Witches' Brew

Nancy Drew was humming happily when she stepped into the elevator. The young detective was glad to be in New York again and looking forward to a visit with her Aunt Eloise.

A mysterious note from Eloise Drew had prompted the trip. ''Come at once, if possible, " her aunt had written. " Something strange is going on around here."

The elevator shot up and Nancy wondered about the message. What could it mean? A moment later, as she stepped into the corridor, a woman charged straight at her, almost knocking her down! Nancy staggered back and barely managed to keep her balance. The woman, who was small, slender, and middle-aged, was obviously distraught. Without apologizing, she rushed into the old-fashioned elevator, slammed the door shut, and pressed the " down" button.

" She sure was in a hurry, wasn't she? " said another woman, who had just stepped out of an apartment two

doors down from Aunt Eloise. She was tall and elegantly dressed, and her jet black hair fell down to her shoulders. " Are you all right? " she inquired.

" Yes, I am, thank you, " Nancy replied with a smile. Then she walked to her aunt's door and pressed the bell.

" Nancy, my dear, come in! " Eloise Drew gave her niece a big hug and drew her into the comfortable living room. " Did you have a good trip? "

" I did, " Nancy said. " 1 got here safe and sound, but a woman almost ran me down by the elevator."

" Oh? " Miss Drew's eyebrows shot up. " What did she look like? "

" Small, blond, about your age. Seemed upset."

" Oh, I bet that was Dottie Hughes. She used to be a good friend of mine until—well, it all has to do with why I asked you to come here."

" Tell me about it! " Nancy urged.

" Something strange is going on next door to me, " Aunt Eloise began. " It started about six months ago. I hear eerie chanting from Apartment 307 now and then, and once in a while someone wails and screams. I think a bunch of witches meet in that place! "

Nancy laughed. " Aunt Eloise, be serious! "

" I am! " insisted her handsome aunt, who was a schoolteacher. " You'll find—"

Just then she was interrupted by a loud screech, that turned into a drawn-out wail.

" What was that? " Nancy asked, taken aback. " Maybe one of the evil spirits that seem to have invaded our building, " Aunt Eloise replied with a weak grin.

" You're half serious, aren't you? " Nancy stared at her aunt, then stood up and went to the window. The wail had turned into an angry growl, and Nancy looked toward its direction. She was just in time to see a huge, black cat leap onto the balcony of the next apartment.

Nancy broke into a peal of laughter as the cat sat down and began to wash its face. " Come and look, " she said to her aunt. 'There's your evil spirit, licking itself."

Aunt Eloise joined Nancy at the window and chuckled. " I suppose I'm getting edgy, " she admitted. " But really, Nancy, you should hear those eerie voices. Dottie Hughes, who also lives on this floor, used to visit me all the time. But since she started attending those meetings at Madame Arnette's, she's avoided me and all her other friends. And she acts strange, as if she doesn't know what she's doing."

" I could see that in the hallway, " Nancy said thoughtfully. " And another woman confirmed it. She saw it, too."

" You met another one of my neighbors? "

Nancy nodded. " Very tall, chic, with black hair—"

" Mrs. Egmont, " Aunt Eloise broke in. " She's an actress. She's a very nice person, although she tends to be a bit melodramatic at times. She lives on the other side of Madame Arnette, and we've been talking about the strange goings-on. She hears the noises too, and believe me, Nancy, she's also convinced that Madame Arnette is a witch! "

" Don't you think you're jumping to conclusions? " Nancy asked.

" I have something that'll prove my suspicion is right." " Eloise Drew said. She stood up and went to her desk, where she picked up a small object.

" I found this lying in the hall.'" she told Nancy, handing her an oblong, metal pendant.

Nancy examined it closely. " It’s Diana! " she exclaimed. " Diana the huntress or goddess of the moon."

" It’s witches’ charm." Aunt Eloise added. " Worship of Diana was part of witch ceremonies in Europe. The covens used to convene by the light of the full moon."

" You have a point there, " Nancy agreed. " What do you think we should do? "

''If you could infiltrate the coven and see what these people are up to—"

Nancy's eyes sparkled as she interrupted her aunt excitedly, " Good idea! Ell become a witch! That's a cover I've never used before. It should be very interesting.

