A Mystery Solved

Nancy throttled down to normal cruising speed and looked at Ned. He was sitting with his head down. " Boy, " he said, ''did I mess that up."

Nancy ruffled his hair with one hand. ''Nonsense. It was an accident. Anyway, even if you hadn't hit the light and the siren, we couldn't have caught them."

''But if they hadn't known about us, they might have taken off at a slower speed and we might have been able to follow them, " Ned said. " Don't try to let me down easy, Nancy. I goofed, and we both know it."

''No sense crying over spilled milk, " Nancy said brightly. " Apparently, the radio didn't work, either. Sometimes the breaks are with you, and sometimes they aren't. By the law of averages, we should have luck the next time."

" I'm glad you're an optimist! "

Nancy chuckled. " As Winston Churchill said, I'm an optimist because that means living in hope. If you're a pessimist, you're always living in despair."

" Sounds reasonable, " Ned agreed.

When they arrived at the Segovia mansion, he got out to tie up the boat. In the process, his feet got tangled up in a line and he stumbled. The next moment, he crashed headlong onto the dock!

" Oh, no! " he cried. " This isn't my day! Nancy, just take me inside and point me toward my room. Don't let anybody talk to me until tomorrow, or I might accidentally destroy the whole world! "

Nancy was laughing all the way up to the house. Ned went straight to bed as he promised, but she got herself some milk and went out to the patio where Bess, Dave, George, and Burt were anxiously waiting to hear what had happened. Mr. Drew and Señ or Segovia had not returned yet.

The foursome was surprised when Nancy told about their adventure, and Burt laughed about Ned's misfortune. " We were wondering why he disappeared so quickly without even saying good night, " the boy said. " He probably figured we'd give him the Dummy of the Day Award"

" It wasn't his fault." Nancy defended her friend, but she couldn't suppress a smile.

Next morning when Nancy came down to breakfast, her friends were already sitting there with Mr. Drew and their host. The men had returned late the night before and were now eagerly listening to the young people's account of the latest events.

''The whole thing was really my fault, " Señ or Segovia said. ''If we had left word where to reach us, we would have gotten the police and helped you. But we were moving so fast that we didn't think of it."

''Then you're not angry with us? " Nancy asked.

Señ or Segovia laughed. " Angry with you? Never. Your Uncle Ricardo can never be angry with you, Nancy. There. I've made you an honorary niece."

" Can you really do that? " Ned asked him kiddingly.

" Sure, " Señ or Segovia replied. " I have full permission. Oh, there is a good story I must tell you. Robert Louis Stevenson, the famous novelist who wrote Treasure Island and Kidnapped, once got a letter from a little girl who complained that her birthday was on Christmas.

Since the Lord's birthday was the big event, people seemed to forget hers and didn't realize that this made her very unhappy. So you know what Stevenson did? He wrote the little girl a letter, officially giving her his birthday to be her very own, forever, so that she could have a normal celebration just like other children"

" Hey, that's really neat, " Nancy said. " I love that story and I love being your adopted niece, Uncle Ricardo."

Señ or Segovia laughed, delighted. Then his expression changed and he held up one finger. " Oh, " he said, " I almost forgot. We have some information on that license number you gave me. Let's see. I have it right here." He dug a piece of paper from his pocket. " Does the name Errol Bigley mean anything to you? "

Nancy stared at Señ or Segovia and began to nod her head. " Yes, yes. It does, " she said excitedly. " I'll bet Bigley is the last name of Mrs. Palmer's butler Errol, the man who is involved with the burglars that wrecked her house. Why don't I call her and confirm this? "

Without waiting for an answer, she ran into the house, and appeared a few minutes later with a triumphant smile on her face. " Bigley is our Errol all right, " she said. " Not only that, but something just clicked in my brain! "

" What's that? '' Ned asked, curious.

" When we were in that restaurant and overheard the men in the back room talking, one of the voices seemed vaguely familiar to me. But I couldn't place it. That's because I didn't connect Errol with Stroessner's people then. Otto addressed him as Bigley, so no doubt it was Errol! "

''Wow! " Bess and George said almost simultaneously. " What a revelation! "

''Very good, Nancy, " her father said proudly. " But now comes the big question. What were they looking for in Mrs. Palmer's house? She never collected stamps. I know that for a fact."

" Oh." Nancy's face fell. " Are you sure? "

" Positive. My ears are still burning from a fifteen-minute lecture she gave me when I was about twenty years old. She said an active young man shouldn't waste his time sitting around sorting little pieces of paper."

" Aw, what a break, " Nancy said. " But then, what were they looking for? "

No one had an answer.

" I'm going to see Mrs. Palmer right after breakfast, " Nancy decided. " If only she could tell us what's hidden in her house. We're getting so close! "

" We're getting close, too, " Señ or Segovia said. ''I think we've found Stroessner's headquarters"

Before he could explain further, a phone call forced him and Mr. Drew to leave immediately.

" Do you want us to go to Mrs. Palmer's with you? " George asked Nancy.

" No, that won't be necessary. I have a job for you, however."

Dave pretended not to be pleased. ''Come now, Nancy. Work again? I was looking forward to a swim! "

''You'll get that while you're working, " Nancy replied.

