Mystery of the Glowing Eye - Carolyn Keene [12]
Dave took it and in a moment he was beside Bess. Then he reached down and pulled up the ladder.
“We’d better go,” Bess said. “Nancy and George and Burt may be back and wondering where we went.”
The two hurried outside without meeting any one and drove back to the airfield. Their friends were waiting.
“Where have you been?” George said petulantly. “We thought you’d been kidnapped too.”
“Try to open it,” Dave said.
Dave replied, “We were prisoners. It’s lucky we got back here. Bess, shall we tell them where we were being held?” There was a twinkle in his eye.
Bess smiled. “After they tell us where they went.”
Nancy knew there was no use coaxing, so she briefed the couple on the helicopter trip, and mentioned the 1923 S penny she had found in Jerry Faber’s big copter.
“I found a penny also,” said Dave. He took the coin out of a pocket in his jeans. After looking at the date on it, he exclaimed, “This is a 1923 S penny too!”
CHAPTER VI
Mysterious Burglary
FINALLY Nancy said, “I have a hunch that Zapp Crosson owns both pennies.” After hearing Bess and Dave’s story, she said, “He could have dropped the first one in the copter on his trip to look over River Heights, and left the other one at the farmhouse.”
George spoke up. “In other words, you think he put the second penny in the pocket of his shirt and then changed clothes.”
Nancy told her she thought Crosson had done more than this. “I believe the farmhouse is a hideout for him.”
Bess was sure the suspect was not carrying on any kind of experiments at the house. “Dave and I looked over the place thoroughly and didn’t find anything unusual until we fell down the clothes chute.”
George laughed. “I’ll bet he doesn’t go there just to wash his clothes.”
Burt said, “More likely he goes there to put on a disguise of some kind to fool the police. For one thing, he’d want to cover that fiery red hair of his.”
There was a great deal of discussion among the young people as Burt drove along. Nancy said she thought the farmhouse should be guarded. “But I don’t like to notify the police until we know for sure that Crosson is our man.”
Dave said he had a suggestion. “How about Burt and me staying at the house for the night? I saw plenty of canned food. If there’s no car around, Crosson won’t suspect anyone is there. When he comes in, we’ll give him a football rush before he can escape.”
Burt turned the car and headed toward the farmhouse. When they had almost reached it, he said, “You girls go on back to Emerson and pick us up at the farm early in the morning.”
They agreed. Half a mile from the house the two boys got out and to keep from being seen approached the building from the rear.
Meanwhile, Nancy had taken the wheel and the girls had gone on. When they returned to the fraternity house, students crowded around and asked many questions.
“Any news of Ned?”
“What did you find out?”
The girls admitted that they had learned very little but suspected a certain place might offer a clue, so Burt and Dave were spending the night there to see what they could find out. This seemed to satisfy the boys, and the girls hurried off to the guest room.
“I certainly need a bath and a shampoo,” Bess spoke up. “Anybody mind if I use the shower first?”
“Go ahead,” said Nancy. She sat down in a chair and stared out a window, but her mind was not on the scenery. She was recalling the day’s adventures and trying to fit the pieces of the puzzle together. She asked herself, “If Crosson goes to the farmhouse, does he bring Ned with him?
“Probably not,” the young detective decided. “Oh, Ned, where are you?” she thought wistfully. “If you can’t send me another message, concentrate real hard on transmitting a clue into this brain of mine.”
A while later George tapped her on the shoulder. “Time’s up for daydreaming,” she said. “Bathroom’s free. Your turn for a shower.”
Almost absentmindedly Nancy got up and went to take a refreshing bath. After it, she felt less edgy and hurried to put on fresh clothes for dinner.
Ned’s fraternity brothers were very kind and solicitous and