Aunt Eloise held up a hand. " Shh! Did you hear that? "

Nancy fell quiet and nodded. The sound of stealthy footsteps in the corridor came nearer and halted outside the apartment!

Nancy stood up silently and tiptoed to the door. She twisted the knob cautiously to one side, then jerked the door inward.

A small, blond woman almost fell into the room!

" Why. Mrs. Hughes! " Nancy said.

The woman looked flustered. " Oh, " ' she stammered, " I — I wanted to talk to Eloise—"

" Yes. Dottie." Aunt Eloise came up behind Nancy, " what can I do for you? "

" I—I wondered if you found an oblong pendant, " Mrs. Hughes went on. " I think I dropped it in the hallway. It means a lot to me."

" Why, yes, I did find it, " Eloise Drew replied. " My niece Nancy and I were just looking at it."

Mrs. Hughes nodded absently at the girl, who smiled. " It's a very interesting piece, " Nancy said, and handed the ornament to the woman. " Wearing it gives you the protection of Diana, doesn't it? "

Mrs. Hughes stared at her openmouthed.

" I know all about Diana, " Nancy confided in a conspiratorial tone. " I used to belong to a coven in my home town."

" Then you believe in the power of the occult? " Mrs. Hughes asked, obviously impressed.

" I certainly do, " Nancy replied.

" The power of Diana has been of great help to me, " Mrs. Hughes went on. " In fact, through the goddess, I have been able to contact my dead husband. I can't tell you how happy that has made me! "

Nancy's eyes clouded. " A dear friend of mine died last year. I'd love to be able to communicate with her…" Her voice trailed off.

" I could bring you to our next meeting, if you'd like, " Mrs. Hughes suggested. " It's tomorrow, on the night of the full moon. I'll introduce you to our leader, Madame Arnette. She may be able to intercede with the goddess for you."

" Could you? " Nancy asked excitedly. " I would really be grateful."

Mrs. Hughes promised to pick her up at nine the following evening, then, clutching her pendant, said good-bye and left.

" What did I tell you? " Aunt Eloise said. " Madame Arnette is a witch. And you were wonderful, Nancy! Your act was just great! "

Nancy shrugged. " I hate to lie, but this poor woman has obviously been duped. If I can help her, and others in that group, it'll be worth my fib about being a witch."

Nancy and Mrs. Hughes arrived promptly at Madame Arnette's the next evening. The young detective's heart skipped a beat at what she saw inside.

Heavy curtains, closely drawn, hung across a row of windows. In the middle of the room stood a black table shaped like a coffin. Around it, a circle about nine feet wide was drawn in white chalk on the bare wooden floor. Dim light came from concealed lamps, throwing shadows across the room. The scent of incense was almost overpowering.

Nancy shivered. The wall opposite the windows was covered with drawings of wild goats and leering horned devils. On another wall hung a flat sculpture of a sphinx with its mouth open.

A huge statue of the goddess Diana, holding her bow and arrow, dominated the room. It stood against the curtains in an atmosphere heavy with menace.

Nancy bit her lips. What, she wondered, had she gotten herself into? One detail of the spooky scene nagged at her mind. She could not recall ever having seen a sphinx with an open mouth.

The mistress of this uncanny establishment, Nancy decided, certainly looked like a witch. Madame Arnette had a long face with a sharp nose and yellow teeth. Her nails were like talons, painted blood red. Her rusty hair stood in a frizzy halo around her head. She wore a long, black robe with batwing sleeves and earrings with strings of ebony beads.

When Mrs. Hughes introduced Nancy, Madame Arnette gave the young detective a penetrating stare from her glittering black eyes.

" So, you would pierce the mysteries of the dead! " she muttered. " Beware! They may not wish you well! "

Nevertheless, she asked Nancy for the name of her friend and where the deceased had been buried.

" Her name is Linda Brown, and her grave is at Saint Barbara's Churchyard on the West Side, " Nancy replied, thinking fast. She had heard her aunt mention Saint Barbara's once.

" Very well, " droned the high priestess. " Two days from now we will try to summon your friend. The powers of Diana are strongest during the full moon."

