“Midge,” Nancy suddenly cried. “Come on!” She got up and raced for the car.
“Wait!” Midge yelled, scrambling to her feet. “What’s up?”
Nancy started the car as Midge jumped in next to her, then drove through the heavy traffic toward the River Heights Road.
“Remember the stream that ran across the road into a little pond on the right?” she asked. “Nothing was in the pond. But the crook could have dumped the safe right over the bridge into the mouth of the culvert. Probably he was able to push it in a little bit. The culvert is big enough. And with the slimy mud on the bottom, it would have slid in easy enough.”
“Wow, you think so?”
“Yes, and I’ll tell you why,’the blonde sleuth replied. “A blockage in the culvert would account for there only being the small trickle of water out the other side!”
“You’re right!” Midge exclaimed. “Oh, let’s hope it’s the safe that’s doing it!”
With their hearts beating fast, the girls drove quickly along the River Heights Road, this time to the second barricade, where Nancy carefully maneuvered around the obstacle and onto the blocked-off road.
When they reached the bridge over the stream, Nancy and Midge leaped out of the car and rushed to the pond. Intently, they peered into the culvert, but they could see nothing but a tangle of sticks, old weeds, and mud forming an effective dam.
“I’ll look on the other side, Nancy,” Midge offered. “Lend me your flashlight.”
With the light in hand, Midge jumped down into the stream on the other side of the road. She disappeared into the culvert as Nancy peered into the gloom from above.
“See anything?” she called out.
There was no answer.
“Midge, do you see anything?”
“Watson,” came the echoing reply. “I’m Watson.”
Nancy smiled. “Okay. What do you see?” Midge didn’t answer. Instead, she just gave an incredible, joyous yell!
“Did you find it?” Nancy urged, her heart beating loudly.
“I found it!” Midge replied. “It’s here! And it says Ford and Calisher right on the door, which is locked securely!”
“I found it! I found it!” Midge kept shouting over and over as she crawled out of the culvert pipe, wet and muddy and laughing with joy. Nancy, who had jumped down into the stream, grabbed her, heedless of the dirt. With their
arms around each other, they danced and splashed in the six-inch stream.
When they stopped to catch their breath, they were both mud-spattered and soaked, but so happy they couldn’t care less.
But suddenly they heard something that froze their blood. It was the sound of a car’s engine straining and roaring, and of wheels spinning wildly. Someone was trying to drive around the first barricade!
19. A Bet Against Nancy
“I bet Ivan and Bull are behind us!” Midge cried. “They saw our tire marks from yesterday!”
Nancy was already bolting up the slope for the car. Midge followed and the two girls leaped in. Quickly Nancy started the engine.
“We have to lead them away from here and not let them suspect we found anything,” she panted as she eased the blue sports sedan over the bridge.
“Nancy,” Midge cried, staring back down the road, “you’re going so slow. Hurry!”
“I’m just starting slow,” the girl detective explained. “I don’t want to show them that we stopped there and then took off fast by leaving a spin mark in the road.”
Within a half mile, Midge reported the gray sedan in the distance, but Nancy easily made it to the main road before their pursuers could close the gap.
By the time the gray car was able to come within a hundred yards, the girls had reached the outskirts of New Brighton. Nancy felt sure the crooks would not try anything reckless in a built-up area, with people on the streets. She was right. The gray car hung back and eventually disappeared just before they came to police headquarters. But Nancy merely slowed down, then went past the police station to the New Brighton Motor Lodge. Midge looked at her inquiringly.
“I’ll let Dad handle it,” the young detective explained. “That safe contains his client’s evidence and he should decide how to proceed from here on. He’ll contact the police.”
As soon as they reached the room, Nancy called her father, bubbling over with excitement. She gave him a complete report on where the safe was and about their pursuit by the crooks in the gray sedan. Carson Drew was elated.
“That’s truly magnificent work, Nancy. I’m so proud of you and Midge!”
“Well, Dad,” Nancy said, “you were the one who taught me to be persistent.”
