A Strange Lawsuit

Bess closed her eyes, expecting a crash. But the driver ahead crossed the tracks with only seconds to spare.

“He drives that bus of his as if the police were after him, ” George commented.

As the long freight train thundered past, Nancy looked between the cars to see if Mr. Rorke were in sight. But there was no sign of the blue car.

“We’ve lost him now, ” she declared gloomily. “I may as well turn back.”

Nancy drove to River Heights and dropped George and Bess at their homes. In a few minutes she reached her own brick colonial house, which set back from the street and was reached by a curving driveway. Mr. Drew’s sporty sedan rolled in right behind her.

“Hello, Nancy, ” the lawyer greeted his daughter fondly. “I came home early today—had a rather hard session in court.”

Nancy and her father strolled through the garden.

“Dad, let’s sit down here, ” she suggested after a few moments, indicating a stone bench. “I have something to show you.”

“A letter from Ned Nickerson? ” he teased. “Or is it from a new admirer? ”

Nancy laughed. “Neither. It’s something I copied today from part of a map of a treasure island! ”

“Treasure island? ” Mr. Drew repeated in disbelief. “You’re joking.”

“No, it’s genuine, Dad.”

Nancy handed the paper to him, then related everything she had learned at the Tomlin Smith home. Anxiously she awaited her father’s comment.

“I don’t like the sound of this Rorke fellow, ” the lawyer said. “He could be dangerous. I’d much rather help the Smith family in a financial way than have you concerned with a lost treasure that Rorke’s also after.”

“There’s more than a map and treasure involved, ” Nancy told him. “Mr. Smith wants me to find his long-lost twin brother, John Abner Tomlin. He’s heir to half the treasure their grandfather buried, and Mr. Smith insists they must share equally, as his father wished.”

“That difficulty could be solved easily by putting half the money in a trust fund, ” Mr. Drew remarked. “But locating the treasure is a remote possibility.”

“The half map Mr. Smith possesses appears to be authentic, Dad. My copy probably isn’t good enough to convince you.”

“I can’t tell much from this, ” he admitted. “The parchment was torn in such a way that one can’t figure out what any of the names or directions mean. Have you tried comparing it with an atlas? ”

“Not yet, Dad. Let’s do it now.”

Carson Drew accompanied Nancy to his study and for some time they pored over several maps. When Hannah Gruen announced dinner, the lawyer was so engrossed that he was reluctant to give up the search.

“Old Captain Tomlin was a clever fellow, ” he conceded. “By tearing the map as he did, the shape of the island is destroyed, so now it’s practically impossible to determine its location without the missing section.”

“I’m glad you said ‘practically.’ ” Nancy chuckled and led the way to the dining room. “You see, Dad, I mean to attempt the impossible. Monday I’ll do some sleuthing at the public library.”

Sunday morning the Drews went to church service, then spent the afternoon relaxing at home. Nancy kept thinking about the mystery and remarked to her father, “If the treasure is so hard to find, it could mean no one has dug it up yet! ”

“Right! ” Mr. Drew chuckled.

The following morning Nancy spent two hours at the library examining old atlases and historic records. Although the librarian permitted her access to some old and precious maps, she could find no chart which bore any resemblance to the scrap in her possession.

Disappointed, Nancy turned to business directories and biographies. She carefully studied the names listed.

“There’s not a John Abner Tomlin Jr. among them, ” Nancy sighed.

Next, she consulted an old book on ships lost at sea. It contained a brief account of the sinking of the Sea Hawk. Captain Abner Tomlin, age forty-five, was in charge of the freighter. There also was a list of the officers and sailors who had shipped aboard. As Nancy carefully copied the names, she noticed there was no Tom Gambrell listed.

“That’s point number one against Mr. Rorke, ” she decided, rising to leave.

