(#30) The Clue of the Velvet Mask (2 page)

“This is just making it easy for a thief,” she remarked.

“Not so loud or you’ll have a detective at our heels,” Ned cautioned.

“I doubt that there’s one in the place,” George replied. “Gloria’s parents never seem to worry about their valuables.”

“Oh, let’s forget robberies,” Bess pleaded. “This is supposed to be a gay party.”

“Right!” approved Ned, seizing Nancy’s hand. “Let’s dance!”

For the next half hour the young people had a wonderful time. The music was superb and Nancy forgot everything but dancing. Later as she paused, Nancy saw Linda Seeley standing near the refreshment table. The girl was not in costume, and obviously had attended the party as an employee of the Lightner Entertainment Company. Nancy took Ned over and both lifted their masks.

“Oh, hello, Nancy,” Linda greeted her. “Did you approve of the costumes I sent out?”

“Perfect. The party’s lovely, too.” Nancy introduced Ned.

“I’m glad you’re enjoying it, because I planned the party—or rather my company did. I wouldn’t be here tonight except that my boss, Mr. Tombar, couldn’t come at the last minute. I do hope everything goes all right.”

“Of course it will.”

“The truth is, we didn’t expect so many people.”

“Crashers?” Ned asked.

“I’m afraid so. We warned the family to be careful to admit only guests who could present invitations, but they didn’t want anyone checked at the door.”

As the June night wore on, the ballroom became very warm. Seeking the cool air outside, Nancy and Ned sat for a while on a garden bench. Then they decided to dance again. As they rose, Nancy searched in vain for her mask.

“I must have dropped it somewhere on the path,” she declared.

Quickly they retraced their steps. The mask was nowhere in sight. As they searched for it near a grouping of shrubs on the lawn, they heard someone coming along the shadowy gravel path,

A tall man dressed in a flowing black cloak appeared. Since his back was turned to them, he did not notice the couple.

The man, who was unmasked, paused to examine a rose trellis which extended from the ground to the second story of the house. He put his left foot on it and reached up with his right arm.

“What’s he up to?” Ned muttered.

The masquerader must have heard the question, for he stepped down quickly. Even then, Ned and Nancy did not see his face. Abruptly the man turned and hastened back into the house.

“Ned, do you suppose he intended to climb the trellis to the library?” Nancy asked.

“It would make a handy ladder.” Ned strode over to inspect it.

At the base he picked up a black velvet, hood-type mask. Ned thought that the man in the black cloak might have dropped it.

“Since you can’t find your mask, Nancy, try this one for size,” he suggested.

Normally, Nancy would not have done so. But she suspected that she might be on the trail of one of the mysterious party thieves!

“I’ll wear the hood until we see the man in the black cloak,” she agreed.

Returning to the ballroom, she and Ned found the floor even more crowded. In vain, Nancy looked about for the mysterious stranger. Then, unexpectedly, he cut in on Ned!

But now he wore a mask exactly like the one Nancy had on! Before Ned could recover from his surprise, the stranger danced off with Nancy.

“I had a hard time finding you in this crowd,” he scolded irritably. “Why didn’t you wear the Oriental costume you said you would? If it weren’t for the mask, I never would have recognized you.”

Nancy remained silent, but her heart was thumping. Someone in an Oriental costume must have dropped the mask she was wearing.

“You nearly wrecked our plan, stupid!” the man went on. “Can’t you learn to obey orders?”

The dancer in the black cloak saw Ned approaching to reclaim his partner.

“Here comes that pest again,” he muttered. “Get rid of him as soon as you can.”

A moment before Ned tapped him on the shoulder, the man thrust a note into Nancy’s hand. She managed to hide her astonishment as they danced away, but once beyond the man’s view, Nancy paused beside a cluster of palms. Tersely she explained to Ned what had happened.

“I’m sure that man is one of the party thieves. He mistook me for someone who works with him.”

She unfolded the message and read it in an undertone. “‘Eastport Trellis Company offers secondhand window sash on cash terms. In case of rain every cloud has a silver lining.”’

“It must be a hoax, Nancy!”

“I don’t think so,” she replied soberly. “No, Ned, this message is in code. We must decipher it!”

