The Second Girl Detective Megapack: 23 Classic Mystery Novels for Girls

by Julia K. Duncan

  On reaching the narrow window she pitched the rope through, then wriggled herself onto the ledge. After turning on her stomach she had both hands free to unfasten her flashlight.

  Anxiously then she waited for Florence to descend. By having her come between them she and Peggy felt they could look after her better. But now, to her amazement, she saw that Florence was fully capable of looking after herself. She was climbing down slowly and cautiously, but not timidly.

  Since the narrow window was very small and would hold only one, Jo Ann knew she must hurry to get out of it. After a hasty examination of the room below, she lowered herself to the floor, careful to avoid falling into the open shaft which extended completely across one end.

  The moment she touched the floor she flashed the light upward so as to help Florence and Peggy in their descent. In a few more moments they were standing safely beside her.

  “What a strange place!” Peggy said, then added quickly in a whisper, “I’ll wake Dr. Blackwell at this rate.”

  “No; talk as loud as you like,” replied Jo Ann. “These walls are so thick I believe you could yell down here without his hearing you.”

  The girls stared at Jo Ann in amazement. It seemed incredible—uncanny—that they could be within a few feet of home and Dr. Blackwell, and yet he could not hear them.

  With the aid of their flashlights they examined the room from top to bottom, only to find that except for the rough outlines of the sealed doorway, it was bare and uninteresting. Half fearfully, then, they stared down into the shaft. In the surrounding darkness the old ladder looked white and ghostlike.

  “Why do you suppose they sealed up that door instead of closing up this hole?” queried Peggy curiously.

  “Because it was much easier to close up the door,” replied Jo Ann. “It’d be hard to conceal as large an opening as this in a cement floor. I have an idea that the door was sealed up in a hurry to prevent the discovery of this secret passage. Let’s see where it leads. Shine your lights over this way so I can see,” she ordered, climbing over the edge of the floor.

  Slowly she made her way down the rope into the shaft. Now and then she stopped to kick off a loose step or a jagged splinter from the old ladder lest it should injure Florence and Peggy, who would follow in a moment.

  Suddenly she gave a little shriek. There to one side of the shaft yawned the mouth of a low, tunnel-like opening. “O-oh, hurry, girls!” she cried excitedly.

  “What’s the matter?” called Peggy in alarm. “Are you hurt? Be there in a minute,” she added as she started down the rope.

  “I’m not hurt, but I’ve found something important,” Jo Ann called back.

  In a surprisingly short time both Peggy and Florence had dropped down to the bottom of the shaft beside Jo Ann. With eyes straining to penetrate the darkness, the girls peered into the tunnel.

  “Come on, let’s go inside,” urged Jo Ann. Even as she was speaking, she stooped and entered the low, narrow tunnel.

  Obediently Peggy and Florence followed at her heels. No sooner had they entered than they began coughing and choking.

  “Don’t touch the—” Florence stopped in the middle of her warning to sneeze loudly; at the same moment such a violent attack of coughing seized Peggy that she leaned against the wall.

  “Don’t lean against—that wall!” gasped Florence, catching her by the arm. “Whenever you do”—she stopped to sneeze again—“it stirs up a fine dust. See!” she added, rubbing her finger over the wall. In the rays of the lights they could see a fine white powder which had formed on the crumbling stones. “The air’s very dry, and the least movement sets the powder in motion.”

  Careful to avoid touching the walls or making a sudden motion that would stir up the dust, they began examining their surroundings. Before them as far as they could see stretched the dark passageway, part of its walls having apparently been cut through natural stone, while the other part had been lined with blocks of limestone. It was the dust from these limestone blocks which had choked them, Florence noticed.

  After they had walked a short distance the opening broadened and was much higher. It was easy to avoid touching the walls now, and even Jo Ann could stand without bumping her head. With Jo Ann still in the lead they walked slowly in single file down the passage. All along the way they kept flashing their lights on the walls and ceiling and floor, watching carefully lest they overlook something.

