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Red Juggernaut






 

There was a moment of stunned, awkward silence. Then Nancy said coolly, " We came here as your daughter's guests, Mr. Thorpe. We naturally assumed this was her home as well as yours, and therefore you would respect her right to invite us. However, if you have different standards and our presence offends you, we certainly won't remain."

Turning to her friend, Nancy said, " Shall we go, Bess? "

Her companion, pink-faced with embarrassment and slightly breathless, exclaimed, " Oh, yes!

The two girls walked out with their heads high. Norton Thorpe, who evidently was not used to being defied or spoken to in this fashion, looked on, fuming with anger. From his flushed, tight-lipped expression, he seemed at a loss for the right words to put this impudent young female, Nancy Drew, in her place.

Lisa watched what was happening with a pale, frightened face. She seemed to have been shocked into silence by her father's harsh outburst.

Nevertheless, she hurried after her two guests and murmured, " I'm awfully sorry about this! "

Nancy squeezed her hand and gave her a reassuring smile. " Don't be upset, Lisa. We understand. It wasn't your fault."

Outside, as the two girls reached Nancy's car, Bess Marvin let out an indignant gasp. " Of all the rude people! That man is impossible! "

Nancy generously was ready to make allowances. " Perhaps he had a hard day at the office."

" He certainly must be difficult to live with! " Bess declared as she climbed in beside the pretty young sleuth. " No wonder Lisa didn't return Pierre's calls. She's probably scared to death of her father."

" Pierre said she was under his thumb. When you stop to think of it, it was brave of her to come apologize in front of him, as she did."

" Mr. Thorpe's so overbearing, I'll bet she's never seen anyone stand up to him. Maybe your example helped to put a little backbone into her, Nancy."

Nancy found it hard not to smile, remembering Bess's own timid, soft-hearted ways. All the same, from several of their past adventures, she knew that her friend could be as brave as anyone in a real emergency.

" If you're right, Bess, then I'm glad it happened, " Nancy said aloud. " Also, I learned one thing from our visit to Lisa's that could be very helpful."

" What's that? "

" How to get in touch with Louise Duval's former maid."

After dropping her girlfriend off at the Marvins', Nancy returned home. As she walked in the door, Hannah Gruen said, " You had a phone call while you were out, dear."

The kindly, middle-aged woman had been the Drew's housekeeper ever since the attorney's wife had passed away when Nancy was a little girl.

" Who was it, Hannah? "

" The curator of the art museum. Mr. Gregory, I think he said his name was. He'd like you to help investigate those two break-ins we heard about on the news."

Nancy's eyes sparkled with interest. " Sounds exciting! "

" But not dangerous, I hope, " said the motherly housekeeper, her voice taking on a note of concern.

" Don't worry, Hannah, '' the young detective chuckled. " I doubt that the case will be all that exciting. But I'll be careful! "

After looking up Emily Owsler's number in the telephone directory, Nancy called the former maid. An elderly voice answered. Nancy explained that she was looking into a matter that concerned the maid's former mistress and asked if she might drop by for a visit at some convenient time.

" Why of course, Miss Drew. I'll be home all evening, if you care to stop in."

" Thank you, that would be nice."

After helping Hannah with the dinner dishes, Nancy started out in her car about 8: 30. It was a chill autumn night with a gathering mist that filmed her windshield with moisture.

Emily Owsler's address turned out to be a modest apartment building on the outskirts of River Heights. The person who opened the door was a slender, gray-haired woman in her seventies.

" Please come in, Miss Drew. I've read in the paper about some of the mysteries you've solved."

The ex-maid seemed eager to chat, and Nancy had no trouble steering the conversation around to the subject of her former employer. But Miss Owsler had no idea why Louise Duval might have written to Pierre's grandfather, even though Nancy could supply the exact date of the letter.

" I remember the time very well, though, " Emily Owsler mused sadly. " It was just a few weeks later that Miss Duval died."

" Can you think of anything at all unusual that might have happened around that time? " Nancy probed.

Miss Owsler knit her brow. " Hm, I do recall her hiring a person to do some special work for her that summer. I think 'foreign research' was the way she referred to it."

