Stolen Car

NEXT morning nothing was said about the personal which Nancy wanted to put into the newspaper. The Resardos hung around, so the others kept their conversation to inconsequential matters.

Finally Antin went off to the grove, presumably to see what fruit might still be saleable. Tina was unusually talkative. She assisted with all the work and even offered to help make the beds.

“Thank you but that won’t be necessary, ” Hannah Gruen told her.

She was as eager as the girls to hear what Nancy had worked out on the code message. She kept Mrs. Resardo on the first floor, however, so the rest could go upstairs and talk out of earshot.

They gathered in Nancy’s bedroom. Bess, bursting with curiosity, asked, “Nancy, did you finish the coded message? ”

“Yes, ” she replied, and took a sheet of paper from her handbag. The others crowded around to see it.

“Does that sound innocent enough? ” she asked her father.

“Very good, my dear, ” he replied. “I see you have underlined the vital words.” He read it aloud:

“‘Meet round ship museum Monday twelve.’ ”

“Where is that? ” Mr. Drew asked.

Nancy explained it was in Cocoa Beach. “The museum has a replica of one of the Spanish Plate Fleet vessels which went down in 1715 off the coast of Cape Kennedy, then known as Cape Canaveral.

“One of the worst hurricanes on record drove the ships onto the rocks. Nearly everyone on board was drowned. Only one ship escaped and returned to Spain to tell the story.”

Mr. Drew nodded. “At that time the Spaniards had conquered the Aztecs in Mexico and were robbing them of all their exquisite gold objects. These in turn were made into Spanish coins and packed in boxes and shipped to Spain.”

Mr. Billington added, “Some of this treasure has been salvaged. The museum contains many gold coins and pieces of eight as well as other treasures. You’ll be intrigued when you see them.”

“Sounds great! ” George said. “Nancy, I take it that you hope the coded message will be seen by the men involved in the explosive oranges mystery, and they’ll gather outside the museum.”

Nancy nodded. “Once we see who they are, we can report them to the authorities.”

“That’s right, ” Mr. Drew said. “Don’t try capturing them yourself! ”

Nancy laughed and said she would like to put the ad in the paper at once. “May I borrow your car? ” she asked Mr. Billington.

“Yes indeed.”

Mr. Drew smiled. “I have a surprise for you girls. Yesterday I rented a car for you to use during the rest of your stay here. It had to be serviced, so I said you’d pick it up this morning.” He took the receipt from his pocket and handed it to Nancy.

“Wonderful, Dad! ” she exclaimed, and kissed him. “Thank you loads. George and Bess can bring your car back, Mr. Billington.”

“No hurry, Nancy. Your father and I have some work to do here on the case. We’ll be around until after lunch.”

The three girls left the house and drove directly to the newspaper office. Nancy handed in her coded message for the personal column and paid for it. She was assured it would appear the following day.

As Nancy and the other girls strolled outside, Bess asked, “What’s next? ”

Nancy said she wanted to tell Mr. Scarlett that she had Mr. Webster’s permission to keep the key, in case the realtor had not already been informed.

“We’re not far from his office. Let’s see if he’s there.”

She drove to it but found the door locked. She went to his home. No one answered the doorbelL

A woman in a neighboring yard called out, “The Scarletts aren’t here. They drove off early this morning.”

“Thank you, ” Nancy said. “I’ll leave a note for Mr. Scarlett.”

She took a sheet of paper from her bag and wrote down the message. Then she slipped it through the slot in the front door.

“When do we get our car? ” George queried.

“Right now.”

Nancy headed for the center of Cocoa Beach and drove to the rental agency. Bess and George waited for her while she went into the office. Nancy showed the receipt and the clerk led her to a parking lot at the back of the building. He pointed out an attractive tan station wagon.

“It looks new, ” Nancy said, delighted.

“It’s practically new, ” the man told her. “I don’t know why the owner wanted to sell it. Normally we don’t buy private cars but this was such a good bargain we couldn’t pass it up.”

Nancy eagerly got behind the wheel and waved to the girls. George started the Billington car and headed for home. Nancy chose a different route. She was making good time along the highway when suddenly a motorcycle roared up behind her. Riding it was a policeman.

“Pull over! ” he ordered. “Let me see your license.”

Nancy was sure she had done nothing wrong but did not question the officer. She showed him her license.

“Where did you get this car? ” he asked.

Nancy gave the name of the rental agency and showed the receipt. The officer looked at her sharply, then said, “Are you aware you’re driving a stolen car? ”

The young detective gasped. “I certainly wasn’t.”

“Follow me! ” the motorcycle policeman said. “We’ll go back to that agency and see what it’s all about.”

The man in charge was shocked when he learned about the theft. He assured the policeman he was innocent, and explained that his company had purchased the car from an individual.

