Chapter 23 The Mystery of the Ivory Charm by Carolyn Keene
A Leap into the Dark
Softly Nancy stole forward, taking care to make no sound. Unaware that anyone was approaching, the woman stood motionless, gazing moodily down into the stream which swirled beneath the bridge. Then she turned slightly so that the light from a street lamp flickered across her face.
“It is Miss Allison,” Nancy confirmed her identification.
She was tempted to accost the fugitive, but wisely considered that she might be no physical match for the woman. At such an hour few pedestrians crossed this bridge.
“I must telephone for the authorities,” she reasoned.
Stealing quietly away, Nancy ran to the nearest drug store.
“May I use your phone?” she asked.
“Sure, go ahead,” the clerk replied.
Calling the local authorities, Nancy tersely revealed her information and was assured that men would be dispatched immediately.
“Approach the place quietly,” she warned the police. “Otherwise, Miss Allison may be alarmed and try to escape.”
After completing the call Nancy hastened back to the bridge. During her absence Miss Allison had not moved. Greatly relieved, Nancy secreted herself in a clump of bushes near by to wait for the police.
The minutes dragged slowly by. Nancy grew worried and impatient. Why did the authorities delay? Would they never come?
Then she heard the muffled roar of a motor. She felt certain it must be the police car, for it stopped some distance from the bridge. Miss Allison had caught the faint hum of the running engine and Nancy saw her glance about alertly. Officers were moving stealthily along the footpath now. The woman identified them instantly and realized why they were approaching. She turned as if to flee in the opposite direction. Nancy emerged from her hiding place to block the way.
Miss Allison knew that she was trapped. She wheeled, and before anyone divined her intention, climbed the high rail of the bridge.
“Stop! Stop!” Nancy screamed.
Miss Allison poised on the rail for an instant; then, with a fearful cry, she plunged down into the river. Nancy darted to the railing. She could see the woman struggling frantically in the water. The current was carrying her swiftly down-stream.
Jerking off coat and shoes, the girl mounted the railing and dived. She struck the water cleanly, and after boring straight downward for a few feet emerged upon the surface. Shaking the water from her eyes, she looked around her and saw that Miss Allison was still struggling, although the thrashing of her arms was rapidly growing weaker.
A dozen powerful strokes brought Nancy to the woman’s side. Approaching from the rear, she sought to grip her in a safe cross-chest carry. Miss Allison fought feebly to elude her rescuer.
“Let me drown! Let me drown!” she pleaded.
Nancy’s only reaction was to tighten her hold under the woman’s armpit. Miss Allison twisted and turned and tried to climb on the girl’s shoulders. The struggle was an exhausting one for them both, and by the time the woman became submissive Nancy was worn and gasping for breath.
The swift current had carried the pair far down-stream. For a minute Nancy allowed herself to drift with it as she recaptured her wind. Then, with her free right arm she struck out again and soon reached shallow water, just as two policemen rowed up in a boat which they had found not far from the bridge. They relieved the rescuer of her charge and escorted Miss Allison to the police car under guard.
“We’ll need you along to offer evidence,” one of the men told Nancy. “You can get some dry clothes from the matron at the station.”
Half an hour later, when Nancy viewed Miss Allison in the chief’s office, it seemed to her that the woman’s entire attitude had changed. As the girl began to question her this became more apparent. Miss Allison had lost her former arrogance; her spirit was crushed and broken.
“I am sorry—about everything,” she mumbled. “I don’t know what made me do it.”
“Then tell us what has been done with Coya,” Nancy urged. “Where has Rai taken him?”
“It will go easier for you if you tell everything,” the chief suggested quietly.
“Coya has been hidden at the abandoned house,” Miss Allison admitted reluctantly. “Rai and Jasper Batt guard him there.”
Nancy did not wait to learn more, for she feared that Coya might have been harmed by his captors and require medical aid. Every moment was precious.
With a picked group of policemen she drove directly to the burned house. The officers searched the premises thoroughly.
“There is no one here,” they reported to Nancy, who waited.
“You searched the tunnel?”
“Yes, it is empty. Miss Allison evidently lied.”
Sick with disappointment, Nancy was forced to return home while the policemen went back to the station to report their failure. Carson Drew met his daughter at the door and heard her vivid account of the evening’s adventure.
“You did splendid work in capturing that woman,” he praised. “But I shudder when I think that she might have drowned you.”
“My life-saving course stood me in good stead,” Nancy returned. “If I hadn’t known that I could battle the current, I’d never have attempted the rescue.”
“I’m not so sure of that,” Mr. Drew replied severely. “I rather think you would have taken the risk anyway.”
“I was bitterly disappointed, Dad, that we failed to find Coya. I was so certain Miss Allison was telling the truth.”
“Perhaps Rai moved the boy to another hiding place without informing Miss Allison.”
“That’s possible,” Nancy agreed. “In the morning I believe I’ll run out to the house and look over the place myself. I may stumble on a clue.”
She was abroad the next morning before breakfast, and her first act was to telephone George Fayne.
“What’s the idea of getting me out of bed so early?” the latter demanded crossly as she recognized her chum’s voice at the other end of the wire.
“I can’t tell you now,” Nancy answered, “but if you’re in the mood for an adventure be waiting on your doorstep in half an hour.”
“I’ll be waiting,” George promised, now thoroughly awakened.
A little later the two girls were speeding swiftly toward the Allison property. Enroute Nancy explained everything that had happened during the night.
“I’ve been thinking it over and can’t help but believe that Miss Allison told the truth last night,” Nancy said. “Or at least she feels sure that Coya is hidden at the old house. Now it occurs to me that the police may have missed the branch-off of the tunnel when they made their search. That’s why I’m going back there this morning.”
Approaching the Allison property, Nancy secreted the car in a clump of trees and the girls walked the remaining distance. They were moving along the well-worn path when George caught her chum’s hand.
“Someone is coming!” she whispered.
They dodged back into the bushes just as Jasper Batt strode into view. He carried a small package in his hand and a thermos bottle could be seen protruding from a coat pocket. The girls waited until he had disappeared before they emerged from their hiding place.
“Mr. Batt is taking a lunch to someone—or rather a breakfast,” Nancy amended. “Let’s follow. He may lead us to Coya and Rai!”
As they cautiously trailed the old watchman, it became evident that he was heading for the door in the rock. They saw the man pause by the cliff.
“How does he intend to enter?” Nancy speculated. “Watch closely.”
They saw the watchman take a heavy stick and rap six times in succession on the rock door. He waited several minutes, then repeated the taps.
The girls heard a faint click. Jasper Batt stepped back a pace, waiting expectantly. The massive door slowly swung outward.