CHAPTER II

A Daring Theft

NANCY and Ned reread the mysterious note several times, trying to figure out its meaning.

“Maybe the word trellis refers to the one we saw the man start to climb,” Nancy said.

“Yes, and it’s on the
east
side of the house,” Ned added.

“The man in the black cloak was looking up at the second-floor windows of the library, Ned. Does that suggest anything?”

“A robbery?”

“This note must mean that there are valuables worth plenty of cash for any thief who climbs that trellis.”

“How do you interpret the second sentence of the message?” Ned asked. “‘In case of rain every cloud has a silver lining.”’

“In case-silver. The silver miniatures in the glass case!” Nancy exclaimed.

“You’ve hit it!” Ned cried out. “I’ll bet they intend to pull a job here tonight—at any minute!”

“We’ll have to work fast to stop them. Ned, station yourself at the trellis and keep watch. I’ll rush up to the library.”

“Better notify the police.”

“As soon as I can,” Nancy assured him. “There’s a telephone in the library. I hope the wires haven’t been cut.”

The two separated. Nancy looked quickly about the ballroom, hoping to see some of her friends, a member of the Hendrick family, or Linda Seeley. But not one person who might have aided her was in sight. Nancy ran swiftly up the circular stairway.

The moment was a critical one. But the lively young detective had always been able to think fast in an emergency.

Nancy’s first case had been
The Secret of the Old Clock.
Since then Nancy had helped countless persons and faced many dangers, including her previous adventure,
Mystery at the Ski Jump.

As Nancy reached the first landing, beyond view of the ballroom, she was stopped short. Confronting her was a feminine masquerader in a glittering Javanese costume.

“Is this the woman who was supposed to be wearing a black velvet hooded mask?” Nancy wondered. Now she had on a black lace mask, probably the one Nancy had lost.

For an instant the two stared at each other. Nancy caught a glimpse of piercing dark eyes and a cruel mouth. Then the lights went out.

At that instant the woman seized Nancy in a strong grasp and thrust a hand over the girl’s mouth. Nancy struggled frantically to free herself, while in the ballroom below there were calls and cries of alarm.

The woman tried to rip off Nancy’s mask, but instinct told the young detective to hold onto it. Then as suddenly as she had been seized, Nancy was released. The woman raced down the stairs and disappeared into the darkness. Recovering her breath, Nancy removed the mask and groped her way up to the second floor.

Suddenly the lights went on and Nancy hurried along the hall. Before she reached the library, a maid came running from it.

“Help! Police!” she screamed. “The house has been robbed!”

Nancy stopped the frightened girl, advising her to be quiet and not cause a panic on the crowded floor below.

“Quick!” she urged the maid. “Tell me what happened. Did a thief break into the library?”

“Y-yes. A few minutes ago—through the window. I had my back turned. Suddenly a hand was clapped over my mouth. A blindfold was slipped over my eyes, my hands were tied quick as a flash, and I was gagged!”

“How did you get free?”

“I managed to work the rope off my wrists just as the lights went on. But everything’s been taken except the wall paintings!”

“The silver miniatures too?”

“Yes, miss—all that could be carried.”

“Which way did the thief go?”

“I couldn’t say. He went as quietly as a cat.”

“It was a man? Not a woman in a Javanese costume ?”

“She was the lookout, I think. Before I was grabbed I saw her wandering around.”

From the maid’s account, Nancy knew that the daring robbery had been well planned. Undoubtedly the masquerader who had seized her on the landing had been stationed there to see that the thief made a successful getaway under cover of darkness.

Though convinced that it was too late to capture any member of the bold gang, Nancy sped downstairs. Reaching the garden, she called Ned’s name. His answering shout informed her that he was still on guard at the trellis.

“What happened?” he demanded as she ran up. “I saw the lights go off.”

“The house has been robbed!”

“The library?”

“Yes, and the thieves have escaped.”

“No one has come down the trellis since I’ve been here.”

“Then the thief got away before you went on guard or he slipped out of the house while the lights were off,” Nancy declared, and then added, “What’s this?”

She stared at a tiny piece of cloth which had snagged on a protruding nail in the trellis.