Next, Nancy went to the newspaper office of the River Heights Gazette and asked if she might look through their files of old issues. Soon she was busy searching for stories concerning the Chatham estate. Without much trouble she found an article reporting the sale of Rocky Edge, after the owner Silas Norse had died.

“Now to find out if there are any items about strange gadgets there, ” the young detective told herself, turning sheet after sheet.

Finally her eyes lighted upon a startling headline:

BURGLAR STARTS LAWSUIT

Thief Injured at Estate Claims Damages

The story went on to tell how one Spike Doty had broken into the home of Silas Norse. As he was about to escape with valuable loot, he had been caught between sliding panels and injured rather badly. Though held for robbery, Doty had made a claim for damages.

“I wonder if he ever collected! ” Nancy thought. “I’ll bet he didn’t because he was a trespasser! ”

She hunted further and found a photograph and an article about the inventor himself. There were pictures of various rooms in his home, showing sliding panels, secret closets, and several gadgets. Nancy was on the point of deciding that Rocky Edge was no place for Ellen Smith when she read that Mr. Norse was planning to have all these things removed.

“But he forgot about the secret panel in Ship Cottage, ” she thought, recalling her adventure there. “I can vouch for that! And maybe Mr. Norse didn’t remove some of the others! ”

Nancy decided to talk with Ellen about her sleuthing so far. Upon reaching home she telephoned at once and was invited to come over to dinner and spend the night in the Blackstone dormitory.

When she finished the conversation, Nancy told Hannah the plans. “And tomorrow I’m going to the Emerson College dance with Ned, you know. It’s the big year-end party of the Dramatic Club. I’m so sorry Bess and George couldn’t accept Burt’s and Dave’s invitations. When the boys heard this, they decided to attend a fraternity convention, so I won’t see them.”

“I’m sorry too, ” said Hannah. “The girls would have been company for you on the long ride. By the way, Nancy, that new dress you’re going to travel in hasn’t been shortened yet. Suppose you put it on right now and I’ll get the correct length.”

While Hannah marked the new hemline with chalk, Nancy told her what she had learned at the library.

“I don’t like the sound of any of it, ” Hannah remarked when Nancy had finished. “Ellen had better not go to the Chathams, and the Smiths ought to beware of that Mr. Rorke.”

While waiting for the dress to be hemmed, Nancy did various chores around the house. Then she packed her suitcase and finally phoned her father to say good-by.

“Have a good time with Ellen and at Emerson, and be careful, dear, ” he cautioned her.

“Will do, ” she promised.

Nancy spent two hours at art school classes, then started for Blackstone, reaching Ellen’s dormitory just before suppertime.

“Oh, I’m so glad to see you! ” Ellen said warmly. “Come and meet my friends. By the way, would you mind going to my home tonight to sleep? We’re giving an operetta here tomorrow and I’ve promised to bring over several things to use as stage props. And a couple of costumes.”

“I don’t mind a bit, ” Nancy replied. “We’ll have a better chance to talk if we’re alone.”

Nancy thoroughly enjoyed herself at dinner and later at the dress rehearsal. It was after ten before she and Ellen got away and eleven when they reached Wayland.

“I imagine Mother and Dad have gone to bed, ” Ellen remarked as Nancy turned the car into the Smiths’ street. “They seldom stay up late.”

As she had surmised, her house was in total darkness.

“Do you have your key, Ellen? ”

“Oh, I forgot it! ” she exclaimed. “I’ll have to ring the bell.”

No one answered. After a long wait Ellen tried again, but still there was no response.

“They must be sleeping soundly, ” she commented.

“Let’s try the back door, ” Nancy suggested. “If that’s locked we may be able to get in through a window.”

Moving quietly so that the neighbors would not be disturbed, the girls went around the house. Nancy halted suddenly, clutching Ellen’s hand.

“Look! ” she whispered tensely.

A tall ladder leaned against the house wall, terminating at an open window on the second floor. As the girls stared at it, a man’s shadowy figure moved stealthily down the rungs!