The Hidden Staircase - Carolyn Keene [42]
Without commenting on his statement, Nancy asked, “Couldn’t you possibly arrange for me to see the inside of the mansion?”
Mr. Dodd shook his head. “I’m afraid Mr. Gomber wouldn’t like that.”
Nancy was reluctant to give up. Why, her father might even be a prisoner in that very house! “Of course I can report my suspicion to the police,” the young sleuth thought.
She decided to wait until morning. Then, if there was still no news of Mr. Drew, she would pass along the word to Captain Rossland.
Mr. Dodd’s telephone rang. As he answered it, Nancy and Helen started to leave his office. But he immediately waved them back.
“The call is from Chief Rossland, Miss Drew,” he said. “He phoned Twin Elms and learned you were here. He wants to see you at once.”
“Thank you,” said Nancy, and the girls left.
They hurried to police headquarters, wondering why the officer wanted to speak to Nancy.
“Oh, if only it’s news of Dad,” she exclaimed fervently. “But why didn’t he get in touch with me himself?”
“I don’t want to be a killjoy,” Helen spoke up. “But maybe it’s not about your father at all. Perhaps they’ve caught Nathan Gomber.”
Nancy parked in front of headquarters and the two girls hurried inside the building. Captain Rossland was expecting them and they were immediately ushered into his office. Nancy introduced Helen Corning.
“I won’t keep you in suspense,” the officer said, watching Nancy’s eager face. “We have arrested Samuel Greenman!”
“The crinkly-eared man?” Helen asked.
“That’s right,” Captain Rossland replied. “Thanks to your tip about the used car, Miss Drew, our men had no trouble at all locating him.”
The officer went on to say, however, that the prisoner refused to confess that he had had anything to do with Mr. Drew’s disappearance. “Furthermore, Harry the taxi driver—we have him here -insists that he cannot positively iden. tify Greenman as one of the passengers in his cab. We believe Harry is scared that Greenman’s pals will beat him up or attack members of his family.”
“Harry did tell me,” Nancy put in, “that his passenger had threatened harm to his family unless he forgot all about what he had seen.”
“That proves our theory,” Captain Rossland stated with conviction. “Miss Drew, we think you can help the police.”
“I’ll be glad to. How?”
Captain Rossland smiled. “You may not know it, but you’re a very persuasive young lady. I be. lieve that you might be able to get information out of both Harry and Greenman, where we nave failed.”
After a moment’s thought, Nancy rcplied modestly, “I’ll be happy to try, but on one condition.” She grinned at the officer, “I must talk to these men alone.”
“Request granted.” Captain Rossland smiled. He added that he and Helen would wait outside and he would have Harry brought in.
“Good luck,” said Helen as she and the captain left the room.
A few moments later Harry walked in alone. “Oh hello, miss,” he said to Nancy, barely raising his eyes from the floor.
“Won’t you sit down, Harry,” Nancy asked, in. dicating a chair alongside hers. “It was nice of the captain to let me talk to you.”
Harry scated himself, but said nothing. He twisted his driver’s cap nervously in his hands and kept his gaze downward.
“Harry,” Nancy began, “I guess your children would feel terrible if you were kidnaped.”
“It would cut ’em to pieces,” the cabman stated emphatically.
“Then you know how I feel,” Nancy went on. “Not a word from my father for two whole days. If your children knew somebody who’d seen the person who kidnaped you, wouldn’t they feel bad if the man wouldn’t talk?”
Harry at last raised his eyes and looked straight at Nancy. “I get you, miss. When somethin’ comes home to you, it makes all the difference in the world. You win! I I can identify that scoundrel Greenman, and I will. Call the captain in.”
Nancy did not wait a second. She opened the door and summoned the officer.
“Harry has something to tell you,” Nancy