" How? "

" I want you all to watch Angus's place. The butler will give you the proper binoculars. Have fun around the pool but always keep an eye on the canal, okay? "

" That's the kind of job I like, " Dave said. " Thanks, Nancy."

Ned said, " I'll come with you to Mrs. Palmer's. There'll be enough watchers here."

Nancy smiled. " Good. Let's go."

Soon Andre deposited the couple in front of the Palmer house. " I won't be able to wait for you, " he said, " since I have a number of errands to run. Would you mind taking a taxi home? "

" Of course not" Nancy said. " And thanks for bringing us here"

She and Ned walked up to the house, and Susan McAfee led them into the kitchen. Nancy told Mrs. Palmer of Errol's connection with Stroessner and of their first suspicion that what the burglars were after was a stamp collection. But the woman reacted as Carson Drew had predicted.

" Your father's right. I think stamp collecting is so much nonsense. Cultivating a garden or making something, now those are worthwhile hobbies. But collecting little scraps of paper? Ridiculous."

" Well, " Nancy said, " then the gang must be looking for something other than stamps. Do you have a safe in the house or a safe-deposit box in the bank? "

" Yes, " said Mrs. Palmer. " Both. Let's look here first." She led them to a wall in the living room that contained a fireplace. " Pull out the andirons, " she instructed Nancy. The girl did so. " Now, " Mrs. Palmer said, " press the third brick from the left in the fourth row from the top."

Nancy complied but nothing happened. She looked questioningly at Mrs. Palmer.

" Patience, " the old lady said. " That deactivated a catch on the bottom of the fireplace floor. Push it"

Nancy did as she was told. The slab slowly moved down about four inches and then slid easily to the left. Embedded in the floor, face up, was a very strong-looking safe!

Nancy was filled with admiration for whoever had designed the safety precautions. " That is really well thought out, '' she said.

" Correct." Mrs. Palmer nodded. ''A devious mind came up with that one. Now let me try the combination." Bending down stiffly, the old lady tried to turn the dial. It wouldn't budge. Nancy and Ned worked on it, but to no avail.

''Well, " Mrs. Palmer said, ''that's what I get for not using the safe more than once every twenty years. I'll have to ask the locksmith to open it. But before I do that, we may as well go to the bank and check the safe-deposit box."

The group drove a short distance to Mrs. Palmer's bank and examined everything in her box—stocks, bonds, deeds, various legal documents, and a great deal of expensive jewelry.

Nancy sighed. " The burglars could've been after any of this, " she said. " But I can't help thinking that if they wanted to steal this type of thing, they would have taken some of the valuables in your house, even though they are a bit bulky"

" True, " Mrs. Palmer agreed. " Well, let's get the locksmith and go back to the dreary job of opening that safe in the fireplace."

The locksmith, a young and nervous man, was immediately cowed by Mrs. Palmer's gruff, critical manner. As he worked, she stood over him, watching every move. As a result, it took him twice as long as usual. But he finally did hear the last tumbler click and swung the heavy door up.

''It's a very inconvenient position for a safe, " he said, stretching his back.

" Of course it's inconvenient, " Mrs. Palmer declared. ''That's to make sure nothing is put in it frivolously. In a safe like that where you practically crack your back trying to get to it, you only put truly valuable things." She scowled at him and the young man shrugged apologetically.

" Yes, ma'am. I see your point, " he said.

" Oh, Land of Goshen, don't be so wishy-washy. Is it convenient or isn't it? "

" Oh, yes, " the confused young man said. " Very convenient."

" It is not! " Mrs. Palmer snapped. " We've just settled the fact that it was the most inconvenient safe ever made! "

The young man stared at her, slightly dazed, as if he had just had a narrow brush with a bolt of lightning. " Uh, yes, it's inconvenient, but that's convenient because then you only put important stuff in. Isn't that what you said? "

''You got it. Now get on with you. Your work here is finished."

" Yes, ma'am, thank you."

" You're welcome, " Mrs. Palmer said, dismissing him. But the young man stopped and turned back, squaring his shoulders.

''Are you still here? " asked Mrs. Palmer, peevishly.

''Yes, ma'am. I just wanted to ask you a question. Since you only put the most valuable things in that safe, can you remember what you put in it? "

Mrs. Palmer was bent over, peering into the safe. She stopped, then straightened and turned to stare at the young man.

" Can you remember, Mrs. Palmer? " he repeated.

" I heard you, " Mrs. Palmer said. " I'm not handicapped. I'm trying to think." She paused, then looked the young man straight in the eye.

" No, I'm not able to remember. And you're a rascal to challenge me on it. But you're walking out with more backbone than you had when you came in. That's my talent, young man, putting backbone in people. I get 'em mad at me and pretty soon they start acting like real, living, breathing people."

The young man smiled, tipped his cap, and left.

In the meantime, Nancy had been fidgeting and going on tiptoe, waiting for the conversation to end, curious to see what was in the safe.

" Now then, " Mrs. Palmer said, " let's see what we have here." She reached inside. The instant her hand came out of the safe, clutching a bundle of old letters, Nancy knew what the thieves had wanted. But to be sure, she waited.

" Well, " Mrs. Palmer said, " nobody would be interested in these. They're love letters sent to my grandmother from my grandfather when he was working as an engineer in the jungles of South America."

" But that's it! " Nancy cried. " Don't you see, that's exactly what those crooks are after! "