Carson Drew laughed. “I’m glad you listened. Well, let me go so I can call the police.”
Nancy hung up, her eyes shining. “We did it!” she said. “Now it’s up to Dad. Once they open that safe, John Ford should become a free man.”
“That’s great,” Midge said. “Now let’s tell Nina!”
Nancy dialed and heard Nina’s strained voice.
“Are you all right?” the girl detective asked.
“Yes,” the tennis star whispered, “but something’s up. Mr. Calisher just left, and before that he and Aunt Emily whispered a lot. He was picked up by somebody in a black car.”
“That’s okay,” Nancy said, “the police will tail him.”
“There’s something else,” Nina added. “They’ve packed their bags and locked them in the bedroom closet. Nancy, I think they’re getting ready to leave town.”
“It does seem that way,” Nancy admitted. “I’d better call Lieutenant Nelson and alert him.”
Nancy reached the detective and relayed the information. “Is someone following Mr. Calisher?” she asked, when she had finished.
There was an embarrassed silence. “Ah, Nancy,” the detective said, “I’m sorry, but we no longer have the black car under surveillance. We don’t know where Aaron Calisher has gone.”
“How could that happen?” Nancy asked, amazed.
“Our car had a blowout and by the time our man radioed for another car, we’d lost Calisher. But we’ll be looking for him.”
Nancy thanked him, hung up, then dialed Nina again. “Nina,” she said, “do you have any idea where Mr. Calisher went?”
“I don’t know for sure. He has been picked up by that black car several times before, and once I heard him tell Aunt Emily that he was going to Foxhall.”
“What’s Foxhall?” Nancy asked.
“A big mansion on the North Hudson Highway near the intersection of Indian Road. Are you going out there, Nancy?”
“Yes. The police can’t go in there without a warrant, and right now that’ll take time. Meanwhile, if I have to do a little trespassing to prove Aaron Calisher is guilty, I will.”
“Oh, Nancy, be careful!”
“Don’t worry. But now for the really important news, Nina. We found the safe!”
Nina gasped, then shouted in delight, “Oh, Nancy, I can’t believe it!”
“And your father is meeting with my dad today. With the evidence, he should be free tomorrow.”
Nancy hung up, leaving Nina deliriously happy. But Nancy now had her mind on the mysterious Foxhall Mansion. Then she checked over her emergency gear, some of which was in the car trunk. “We need a flashlight, climbing rope, grappling hook, tape recorder with new batteries, and a tear gas defense capsule—that’s about it,” she said, as Midge looked at her curiously. “—And comfortable clothes.”
The girls dressed in sweat pants and sweaters. Nancy outfitted Midge from her own wardrobe, rolling up sleeves and pant legs; then they started out for Foxhall Mansion.
Nancy drove as swiftly as possible, since Aaron Calisher already had more than a half hour start. Fortunately, she found the Tudor mansion without difficulty. A black sedan stood in the driveway. Nancy parked under a clump of concealing trees, some distance down the road.
“This is fun,” whispered Midge as they approached
the metal fence that surrounded the property.
“Yes,” Nancy said, “as long as the fence isn’t electrified, and there aren’t any guard dogs inside—or armed guards. And,” she added, “if we can actually get into the place and find out what Calisher is doing. For all we know, he may just be attending a club meeting.”
“Do you really think so?” asked Midge, disappointed.
“No,” Nancy chuckled. “I just want to let you know the odds against us. Now let’s try the final test.”
Nancy picked a quarter out of her pocket and lobbed it at the fence. It bounced off harmlessly, without sparks, and proved that the fence was not electrified. Quickly, the girls climbed over and dropped down on the grass inside.
It was getting dark, but still the girls hid behind a tree for a full five minutes, prepared to flee at the sight or sound of guard dogs, but there were none. Finally Nancy motioned to Midge and, in a deep crouch, they moved the fifty feet to the mansion.
They found themselves under a row of heavy, leaded windows at ground level that had been left open. There were no lights on in the room and, after a careful look, Nancy boosted herself up and through the window. Midge followed.
