Mystery of the Glowing Eye - Carolyn Keene [15]
He remarked, “These very faint old ones and the newly made group are the same.”
“Does that mean,” Nancy asked, “that the person responsible for the theft is well acquainted with this lab?”
The officer was inclined to think so. “I’ll see if the college has the fingerprints of everyone using this laboratory.”
Professor Titus spoke up. “That has never been required,” he said. “I am afraid you’ll have to look elsewhere for identification.”
Nancy was sorry to hear this. She wanted to mention Crosson’s name because in her own mind she felt sure that he had burglarized the lab. But on the other hand, why would he rob the place when he could work there? She decided to say nothing yet to the police.
“Perhaps Crosson has gone away for good,” the young detective said to herself.
She asked Professor Titus if it would be all right for her to look around.
“Yes, indeed,” he said.
The three girls walked about slowly, examining the long worktables, some with sinks, others with electric outlets. Against one wall were computers of various sizes. The electronic equipment seemed complicated.
“This place is like a maze,” she thought.
Idly Nancy wandered over to a metal file cabinet which stood by itself on one side of the room. “I think I’ll just peek inside. Maybe I can pick up some information to help solve this case.”
She pulled open the top drawer and found it filled with books. They were of a technical and specialized nature and Nancy doubted that they would lend a clue.
“I’ll look at them later,” she decided, closing the drawer.
Next she drew out the large second drawer. Before Nancy had a chance to find out what it contained, there was a sudden explosion inside the drawer. It tore the file cabinet apart.
The force knocked Nancy against the opposite wall, but fortunately she was not hit by any of the flying debris. The others in the room rushed over to see if she was all right.
“Nancy!” Bess cried out.
“I’m okay,” the stunned girl answered shakily. “I must have triggered off a bomb.”
As George glanced toward the wreck, she yelled, “Fire! The papers are on fire!”
Professor Titus had rushed to a nearby extinguisher and told the others to get another from the outer office. The flaming papers crackled and sent up greenish smoke. The two extinguishers failed to douse the flames.
“Notify the fire department!” Professor Titus shouted, and George dashed to the office phone to put in the call.
The odor from the burning contents of the cabinet became intolerable. Everyone was forced to leave and the door was closed. Professor Titus suddenly recalled that there was a manual sprinkler system in the ceiling of the lab. He turned two metal wheels on the wall, then opened the lab door a crack and peered in. Water was streaming down. By the time the firemen arrived, the blaze had been extinguished.
“I guess our equipment isn’t needed,” said one of the men with a smile, “but we’ll investigate the cause of the fire.”
Professor Titus looked a little sheepish. “I only remembered about the overhead sprinkler system after we called you,” he said. “What I think we do need here is an inspection by the police bomb squad.” He told about the explosion in the file cabinet, and the fire captain in charge telephoned at once to the head of the bomb squad.
Nancy remarked to the other girls, “If there was anything important in the file, it’s no good to us now.”
George replied, “I guess that’s the way the burglar planned it.”
Nancy turned to Professor Titus. “Please tell me all you know about Zapp Crosson.”
“Actually I know very little,” he replied. “Why? Do you—?” When the young detective did not offer to explain her interest in the graduate student, Professor Titus went on, “The young man was secretive and uncommunicative. Several times I tried to engage him in conversation, but all he ever told me was that his parents were foreign and he had had part of his education in Europe.”
Nancy said she understood that Crosson worked next to Ned in the lab.
“Yes,” Professor