Car Snoop

" Wait! Do not try to run inside! " The man spoke with a heavy foreign accent, his voice laden with menace. " I have come to talk to you!

Nancy caught her breath, but struggled to keep her own voice calm as she replied, " This is a strange time and a strange way to start a conversation."

Summoning up her courage, she went on boldly, " Who are you, and why have you been following me around, spying on me? "

" Never mind all that! " the dark-visaged stranger growled. " I am the one who will ask the questions. And you will answer. Are you a friend of Pierre Midland's? "

" Yes, I know him, if that's what you mean, and I consider him a friend. He has asked me to investigate something that happened a long time ago."

" Well, you had better drop the job right now and stop helping him in any way, or you will find yourself in serious trouble! Do you understand? "

Nancy shrank back as his brutal face glared at her out of the semi-darkness.

" And now you will tell me something more. Where did you go tonight, and whom was it you saw? " When she hesitated, he took a step toward her.

Nancy felt a fresh pang of alarm but said in a defiant voice, " What I do or whom I see is none of your business! You'd better stop bothering me or I'll call the police! "

The man shook his fist threateningly. " I am warning you, girl! You had better not—"

He had raised his voice to scare Nancy, but now he suddenly broke off as he noticed a movement at the window out of the corner of his eye. The curtains twitched and shrill barking followed as Nancy's pet bull terrier, Togo, looked out and decided to arouse the Drew household. He sensed that his beloved young mistress was in danger.

Nancy silently blessed the faithful, alert little dog because his barking had clearly unnerved her sinister caller. The man began to back away, still shaking his fist and muttering, " Remember what I have said! "

A moment later, the porch light came on and the scowling stranger ran off into the darkness. Hannah Gruen opened the front door as the young sleuth hurried up the porch steps.

" Nancy! Is something wrong? " the housekeeper exclaimed. " Why was Togo barking? "

" There was someone out there, Hannah. But don't worry, he's gone now."

Nancy flung herself down gratefully in an easy chair in the bright, comfortable living room. With a sigh of relief, she ran her fingers through her hair.

" Til bet you're mighty glad to get home on a night like this, " Hannah murmured sympathetically.

" Oh, you have no idea how glad! I had quite a fright tonight, coming home."

" What happened, dear? "

" A car followed me—a big, old-fashioned-looking red car. Its lights were off, for one thing, but the really scary part was that it looked as if it had no driver! "

The housekeeper gasped. " Are you serious, Nancy? "

" You bet I am! Oh, I realize my eyes were probably playing tricks on me, what with the mist and all, but that's how it looked."

Hannah shook her head in amazement. " My goodness, that's enough to give anyone a fright."

" What made it even worse, " Nancy continued, " was that the person I visited tonight had just been telling me how a woman was frightened to death thirty years ago by a red car that almost ran her down."

The housekeeper shuddered slightly and clucked her tongue. " No wonder you were upset. That's really spooky, even if the whole thing was just a coincidence—and it surely must have been, Nancy, don't you think so? "

" You're probably right, Hannah. But that wasn't all. Just as I got home and started to go up on the porch, a tough-looking man stepped out of the shrubbery. He tried to scare me off a case I'm investigating for Dad."

Hannah was shocked and outraged by this news. " Shouldn't we call the police? " she urged.

" I'm afraid it wouldn't do much good, " Nancy replied. " Even if I'd phoned the moment I got in the house, he'd probably have been long gone by the time a scout car got here. I imagine he had a car parked up the street or around the corner."

" Poor dear, you've really had an awful night of it! " The housekeeper leaned down to give

Nancy a comforting hug and added, " You be sure and tell your father all this when he gets home, and see what he says."

" That's exactly what I intend to do."

" Good! In the meantime, I'm going to make you a nice cup of tea."

" Oh, would you, Hannah? That'd be lovely! "

Nancy felt a great deal better, now that she had unburdened herself to the motherly housekeeper. Hannah Gruen's sturdy common sense always helped to put even the eeriest mystery into the proper perspective.

She was prepared to stay up and keep Nancy company until Mr. Drew returned, but the teenage detective would not hear of it. " No, no! You go to bed, Hannah, " she insisted. " Isn't tomorrow your day at the hospital? "

" Yes, it is. So perhaps I will, Nancy, if you don't mind, " Hannah said, stifling a yawn. She had volunteered to work at the River Heights Hospital one day a week.

After Hannah had gone upstairs, Nancy sat pondering the unpleasant encounter that had taken place when she arrived home. I wonder who that fellow is, she mused.

