hands, just as George set up the ladder. Abe rested his feet on one of the rungs. Panting from exertion, he thanked George and the house owner, who wanted to know what had happened.
Quickly George explained, adding, “I hope my friend Nancy Drew catches up with that awful man. Why, Abe, you might have been killedl”
Nancy, meanwhile, was pursuing the fugitive through gardens, streets, and driveways. She managed to keep him in sight, hoping all the time she would find a policeman to help in the chase. As she reached a cross street, a patrol car came along. Rushing up to it, she waved her arms. When the car stopped, she gasped:
“Officer, follow me quickly, please! I’m after a man who tried to kill somebody!”
The policeman seated beside the driver lost no time in alighting and following Nancy. As they ran, she explained what had happened.
Once they almost lost their quarry as he dashed around the corner of a building, but in a few moments they saw him again. He evidently was staying off the streets as much as possible to avoid being captured. Nancy and the officer ran even faster and presently closed in on the fugitive who was trying to climb a tall fence.
The policeman pulled him down.
“What d‘you want me for?” the man asked. He was young, surly-looking, and had a shock of black hair which hung down over his forehead. “I ain’t done nothin’.”
As the officer held on to his prisoner, he said to Nancy, “This fellow is one of our town mischief-makers. He’s the leader of a gang known as the Green Tigers. Come along, Jake. We’ll go back to that place where you yanked the ladder away from the window washer.”
The hoodlum stared unbelievingly. Apparently he had been so sure no one had seen him that he was startled into a confession.
“I didn’t mean no harm. I was just havin’ some fun.”
“That’s not fun,” the officer said. “Come along!”
With Nancy leading the way, he prodded Jake along until they reached 37 Maple Street. By this time Abe was on the ground, talking
with George and the house owner. As the prisoner was marched up to the group, Abe looked at him malevolently.
“So you’re the guy who did it! What’s the big idea?”
“It wasn’t my idea,” the hoodlum sniveled. “A man came to me and told me I was to watch you and try to make things hard for you.”
“You didn’t have to try to kill me!” Abe cried out. “Who was this man?”
“I don’t know his name. He said he was goin’ to blow town but somebody else was goin’ to watch me. If I didn’t carry out his orders, he’d see that I got in trouble with the police.”
“What did this man look like?” Nancy asked.
“Oh, he was medium height—dark, thin, and not much hair on the top of his head.”
Instantly Nancy realized that the description fitted Jim O’Keefe.
“Where did you meet him?” she asked Jake.
He said the man had come over to his table in a restaurant and talked to him.
“Did you notice anything unusual about the way he used his hands?” the young sleuth inquired.
Jake thought for a moment, then said, “Come to think of it, he did do something funny with his fingers. He’d kind of beat on the table, then he’d lift two of his fingers and make them meet.”
Nancy turned to the policeman. “I think the name of the man is Jim O’Keefe, and that he’s the thief who broke into our house.”
At this announcement Jake’s eyes opened wide. “You must be Nancy Drew! You’re the one that got Abe here in trouble. It was because Abe talked too much to you. He was being shadowed. Well, this guy wanted me to make it hard for Abe.”
“Yes, I am Nancy Drew. What else can you tell us about this Jim O’Keefe?”
Before answering, the hoodlum asked the policeman if things would go easier for him if he told what he knew. The officer said it was not up to him to decide that, but it certainly would be to his advantage to tell the truth.
“Well, this guy that you call O’Keefe,” Jake said, “bragged about bein’ the front man for a slick gang.”