Cautiously they moved through the house until they saw a light under a door and heard the sound of voices. “Calisher is in there,” Nancy whispered, picking his voice out of the crowd. “We have to get close enough to tape him.”
But how? The big double doors could not be opened without alerting the men on the inside. Nancy’s eyes swept over the hallway in which they were standing. There were doors on either side of the room that Calisher was in. Perhaps one of them would lead to an adjoining entrance!
The girls tiptoed to the one on the right to go in when suddenly the door was thrown open!
Instantly, the young detectives flattened themselves against the wall. For the moment, the door concealed them from the man who opened it. He was a butler carrying a tray of dirty glasses! Nancy held her breath as the man kicked the door shut behind him and, without looking back, walked down the hall and disappeared into what was evidently the kitchen.
“This is the right way,” Nancy whispered. “He just came out of that room by another entrance!”
Quickly the girls slipped through the door and found themselves in an L-shaped room. They dropped to their knees behind a huge stuffed chair and saw a group of men talking around a coffee table at the far end.
Their voices were more distinct now but Nancy still needed to get closer. Signaling Midge, she crawled along the back of a large sofa to a drapery covering one complete wall.
The girls inched their way to a spot barely six feet from Calisher. He was talking with a tall, well-dressed man with dark hair and eyes. The man wore a huge diamond ring and in back of him stood two big, ugly men, obviously his bodyguards. Behind Calisher, sitting on a long, low couch, were Ivan Foster and Bull Tolliver. Nancy switched on the tape recorder.
“So here it is. We’ve been stopped because of this confounded Nancy Drew. She’s gotten in our way every time,” Calisher was saying.
“Right,” the smooth, dark man said coldly. “Three times we’ve trusted you to handle things and three times you’ve messed up. I lost a lot of money on those bets. I don’t like to lose money, Calisher. If I lose tomorrow, something very unpleasant is going to happen to you.”
Nancy and Midge, who were crouched down and peeking under the drape, could see Calisher turn white.
“Now, Silk,”he whined, “that’s not fair. I’ve also bet a lot of money! You know I’m going to
sell the business to cover my gambling debts to you, and I’m betting on tomorrow’s match, too.” Silk scowled at him.
“Give me a break,” pleaded Calisher.
“You’ll get a break,” Silk hissed. “My boys here are good at breaking things and if you don’t guarantee results this time, they’re going to start working on you!”
“Don’t worry, Silk,” squeaked Calisher, mopping his brow. “I’ve got a surefire way of handling Nina and her snoopy friends.”
Nancy felt Midge stir and instantly nudged her to be still.
“Yeah,” Silk said, “and how’s that?”
“Nina will sleep right through the game,” Calisher replied. “As for Nancy Drew — well—my boys are going to take care of her.” He pointed at Ivan and Bull. “She just might have an accident.”
Nancy and Midge tensed when they heard Aaron Calisher’s threat, and any sympathy they might have had for the man’s predicament vanished.
“I’ll believe it when I see it, Calisher,” Silk said after a moment’s pause. “You have a way of ruining the simplest operation. And I wouldn’t trust those two stupid goons of yours to carry out my garbage.”
Ivan Foster and Bull Tolliver glared furiously but said nothing as they eyed the bulges under the coats of Silk’s bodyguards. They knew the bulges most likely were weapons.
“You never did find that safe, did you?” Silk growled at them. “You all got a lot to lose if that kid detective finds it before you do. You’ll all wind up in prison. Now get out of here. You,” pointing to one of his guards, “drive these people back where you got them.”
Aaron Calisher stood up, trembling, “Come on, men, let’s go.” He hurried out of the house with his scowling henchmen and Silk’s driver following him.
Moments later, Silk and the remaining bodyguard left the room, and Nancy and Midge were alone. “Did you tape all that, Nancy?”
“Yes,” said Nancy. “At least I hope I got it all. Now we have to get this tape to the police and stop Calisher from doing whatever he’s planning to do to Nina. Did you hear him say, ‘She’ll sleep right through the match’?”
