DURING THE STORM
In a frenzy of excitement, Nancy Drew crouched in her hiding place. She
dared not move, scarcely breathe, lest she agitate the bushes or make a
noise which would attract attention to herself. Mary Mason stood with
her back to the brush, but so close that Nancy could have reached out
and touched her.
As she waited in an agony of suspense, expecting at any moment to be
discovered, a dozen questions raced through her mind. Who were Mary's
companions and what had they been doing with a luxurious motorboat?
What did Mary mean by saying that there was plenty of work yet to be
done that evening? It was all very puzzling, but Nancy Drew determined
that she would unravel the mystery before she left Dockville.
Her thoughts were rudely interrupted as Mary called again to her
friends, more sharply than before:
"Aren't you ever coming?"
"Say, give a fellow a chance for his life, will you?" came the
rejoiner. "We've got to tie up this boat unless you want it to go
drifting off down the river!"
Mary muttered something under her breath which Nancy did not catch.
However, she waited for the two men.
Presently Nancy heard heavy footsteps on the path and knew that the men
were approaching. Though she realized that it was a dangerous thing to
do, curiosity overcame her, and she cautiously arose and peeped from
her hiding place.
Through the gathering gloom and mist she beheld the two men. The
younger, whom Mary had addressed as "Bud," could not have been more
than eighteen or nineteen years of age, but his face was that of the
hardened criminal. He bore a marked resemblance to Mary, and Nancy
correctly judged that they were brother and sister. She had never set
eyes upon him before.
"Why, he wasn't the man I followed to Winchester!" she ruminated. "I
wonder who that other man could have been!"
Glancing toward the older man who was following Bud up the path, she
gave a little start of recognition. It was the stranger with the hooked
nose!
"He must be a friend of Bud's and happened to be carrying his
address," she reasoned. "That's why I thought he may have been Mary's
brother."
In her excitement at the discovery, Nancy unwittingly agitated the
leaves of a bush against which she was leaning. She quickly ducked down
out of sight, but to her horror Mary had noticed the movement, slight
as it was.
"What was that?" she demanded tensely. "I saw those bushes move."
"Only the wind," Bud answered indifferently. "Don't be such a coward."
"I'm not a coward," Mary retorted hotly. "But this business we're mixed
up in is beginning to give me the jim-jams!"
"Aw, lay off on the fighting," the older man interposed bluntly. "It's
going to storm and we've got to make our get-away."
"Yes," Mary agreed quickly, "we must collect our things and escape
before the river becomes rough."
"We'll split three ways and settle everything to-night," Bud added.
"Three ways, eh?" The other man laughed harshly. "I tell you I'll have
more than a third of the swag!"
"Don't you remember our agreement?" Mary demanded sharply.
"What do I care for that?" the man snarled unpleasantly. "I furnished
the boat."
"And who took all the risk?" Mary countered angrily. "Answer me that!"
"I'll have two-thirds or I'll send you all to jail!"
"Then you'll go with us."
"Not much I won't! Tom Tozzle knows how to look out for himself!"
"Aw, quit that arguing and come on!" Bud interrupted. "We'll settle
this thing in the house."
To Nancy Drew's disappointment, the three walked on up the path and
disappeared inside the house. After a few minutes, Nancy came out from
her hiding place, trembling with excitement.
"It's evident they're up to some shady business," she told herself,
"but of course I don't know whether they had a hand in the Lilac Inn
mystery or not. If only I can find out!"
What she was to do next Nancy Drew did not know. It would be dangerous
to enter the old house, for if she were discovered she would be
entirely at the mercy of her captors. She guessed that the rooms were
bare of furniture and that would make the problem of finding a hiding
place all but impossible. What should she do?
While Nancy hesitated, the first drop of rain splattered down upon
her hand. Glancing up, she saw that black clouds were swirling about
overhead.
"There's going to be a terrible storm!" she thought nervously.