  “Where do you suppose we are now, Jo?” called Peggy some minutes later.

  “I don’t know for sure, of course, but I think we’re headed toward the old church. I had an idea we’d find something like this.”

  “I believe you’re right,” agreed Florence. “This tunnel must’ve been used for a secret exit through the church.”

  “I think it’s more than just an exit,” declared Jo Ann. “They would never have made this tunnel this broad and high or lined it with stone if it were to be used merely as a way of escape.”

  “What else could it’ve been used for, then—and who do you suppose ever had it made in the first place?” Florence asked curiously.

  “I believe your house used to be closely connected with the church in some way—maybe it was used as a home for the priests. Back in the days when these buildings were erected, they were always having wars and revolutions. This tunnel would make it possible for the priests to get over to the church, no matter what was going on outside. Then just think what an excellent place this would be to hide anyone or anything! I believe it was used as a hiding place in war times as well as an—” She stopped suddenly. “Oh, here’s another tunnel!” she exclaimed as she peered into another large opening in the side of the passageway. “And this one goes on farther.”

  “It looks as if there’s a network of passages,” put in Peggy excitedly as she and Florence crowded near Jo Ann to see this discovery. “I wonder where they go and what they were for.”

  “We’ll explore them and find out; but we must be careful not to get lost,” cautioned Jo Ann. “No one’d ever know what had happened to us. They’d think we’d just evaporated in thin air.”

  “Ugh!” shuddered Peggy. “Don’t even mention such a thing. It gives me the creeps.”

  “Oh, look, here’s a little niche in the wall!” exclaimed Florence. “And look—what is this?” she asked, holding up a queer-shaped piece of dark metal.

  “It looks like some sort of a candle holder to me,” Peggy volunteered. “The priests must have kept candles there to use when going back and forth through the—” She stopped abruptly and sprang back, shrieking. Something black and winged had struck her in the face.

  The next moment Florence cried excitedly, “What is that awful thing?” She slapped madly at a passing object, then began to sneeze violently.

  For a few moments the air was white with dust about the girls as they huddled together, choking and gasping.

  “That’s—just—bats!” gasped Jo Ann at last, as the air became clearer. “We frightened—them.”

  “You mean—they—frightened us,” corrected Peggy. “Aren’t we brave, though?”

  “I’ll admit I was startled at first,” acknowledged Florence. “I couldn’t imagine what those horrid flapping things were.”

  Before venturing any further they looked anxiously all around, but to their relief they could see no more of the terrifying little creatures.

  “Which way shall we go?” asked Jo Ann. “Straight ahead, or shall we see where this side tunnel leads?”

  “I’ll tell you what to do,” suggested Peggy. “While you and Florence explore that side passage, I’ll wait here in this main tunnel. That way you can’t get lost—and if you get frightened, just call me, and I’ll answer so you’ll know how to get back.”

  “Are you sure you won’t be afraid?” asked Jo Ann. “We won’t be gone long.”

  “Why, of course I’m not afraid,” bragged Peggy. “Anyway, there’s nothing to be afraid of—except those miserable bats, and we’ve frightened them away.�
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  “All right, then,” agreed Jo Ann. “You be sure to stay right here.”

  Peggy grinned. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be all right. It’s you two who’re going into the unknown.”

  Standing in the opening where the tunnels joined, she watched Florence and Jo Ann disappear into the darkness. Finally only a dim light flickered in the distance, then vanished altogether. She was alone—alone with the dust of the centuries about her.

  Jo Ann’s voice floated back just then with surprising clearness. “Everything all right?”

  “Okay,” Peggy called back, more cheerfully than she felt.

  CHAPTER XIV

  GHOSTLY FIGURES

  When Jo Ann and Florence had gone only a short distance, they noticed the tunnel curved so that they could not see Peggy’s light.

  “Poor Peg’s alone now—she can’t even see our lights,” said Florence. “I almost wish we hadn’t left her back there.”

