Chapter 16 The Clue of the Tapping Heels by Carolyn Keene
A Threatening Message
Nancy and her father left the police station rather disheartened by Officer Flynn’s failure to arrest Omar.
“The fellow may have gone to Prichard’s Lane to collect the three thousand dollars,” Mr. Drew commented, “though I’m inclined to think he became alarmed and fled the city.”
“You’ve not heard from Detective Keely since you posted him at the entrance to the Lane?” Nancy inquired thoughtfully.
“No, he had orders to communicate with me just as soon as anyone should come for the money. It’s fairly evident that no one appeared there. Let’s drive out now and talk with him.”
Nancy and her father reached Prichard’s Lane in half an hour and parked the car by the main road. There was no sign of anyone in the vicinity, but as they came to the large oak tree the lawyer whistled softly. They heard an answering signal followed by a great rustle of leaves overhead. Detective Keely slid down from his hiding place. As he looked at Nancy a smile broke over his face.
“I’m glad to see you safe and sound, Miss Drew,” he declared heartily.
“I’m happy to be here, too,” Nancy replied. “I’m afraid you’ve had a long, hard vigil in that tree.”
“I’m stiff in every joint,” the detective admitted. “I feel as if I’d been up there for a year.”
“Did anyone come for the money?” Carson Drew inquired.
“I’ve kept watch every minute, but no one has entered the Lane.”
“The fellow must have lost his nerve, or else he was warned that the police were after him. We may as well get the wallet ourselves.”
The three walked down the Lane, Nancy telling the detective of her strange experiences in the Temple of the Stars. Coming to the triangular stone, Carson Drew raised it and found the three thousand dollars lying there untouched.
“We may as well take it with us,” he decided. “It’s very unlikely that Omar will show up here now.”
Pocketing the money, he led the way back to the automobile.
“What’s our next move, Mr. Drew?” asked the detective. “Am I to keep on trying to locate Bunce or do you want me to pick up this fortune teller’s trail?”
“For the time being we’ll concentrate on the latter,” the lawyer replied.
“We may discover Fred Bunce has some connection with Omar,” said Nancy.
“What makes you think that?” Mr. Drew asked quickly.
“Everyone assumes that Omar is an Egyptian because he advertises himself as such and dresses in ceremonial robes. As I watched him in the Temple I had a feeling that he might be a Negro.”
“Egyptians are dark-skinned, Nancy.”
“I realize that, but somehow Omar doesn’t look like an Egyptian. His features are not sharp enough. He closely resembles another freckle-faced colored man who entered the Temple. And that man I suspect as the one who stole the papers from your den to give to Bunce.”
“That’s wonderful reasoning,” complimented Keely.
“Indeed it is,” added the girl’s father, smiling at his daughter. “That’s interesting information, too, about the two dark-skinned men. Omar may be an impostor. Possibly he’s closely related to the freckle-faced colored man.”
“They look almost like brothers,” Nancy maintained.
“I’m not satisfied with Officer Flynn’s investigation of the Temple,” Mr. Drew declared. “Let’s go there ourselves and see if we can learn anything which will support Nancy’s theory.”
The three went directly to the place, only to find the establishment locked and deserted. Mr. Drew located the landlord. Upon showing the man the detective’s badge the group was admitted to the quarters formerly occupied by Omar.
Nancy led her father and the detective through the rooms, showing them the place where she and George had been overcome by the incense fumes. The landlord lingered in the background until Mr. Drew turned to question him.
“How long has Omar rented this place?” he inquired.
“About six months now, sir,” responded the man. “I swear I didn’t know anything wrong was going on here. The fellow kept to himself and I thought he was running a respectable place.”
“I doubt that the police will blame you, providing you cooperate with them in trying to find the fellow.”
“I’d like to find him myself, sir. The scoundrel took his bags and skipped out, owing me three months back rent. He’s heavily in debt at several stores in the neighborhood, too.”
“Did you ever see a freckle-faced colored man come here?”
“Oh yes, he was Omar’s best customer. I think he came nearly every day. Sometimes he stayed all night.”
Nancy and her father exchanged quick glances. This information tended to confirm the girl’s belief that Omar and the colored man might be related.
“Did they ever leave the Temple together?”
“Not that I ever noticed, sir.”
“Omar probably would be too cautious for that,” Mr. Drew remarked reflectively. “Well, thank you very much. Your information should prove valuable.”
The landlord let them out of the building, carefully locking the door afterward.
