Chapter 9 Nancy's Mysterious Letter by Carolyn Keene
“He’s Not a Suspect!”
The ringing of the telephone brought Nancy out of her meditation. The caller was Ira Nixon. He sounded very weak.
“Is something the matter?” Nancy asked quickly, fearful that the mail carrier had taken a turn for the worse.
“Will you please come over right away?” the old man asked.
Nancy promised to leave immediately. She went to the kitchen to tell Mrs. Gruen where she was going.
“I hope he isn’t worse,” the housekeeper said. “The poor fellow’s probably starved. Nancy, I want you to take him a jar of the fresh vegetable soup I prepared for tonight’s dinner.”
“I’ll be happy to,” Nancy said.
Hannah ladled some of the soup into a jar. She then put it in a paper bag, but before handing the package to Nancy, she said, “And don’t forget to take that old shoe out of here.”
Nancy laughed. “It’s going to police headquarters as fast as I can get it there. But I must go to Ira’s first.”
Fifteen minutes later she arrived at Ira Nixon’s little white house. The front door was unlocked and she let herself in. The mail carrier, haggard and worried-looking, sat in a rocker near the fireplace. He explained that he had had a chill and one of his neighbors had come in to build a fire.
“Everybody is so kind to me except—except my brother. He gives me orders every time he comes here.”
Nancy sat down. “Did he come to get money from you?”
Ira Nixon shook his head. “Not this time,” he said. “And that’s why I sent for you. Here’s what happened.
“Edgar came here about an hour ago. As soon as he’d gone I tried to get you on the phone but it was busy. My brother was all dressed up as usual and he has a new car. It’s red.”
Nancy made no comment about the new car, but she was thinking hard. “Yes?” she urged Mr. Nixon, who had stopped speaking. “Go on.”
“Nancy, that boy had nothing to do with my hard luck, I’m sure of that now.” The postman continued. “He said he came here as soon as he heard about the mail robbery. He was as sympathetic as you are. Wanted me to give him some of my inheritance to hire a private detective and clear up the whole matter.”
“Have you received all of your inheritance?” Nancy asked.
“Not a cent. I told him that.”
Ira Nixon went on to say that Edgar had tried to talk him into handing over any money he had on hand. “He said he would take care of all the details of hiring a detective, but some cash would help a lot.”
Nancy had her own idea of just how much detective hiring Ira would have received for the money, but she said nothing.
“So you see,” Ira continued, “you were all wrong about Edgar. He’s not a suspect. He knew nothing about the stolen mail. He’s too dictatorial to suit me, but I certainly can’t say he’s a thief.”
Nancy made no comment but asked, “Did your brother happen to say where he’s staying?”
“Oh yes. There’s no secret about that,” Mr. Nixon went on. “He’s boarding up in Ridgefield. He even gave me his address. I have it written down here. Wait a minute—
“Here it is!” Ira took a slip of paper from the pocket of his bathrobe. “He boards with a family named Hemmer on Harrison Street.”
Nancy got up to leave. “By the way, did your brother ever mention a girl friend?”
“Not until today,” the old man replied. “Edgar said he’s going to marry a rich girl very soon.”
“What’s her name?”
“He didn’t say.”
Nancy wondered if it could be the English Nancy Drew. In any case, she decided to go to Ridgefield right away and see what she could find out. Before leaving, Nancy asked if Edgar Nixon were employed.
His brother shrugged. “We never discussed his affairs. He was always well dressed and had a car, so I guess he made a good living.”
Further suspicion ran through Nancy’s mind. It seemed most unnatural for a brother to be so uncommunicative. It was just possible that Edgar’s way of earning a living was too shady for him to reveal.
After saying good-by to Ira Nixon, Nancy drove directly to police headquarters and asked to see Chief McGinnis. She was told to go right into his office.
“Hello, Nancy,” he said. “You’ve been neglecting us lately.” He grinned and added, “I thought you’d have the mystery of the missing mail solved by this time.”
“Not quite yet,” Nancy replied. “But I do have some interesting clues. Here’s one of them,” she said, handing over the worn shoe to Chief McGinnis.
Nancy went on to bring the chief up to date about all the information she had on the suspect.
“I’m going to drive up to Ridgefield and do a little investigating,” she said. “If I turn up any valuable clues, shall I get in touch with you or the Ridgefield police?”
“You’d better tell the chief up there.”
Directly after lunch Nancy phoned Bess and George and asked if they could drive over to Ridgefield with her. George said at once she would not miss it for anything.
“Is this a dangerous assignment?” Bess queried.
Nancy laughed. “I haven’t heard yet that Edgar Nixon gets rough, but then you never can tell.”
At once Bess knew she was being teased. “I’m not chicken. When do you want me to be ready?”
“In half an hour. Okay?”
“I guess I could put on some lipstick and powder and get my hair combed by that time,” Bess replied.
Before leaving, Nancy called her father to see if any further word had come from England. She was told No.
“I guess we’ll just have to wait for a letter,” the lawyer said.
Nancy then told him of her proposed trip to Ridgefield and the new clues she had picked up.
“Good for you,” her father said. “Well, I hope the next time I talk to my daughter, she’ll have lots of good news for me.”
“I’ll try hard.”
A few minutes later Nancy set off. She picked up George first and then went on to the Marvin home. Bess was not waiting for her in front of the house so Nancy honked the horn. Her friend did not appear.
A look of disgust came over George’s face. “That cousin of mine never watches the clock. She’s probably writing letters and making phone calls and doing a lot of things and here we are waiting.”
Nancy tooted again. When Bess still did not come outside, she got out of the car and went to the front door.
At that instant Bess opened it. She apologized for being late and said she had just finished talking to Dave Evans, who had called her from Emerson.
“I have something interesting to tell you, Nancy,” she said. “Ned tried to phone you but you’d already left the house. I’m glad Dave caught me.”
“What is the big news?” Nancy asked, trying not to be impatient.
Bess explained that the young woman who was coaching the Shakespearean play and was known as N. Smith Drew was indeed Nancy Smith Drew.
“How marvelous!” Nancy exclaimed.
“There’s more to it,” Bess went on.
As the two girls reached Nancy’s convertible, she related the first part of the message to George. Then she added, “Nancy Smith Drew has gone to Ridgefield!”
“Ridgefield?” Nancy cried out.
The three girls stared at one another, the same thought flashing through their minds. Was it merely coincidence that the actress and Edgar Nixon had gone to Ridgefield at the same time? Or had she perhaps been drawn into some kind of racket with the suspect?
Bess exclaimed, “Wouldn’t that be awful!”
George expressed a further thought. “Maybe Miss Drew found out he stole the letter from England and went to Ridgefield to get it.”
Bess looked puzzled. “Are you trying to say Edgar plans to keep her from learning about the inheritance?”
“Could be,” George answered. “I wouldn’t put anything past that man.”
Nancy nodded. All the suspicions she had had about Edgar Nixon now came back to her.
“Of course all this doesn’t explain the money sent to Dad which was stolen,” she said.
“Edgar’s a slick one,” George remarked.
Nancy was worried. “Girls, I’m afraid that he intends to marry Nancy Smith Drew, perhaps in Ridgefield, and enjoy the inheritance that is coming to her.”
“How despicable!” Bess cried. “And Miss Drew, I’m sure, is too nice a person to be tied to a dishonest husband.”
George grinned. “In any case, we’d better get to Ridgefield as fast as we can and stop the wedding!”