Chapter 17 The Phantom of Pine Hill by Carolyn Keene
Scuba Scare
“Oh!” Bess screamed.
She dashed across the roof and climbed the ladder. Looking into the chimney, she could see Dave’s legs thrashing wildly. He was not far down.
“Are you hurt?” she called to him anxiously. His reply was a muffled, unintelligible one.
George and Burt had hurried to the foot of the chimney and wanted to know what had happened.
“Dave’s stuck, but I think we can pull him out,” Bess answered. “Climb up here and we’ll try.”
The two quickly climbed the ladder. Burt grabbed one of Dave’s legs, while the two girls took the other. It was a precarious position for George and Burt, since Bess was the only one with a good foothold. In trying to yank out their friend, George and Burt might easily lose their balance.
“Be careful!” Bess warned them. “One accident is enough.”
Dave seemed to be pinned in such a way that he was unable to help himself. George guessed that probably his head and shoulders were stuck in one of the flues. The imprisoned boy began to cough. No doubt he was breathing soot!
“Let’s pull!” Burt urged. “One, two, three!”
He and the two girls tugged with all their might and managed to move Dave’s body upward about six inches. There were more muffled words from him, but this time Bess was sure he was saying, “Take it easy!”
Burt called down, “Hold your breath, buddy. It will make it easier for us!”
He now asked the girls to give another yank. This time Dave was able to call out clearly, “Okay,” and began to help himself.
Little by little he was pulled to the top of the chimney. What a sight he was—completely blackened with soot! But Dave seemed unhurt as he perched on the edge of the chimney.
“You sure you’re all right?” Bess asked solicitously.
“Sure,” said Dave. “But give me first prize for being the stupidest guy in Emerson!”
Burt grinned. “And the dirtiest! You look like the black phantom!”
Everyone laughed, then George asked if Dave had found out anything by his descent.
“Only that there are two flues that go off at angles. As a detective, I’m afraid I’m a failure. What say we all go into the house? I’d like to take a shower.”
Bess climbed down the ladder, went across the roof, and through the attic window. The others followed in quick succession. When they reached the second floor, Bess suggested that Burt bring down Dave’s sooty clothes which could be put through the washing machine and the dryer.
“I’ll do that,” he said.
The girls found Mrs. Holman in the kitchen and explained what had happened. She shook her head and said, “I never knew people could have so many adventures in such a short time!”
Bess laughed. “This is one we can’t blame on Nancy except indirectly.”
George noticed a large, shopping-order pad and a pencil hanging on a hook. She removed them and began to sketch. Mrs. Holman and Bess were busy talking about what had happened to Dave and did not notice the picture George was making.
A moment later Burt appeared with the sooty clothes and Bess asked if she might use the washer and dryer.
“Yes, indeed,” said Mrs. Holman. “I’ll go down to the basement with you and show you how they work. Afterward, I’ll press the suit for you.”
While the two were gone, George continued her work. Twenty minutes later it was finished, and even she as creator had to smile at it. The sketch showed a chimney with a ladder. Diving into it headfirst was Santa Claus. Underneath she had printed: santa claus goes to meet the phantom.
When the whole group assembled later, she presented the picture to Dave. He roared with laughter and passed it around.
Then he said, “Santa Claus always leaves gifts. Tell you what. I’ll take you all to supper if you’ll pick out a place that won’t empty my pockets.”
George laughed. “We won’t give you a chance to change your mind!”
The four young people left the house, telling Mrs. Holman where they would be, in case Nancy and Ned should inquire.
At that moment the young sleuth and her companion were deep in the water. They had been swimming for some time, searching the murky bottom with the lights on their headgear. Suddenly Nancy’s heart began to pound with excitement. Below them was a large hulk. The Lucy Belle! It was indeed sunken in a watery valley and partially covered with weeds and silt.
Nancy swam around the deck, trying to locate hatches. Not seeing any, she stood on the deck to look into the cabin.