The night's ceremony began. The witches of the coven, who had been assembling, looked excited, almost hysterical. They grouped themselves around the table, inside the white chalk circle. Nancy and Mrs. Hughes joined them. All clasped hands. Madame Arnette switched off the lights and pulled the heavy curtain drawstring.

Moonlight flooded the room with silver, leaving the statue of Diana etched dramatically in black, eerie and beautiful. Madame Arnette began to sing in a hoarse voice:

Abracadabra, all is well,

As long as we know Diana's spell.

The other women took up the weird chant and repeated it. Then the high priestess left and returned a moment later with a large cauldron, which she placed carefully on the table.

'This is witches' brew, " she intoned. " We must all drink to the goddess Diana."

The scene made Nancy think of the witches in Shakespeare's Macbeth, which she had studied in high school English class. She could not help repeating under her breath the witches' weird lines:

" Double, double, toil and trouble!

Fire burn and cauldron bubble! "

Madame Arnette was ladling the brew from the cauldron into black goblets, offering one to each woman. Nancy watched as the others drank eagerly. Madame Arnette, however, barely touched her goblet to her lips, and set it down without drinking.

This is where I join her, Nancy thought, looking for a place to spill her brew. She spotted a snake plant growing by the window, and eased her way over to it surreptitiously, making sure the high priestess did not notice her.

" I'm sure you'll enjoy this more than I would! " she told the plant in an undertone, pouring the liquid into the loam. " To your good health—or abracadabra—or whatever witches say! "

When Nancy went back to the table, she noticed that the witches were behaving strangely. They seemed to sway in unison. Their eyes were glazed, and they looked dully at their leader. Mrs. Hughes was in the same condition as the rest.

Thank goodness I didn't drink anything, thought Nancy. The stuff in that cauldron must he a witches' brew of some kind!

Everyone sat down at the table. Madame Arnette announced that she was about to summon the goddess.

A weird greenish light suddenly emanated from the open mouth of the sphinx behind her. The beam combined with the moonlight to bathe the head witch in a ghostly aura as she intoned her chant.

Nancy felt a prickling at the back of her neck. Wow! she thought. Madame Arnette certainly has a flair for drama!

" I conjure you, O great Diana, to hear our supplications! " the witch cried out. " Goddess of the moon! One of our members would speak through you tonight, to her dear one who departed this life three years ago! "

Suddenly, from the mouth of the sphinx, came a voice, low and clear. The coven gasped. Diana was in their midst!

" One of those assembled here comes from the state of Wyoming! " the goddess intoned.

" I am from Wyoming! " cried Mrs. Hughes.

" Your husband would have you know that he is well in the land beyond the grave, " said the spectral voice. " He asks if you remember the lilacs in your garden long ago in Wyoming."

Mrs. Hughes looked transformed with joy. " Oh, yes, John, I do! " she exclaimed.

Diana murmured, " His voice is fading. But he will come to you again. I can say no more now."

Diana fell silent, then spoke again. " I hear from someone named—Maria, " she said slowly. " Maria wants to tell Joey to keep on trying. He will succeed if he is persevering! "

" Maria is my sister! " one of the women exclaimed. " She's talking to my nephew Joey, who is having great difficulty in school. I'm so happy she said he'll succeed! "

The next silence was longer, then Diana continued in a hesitant tone. " The husband of the woman from Wyoming is coming back. He wants to warn her that he sees danger, grave danger! "

Mrs. Hughes was aghast. " Ask him what he means! " she begged. " Please, don't let him go! " " He tells you not to venture abroad. That is all he will say. Now he has gone."

After that, the goddess fell silent. However, the meeting was far from over. Nancy watched with fascination as Madame Arnette began to sway and shake.

" The future, " she murmured. " We will now see the future."

" My brother, " one woman asked. " Will he live? He is so ill. He's been in the hospital for weeks."

" You must pray for him, " the witch intoned. " Pray! " She told one of her followers to look for another job, a second to beware of a man named Peter, and a third to expect a new romance in her life. It went on in that manner for several minutes, then she came out of her trance and the sé ance was over. Madame Arnette informed the coven that the next meeting would take place two nights later. As the women filed out of the apartment, Nancy noticed that each dropped money into an urn held by the high priestess.

