A Vicious Trick

THERE was an exclamation of surprise on the other end of the telephone as Mr. Drew asked Nancy if he had heard her correctly.

«Did you say 'Let's fly to London? '»

«That's right, Dad. How about it? You need a vacation, anyhow, and you can help me solve the mystery. Who knows, we may find Lolita's mother and bring her back with us.»

The lawyer laughed. «You're very persuasive, Nancy. Let me think a minute.»

Nancy could hear her father mumbling. Here and there she caught a word which she recognized as the names of various clients. Presently Mr. Drew said:

«All right, Nancy. We'll go. I have some important things pending, but they can wait a week or so.»

«Oh, Dad, you're a sweetheart!» Nancy told him. «When can you get here?»

«I might as well leave right now,» he said. «I can catch the night plane from here. Suppose you see if you can get reservations for tomorrow.»

Nancy said she would call him back as soon as she found out.

«In the meantime, Dad, will you please try to find out if there have been any new developments in Sims' Circus?»

«I can answer part of your query right now,» her father replied. «Bess called here a little while ago. She said that Lolita had been in touch with her. The poor girl is very unhappy. Kroon is keeping her virtually a prisoner. What's worse, he has dismissed Pietro.»

«That is bad news,» Nancy remarked. «Where is Pietro?»

Mr. Drew said that he did not know. Kroon did not permit Lolita to receive mail or telephone calls of any kind. She had made the call to Bess through Erika.

«Lolita is hoping that Pietro will get in touch with Bess, and that Bess will be able to forward the message to Erika.»

Since this was all the information the lawyer could give Nancy at the moment, they said good-by. Nancy at once got in touch with the airport to find out about reservations. She was told that there were no seats available, but that she would be notified should any cancellations come in.

Nancy waited impatiently. Finally she decided to phone her father to tell him that it would not be necessary for him to take the evening plane from River Heights.

«When is the next one you could get?» his daughter asked.

Mr. Drew said that one left at two in the morning. It would arrive in New York in plenty of time to catch the afternoon overseas plane.

«Call me again if you have any luck with reservations,» he directed her. «By the way, I have more news for you. The police interviewed Kroon about the package to Lola Flanders. The man insisted that he never had anything to do with sending a package to a Lola Flanders and knew no one by that name.»

«But what about the boy who mailed the package for him?» Nancy questioned.

«Oh, he's exonerated,» Mr. Drew replied. «The boy says he mailed a package for Mr. Kroons all right, but he didn't read the name and address on it.»

As she put down the receiver, Nancy wondered whether the boy had been coached by Kroon to say that he had not looked at the address. Three hours later the telephone rang. Nancy hurried to it and was delighted to learn that the call was from the airport.

«I have your two reservations, Miss Drew,» the young woman at the other end of the wire informed her.

«When will I have to pick them up?» Nancy asked. «And may I get them here in the city?»

She was told that she must claim them by noon of the following day and that she could pick them up at the airline's office in the heart of the city.

«I'll do that,» answered Nancy.

She immediately telephoned her father and told him the good news. He said he was glad to hear it because he had been looking forward to a vacation with his daughter.

«We're so rarely alone,» he said. Then he laughed. «I shan't have you all to myself until we're actually on the plane. Ned is coming with me to see us off.» Mr. Drew added that he would bring along their passports and other papers necessary for the trip.

Nancy smiled as she hung up. It would be nice having a little send-off party with Ned and Aunt Eloise at the airport.

She and her aunt arose early in order to meet the plane from River Heights. To her amazement, not only did her father and Ned step off the airliner, but Pietro as well.

«Oh, it's good to see you, Pietro!» Nancy cried.

Ned looked as if he did not wholly approve of Nancy's extremely friendly greeting to the clown. And a frown creased his forehead when Pietro announced that he was going to London with the Drews to see his father.

After Pietro had been introduced to Aunt Eloise, the group found a taxi and drove to Miss Drew's apartment. Ned made it plain that he wanted to absorb as much of Nancy's attention as possible. With the excuse that he wanted to do some shopping, Ned finally managed to get her away from the apartment.