  “If she’ll stay right where we left her, she ought to be all right. But this is the darkest place I was ever in—spooky, too.”

  They walked slowly, stopping every now and then to examine the sides and top of the tunnel.

  Jo Ann suddenly pointed to the top. “Look up there! There’s a crack.”

  “Let’s go back—that looks scary to me!” Florence exclaimed quickly. “It might cave in.”

  “No, that small a crack couldn’t be dangerous. Come on.”

  Jo Ann started on again, and reluctantly Florence followed. In spite of her seeming indifference to danger, Jo Ann was really examining the walls and top more cautiously than ever.

  “Here’s another crack!” she exclaimed a few minutes later. “Maybe there’s been an earthquake near here. They do have earthquakes down here sometimes, don’t they?”

  “Yes, now and then—slight ones,” Florence replied. “Don’t you think we’d better go back? Poor Peg may be getting lonesome, and we told her we wouldn’t be gone long.”

  Jo Ann half smiled. “Maybe she is, but let’s go a little farther. Surely we’ll come to the end of this tunnel soon.”

  “There’s no telling how long it is—it might be miles long. Let’s go back.”

  “In a minute. I see something ahead—something whitish. Maybe it’s a little opening and the moonlight’s shining through.” Jo Ann stopped and pointed directly ahead.

  “Oh, I do see it!” Florence exclaimed. “It does look white.”

  Eagerly Jo Ann led the way onward, but not without watching for anything that might be dangerous. When they had gone a few yards farther, she suddenly cried, “Why, it’s a cave-in!”

  “You see—I told you we’d better go back. Come on.” Florence turned around and started toward the entrance. When she had gone only a few steps she noticed that Jo Ann was not following her. Looking back, she saw her leaning over, examining the pile of debris and fallen stones.

  “Look! The tunnel’s almost blocked by this cave-in!” Jo Ann called. “There’s only a small opening left over here on one side.”

  “Well, we can’t go any farther, so let’s get out before it caves in some more,” insisted Florence.

  “I don’t believe there’s any danger of that. Look at the dust on these stones. They’ve been here for years and years. Maybe a cannon ball shattered this part of the tunnel in one of the wars.”

  “Maybe so, but I’ll feel better when we get away from here.” A moment later she cried out in alarm on seeing Jo Ann climb up toward the hole. “Jo, you mustn’t crawl in there!”

  “Why not? I want to see if this is the end of the tunnel. There isn’t any danger. These stones are solid. See, I’ve felt every one of them.” Jo Ann pushed first one stone, then another, to show that there was no danger of their slipping; then with her flashlight ahead of her she thrust her head and shoulders into the opening.

  To her disappointment she could see only a short distance. Eager to see as far as possible, she wriggled carefully over the jagged stones, farther into the opening, and held her flashlight at arm’s length.

  “Oh, this is nothing but a little cave-in!” she called back in a muffled tone. “The tunnel goes on a long way. There’s no sign of the end of it. Let’s crawl on through.”

  “No indeed, I’m not going in that hole,” Florence replied promptly. “And you’d better get out right a—”

  A muffled shriek from Jo Ann broke into her sentence. “Oh, I’ve dropped my flashlight on the other side! Now I’ve—” she stopped to cough violently—“I’ve got to crawl through—and get it.”

  “Don’t crawl clear through—you might not be able to get back!” Florence’s voice was full of anxiety. “Let me hold your feet while you reach for the flashlight.” Without waiting for an answer she grasped Jo Ann’s feet firmly.

  Slowly then Jo Ann wriggled still farther into the hole. The farther she crawled, the nearer Florence was pulled to the opening. With a sudden jerk Jo Ann reached over to get her flashlight. In her effort she threw Florence against the pile of debris and stirred up the fine dust, which set both of them to coughing and struggling for air.

  “Hurry up—and—crawl—out,” begged Florence between gasps.