The young detective produced a bill from her pocketbook, but, using a sleight of hand, palmed it skillfully up her sleeve instead of depositing it in the container.

Then she saw Madame Arnette beckoning Mrs. Hughes to stay behind. That gave her an idea. She rushed back to her aunt's apartment, dashed through the living room, and opened the door to the balcony. A stone ledge connected all the balconies on that side of the building, and Nancy quickly climbed over the banister and stepped onto it. Carefully, she moved along the open space high above the sidewalk. With her back to the wall, and holding her breath, she reached Madame Arnette's balcony and climbed over the balustrade.

A moment later she was peering into the witch's living room. Inside, she could see Madame Arnette talking earnestly to Mrs. Hughes.

If only I could hear what they're saying! Nancy thought. She found the window slightly ajar and raised it cautiously. The voices inside became audible.

" Your husband is most anxious to keep communicating with you, " she heard Madame Arnette tell the excited Mrs. Hughes. " But Diana expects you to be suitably grateful. She looks favorably on large offerings at her shrine."

" Anything! " cried Mrs. Hughes. " I will pay anything! "

She emptied her purse on the table, then said goodbye. After she had left, Madame Arnette picked up the money and went through the door to the adjoining room. Moving to the next window, the girl detective was able to see the witch leader was in a luxuriously decorated bedroom.

Madame Arnette took a green loose-leaf notebook from the top drawer of her bureau, and in it she wrote a few lines. She replaced the notebook with a smile, then strolled over to the window.

A chill went down Nancy's spine. If that woman looks out, I've had it! the girl detective thought and quickly retreated. She climbed over the balcony onto the stone ledge and stood flat against the wall, hardly daring to breathe, her eyes fixed on Madame Arnette's bedroom window. A few moments passed, but nothing happened.

Cautiously, Nancy went back to Eloise Drew's apartment and stepped into the living room. At the same moment, her aunt came in with a bedtime snack. Nancy collapsed into an easy chair and related her experience.

When she had finished, she had calmed down enough to enjoy a piece of homemade devil's food cake. " Hm, " she said. 'This is as sinfully good as its namesake, the devil, is sinfully bad. And, talking about the devil, I intend to keep an eye on Madame Arnette. She's up to no good."

Next morning, Nancy was in the kitchen finishing the breakfast dishes, when she heard the door of a neighboring apartment shut with a bang. She dropped the dishtowel and ran to peek out the door in time to see Madame Arnette heading toward the elevator. Nancy hastily told her aunt that she was going to tail their neighbor. She slipped into the corridor and heard the elevator creaking its way to the ground floor.

Better take the stairs, Nancy advised herself. If I wait for the elevator, she'll he gone.

The young detective raced down and reached the door of the building in time to see Madame Arnette disappear around the corner. Quickly Nancy dodged through the crowd after her, hiding in a doorway when the witch looked back suspiciously. Madame Arnette did not see her, and Nancy resumed her surveillance when the woman went on.

After several blocks, Madame Arnette entered a small, grimy-looking office. Stenciled on the window in gilt letters was the legend Ponsonby Investigations.

A bus stop in front of the window provided cover for Nancy, who mingled with the crowd waiting for the next bus. Unobtrusively, she looked through the window. She was in time to see Madame Arnette greet a large man with a beard. The witch handed him a sheet from a loose-leaf notebook. He nodded, put it in his pocket, then went to his desk and picked up several papers, which he gave to the witch. At that point, Madame Arnette wrote out a check for him, then took the documents and turned to leave.

Quickly, Nancy ducked around the corner of the building. She watched the woman step out and go back in the direction from where she had come.

A moment later, the bearded man who Nancy assumed was Mr. Ponsonby, himself, emerged from the office. He locked the door behind him, then briskly walked to a yellow Ford that was parked across the street.

I'd better follow him, Nancy thought, and looked around for a taxi. Luckily, one stopped for her just as the investigator eased his car into the traffic.

" Could you please follow that Ford? " Nancy asked the driver and handed him a bill. " Don't let him get away! "

The man grinned. " I’ll do my best, miss, " he said. " Not many drivers in this city can get ahead of me."

Ponsonby went across Central Park to the West Side and stopped on one of the side streets.