Nancy Drew was by nature a brave girl, but as she glanced up at the
leaden sky she was more than a little disturbed. Almost in an instant
it had grown dark, and the blackness seemed to have a terrifying
quality. The air was warm and heavy. An oppressive quiet was broken
only by the moan and rush of the river.
Suddenly there was a vivid flash of lightning, followed by a violent
clap of thunder. The clouds seemed to open wide, pouring down a torrent
of rain.
"Oh!" Nancy gasped, momentarily blinded.
She could not see a foot ahead of her, but she remembered an old shed
which she had noticed at the rear of the house. In desperation, she
groped her way toward it. A second flash of lightning showed her the
way. Reaching the door, she slipped gratefully inside and shook the
water from her dress and hair.
"Just my luck the storm had to break at this very minute!" she thought
dismally. "I hope it won't last long."
She glanced anxiously toward the house which Mary and her companions
had entered. Through the rain she could see a dim light burning in one
of the rooms. Probably at this very moment the three were dividing the
loot they had mentioned.
"I wonder if they meant the Crandall jewels?" she asked herself.
The thought drove her to action. Another impatient glance at the sky
convinced her that the storm was likely to last for several hours. If
she waited until the rain ceased, she would learn nothing.
"I don't mind getting wet," she assured herself grimly.
Nevertheless, as she stepped out into the pouring rain, a dazzling
flash of lightning caused her to cringe. Resolutely continuing again,
she crept around to the north side of the house. There, to her relief,
she saw a broad piazza partially sheltered by vines.
Thoroughly soaked, she reached the porch and tiptoed across to a window
which she could see gleaming in the dark. To her disappointment she
found that the blind had been pulled down and she could not see inside.
She could hear a faint murmur of voices, but it was impossible to
distinguish a word. It was tantalizing to be so close and yet not to
be able to learn a thing she wanted to know. Frantically, she glanced
about. She must find a way to enter the house!
Thinking that she might gain admittance through a cellar window, she
started away from the porch. Just at that moment another flash of
lightning made everything as bright as day, and in that brief instant
of illumination, she saw another window at the east end of the piazza.
Softly retracing her steps, she reached the ledge and listened. She
could still hear a low murmur of voices from inside, so it was evident
that she had not been seen. Cautiously, she tried the window. At first
it offered stubborn resistance, but as she applied more strength it
slowly gave, accompanied by an alarming creak.
"I'll be caught if I don't watch out," Nancy thought.
She waited an instant, but as there was no unusual sound from the
interior of the house, she raised the window until it was high enough
to admit her body. Thrusting head and shoulders through the opening,
she peered inside. At first she could see nothing, but in a moment was
able to make out several rows of empty shelves along the walls of the
room. Evidently, she was looking into an old storeroom.
"Here goes!" Nancy decided rashly.
She swung herself through the opening and was about to lower herself to
the floor of the storeroom when she thought of her shoes. They were
soaking wet as well as muddy. If she walked across the floor, she would
leave a trail.
"No use to court disaster," she chuckled.
Quickly removing her shoes, she held them in one hand and dropped
lightly to the floor below. Creeping to the far wall, she listened. To
her satisfaction, she found that she could hear what was being said in
the next room. Evidently, the three were engaged in a heated argument.
"I tell you we've got to settle up to-night and get out while the
getting is good," she heard Tom Tozzle say.
"Bud and I will never settle on your terms," Mary replied angrily. "You
want too much."
Tom made a response which Nancy did not catch, but the next moment she
was startled to hear Mary say:
"Oh! What a vivid flash of lightning! That must have come close. I
wonder if all the windows are down?"
Nancy glanced guiltily toward the storeroom window. In the excitement
of entering the house she had forgotten to close it. Before she could
make a move she heard Mary say:
"I can hear water dripping somewhere. I think the storeroom window must
be open. Wait a minute and I'll shut it."
Desperately, Nancy glanced about for a hiding place. She was convinced
that her own carelessness had trapped her. Had there been time she
would have vaulted out the window, but it was too late for that.
Her only hope was an empty packing case. Hastily climbing into it, she
flattened herself against the bottom just as Mary Mason opened the
door.