While they were having lunch in a cozy restaurant, he suddenly warned Nancy not to get any crazy ideas about staying in England permanently.

«Why, Ned,» she said, «what a funny thing to say!»

«It's not funny at all,» Ned argued. «I understand Pietro is going to stay over there.»

Then Nancy caught on. She started to laugh and could not seem to stop.

«Why, Ned Nickerson, you old ninny!» she said. «Just because Kroon has told Lolita that she can't marry Pietro, there's no reason why he should want to marry me.»

«I'm not so sure,» said Ned. «Way off in s foreign country after a flight across the ocean—»

«Now, Ned, you're just being silly,» said Nancy sternly. «I'll come back to the good old U.S.A. and bring Lola Flanders with me.»

«Is that a promise?» Ned asked her, reaching across the table for her hand. Then she put her own hand in his and said, «Yes, that's a promise.»

Picking up her fork once more, Nancy suddenly smiled. She reminded Ned that she had just promised to bring back Lola Flanders.

«How I hope that will come true!» she said.

As soon as luncheon was over, Nancy insisted upon returning to the apartment. She said that she wanted to telephone Captain Smith and find out what more had been learned about the Tristam Booking Agency. When they got back, she put in the call at once.

«I think we have a rather important clue,» the officer told her. «Our men have been watching the mail which has been arriving for Lola Flanders. She has been receiving dividend checks in rather large amounts.»

The captain went on to say that it seemed very strange for a young dancer of Lola Flanders' apparent wealth to be tied up with a second-rate booking agency. And furthermore, why would she have this kind of mail sent to the agency, anyway?

Nancy had formed her own conclusions on this matter. It seemed to her proof that Reinhold Kroon was using the agency as a cover-up. He was stealing money which belonged to the real Lola Flanders and using Millie Francine as a front.

As Nancy discussed the latest findings with her father, she remarked, «Do you suppose Millie Francine is innocent and that Kroon and Tristam have given her the name Lola Flanders to make their underhanded schemes seem legitimate?»

Mr. Drew said this was very likely. He hoped that by the time he and his daughter returned from England the police would have found the answer to her question. He looked at his watch.

«We'd better leave now,» he told the others.

On the way to the airport, Nancy's heart began to beat a little faster. She was off on another exciting adventure!

The Drews and Pietro checked in. Each had a large suitcase for the baggage compartment and an overnight case to carry. While waiting for the moment when she might board the plane, Nancy and her friends walked outside.

At this moment a six-engine craft swooped in. It was the largest one any of them had ever seen and they watched it in fascination as the pilot landed the great ship.

«My, she's a beauty!» Ned exclaimed admiringly.

Nancy was so intent that for a moment she did not notice a strange man who had joined the group. Then, suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she realized he had picked up her overnight bag and was running off with it. Without waiting to tell the others what had happened, she ran after the thief.

«Stop!» she called to him.

He went on and now was holding the case in front of him. As Nancy lessened the distance between herself and the fleeing man, she thought he was trying to open the bag which was not locked. Why? Surely there was nothing in it worth removing.

«Stop!» Nancy shouted again.

Bystanders, thinking she was merely trying to attract the man's attention did not interfere, so finally Nancy cried:

«Stop, thief!»

This time the command was heeded. The man dropped the bag and fled. Nancy picked it up and started to follow the thief but decided it probably would be a long chase and she might miss the plane.

Noticing that a corner of her pink-flowered robe was protruding from the bag, Nancy was sure the man had opened it. She must find out what he was up to!

Nancy hurried into a women's lounge and sat down in a chair. As the attendant looked on, Nancy put the overnight case on her lap and opened it wide.

Acrid fumes rose from among the disarrayed clothes and toilet articles. An open bottle lay in their midst. Before Nancy could close down the lid, she began to cough and choke. The next moment, the acid affected her eyes.

«I can't see!» Nancy groaned in alarm.