Without warning the rotted wood below her suddenly gave way, and before Nancy could make motions to swim upward, she fell through. Her tank hose became tangled in the broken timbers and in a moment her supply of oxygen was cut off!
Like a flash Ned was at her side. He gently pulled her upward and straightened out the hose. She nodded her thanks. The fright had left Nancy feeling a bit weak and Ned led her away from the danger spot.
He motioned as if to say, “We’d better go up!”
But as soon as Nancy had taken a few deep breaths, she felt stronger. She pointed toward the hold of the ship and started swimming around it, hoping to find an opening.
“I want to investigate the hold,” she indicated to Ned.
On the far side of the sunken vessel they found a huge hole where a hatch had evidently blown out. Apparently this was where cargo had been loaded and unloaded.
With their headgear lights turned on full, the two swimmers went inside. As they had expected, they were in the engine room where the fatal explosion had taken place. They swam through blown-out walls into the area beyond. There was no question but that this was the hold of the ship. However, there was nothing in it. They both wondered what had happened to the contents.
Ned was thinking, “Probably divers in recent years have taken whatever was here.”
Nancy had the same thought, but she still had a strong hunch that the chest of gold coins and the valuable Rorick cargo had been removed from the sinking ship by one or more persons who had escaped the wreck.
The couple swam out of the hold and once more Ned pointed upward. Again Nancy shook her head. It had occurred to her that possibly the water in the tributary was higher now than it had been back in the 1700’s. There might be caves along the coast where the chests had been hidden for safekeeping.
“If something happened to the survivors before they had a chance to come back for the treasure,” Nancy reasoned, “then it could still be here!”
She led the way toward the shoreline and began swimming quickly, searching for caves. There was nothing in sight. Finally Ned, indicating that their time for safety underwater was up, insisted that they surface.
In a few moments they came up at a spot not far from where they had parked the car. They removed their scuba gear and sat down in the warm, late-afternoon sun to dry off.
“I’m disgusted,” said Nancy. “I didn’t learn a thing.”
Ned laughed. “You surprise me, Miss Detective. You’ve always taught me that false clues do prove certain things.”
The young sleuth smiled. “I stand corrected. We know that the treasures we’re looking for are not in the Lucy Belle or hidden underwater along this shore.”
As soon as the couple had dried off, they walked back to the car. Nancy slipped her dress over her head and put on her slippers while Ned donned shirt and trousers.
He glanced at the car clock and reminded Nancy that it was nearly suppertime. “Weren’t we going to meet the other four?” he asked.
“Yes, if we could make it. But before we go back to the house, I’d like to drive to police headquarters and find out if they’ve picked up any safecrackers.”
When they reached the police building, Nancy hurried inside. The chief was not there but a sergeant on duty answered her question. Two known safecrackers, now on parole, had been picked up for questioning. Both were tall men. They did not fit the description of the phantom thief.
“Thank you,” Nancy said. When she reached the car, she relayed the message to Ned. “I have been suspecting a short, slight man of being the phantom. Now the question is, am I wrong or is the phantom someone who does not have a police record?”
Ned chuckled. “Nancy, you certainly can pose the most unanswerable questions. I plead ignorance.”
He started the car, but had gone no farther than the next corner when Nancy said, “Please turn left.”
“But why?” Ned asked. “We go the other way to Uncle John’s.”
Nancy explained that it was only a short distance to the guest house where Fred Jenkins lived. “I suspect he’s involved in this case, not as the thief necessarily, but in some way is connected with the mystery. We might just happen to be able to learn something.”
Ned turned left and Nancy directed him to the street where Fred lived. As they neared his house, Nancy suddenly exclaimed, “Here he comes out the door! And look who’s with him! The man that Bess and George and I have caught glimpses of in the woods. We think he may be the phantom!”
“But who is he?” Ned asked.
“I believe he’s Fred’s father. Oh, Ned, maybe we’re going to learn something really worthwhile! Let’s follow them!”