Mystery of the Glowing Eye - Carolyn Keene [36]
Pretty soon everyone began to yawn and finally good nights were exchanged. Burt told the girls that he and Dave had an appointment after Sunday chapel services the next day. “We may not see you in the morning. You’re going to the museum, aren’t you?”
Nancy nodded and said if anything unusual or exciting happened she would telephone the boys.
Directly after breakfast the following morning the girls tidied their room, then drove off to pick up Professor Titus. After greeting them all he climbed into the front seat with Nancy, who headed for the chapel. When the service was over they drove directly to the Anderson Museum.
Professor Titus turned to Nancy. “Are you going to solve the mystery today?” he asked with a twinkle in his eyes.
“Why not?” she bantered. Then, becoming serious, she added, “The authorities haven’t captured Zapp Crosson with Ned and we all think that the kidnapper has a new hideout.”
“And we haven’t the vaguest idea where it is,” Bess spoke up, “although I personally suspect Nancy has a hunch.”
Nancy made no comment and in a little while they reached the museum. She unlocked the front entrance and they all went in. Professor Titus snapped on the hall light.
“Nancy,” he said, “suppose you give us each a job to do. I am not very well acquainted with the exhibits here. Perhaps I should familiarize myself with them in order to be able to answer any questions visitors might ask.”
Nancy said that she had formulated a plan of action for the group, but it had more to do with solving the mystery than it did with visitors.
“I suggest that Bess sit here at the hall desk where Miss Wilkin used to be. Bess, you take the admission money and hand each caller one of these visitors’ maps of the building.”
George suggested that her cousin study each newcomer carefully. If she felt suspicious about any person, she immediately was to call her friends to the lobby.
Nancy asked Professor Titus if he would go into the room where they had seen the glowing eye and watch the wall carefully.
“If anything unusual takes place, give a shrill whistle and we’ll all come running.”
George spoke up. “What’s my assignment?”
Nancy said that she and George would explore upstairs. “I guess it’s not part of the museum itself because Miss Wilkin didn’t mention it as such and the map with directions to the exhibits shows only the first floor.”
“How do we get to the second floor?” George asked. “I don’t see a stairway anywhere.”
The young detective told her that they would have to hunt for it. She pointed out that the little map had an ST on a spot in the rear hall which probably indicated a door leading to a stairway.
The two girls went off and soon found the door. It opened easily and revealed a rather steep set of steps. Nancy led the way to the second floor, where there were several bedrooms with baths.
Nancy and George went from one to another. They were in perfect order and did not seem to have been used recently.
“I guess nobody slept up here,” George said as they came to the last room. “Oh, oh, I was wrong,” she added suddenly.
Though there were no clothes in sight, the bed looked as if it had been hastily and badly made and there were soiled towels carelessly slung over racks in the bathroom.
Nancy remarked that she was sure Miss Wilkin had not stayed in the room. “She’s too neat to have left the place looking like this.”
“Then who was it?” George asked. “I’ll bet you’re thinking of Zapp Crosson.”
Nancy smiled. “Yes, I’m thinking just that. But I’m also wondering if Ned was with him.”
George said she doubted it because Ned would have left some kind of clue hoping Nancy would find it. Both girls began a thorough search of bureau drawers and even pulled the bed apart. They found nothing to help solve the mystery.
“I don’t think,” George said, “Miss Wilkin knew anyone was using the place for diabolic schemes. Zapp probably worked on his weird inventions when she was not on duty.”
“On the other