''That's interesting, " thought Nancy. '' He's going into a church! "

She looked above the door for the name. It was Saint Barbara's! Now she understood why Ponsonby was there.

After paying her driver, Nancy followed the detective inside. She was in time to see Ponsonby disappearing into the registry.

" He's gone to check the records! " she muttered. " He won't find any Linda Brown listed there."

Nancy was standing near the altar, beside a statue of the church's patron saint, Saint Barbara, when Ponsonby came out again. He looked puzzled.

He'd better not see me, she thought, and ducked behind the statue of Saint Barbara.

But her hasty movement dislodged a candle, which clattered to the floor.

Ponsonby turned instantly.

Nancy froze for a moment, realizing she was trapped. Then she saw a door in the corner leading to the belltower. She dived toward it, hoping her pursuer wouldn't see her, and raced up the winding stone stairway. Her heart was pounding, her breath coming faster and faster. Finally she stumbled through the door leading to the platform around the church bell at the top of the tower. She tripped, and grabbed at the dangling bell rope to save her fall.

As the noise of the bell reverberated through the building, Nancy heard heavy footsteps on the stairs.

Hastily, she sneaked behind the open door and waited. Ponsonby rushed through the door, across the belltower, and looked over the parapet.

Nancy slipped around the door, slammed it shut, and turned the key in the lock. Then she hurried downstairs and out of the church. She ran two blocks and caught the crosstown bus back to her aunt's apartment. Madame Arnette, still holding the papers Ponsonby had given her, was waiting for the elevator when Nancy arrived, but the young sleuth made sure she wasn't seen. Apparently the witch had stopped off somewhere on the way home.

What’s she going to do with those documents? Nancy wondered. I think another sortie over to her place is in order.

Five minutes later, the persistent girl detective edged herself along the ledge between the balconies and was rewarded with a glimpse of Madame Arnette in her bedroom, inserting the sheets from the detective agency into her green loose-leaf notebook, which she then placed in the top drawer of the bureau.

I bet it's information on dead people — relatives of Madame Arnette's clients, Nancy thought. If only I could prove it!

" Are you through with sleuthing for today? " her aunt asked over lunch. " Bloomingdale's is having a sale. I thought we could do some shopping."

" Good idea, " Nancy said. " I don't think watching Madame Arnette is going to be any more productive at this point. I have an idea what her racket is. All I have to figure out is how to get the evidence."

The young detective and her aunt spent a delightful, if exhausting, afternoon trying on slacks, dresses, and shoes. Then, as a special treat, they had dinner at the Russian Tea Room, Nancy's favorite New York restaurant.

The phone rang as they were getting ready for bed. It was Ned Nickerson, Nancy's boyfriend. He was in town for a football conference and was staying at a hotel only two blocks away.

" I'll be free by tomorrow evening, " he told Nancy, " and then we can have some fun."

Next day, while Aunt Eloise was teaching school, Nancy spent the afternoon at the Museum of Natural History.

When she returned to her aunt's apartment, she found Madame Arnette on the doorstep, all smiles.

" Miss Drew, " the woman purred. " I have interceded with Diana on your behalf and she is willing to reach your friend, Linda Brown. But she feels the aura would be strongest in the vicinity of the burial place. Would you be free to accompany me there this evening? "

Nancy's mind was racing. She knew this must be a trap. But if she refused to go, she might never be able to prove Madame Arnette's dishonesty.

''Yes, of course, " she told the witch. " What time would you like to start out? "

" My car is in the garage around the corner, " explained Madame Arnette. " We can leave at once."

Nancy quickly decided to call her friend Ned for help.

" I'll just get my purse, " she told Madame Arnette and ducked into the bedroom. Hastily, she dialed Ned's hotel, holding her breath till he answered.

" Thank goodness you're there, " she said in relief, and quickly told him what was happening.

" It will take me about five minutes to go downstairs, hop into my car, and drive over to your aunt's apartment, " Ned said. " Just stall your witch long enough for me to get there." He hung up.

Nancy went back into the living room. Aunt Eloise and Madame Arnette were talking about a Broadway play. The girl detective had read the review, and quickly launched into a lengthy description of the critic's point of view. She went on and on, until Madame Arnette became impatient. " Well, we'd better go, " the woman declared. " Diana does not like to be kept waiting."

