The Mystery of the Fire Dragon - Carolyn Keene [6]
“Have you ever been to the Orient?” she asked the girls.
When they shook their heads, the woman went on, “I’m planning to go myself with one of the tourist groups. That’s why I’m here—looking for books on the Orient.”
Idly she picked several volumes from a shelf and started to leaf through them. “Oh, dear, where is Mr. Stromberg? I’ve been here ten minutes!” When the girls made no comment, Mrs. Truesdale said, “I suppose I’m an idiot to go abroad. Air travel doesn’t agree with me. Besides, I hate being away from my family for such a long time.”
Nancy and Bess smiled in spite of themselves. When Mrs. Truesdale moved away, Bess whispered, “I’ll bet that woman’s a pest. I should think her family would be glad to see her go away for a while.”
Finally Mr. Stromberg came in from the street.
He was about fifty years old, of medium height and build, and had piercing blue eyes, a high forehead, and a prominent nose.
He nodded to Mrs. Truesdale, saying, “I have some books for you. Would you mind waiting a few minutes?”
Turning to the girls, he asked, “Can I do something for you young ladies?”
“Will Chi Che be here soon?” Nancy asked.
“I presume you mean Chi Che Soong. No,” Mr. Stromberg replied. “Chi Che asked for time off—wasn’t certain of her return either, so I can’t tell you when she’ll be in.”
“Well, thank you very much,” said Nancy. “I’ll drop by again and see if she’s here.”
Mr. Stromberg gave a great sigh. “I wish Miss Soong would get back. We deal in foreign-language books and she was a great help to me. You know, Chi Che Soong speaks seven languages!”
“How amazing!” Bess remarked.
“Isn’t there something I can do for you?” the shop owner asked.
“Well, not in the line of books,” Bess answered. “We—ah—wanted to invite Chi Che to a party.”
Mr. Stromberg, not interested in this subject, walked over to Mrs. Truesdale, and the two girls left the shop.
“We didn’t learn anything there,” Bess said.
Nancy frowned and admitted that she was frankly puzzled. Chi Che’s note to Aunt Eloise had indicated that it was written on the spur of the moment and under great stress. Somebody she feared must have been nearby because she was unable to finish the last part of the note. Yet Mr. Stromberg said Chi Che told him she wanted time off and her return was uncertain. Nancy revealed her thoughts to Bess.
“The two things just don’t dovetail,” she said finally.
“It’s too deep for me,” Bess admitted, shaking her head. “Well, where do we go from here?”
Nancy suggested that they make a trip to Columbia University and try to find out something about Chi Che. When they arrived on campus, the girls went to the office of one of the deans. A young woman assistant proved to be most helpful. She suggested that the girls go to the building where foreign students often gathered.
“They may be able to tell you something about Miss Soong,” the young woman said.
Nancy and Bess hurried to the designated building. It was almost lunchtime and the girls noticed everyone heading for the cafeteria in the building. Nancy and Bess stood near the door. Several Chinese young people came in. The American girls smiled at them and asked if they knew where Chi Che was. None did, and one girl added:
“Chi Che has been cutting classes lately. She never did that before. I can’t understand it.”
Nancy said that she had heard Chi Che was visiting college friends out of town. The Chinese student looked surprised. “None of her friends here is away. If she’s visiting, the person must be someone from another college.”
“Would you like to come and have lunch with our group?” the Chinese girl invited.
“Why, thank you very much,” said Nancy. “We’d love it. I’m Nancy Drew and this is my friend Bess Marvin.”
“My name is Amy Ching,” the other girl said.
The three went into the cafeteria and Amy Ching introduced Nancy and Bess to several other foreign students, but none could give any information about Chi Che Soong.
Nancy and Bess returned to the apartment early in the afternoon and brought George