“I wish you would keep a close watch for Omar and the colored man,” Mr. Drew instructed him. “If either of them should return here, notify the police at once.”
“I’ll do that,” promised the man.
Mr. Drew and Detective Keely wished to stop at the police station, so Nancy went home alone. After changing into fresh clothing, she decided that she would pay Captain Staff a visit at the hospital.
“You manage to keep on the go every minute,” Hannah Gruen protested with a sigh. “I declare, I don’t see how you find the energy.”
“I’ve had plenty of sleep since yesterday,” Nancy laughed. “I feel I should visit Captain Staff. Since the accident all his friends have deserted him, I hear.”
At the hospital the girl was told that she should walk up to Room 305. Through the open door she saw that the patient was alone. His head was bandaged so that only his eyes, nose, and mouth were visible.
“I don’t believe you remember me,” Nancy said quietly, pausing by the bedside.
“You are the girl who pulled me out of the water,” the man said dully, staring at her. “Why didn’t you let me drown?”
“Why, Captain Staff! Surely you have a great deal for which to live.”
The man shook his head.
“I am dishonored by the disaster to my ship. Everyone blames me, although it was not my fault. Insurance claims pour in from every side. Very likely my papers will be taken from me and I’ll not be allowed to sail a ship again.”
“Surely you’re taking the most gloomy outlook, Captain Staff. Even if you should retire you could have a happy life.”
“I have no friends or relatives and a ship has always been my home. It was different before my son was lost—now I have no real reason for living.”
Before Nancy could say anything cheering a nurse entered and indicated that the girl must leave.
“How is Captain Staff’s condition?” Nancy asked when they were alone in the hallway.
“He will recover,” the nurse replied, “at least from his physical difficulties. But he is distressed mentally and for that reason the doctor does not allow him to have many visitors. Yesterday newspaper men managed to get to him, and they upset him with their accusations.”
“The papers have abused the man shamefully,” Nancy said soberly. “I feel very sorry for him.”
She left the hospital, reflecting that someone should take it upon himself to defend the man.
“If only I had proof that Penello tampered with the ship’s mechanism!” she thought. “However, it would be very unwise of me to suggest such a thing unless I could offer evidence to support my theory.”
Later that day Ned Nickerson came to the Drew home, bringing along his friend, Harlan Bailey. The conversation naturally centered about the boat disaster.
“Harlan, do you remember overhearing an argument between Captain Staff and a sailor?” Nancy asked the young man. “We were sitting on deck at the time when the captain warned the fellow not to go near a certain room again.”
“Now that you speak of it, I do.”
“Would you be willing to swear in court to such a statement?”
“I suppose so.”
“Then I’m going to tell the insurance claim agents what I know of the case,” Nancy said with decision. “If we both say that the sailor Penello had been caught where he had no business to be, they’ll question him. More of the truth may come out.”
“It looks like the square thing to do, Nancy,” Ned approved. “Captain Staff can’t say a word in his own defense.”
“I’ll go with you to the insurance office right now if you say the word,” Harlan declared. “I was strongly drawn to Captain Staff, and I’d like to help him.”
The three friends lost no time in visiting the insurance company where they talked with several of the officials. They were asked to make sworn statements regarding the conversation between Captain Staff and the sailor Penello.
“We’ll have our special investigators work on this new angle of the case,” Nancy was told. “Something interesting may develop within the next twenty-four hours. Thank you very much for coming to us. We appreciate your help.”
As far as the girl was concerned, something interesting did develop as a result of the conversation. When she opened a newspaper the following morning, she saw her own name in large type, accompanied by the statement she had made to the insurance company. The officials were demanding a complete investigation of the Goodtime’s steering mechanism.
“I’ve certainly stirred up a hornet’s nest,” Nancy thought uneasily. “I only hope something comes out of this which will be of help to Captain Staff.”
She read the newspaper story over again and had just put it away when Hannah came to tell her that she was wanted on the telephone.
“It’s a man,” the housekeeper reported, “and he wouldn’t give his name.”
The girl picked up the receiver.
“Is this Nancy Drew?” a gruff voice demanded.
“Yes,” the girl responded. “Who is speaking, please?”
“Never mind who I am. Listen! Pipe off to the newspapers just once more and it will be the worse for you! Get me?”
Nancy was certain she recognized the voice, so she decided upon a daring move.
“No, I don’t understand you at all, Mr. Penello,” she said distinctly. “Why not come to my house and we’ll talk over this matter.”