Chapter 18 The Haunted Bridge by Carolyn Keene
Exonerated
FOLLOWING Margaret Judson’s plaintive announcement that she could not face her former fiancé, Nancy tried to draw the full story from the young woman. Margaret said again that it was because she had been accused of being a thief.
“But you’re innocent, aren’t you?” Ned asked.
“Oh, yes, yes. I have never done anything dishonest in my life. And please forgive my tears,” Margaret Judson replied in embarrassment.
Finding Nancy and Ned sympathetic, the young woman began to explain the situation.
“It happened a little over two years ago,” she said. “On the way home from a trip abroad I met a charming woman named Mrs. Brownell and we became good friends. I finally invited her to spend a weekend at my home.”
“Your house near Deer Mountain Hotel?” Nancy asked.
“Yes. I was living there at the time. Mrs. Brownell accepted my invitation. One evening before dinner I learned that my guest loved beautiful jewelry. I opened the safe and showed her a small chest containing my family heirlooms. Instead of returning it to the safe, as I should have done, I placed the chest in my bureau drawer,
“That night as I was preparing for bed, Mrs. Brownell came to my room to show me a jeweled compact. It was exquisite. We chatted for a time, then she went back to her room. Later I noticed she had left the compact on my dresser.”
“You didn’t attempt to return it to her?” Nancy asked in surprise.
“Mrs. Brownell had retired before I realized she’d left it, so I put the compact in the chest. I meant to give it to her early in the morning. Fire broke out during the night.
“It seemed to be everywhere at once. When I awoke, my bedroom was filled with smoke, and flames were shooting up the stairway. I ran to Mrs. Brownell’s room and awakened her. By then it was too late to save very much, and we were forced to escape down a porch trellis.”
“Did you forget the box of jewelry?” Nancy asked.
“No, I wrapped it in some of my clothing. Then I snatched up my pocketbook and managed to escape just an instant before the floor of my room crashed. In terror, I ran toward Joe Haley’s cabin.
“Somehow I got lost. I remember stumbling across the ravine bridge, but my memory about what happened after that isn’t very clear. Apparently I wandered through the woods until I blacked out. In any event, hours elapsed before I recovered consciousness. I was chilled to the bone.
“When I looked about, the bundle of clothing and my pocketbook were still beside me. The little chest of jewelry with Mrs. Brownell’s compact was gone.”
“Where was Mrs. Brownell?” Ned put in.
“I don’t know. I’m not sure if she followed me across the bridge.”
“Did you notice footprints when you woke up? Which way did they go?” Nancy queried.
Margaret Judson shook her head. “I was too excited to notice anything. I wandered about in a semi-dazed condition, hoping I’d find the jewelry. It seemed certain I must have dropped it somewhere in the woods.
“When dawn came I knew that the search was useless and I was exhausted. I staggered to Mr. Haley’s cabin and told him about the fire and that I’d lost the chest. I begged him to try to find it. He promised he would.”
“Was the jewelry extremely valuable?” Ned asked.
“Yes, several of the pieces were priceless. Among them was my diamond engagement ring. I valued it more than anything else. And, of course, Mrs. Brownell’s jeweled compact was worth a small fortune.”
“According to her estimate,” Nancy remarked. “Did you agree?”
“She came to see me later and said it was valued at six thousand dollars. I wouldn’t know its worth,” Margaret answered. “She blamed me entirely for the loss.”
“How could she do that when she left the compact on your dresser?” Ned spoke up.
Margaret shrugged. “Mrs. Brownell demanded that I return it immediately or pay her the amount. She threatened to turn me over to the police. I would have paid the money gladly but I couldn’t afford to. I had only a small bank account. Nearly everything I owned except a few acres of land was destroyed in the fire. Unfortunately the insurance policy on the property had lapsed.”
Nancy said thoughtfully, “I doubt that she could have proved any claim against you.”
“You mean she couldn’t have had me arrested?”
“I don’t think so.”
“She would have said that I had hidden the jewel case deliberately.”
“Even so, Mrs. Brownell couldn’t have won her case without proof,” Ned told her. “You should have consulted a lawyer.”
“I realize that now, but at the time I was panic-stricken. I ran away and lived for a while in Chicago.”
“Running away was the worst thing you could have done,” Ned remarked.
“I was so upset I acted impulsively. All along I kept hoping Joe Haley would find the jewel chest. It had to be somewhere in the woods. So much time has passed now, that of course there’s no hope of finding it.”
“Don’t give up yet,” Nancy remarked, but the young woman did not seem to hear her.
“Mrs. Brownell has never stopped bothering me since the compact was lost,” Margaret Judson went on. “While she has never come to me herself, she has sent a friend.”
“A friend?” Nancy inquired.
“Another woman, who follows me wherever I go. She keeps pressing me for money and threatening that unless I pay she will expose me to my friends and to the police.”
“Margaret, I think your troubles are nearly over,” Nancy said kindly. “Your jewel box has been found.”
“What!” The young woman trembled with eagerness. “Did Joe Haley find it?”
“No, it came into my possession by accident,” Nancy explained. “Tell me, what was the little chest made of?”
“Carved brass, and the design was very beautifuL It’s hard to describe, but—I can draw it.”
Margaret Judson made a rough sketch that convinced Nancy the chest she had found in the ravine did indeed belong to the young woman.
“Did it contain the missing compact?” Margaret asked anxiously.
“Yes, and the diamond ring you mentioned. I think everything that was in the chest the night of the fire is still there.”
“Oh, Nancy, how can I ever thank you?”
Smiling, Nancy suggested, “Perhaps you’d like to go to the cabin now. Mr. Haley would be happy to see you again.”
As the car sped along the road toward Deer Mountain, Nancy answered the young woman’s questions concerning the discovery.
Margaret knit her brow. “Could I have dropped it on the bank of the stream when I crossed the bridge that terrible night? I have no recollection of anything I did.”
“It’s possible the chest slipped from the bundle of clothing you put it in,” Nancy agreed. “I found it buried deep in the mud.”
Ned parked the car at the side of the road. The three walked along the trail to the cabin. From a distance they could see lights glimmering through the trees. As they approached closer they heard men’s voices.
Nancy assumed that her father was talking with Mr. Haley, and she felt elated to think that the patient was gaining steadily in strength.
The sound of footsteps brought Carson Drew to the door. As he flung it open, Nancy glanced inside and saw that her father had a visitor. She looked at Margaret Judson.
Directly behind Mr. Drew stood Mark Wardell!
Margaret did not see her former fiancé until after she had entered the lighted cabin. Their eyes met in a surprised stare. Neither spoke.
An awkward silence followed. Even Nancy could think of nothing to say or do at such a critical moment.