The Secret of the Old Clock - Carolyn Keene [38]
“I am,” Nancy replied firmly, “for a particular reason of my own.”
The trooper smiled. “It must be a mighty good one.”
“There is one favor you might do me,” said Nancy. “Ask your chief to put in a good word for the caretaker, Jeff Tucker, to the Tophams. Perhaps then he won’t lose his job.”
“Be glad to,” Officer Cowen promised. “And if you’re really anxious not to figure in the case, I’ll see if we can get along without your testimony.”
Nancy thanked him, then suddenly thought of the old clock. At the moment it was lying on the front seat of her car, less than a dozen yards away. Should she reveal this information? She decided against doing so in front of the thieves, who, though they could not hear what she had been saying, could see everything plainly. “I’ll wait until a more opportune time,” Nancy concluded.
It was agreed among the state policemen that one of them would stay to guard the van and keep a radio car standing by there. The other three troopers would take the captive thieves to headquarters.
The three prisoners, their faces sullen, were crowded into the car. One of the troopers took the wheel, while the one beside him kept the handcuffed trio closely covered.
Officer Cowen, a strapping, husky man, turned to Nancy. “I’ll ride with you,” he said. “You’re going past headquarters on the main road?”
“I’m on my way to River Heights,” she responded.
“Then the station is on your route. You can drop me off if you will.”
“Why—why, of course,” Nancy stammered. “I’ll be glad to.”
At once she had thought of the Crowley clock. What if Officer Cowen should not accept her explanation as to why she had helped herself to the heirloom and its strange contents? If this happened, her progress in solving the mystery might receive a serious setback! Even as these disturbing ideas raced through her mind, the trooper started toward the blue convertible.
Nancy braced herself. “I’ll just have to ’fess up,” she said to herself, “and take the consequences!”
CHAPTER XVII
Strange Instructions
FOR THE next few seconds Nancy’s mind worked like lightning as she rehearsed what she would say to Officer Cowen. One idea stood out clearly: the police were concerned in the theft of the furniture, so she would hand over the clock. But they were not involved in locating Mr. Crowley’s missing will. For this reason the young sleuth felt justified in keeping the notebook. She would turn it over to her father, and let him decide what disposition should be made of it.
“After all,” Nancy told herself, “Dad is handling the Crowley case for the Hoovers, and even the Turners and Mrs. Rowen, in a way.”
By this time she and the trooper had reached her car. “Would you like me to drive?” he asked.
“Why—er—yes, if you wish,” Nancy replied. “But first I want to show you something,” she added, as he opened the door for her. “I have some stolen property here.”
“What!”
Quickly Nancy explained that she had taken the responsibility of trying to learn whether or not the van held the stolen furniture. “I recognized a few of the pieces, and possibly this clock which the Tophams had told me about. I took that out to examine it. Then I never had a chance to get it back without being caught. I’m sure the Tophams will identify the old clock as their property.”
Nancy’s explanation seemed to satisfy the officer. “I’ll take it to headquarters,” he said. “Let’s go!”
He laid the clock on the rear seat, then slid behind the wheel and drove off.
It was nearly midnight when Nancy, tired and worn from her long ride, reached the Drew home in River Heights. As she drove into the double garage, she noticed that her father’s car was gone. A glance at the house disclosed that the windows were dark, with the exception of a light in the hall. Hannah Gruen must be in bed.
“Of course she’s not expecting me,” Nancy reasoned. “I wonder where Dad can be? Oh, I hope he’ll get home soon. I want to tell him about my discovery