The Hidden Staircase - Carolyn Keene [0]
Title Page
Copyright Page
CHAPTER I - The Haunted House
CHAPTER II - The Mysterious Mishap
CHAPTER III - A Stolen Necklace
CHAPTER IV - Strange Music
CHAPTER V - A Puzzling Interview
CHAPTER VI - The Gorilla Face
CHAPTER VII - Frightening Eyes
CHAPTER VIII - A Startling Plunge
CHAPTER IX - A Worrisome Delay
CHAPTER X - The Midnight Watch
CHAPTER XI - An Elusive Ghost
CHAPTER XII - The Newspaper Clue
CHAPTER XIII - The Crash
CHAPTER XIV - An Urgent Message
CHAPTER XV - A New Suspect
CHAPTER XVI - Sold!
CHAPTER XVII - Through the Trap Door
CHAPTER XVIII - A Confession
CHAPTER XIX - The Hidden Staircase
CHAPTER XX - Nancy’s Victory
Both girls froze in their tracks
PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER
Copyright © 1987, 1959, 1930 by Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.
Published by Grosset & Dunlap, Inc., a member of The Putnam &
Grosset Group, New York. Published simultaneously in Canada. .S.A.
NANCY DREW MYSTERY STORIES® is a registered trademark of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
GROSSET & DUNLAP is a trademark of Grosset & Dunlap, Inc.
eISBN : 978-1-440-67365-8
2007 Printing
http://us.penguingroup.com
CHAPTER I
The Haunted House
NANCY DREW began peeling off her garden gloves as she ran up the porch steps and into the hall to answer the ringing telephone. She picked it up and said, “Hellol”
“Hi, Nancy! This is Helen.” Although Helen Corning was nearly three years older than Nancy, the two girls were close friends.
“Are you tied up on a case?” Helen asked.
“No. What’s up? A mystery?”
“Yes—a haunted house.”
Nancy sat down on the chair by the telephone. “Tell me more!” the eighteen-year-old detective begged excitedly.
“You’ve heard me speak of my Aunt Rosemary,” Helen began. “Since becoming a widow, she has lived with her mother at Twin Elms, the old family mansion out in Cliffwood. Well, I went to see them yesterday. They said that many strange, mysterious things have been happening there recently. I told them how good you are at solving mysteries, and they’d like you to come out to Twin Elms and help them.” Helen paused, out of breath.
“It certainly sounds intriguing,” Nancy replied, her eyes dancing.
“If you’re not busy, Aunt Rosemary and I would like to come over in about an hour and talk to you about the ghost.”
“I can’t wait.”
After Nancy had put down the phone, she sat lost in thought for several minutes. Since solving The Secret of the Old Clock, she had longed for another case. Here was her chancel
Attractive, blond-haired Nancy was brought out of her daydreaming by the sound of the doorbell. At the same moment the Drews’ housekeeper, Hannah Gruen, came down the front stairs,
“I’ll answer it,” she offered.
Mrs. Gruen had lived with the Drews since Nancy was three years old. At that time Mrs. Drew had passed away and Hannah had become like a second mother to Nancy. There was a deep affection between the two, and Nancy confided all her secrets to the understanding housekeeper.
Mrs. Gruen opened the door and instantly a man stepped into the hall. He was short, thin, and rather stooped. Nancy guessed his age to be about forty.
“Is Mr. Drew at home?” he asked brusquely. “My name is Gomber—Nathan Gomber.”
“No, he’s not here just now,” the housekeeper replied.
The caller looked over Hannah Gruen’s shoulder and stared at Nancy. “Are you Nancy Drew?”
“Yes, I am. Is there anything I can do for you?”
The man’s shifty gaze moved from Nancy to Hannah. “I’ve come out of the goodness of my heart to warn you and your father,” he said pompously.
“Warn us? About what?” Nancy asked quickly.
Nathan Gomber straightened up importantly and said, “Your father is in great danger, Miss Drew!”
Both Nancy and Hannah Gruen gasped. “You mean this very minute?” the housekeeper questioned.
“All the time,” was the startling answer. “I understand you’re a pretty bright girl, Miss Drew —that you even solve mysteries. Well, right now I advise you to stick close to your father. Don’t leave him for a minute.”
Hannah Gruen looked as if she were ready to collapse and