With a pretty smile, Nancy nodded and followed the woman downstairs to a long black car with smoked glass windows and a silver statuette of Diana on the hood. It suits its owner well, Nancy thought. Like a modern broomstick.

As the witch threaded her way through the traffic, Nancy tried to look back inconspicuously. Since she did not know what kind of car Ned had rented, she could not tell for sure whether the green Datsun she glimpsed now and then was her friend's. She hoped desperately that it was!

Soon they had reached a desolate area of abandoned warehouses near the Hudson River. Nancy became frightened. The woman had not gone to the cemetery! If Ned was not right behind them, he would never find her!

Madame Arnette stopped the car. " Here's where we get out, " she announced.

" But you said—"

" I am going by the aura, " the witch replied. " My feeling tells me that this is the place. Come with me! "

She led Nancy to an empty warehouse. No way I'm going in there, the girl detective said to herself. But before Madame Arnette could open the door, it was pushed out by a man who instantly grabbed the girl. He was Ponsonhy, the detective!

Nancy screamed, fighting and kicking, but between the two of them, her enemies had her subdued in a moment.

" So much for you, young lady! " the detective sneered. " You won't make any more trouble for us. We'll see to that! "

" No Linda Brown was buried at Saint Barbara's, "

Madame Arnette put in. " We also checked on you and found out you're a detective! "

Ponsonby tied Nancy's hands and feet with a thick rope, while Madame Arnette went on, " You've been spying on us! Well, you'll see what happens to someone who tries to trick Diana's priestess! "

While Nancy looked on helplessly, the witch and Ponsonby grabbed large cannisters from a shelf near the door and poured a trail of gasoline along the walls of the rickety old building. As soon as they lighted the gas, flames shot up, licking the dry wood and gradually catching the deteriorating boards.

The two criminals had left a large enough area around the door to insure their retreat. " You'll be a sacrifice to Diana! " Madame Arnette shouted as they hurried outside. " Good-bye, Nancy Drew! "

A moment later, Nancy heard nothing but the crackling, burning wood around her. Feverishly, she tugged on her bonds and screamed for help. The fire was spreading fast. If no one heard her within the next few minutes, it would engulf her completely!

Smoke was already scratching her nostrils, and tears streamed from her eyes. Her bonds, rather than giving way, cut deeper and deeper into her wrists.

Suddenly, the door was flung open. " I'm coming, Nancy! " Ned yelled. " Hold on just one more second! "

He whipped out his pocket knife and freed the girl, then he pulled her up. " Come on. Hurry."

He dragged the choking girl out the door, barely escaping the fire, which had worked itself closer and closer to the frame. A moment later, part of the old structure fell in with a thundering crash. Flames pierced the night sky as Ned and Nancy ran away from the inferno to Ned's rented green Datsun.

" I got stuck in traffic! " Ned explained after they were safely in the car, and he had started the engine. " Luckily, I saw the black limousine when I came down this street. I thought that's where you had gone, but I wasn't really sure until I recognized that Diana ornament on the hood."

Just then they heard a bell clanging in the distance. Firemen, alerted by the blaze, were rushing toward the scene.

Ned cut the engine. " We might as well stay and tell them what happened, " he said. " I just hope they believe us and don't suspect us of starting the fire."

Nancy nodded, wiping her tears. A moment later the two were talking to the fire chief. " Nancy Drew? " he asked. " Seems I've heard that name before. Aren't you the famous girl detective? "

" Yes, " Nancy replied and rubbed her sore wrist. Then she told her story.

" My aunt, Eloise Drew, will confirm that I left her apartment with Madame Arnette tonight, " the girl concluded. " And I don't really want to alert the police until I can spring a trap on that woman. If she gets scared away, I may never be able to prove her scheme! "

" How long do you think you'll need? " the fire chief inquired. " We have to make a report, you know."

Nancy nodded. " I understand. But I believe that I can expose the witch if I drop in on her meeting, which should have started by now."