“Yes,” Midge said. “I’ll bet he’s going to drug her.”
Nancy nodded. “He’s a desperate man. Come on, let’s hurry.”
The girls inched their way down the wall inside the protection of the drapery until they came to a window. Nancy swung it open and slipped out. Midge followed and they ran swiftly away from the house. But as they were about to climb the fence they heard a shout. “Stop! Trespassers!”
“Up you go. Hurry!” Nancy cried, and boosted Midge up to the fence. Then she followed in an instant. When she reached the top, she saw the bodyguard and Silk galloping across the lawn.
Nancy jumped to the other side of the fence, hit the ground with a thud, and rolled like a paratrooper to lessen the shock of the impact.
“Hurry!” called Midge, who was twenty feet ahead and looking back. Nancy started to run, then suddenly stopped. She realized she had dropped the tape recorder! The two thugs had rushed up to the fence, then turned to run for the gate, which was fifty feet away.
Desperately, Nancy began to look in the thick tall grass behind her, trying to find the recorder. “Nancy!” she heard Midge shout. “What are you waiting for?”
20. Sweep to Victory
The girl detective had just about decided to leave the recorder and run, when her foot kicked against it. Relieved, she reached down and scooped it up, then dashed after Midge.
Behind her came the pounding of feet. She felt confident that she could outrun the heavy-footed bodyguard—but could she get the car started in time? When she was less than one hundred feet away, she heard the engine roar to life and saw Midge make a U-turn so the car would be headed in the right direction. All Nancy had to do was leap in!
A moment later, they left the fuming, shouting thugs in the driveway. “See,” Midge said. “Aren’t you glad I can drive a car?”
“Am I ever,” Nancy cried, exhaling in relief.
“But now I’d better get behind the wheel again.” The girls changed places and Nancy drove straight back to the motel, which was closer than the Calishers’ house. Nancy quickly dialed Nina from the lobby. Luckily, the girl answered the telephone. “Nina, don’t eat or drink anything,” she said. “You may be drugged. I’ll be over as soon as I can!”
“Okay,” Nina replied. “I’ll go next door to th
e Fishers’ until you come. It’s the gray house with black shutters.”
“Good idea.” Nancy hung up, then rang the police. She outlined the plan and asked them to send a plainclothesman in an unmarked car to the house next door, which they agreed to do.
Then the girls went to the desk to see if there were any messages. They found out Mr. Drew had arrived and was waiting for them. Happily they ran to his room and knocked.
“Welcome ladies,” the lawyer said. “Have you had an interesting afternoon?”
“Oh, Daddy, how did you guess?” Nancy said, kissing him. Carson Drew had ordered sodas and the thirsty girls helped themselves and then sat down to trade information.
Mr. Drew reported he had led the police to the safe and it had been recovered and opened.
“And?” Nancy asked eagerly, “were the papers there? Did they prove Mr. Ford’s innocence? Did Mr. Ford surrender? Is he free on a bond?”
“Wait, wait,” her father said, smiling. “There’s a small hitch.”
“What is it, Dad?” Nancy urged.
“Water got into the safe and the documents were damaged. They’re being dried out. We won’t know till morning whether we can read them.”
Nancy bit her lip. “You’ll have to be able to read them!” she insisted. “Now, look what I have. A tape recording of Calisher and a gambler named Silk talking about their scheme to fix the tennis matches!”
“What!” the lawyer exclaimed. “Let’s hear it!”
He rewound the tape, then pushed the start button, and they all listened eagerly. But as they did, Mr. Drew frowned, and Nancy’s face also showed dismay.
Midge looked at them. “What’s the matter?”
“It’s worthless, isn’t it, Dad?” Nancy said.
Carson Drew nodded. “I’m afraid so. They did a lot of talking but they didn’t say a single thing that really incriminates them. There’s no way you can use this as solid evidence to convict them. Not once do they say they’re fixing the matches or threatening Nina. All Calisher says is that she won’t make the match because she’ll sleep through it.”
Enemy Match Page 10