  “Coming—this instant. Pull me—back. I—can’t—make it—by myself.”

  Florence laid down her flashlight and began pulling at Jo Ann’s feet.

  “Pull harder,” Jo Ann grunted.

  “I’m pulling—as hard as I can.”

  “I haven’t budged. Pull again—and I’ll wiggle as hard as I can. These sharp stones hurt like fury.”

  Once more Florence braced herself and pulled with all her strength. The next moment one of Jo Ann’s oxfords slipped off, and Florence was sent sprawling backward on the floor. In the cloud of dust that arose, Florence caught a glimpse of Jo Ann’s feet disappearing in the hole.

  But Jo Ann and Florence were not the only ones who were having their troubles. Peggy, too, was having her share. No sooner had the girls’ lights disappeared than she began to get restless. Everything looked so much more gloomy and alarming in the faint glow of one flashlight. When she threw its rays directly in front, they penetrated the darkness only a short distance and cast eerie shadows on the walls near by.

  “It’s silly to get scared of the dark and shadows this way,” she scolded herself.

  With an effort she tried to concentrate on the persons who had built these tunnels. Patient people they must have been to cut these passages through solid stone with their old crude tools. They were probably Indian workmen, experienced in cutting stone. It must have taken them years and years to make these.

  All at once it seemed to her that the shadow on her right took the form of a crouching Indian.

  “Here I am being silly again,” she thought. “It’s because I’m standing still here that I’m nervous. It’s lonesome as well as scary, staying still in a spooky place like this.”

  Looking around for something to divert her mind, she noticed the queer-shaped piece of metal in the niche and wondered what Florence had done with the other one. “Perhaps she dropped it when the bats frightened her,” she thought.

  She cast the rays of her light over the floor till she finally found the piece of metal, then placed it back in the niche with its mate. “Jo and I can use one of these for a candle holder on the little table beside our bed, and Florence can use the other,” she decided.

  Not seeing anything else of interest, she grew more restless than ever. “I wonder where this tunnel leads. I believe I’ll walk down it a little way. Florence and Jo probably won’t be back for several minutes. There’s no sign of their lights yet. I won’t go but a few steps. They might call, and I couldn’t hear them.”

  She walked slowly a short distance, looking carefully on all sides. When she had gone about twelve feet she came to a narrow opening on her right.

  She stopped and peered into it as far as her light would permit. “This place is certainly a network of passages,” she thought. “I wonder what this narrow one
’s for.”

  Her curiosity aroused, she turned into this new passage and kept straight ahead for a little way. Then as she flashed her light about, she caught a glimpse of another opening, to her left. Glancing into this opening, she saw at the farther end what appeared to be a door half ajar.

  Her eyes began to shine. “Surely I’ll find something important behind that door,” she thought. “It’d be a rich joke on Jo and Florence if I should be the one to make some great discovery.”

  With her heart thumping rapidly she walked down to the door, peeped in, then cautiously opened the door wider and stepped inside. To her great disappointment the room was absolutely bare.

  “Just my luck!” she groaned. “I thought surely I was going to find something interesting to show the girls.”

  Disgusted, she hurried out of the room and back to the passage, then turned quickly to her left and hastened on.

  “One more turn, and I’ll be back in the main tunnel,” she told herself.

  When she had gone a short distance, she discovered that the passage apparently ended a few feet ahead.

  “Why, this isn’t the way I came!” she cried in alarm. Her heart seemed to leap up into her throat, and her eyes dilated in horror. “Why, I’m lost! Lost!”

  The next moment she ordered herself sternly, “Don’t lose your head! Go back and retrace your steps to that opening. You’ve taken the wrong turn—that’s all.”

  With a fresh grip on her emotions she wheeled about and walked to the opening from which she had just emerged.

  “Oh, here’s where I made my mistake!” she exclaimed in relief. “I turned to the left instead of the right. What a stupid I was!”

  She started on again and kept straight ahead till she reached the entrance to the main tunnel.