Faces from the Past

Pierre raced across the pavement to the old wooden door of the building. He shouldered it open and disappeared into the smoke and shooting flames. Nancy held her breath.

Just then the fire engine came thundering up. Raincoated fire fighters jumped off the truck and began connecting a hose to the nearest hydrant.

In a moment, Nancy saw Pierre stagger out of the building, carrying a girl in his arms. She was clinging to his neck, coughing and sobbing hysterically. Nancy and a young fireman rushed forward to help. The girl seemed vexed at the sight of Nancy, but allowed the fireman to help Pierre lower her to the grassy verge of the parking area. She seemed delighted at their concern and attention.

Gradually, after struggling for breath and fluttering her eyelids as if reviving from a faint, she permitted Pierre to help her sit up. Then, in another few moments, with his arm around her, she managed to rise to her feet, but leaned closely against him for support. She was a tall, thin girl with mouse-colored brown hair, and she was not very attractive due to her petulant expression.

Her pale gray eyes focused on the young Frenchman's face as she quavered, " Oh, Pierre! I just left to go down to Center Street to get a bite of lunch. I wasn't gone more than twenty minutes. And I come back to this! "

Pressing her hand to her eyes, she wailed, " Oh, I should never have gone! I hope none of your work is ruined! "

" Now, now, " Pierre said, " you are not to worry. You are safe. That is the most important thing."

" No, oh no! Your work is the most important thing. If only you hadn't gone out this morning, all this might never have happened! " she declared, shooting a withering glance at Nancy between sobs. " Whatever else you had to do, surely it didn't matter as much as your work and experiments here! "

Ignoring her comments, Pierre said, " Nancy, let me introduce Nyra Betz, my secretary and all-round helper. She is invaluable! "

Nyra simpered and blushed.

" Hi." The titian-haired girl smiled.

At that moment, Nancy suddenly realized how surprising it was that she and Pierre had reached the scene even before the fire engine arrived. Nyra must have called Carson Drew's office before she even phoned in an alarm! And why hadn't she left the building sooner? Obviously she adored Pierre. Could she have set the blaze herself just for the sake of being rescued by the handsome Frenchman?

Aloud, feeling somewhat sorry for Nyra, Nancy said, " Pierre, you're very lucky to have found someone so capable and dedicated."

The mousy-haired girl glanced at Nancy with less animosity now.

Pierre smiled. " Yes, truly. Nyra and I met when I first went to see the Thorpes, just after I arrived in River Heights. She is a good friend of Lisa's."

Not any more, I'll bet! thought Nancy.

" Later Nyra came to see my workshop, " Pierre went on. " When I showed her my memory device and explained how I worked, she volunteered to help me."

" Gee, that was nice of you, Nyra, " Nancy said politely.

Meanwhile, the fire fighters had been playing streams of water on the burning building and soon extinguished the small smoky fire.

The fire captain frowned suspiciously as he went inside to inspect the damage. When he came out again, he said to Pierre, " Are you the sole occupant of this building? "

" Yes, I live above my workshop, " Pierre replied.

" Any enemies? "

The Frenchman shrugged in surprise. " Not so far as I am aware. Why? "

" Better come in and take a look at this."

Pierre accompanied the fire captain into the building. Nyra and Nancy followed them into the damp, smoke-blackened room.

It was impossible to miss! Across one wall in red spray paint was the ugly threat:

GO HOME, FRENCHY, OR A LOT WORSE WILL HAPPEN!

Nancy felt a shiver of alarm. If she was going to help Pierre, she had better begin her investigation as soon as possible. But where to start on the case? The more she thought about it, the more it seemed that Lisa Thorpe might be the person best able to supply a clue to the mystery.

After excusing herself and saying goodbye, Nancy left Pierre and Nyra still talking to the fire captain, and drove off.

As she rode along with her hands on the wheel and her eyes on the road, she continued turning the problem over in her head. And suddenly she realized why Lisa Thorpe's name had sounded so familiar when Pierre first mentioned it.