" But you don't remember who that person was? "

" Not really. Some sort of expert, I believe, but I couldn't say what he was an expert in, or exactly what she hired him to do. Come to think of it, it was a secret..."

The woman's face suddenly brightened as she went on, " Yes, I do recall now! Miss Louise was quite excited about the whole thing. And I remember how she sounded when she mentioned it to some of her friends—as if she was just bursting to tell them some exciting news, but had to wait for the right time, after this research—or whatever it was — was completed."

All this, Nancy thought, sounded very much like the tone of Louise Duval's mysterious letter to Pierre's grandfather... which, in turn, convinced her that the so-called 'research' might hold the key to the mystery.

" You know, Miss Drew, " Emily Owsler continued, " you might be able to find out more from Miss Louise's lawyer."

" That sounds like a good idea. Can you tell me his name? "

" Yes, Jonas Becker. And his law firm is Hylig & Becker. I know because they're the ones I get my monthly pension check from."

Nancy thanked the woman for her information. Then she said, " In that letter I told you about, Miss Duval wrote that she was planning to go to France. But apparently she never did, nor followed up her letter in any way. I assume that's because she died rather suddenly and unexpectedly."

Emily Owsler nodded, her face clouding at the memory. " Yes, that's right. Miss Louise died of a heart attack after a very unpleasant experience."

" Oh? What was that? " asked Nancy, her detective instincts immediately aroused.

" Well, you see, she was out for a stroll one evening. She always liked to go for a walk after dinner, said it was good for her digestion. Anyhow, she came rushing in soon afterward—all upset and out of breath, clutching her bosom. I asked her what was wrong, and she said a big red car had almost run her down! "

Miss Owsler dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief, obviously distressed as the circumstances of her mistress's death came back to her. " I phoned her doctor right away and gave her two of the pills he'd prescribed, and then made her a cup of tea, " she went on, " but the poor soul died just a few minutes later, before the doctor could arrive. We'd all known for some time, of course, that she had a weak heart."

The ex-maid gulped back tears and blew her nose.

" I'm sorry to bring back these sad memories, " Nancy apologized. " It must be very upsetting to talk about."

" That's all right, my dear. I'm glad if what I've told you has been of any help."

Nancy thanked Miss Owsler and made her way downstairs in the apartment elevator. Outside the building, the night mist was thickening, and the streetlights glowed in the darkness with a foggy halo. Nancy turned on her windshield wipers after starting the car.

She had gone only a couple of blocks when she noticed a car coming up behind her in the rear-view mirror. Its headlights were off, which made the outlines of the car easier to discern. Despite the mist, the street lamps shed enough light for Nancy to see that the car was red.

But she could make out no one at the wheel!

Nancy's heart gave a lurch. This fog must be playing tricks with my eyes! she thought.

Nervously she swung over to the right, to give the car behind her room to pass. But it made no attempt to do so. And when she speeded up, it too increased speed so as to stay little more than a couple of car lengths behind her!

Nancy's pulse was beating fearfully now. " That can't be a ghost car! " she told herself. " It must have a driver, even if I can't see him! "

But why was he trailing her? Was he just waiting for the right moment to pounce in some way?

Nancy clenched her teeth and tried to keep calm. There was always the hope that she might sight a police cruiser, and anyhow she hadn't much farther to go.

Meanwhile, the reddish car continued to follow her through the misty darkness! Although the visibility was too poor to tell its make or year, Nancy had the impression that it was large and old-fashioned!

When at last she came to her own corner, she swung the wheel violently, then stared in the rear-view mirror. To her relief, the other car had speed on past the intersection and was no longer following her.

Nancy's heart was still pumping furiously when she stopped and switched off the ignition moments later. Leaving her car parked in the driveway, she jumped out, eager to get inside the house. But before she could mount the front steps, she received another shock.

A sinister figure detached itself from the shadows of the shrubbery and came striding toward her. Once again, it was the swarthy, tough-looking man whom she and Pierre had glimpsed out the restaurant window!

 


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