“What was his name? ” Nancy asked.

“Rimmer, ” the clerk said. “Robert Rimmer.”

The policeman said, “I suggest that you give this young lady another car and a new receipt.”

The exchange was made and Nancy went on her way. When she reached home and told about the incident, Hannah Gruen began to laugh. “Nancy Drew, ” she said, “it seems as if you can’t go anywhere without having an adventure.”

“But I just love it, ” Nancy replied with a broad grin. “Dad, have you any news? ”

“No, I’ve been checking to find out if there has been any word on Max Ivanson. It certainly looks as if he’s the one who carried the explosive oranges into the Base.”

Mr. Billington spoke up. “And there’s no clue to who set fire to the packing house and started the blazes in the grove. Ivanson might have done that too.”

He added, “I’m well-covered by insurance, but a lot of time will be lost in building up a grove. You can construct a packing house fairly quickly, but you can’t make an orange tree grow overnight! ”

All this time Tina had been buzzing around, setting the table and going up and down the hall. Nancy suspected that the woman was not missing a word of the conversation.

Presently the Drews and their friends sat down to luncheon. Mrs. Billington asked, “Nancy, what time are the boys arriving? ”

“We’re to meet them at the airport at four o’clock, ” she replied. “By the way, we’re not officially starting the house party until tomorrow. We girls thought it would be nice to give Ned a chance to visit with his parents before we all move in there. And Mrs. Nickerson agreed.”

Soon afterward the girls began their long drive to the Melbourne airport. The plane was on time. Ned was the first of the boys to alight. Seeing Nancy, he rushed up to her.

“How’s my little sleuth? ” he asked, kissing her.

“I’m fine and have a million things to tell you.”

Bess and George had found Dave and Burt. On the way to the Nickersons’ the boys plied the girls with questions.

“We’re going to start you working on the mystery Monday, ” Nancy told them. “At noontime we’re to station ourselves at the Real Eight Treasure Museum and see if we can spot a few criminals.”

“You mean it? ” Dave asked.

Nancy explained her plan and the boys were eager to help.

Ned remarked, “Thinking up that coded message was pretty clever, Nancy.”

“I only hope it works, ” she answered.

The boys were dropped off at the Nickerson home. They said they would come over to see the girls after dinner. “Is there some place we could all go and have fun? ” Burt asked.

“I have an idea, ” said Nancy. “The Billingtons have a neat motorboat. Why don’t we make use of it? ”

“Good idea, ” Dave remarked. “I’ll bring my guitar.”

The three boys arrived at eight o’clock. Nearly an hour was spent talking with Mr. Drew and the Billingtons. Since the Resardos were out, the mystery could be discussed freely.

“It sounds complicated to me, ” Dave remarked. “I’d like to have some time free from mystery. May we borrow your boat? ” Mr. Billington nodded.

“I’ll get the Starbeam’s key, ” Nancy said. She had noticed it on top of the TV set.

The young people excused themselves and walked down to the dock. Nancy turned on the boathouse lights, then she and her friends climbed into the motorboat.

“Which way? ” asked Ned, who had taken the wheel.

Nancy suggested that he turn right and cruise around a while, then come back and go past the Webster property.

Half an hour later they pulled up to the Webster dock. “The house! ” Bess exclaimed. “It’s all lighted up! ”

Everyone was puzzled. Had Mr. Drew stopped in? Or was an intruder there?

“We’d better investigate, ” Nancy said quickly. “Ned, let’s tie up at the dock.”

He pulled alongside and the group scrambled out. While the boys secured the boat, the girls ran ahead. They had not gone far into the small orange grove when the lights in the house were extinguished one by one. When the visitors reached the back door, the place was in total darkness.

“Watch to see who comes out, ” Nancy called to Bess and George. She herself ran around to the front entrance. No one emerged from the house. By this time the boys had caught up.

“Do you suppose someone’s hiding in there? ” Bess asked Dave.

“Could be, ” he replied.

Nancy turned to Ned, who had found her. “Will you go back and use the phone in the boat? See if Dad is there and whether he has been here.”

Ned hurried off. The others continued to watch the house, but nobody appeared.

Finally Ned returned. “Your father hasn’t been here, Nancy, ” he reported. “But Mr. Drew said he’ll be right over.”

In a short time the lawyer arrived with Mr. Billington. “Did you bring the Websters’ house key, Dad? ” Nancy asked.

“No. None of us knew where you had hidden it, ” he answered.

“In my raincoat pocket, ” she said. “It’s in my closet.”

Mr. Drew had brought several flashlights which he distributed among the three couples.

“Let’s look through the windows, ” Nancy suggested, and beamed hers through a front window.

“Oh! ” she exclaimed. “The place is flooded with water! ”