Of course! She worked at the River Heights Thrift Shop with Bess Marvin, one of Nancy's closest friends.

The shop sold clothing donated or gathered by members of a local charitable organization. Nancy glanced at her wristwatch. The shop was open only at certain hours, but someone might be there now.

Coming to a public telephone booth, Nancy swung over to the curb and got out, then looked up the thrift shop number and dialed.

Luckily, her good friend Bess Marvin, answered. She was delighted to hear from Nancy, who said, " Bess, by any chance is Lisa Thorpe working there with you this afternoon? But don't let on that I'm asking about her, please! "

" Oh… okay, Nancy, I understand. And the answer is yes."

" Bess, I'd like to meet her, so I'm going to drop by."

Her friend immediately sensed that the famous young detective was hot on the trail of another mastery. " Fabulous! But we're closing for the day in about twenty minutes, Nancy, so you'd better hurry."

" I'm on my way, Bess! See you soon."

Nancy drove to the other side of town. The thrift shop was located two blocks off Main Street, on the first floor of an old house. A bell tinkled as Nancy opened the door and walked in.

Bess and a pretty, laughing girl were tidying the racks of clothing and displays of other donated goods. Bess, who was blond and plump, introduced Lisa, and Nancy could well understand Pierre's interest in her. She had glowing brown eyes and beautiful ivory skin that seemed even more perfect by contrast with her brunette hair. She was perhaps four years older than Nancy and Bess.

Nancy said, " Bess, I was out on an errand, so I thought I'd drop by to persuade you to have a sundae with me."

" Oooh, my weakness! Well, we're almost through here." She turned to Lisa. " Why don't you come along with us? "

" Well, I, …." Lisa hesitated.

" That's a splendid idea. Do come, " Nancy seconded the invitation. " Let's go to Jake's Ice Cream Parlor. He makes the most delicious hot fudge sundaes! "

So the thrift shop was locked, and the three girls piled into Nancy's car. Soon they were seated in a booth at Jake's. After they had given their orders, Nancy said, " Lisa, I'm so glad you were able to come with us. You see, I've been asked to help Pierre Michaud solve the mystery of Louise Duval's letter to his grandfather."

At the mention of Pierre's name, Nancy noticed that Lisa colored and dropped her eyes.

" Oh yes, he did come to see us about that, " she said, looking up again at Nancy. " My father and I had never heard of it before. Louise Duval was my great-aunt, but she's been dead many, many years."

" Oh, this sounds exciting. Tell me about it, " Bess said. To Lisa, she added, " Nancy has a reputation for solving mysteries. She's really good."

" Oh, now, Bess." Nancy laughed. But Lisa was looking at her with fresh interest.

" I'd like to help, Nancy. Will you let me? "

" Of course. You can help a great deal. You know that Pierre Michaud found the letter from your great-aunt among his grandfather's effects."

Lisa nodded as she took a spoonful of sundae. " Yes, he said that she mentioned some ancestress in the letter."

" Have you any idea whom she meant? " said Bess.

" Well, I’ve been thinking about that, and I feel sure it must have been Yvette Duval."

" Pretty name, " Bess murmured.

" Yes, and she herself was beautiful. She was French, as you've probably guessed from her name, and she came to this country with her husband about two hundred years ago. They settled right here in River Heights."

" Hm, " Nancy said. " What else do you know about her? "

" Not much." Lisa smiled. " As a matter of fact, it's been sort of a tradition in our family that there was something mysterious about Yvette Duval. Something to do with her past, which she never revealed and would never talk about."

" Gee, just the way you say that almost gives me goose bumps! " Bess declared in an awed voice.

The girls were silent for a time, enjoying their sundaes and thinking about Lisa's unusual ancestress.

Breaking the silence, Lisa said hesitantly, " Have you seen Pierre recently? "

Nancy said, " Yes, just today. There was a mysterious fire at his workshop. Nyra Betz discovered it."