The swarthy man had spoken with a French accent. Could he be Pierre's enemy, the one who set the workshop fire and wrote the warning on the wall?... But no, that hardly seemed possible. They had seen him outside the restaurant just before Nancy got the call about the fire, so how could he be in two places at once?

Presently she heard her father's key turning in the lock and went to greet him.

" Well, this is a pleasant surprise." He smiled wearily and kissed Nancy. " But how come you left your car in the drive, dear? I hope you aren't planning to go out again this late, because I've already put it away."

" No, that's fine, Dad. Thanks for attending to it. I'm sorry I left you that extra chore, " Nancy apologized. " I meant to do it myself but forgot. You see, I had a rather unpleasant experience tonight..."

She broke off suddenly with a rueful grin. " But never mind that now, I'll explain later. First, come on in the kitchen, Dad, and let me make you a sandwich and a cup of tea."

" Just the tea, thanks, Nancy." Carson Drew patted her fondly on the shoulder. " I had a late working dinner with a client."

In a few minutes the tea was ready. As they sat sipping it at the kitchen table, Nancy told her father about the day's mysterious developments. Like Hannah, he was greatly concerned about the swarthy stranger who had lurked outside the house in order to question Nancy. Mr. Drew said he would personally report the incident to Police Chief McGinnis next morning.

" Thanks, Dad. And by the way, " Nancy continued, " I have a new clue to follow up in Pierre Michaud's case. The maid I was just telling you about, Emily Owsler, said that Louise Duval's lawyer was Jonas Becker, of Hylig & Becker. Do you know him? "

" I did, Nancy, but I'm sorry to say both he and Mr. Hylig are dead. The firm is now run by one of their former law clerks, a fellow by the name of Maxwell Fleen."

Nancy was disappointed. She explained that she had been hoping Jonas Becker could supply the name of the expert Miss Duval had hired long ago to carry out the foreign research she needed. " But maybe Mr. Fleen can help me."

Carson Drew shook his head dubiously. " Fleen's not a very accommodating fellow. I've always had a feeling that... well, that he's not quite on the up and up."

Nancy frowned uncertainly, knowing how reluctant her father was to cast aspersions on another member of his profession without good reason. " Care to be any more specific, Dad? "

Mr. Drew shrugged. " Let's just say I get the impression there's something about his character or actions that wouldn't stand too close scrutiny. Anyway, I'm not on a friendly footing with him."

" Thanks for warning me, Dad. I'll bear that in mind."

Next morning, on her way to the art museum, Nancy stopped in the offices of Hylig & Becker. The receptionist, a stout, heavily made-up woman, sniffed in disapproval on hearing that Nancy had no appointment.

" Kindly have a chair. I'll see if Mr. Fleen can spare you a moment."

The atmosphere did not improve when Nancy was finally ushered into Maxwell Fleen's inner sanctum. He was a narrow-faced, pinched-lipped man, sallow and scowling. After hearing her request, Fleen shook his head curtly. " Absolutely not."

" But Miss Duval has been dead for thirty years, " Nancy pointed out. " Could it do any possible harm now to answer my question? "

" Miss Drew, " Fleen said coldly, " three years, thirty years, it makes no difference. I would never discuss my client's affairs with an outsider."

Disappointed, Nancy left the fourth-floor suite of offices and went back down to the street, where she had parked. She smiled in surprise as she saw Bess Marvin and Bess's cousin, George Fayne, standing by her car.

" Well! Small world. What are you two doing here? "

George, a slim girl with short, dark hair, said, " This is your car, isn't it, Nancy? "

" Of course. Don't you recognize it? "

" Just wanted to make sure, " George explained. " We caught someone snooping inside it a few minutes ago."

" We don't know what she was doing, " Bess added indignantly, " but she had her head and arms inside the window."

" Who did? " Nancy asked, startled and mystified.

" A tall, skinny girl with sort of light brown hair. But don't ask us who she was. She didn't wait around to answer any questions."

" I think she saw us coming in the rear-view mirror, " George went on. " When Bess and I started hurrying toward the car, she ran off."

" Hm." Nancy considered for a moment. " I guess there's nothing too bad she could do just leaning in the window… unless she was trying to steal something out of the glove compartment. Let me check."

To Nancy's relief, the glove compartment was still locked. " Oh well, no harm done, I guess. Just another mystery to add to my collection. Are you two out shopping, by the way? "

" We were, " Bess said. " George just bought a new pair of shoes. Why? "

" Care to come to the art museum with me? "

" Sure, sounds like a fun idea! " George spoke up enthusiastically. Bess agreed.

Five minutes later, they arrived at the imposing, Greek-pillared museum that was set in a lovely green park. But as they walked into the lobby, an alarm bell suddenly began ringing loudly!