Chapter 16 The Clue of the Velvet Mask by Carolyn Keene
A Discovery
Nancy wanted to follow Tombar. She might pick up a clue that would help piece the puzzle together.
But almost at once she discarded the idea in favor of calling on the Sneckers. She had an excuse which she could not use another time—an excuse which might prove helpful in solving the mystery.
Nancy noted Tombar’s license number, however, then parked at the curb and went into the apartment-house vestibule. Looking at the letter boxes, she pressed a buzzer above the name of Burt Snecker. In a moment a shrill feminine voice answered through the tube:
“Who’s there?”
“I’m from Taylor’s,” Nancy replied, purposely not giving her name.
“Oh, a salesgirl!” the woman exclaimed. She seemed a trifle flustered. “I’ll be right down.”
“May I come up?”
“Just a minute. I’ll be with you,” the woman said, ignoring the request.
Nancy waited in the stuffy vestibule. She could not step inside the hall, for Mrs. Snecker had not unlocked the door.
In a moment she appeared, breathing heavily from her haste. She was a tall woman, with a determined chin and narrow blue eyes.
“You are Mrs. Snecker?” Nancy asked to make certain of her identification.
“That’s my name.” The woman eyed her warily. “The store sent you, you said?”
“I came to inquire about your husband. We’re concerned because of his absence.”
“Burt is sick again.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. Nothing serious, I hope.”
“He’s in bed with the asthma. I tell ’im if he’d stay away from the river he wouldn’t get these attacks. He’s supposed to take some medicine, but how can he when we don’t have no money?”
“You’re having a hard time of it?” Nancy feigned concern.
“Whadda you expect on his salary? Maybe he ain’t no hustler, if you know what I mean. I tell him he ought to ask for more, but—”
Mrs. Snecker’s tirade was interrupted by a loud call, from up the stairway.
“Florence! Florence! Come here, will you?”
“That’s him callin’ me now,” Mrs. Snecker said. “He’s a nuisance when he’s sick. Always keepin’ me on the run. He wants me to wait on ’im like he was a baby.”
Nancy could see that the woman was completely out of sorts.
“You needn’t tell the store what I just said,” Mrs. Snecker advised hastily. “I shouldn’t ’a’ spoke my piece, but Burt’s got me down with his gripes and complaints. When he works, things ain’t so bad. Oh, well, we’ll soon be out of these shabby quarters.”
“You’re moving to a better apartment?”
“You bet we are.”
“But I thought you just said Mr. Snecker’s salary isn’t large and he’s not a go-getter.”
“Not at store business, he ain’t. But he’s got another line he’s working.” Mrs. Snecker dropped her voice, so that it could not possibly carry upstairs. “We’ll soon be on easy street, struttin’ with the best of ’em!”
“Like your friends the Tombars?” Nancy asked.
“Sure, and believe me—”
Mrs. Snecker suddenly broke off, staring suspiciously at the girl. Belatedly, it dawned upon her that she had talked too freely.
Without another word, she slammed the door shut and disappeared up the stairway. Nancy tried to get in, for she wanted to talk to Mr. Snecker, but unfortunately the door had locked automatically.
“Oh, well,” she thought, returning to her car, “I learned something. The Sneckers and the Tombars are friends!”
As she drove through the downtown section of River Heights, Nancy also reflected on the remark that the woman had made about Snecker’s other work that would “put them on easy street.” Did it include Tombar?
On Monday morning, while passing the offices of the Lightner Entertainment Company, Nancy decided to drop in and see Mr. Lightner. He had just finished dictating a letter and welcomed the opportunity to chat with the girl detective. He was in better spirits than when she had seen him before.
“The wedding last Saturday, Miss Drew, went off like clockwork. No thefts or even attempted ones,” he told her.
Nancy said that she was pleased to hear this.
“But it doesn’t prove that the thieves have ceased their activities,” she said. “They know the police are hard on their trail, especially after George’s experience. So they may have decided to lay low for a while.”
“True.” The company official sighed. “Well, let’s hope for the best. I certainly will keep pressing the police. I want to recover my own stolen costumes and masks.”
Masks was a favorite subject with Mr. Lightner. At once he began to talk about them. He told Nancy of his extensive trips through America, Europe, and Asia to assemble his fine collection. He had turned over several Egyptian and Roman death masks to the local museum.
“Those were the masks placed over the faces of deceased persons or mummies, weren’t they?” Nancy asked.
“That’s right,” Mr. Lightner nodded. “Often a mask was made for a person while he was still alive. In this way it was so realistic that today we know about various types of ancient people from them.”
Mr. Lightner would have talked on at length, but Nancy had other business. When a pause came in the conversation, she said:
“Linda Seeley knew a great deal about masks, and in fact all your work, didn’t she?” As the man nodded, Nancy remarked, “I should think you’d miss her very much.”
“Well, yes, we do.”
“Then why not take her back?” Nancy suggested.
Mr. Lightner frowned. “You’ll have to discuss that with Mr. Tombar,” he said. “I can’t interfere. He handles all such matters.”
“But have I your permission to talk to him about her?”
“Certainly. Go ahead. I don’t think you’ll get very far, though.”
Nancy shared the same opinion. Nevertheless, she felt that it would not do any harm to talk with Tombar about Linda. Accordingly, she sought him back in the costume rooms.
“He’s busy and I have no idea how long he’ll be tied up,” a stenographer informed her.
“That’s all right. I’ll wait.”
Tombar was talking loudly. Nancy, seated in a chair near the door, could not help overhearing his angry voice.
“No, I won’t do it!” Tombar exclaimed. “Quit trying to persuade me. I wish you wouldn’t keep pestering me. I’ve told you before never to bother me when I’m on the job. This time I mean it.”
His visitor’s reply was so soft spoken that Nancy could not catch the words.
But Mr. Tombar’s next outburst was fairly shouted. “Get out of here, Harris!” he roared. “Get out before I throw you out!”
Nancy expected the two men to come to blows. She was sure that Tombar would stop at nothing to get rid of his annoying visitor.
Just then the door was flung open and Mr. Harris rushed out so fast that Nancy did not get a clear view of his face. She was confronted by Mr. Tombar. He was so enraged that his red face looked as if he might burst a blood vessel at any moment.
He sprang toward her, shaking his fist in front of her bewildered face.
“You here again!” he exclaimed. “You little eavesdropper! Spying on me! Well, I won’t have it!”