" Nyra? " Lisa echoed in surprise. " How did that happen? "

" She works for him now, " Nancy said gently. From the expression that flickered briefly on Lisa's face and the way her fingers clenched on the napkin she was holding, Nancy could see that the news had come as a somewhat unpleasant shock to her.

But the brunette girl soon recovered her poise and said, " When Pierre came to see us, I'm afraid my father was quite rude to him. I felt terrible about it. After all, he was a total stranger in this country and had come to us for help or information." Lisa swallowed hard and looked down at the tablecloth.

Always the romantic, Bess shot a significant glance at Nancy and nodded her head sagely.

Soon afterward, Lisa noticed the time. " Golly, I'd better be going. I have to get my car at the thrift shop."

" Don't worry, I'll drive you back, " said Nancy.

" Well, thanks. By the way, we have a portrait of Yvette Duval and her husband at my house. Would you like to see it? "

" Oh, yes! Let's, Nancy, " said Bess.

On their way to the thrift shop, Lisa pointed to a big industrial park. " That's where Louise Duval used to live. All that property was hers."

" Wow, " said Bess. " Must've been a big place! "

" Yes, and old too. My mother told me all about it. Louise Duval was her aunt, my maternal grandfather's sister."

" Did she live there by herself? " asked Nancy.

" No, she had a maid whom I remember quite well. She used to come and visit us sometimes, even long after Great-Aunt Louise died."

The titian-haired detective was keenly interested in hearing this. " Is her maid still alive? "

Lisa nodded. " Yes, in fact we had a card from her last Christmas. I'll give you her address. Her name's Emily Owsler."

As they were about to turn into the parking lot next to the thrift shop, Nancy gasped. She had just caught sight of the swarthy man who had been watching her and Pierre at Marco's. He was sitting in a car parked near the shop, but now, as if realizing he had been seen, he slowly drove away. Nancy decided she had better tell her dad about him that night.

Lisa got into her own car. Then Nancy and Bess followed her to the Thorpes' house. It was a white, three-story frame mansion with a tower. A spacious porch ran across the front and side of the house.

" It's way too big for us, especially since Mother died, " Lisa remarked, " but my father's family has always lived here."

The interior was beautifully furnished. Lisa led them to a paneled hallway with a large, sunny room at one end, full of plants and flowers and white wicker furniture. The portrait she had mentioned hung in the hallway near this room. In addition to the light flooding in through the sunroom, Lisa flicked a switch above the frame which totally illuminated the oil painting.

'This is Yvette and her husband, Paul Duval."

Yvette was a white-skinned beauty with lustrous black curls and flashing dark eyes, dressed in a low-necked gown of the period. Paul Duval, in a dark blue coat and white neck cloth, seemed more stodgy and matter-of-fact, a typical man of business. It was his wife who drew the girls' eyes.

" Gee, she was beautiful, " said Bess.

Nevertheless, Nancy sensed a haunting sadness about Yvette's expression.

" I've always imagined her as some sort of adventuress, " Lisa remarked.

" Maybe a spy, " Nancy suggested half humorously. " After all, the years around 1800 were a time of war in France and Europe."

" Oh yes, that's even more exciting! " Lisa agreed, and so did Bess.

Just then, Nancy heard a door open and shut somewhere in the front of the house, and Lisa suddenly became quiet. Presently a big, heavily built man with brush-cut, graying hair came into the hallway. He was carrying a briefcase.

" Hello, Daddy, " Lisa said nervously and introduced him to her two companions.

" Hmph. Afternoon, girls, " Norton Thorpe responded curtly. His manner was intimidating.

" Nancy has been asked to help Pierre Michaud discover what Great-Aunt Duval's letter was all about, " Lisa went on.

Her words brought an angry flush to Mr. Thorpe's face. His bristling brows came down in a furious scowl. " I thought I told you not to concern yourself any more with that fortune-hunting Frenchman, Lisa! " he thundered.

Turning to Nancy and Bess, he added, " That means none of his investigators or go-betweens are welcome here. I must ask you to leave my house immediately! "