“It must have been torn from that man’s cloak!” Nancy exclaimed as she removed it. “Ned, it’s a good clue. Come on! Let’s see if the thief is still here.”

Reentering the house, Nancy and Ned looked around, but he was not among the guests, who now had removed their masks. The couple learned that Linda Seeley had summoned the police. The girl was deeply distressed, fearful that the Hendrick family might blame her for what had taken place.

“I was afraid that this very thing would happen!” she moaned. “If only the Hendricks had allowed a closer check of the guests!”

Nancy and Ned instigated a search of both the house and grounds, but as they had expected, no trace was found of the woman in Javanese garb or the man in the black robe. An empty parking space near the entrance to the house indicated that they had probably left by automobile.

The scream of a siren announced the arrival of a police car. Lieutenant Kelly and Detective Ambrose, whom the Drews knew well, inspected the library, affirming that the thief had entered through the second-story window. From information provided by Nancy and the maid, it was obvious that the man had been aided by at least two accomplices inside the house—probably the woman in the Javanese costume and someone in the basement who had turned off the lights.

The police checked the three areas for fingerprints. Afterward they listened attentively when Nancy and Ned told their story and showed the note, the piece of cloth, and the velvet mask. Then Ambrose went off.

Lieutenant Kelly said, “Nancy, we’re certainly obliged to you for this evidence. You say that man you danced with had on a mask like this one?”

“Yes. Would you mind letting me borrow it? I’m interested in the case and would like to look the mask over for clues. I’ll bring it to headquarters any time you say.”

“I’ll have to ask the chief about that,” Kelly said. “For you he might do it.”

The officer went to the telephone and returned a short time later.

“Okay, Nancy,” he said. “I’ll photograph the mask and you sign for it.” He pulled out a notebook and wrote a receipt, which Nancy signed. “The chief says he’ll appreciate your help on this case,” Kelly added, smiling, “and we’ll let you know when we need the mask.”

In the meantime his assistant, Detective Ambrose, a brusque young man, had gone to look for Linda Seeley. He brought her to the group.

“You’re in charge of this party?” he asked.

“Yes, Officer,” Linda replied. “That is, I am in the absence of Mr. Tombar. At the last minute he had other business to attend to, so he asked me to substitute for him.”

“We would like you to answer some questions,” Detective Ambrose said sternly, “but of course you do not have to do so without first consulting a lawyer.”

Linda turned pale. “I’ll answer,” she said. “I have nothing to hide.”

The detective shot rapid-fire questions at the frightened girl. Who was Mr. Tombar? What company had arranged the party? What precautions had been taken to guard the valuables? Why hadn’t invitations been checked more carefully?

As the questions became more pointed, Linda answered them hesitantly. Suddenly Ambrose said, “You’d better come along to headquarters.”

“You’re accusing me of the theft?” Linda gasped. “I had nothing to do with it!”

Bursting into tears, the girl ran to Nancy. “Don’t let them take me to jail!” she pleaded.

“I’m sure,” said Nancy, “that Miss Seeley did not commit the robbery. Early in the evening she told me she was worried because there were so many more people here than had been invited.”

“Is this true, Mrs. Hendrick?” Ambrose asked.

“Yes, it is,” the hostess replied. “We were very foolish not to have taken Miss Seeley’s advice about asking our guests to show invitations.”

Ambrose thought this over, then glanced at Nancy. “If you say this girl is all right, we’ll take your word for it,” he said.

“Then come along, Linda,” Nancy said, linking arms with her. “Ned and I will drive you home.”

After they picked up their wraps, Gloria Hendrick walked with them to the front door. She smiled kindly at the distressed girl.

“We know it wasn’t your fault, Linda,” she said, “but we have suffered a dreadful loss and the party’s ruined. Oh, Nancy, I wish you’d work on the case and help us get back our valuable miniatures. Will you?”

“I’ll do what I can,” Nancy answered.

On the way home Nancy asked Linda if anyone had rented a black cloak from her company.

“I don’t think so, although several people at the party did rent costumes from us.”

“And masks?”

“Yes, but not like the one you’re carrying.”

When Nancy reached home she said good night to Ned. He reminded her of the dance to be given by his cousin Helen Tyne on the twenty-eighth.