" Okay, " the fire chief said. " It will take us some time to get things under control here, anyway. Good luck! "

When Nancy and Ned returned to the apartment, Aunt Eloise told her that the coven had, indeed, assembled and that the chanting had stopped only a few moments ago.

" Good, " Nancy exclaimed. " That means Madame Arnette is going into her trance. Here's my chance! "

She ran to the balcony door, then turned around. " Ned, please call the police and tell them to come over right away! " A moment later, she was gone. She made her way to Madame Arnette's bedroom, opened the unlocked window, and climbed in. Silently, she tiptoed to the bureau and pulled out the witch's green notebook. On the first page, she saw the entry she was looking for. " Need more information about Nancy Drew."

Nancy quickly leafed through the rest of the ledger and realized it contained personal notes on members of the coven and their dead relatives, obviously all the result of Ponsonby's investigations.

Nancy closed the book and turned to leave, when she noted something odd on one wall. A hole was stuffed with green, crinkled paper, the kind used for decorations. In front of it stood a lamp with a powerful electric bulb.

The open-mouthed sphinx must be on the other side, Nancy said to herself. It produces an eerie green glow when the light is on.

Quickly, she examined the hole and found a tube concealed in the paper. Aha, Nancy thought. Someone stands here and speaks in Diana's unearthly voice! I'm sure the members of the coven will he surprised when they see this.

Next to the lamp on the table lay a piece of paper with this evening's script. It was hand-written on personal stationery with the name Christina Egmont in the upper left corner!

Nancy gasped in surprise. Then she took a deep breath, and with a pounding heart, opened the door to the living room. There, the high priestess, bathed in moonlight, was in the middle of her trance act, intoning a prediction to one of the women.

Nancy found a switch next to the door and turned on the light. Madame Arnette stared at her, open-mouthed, while the members of the coven cried out in surprise.

The young detective held up the green notebook. She read an excerpt, consisting of Mrs. Hughes's communication with her husband at the last meeting. " This information was supplied to Madame Arnette by a detective named Ponsonby, " she explained. " He and the high priestess tied me up in a warehouse earlier tonight and set it on fire. They wanted to kill me because I was on to their scheme! "

The women sat, frozen in shock, and the head witch, no longer wrapped in moonlight and mystery, looked panic-stricken.

" If you'll all come into the bedroom, " Nancy went on, " I'll show you a hole stuffed with green paper and a lamp in front of it. Madame Arnette's neighbor, Christina Egmont, an actress, plays Diana for you at these meetings."

Suddenly, the women came back to life. They shouted furiously, some running into the bedroom to see the evidence, others crowding around Madame Arnette, accusing her of lying to them. " We want our money back! " A tall, heavyset woman cried out, " You're not going to get away with this! "

Just then the bell rang. Nancy opened the door and admitted two police officers, followed by Ned and Aunt Eloise. To Nancy's surprise, Mrs. Egmont appeared a moment later. She had heard the commotion and had come to find out what was going on. As soon as she saw the police, however, she turned on her heels and tried to run.

''Stop that woman! " Nancy cried. " She's in on this scheme! "

When one of the officers brought the actress into the room, Mrs. Egmont acted indignant. " What is this all about? " she demanded. " Why are you holding me? "

" Because you played Diana, " Nancy told her. " Your training enabled you to project your voice and sound convincing. When you were finished, you retreated to your apartment over the balcony. And to divert any suspicion from yourself, you complained to my aunt about the noises in here. Very clever! "

" You can't prove a thing! " Mrs. Egmont snapped. " It's all conjecture."

Nancy smiled. " It would have been if you hadn't left your script, written on your letterhead! "

Mrs. Egmont's mouth dropped open and she did not say another word. When the police had led the two women away, the rest of the coven began to leave. Many thanked Nancy for exposing the fraud, and Mrs. Hughes gave the girl a big hug.

" I was such a fool, " she sobbed. " I spent all my savings to be able to talk to my husband..." Her voice trailed off.

''I'm sure most of the money will be found in Madame Arnette's bank account, " Nancy said, " and be refunded."

" I'm glad that evil woman can't continue her dishonest game, " Ned added. " Nancy, you did a wonderful job! "

An impish smile crossed Nancy's face. " I guess the moral is: be careful what you write in your notebook. It may come back to haunt you! "