The Girl Detective Megapack: 25 Classic Mystery Novels for Girls

by Mildred A. Wirt

  Susan and Penny fell into the habit of dropping into the store whenever they were in the village. They saw many children come to buy candy and all-day-suckers, but days passed and no child took the slightest interest in the broken lantern.

  “I’m afraid it was just another dud idea,” Penny admitted ruefully.

  “You are entirely too impatient,” said her father. “Cases aren’t solved in a week. The idea hasn’t been thoroughly tested yet.”

  “I’ve lost confidence in it,” Penny declared.

  “It was a long shot at best,” returned Mr. Nichols. “However, we’ll leave the toy lantern at Mr. Hunter’s store for another week at least.”

  Temporarily losing interest in her father’s case, Penny remembered that as yet Susan had never met old Herman Crocker.

  “We might go back there this afternoon,” she suggested.

  “I don’t care for Mr. Crocker’s dog,” Susan said uneasily. “Michael may not be around to help us out of trouble again.”

  “Oh, we can be careful,” Penny replied. “Anyway, I think that Rudy is mostly bluff. I doubt he would bite.”

  “I notice you had a different opinion when he was coming at you!” teased Susan. “But if you’re brave enough to go I suppose I’ll tag along even if we do get bit.”

  “I have a great curiosity to learn if Walter Crocker’s car is still in the barn,” Penny confessed. “Somehow I keep feeling that there’s some mystery about that fellow’s disappearance.”

  “If the dog is around we’ll probably never get within a mile of the barn. But come on! You’ll never be satisfied until we’re chewed to bits.”

  The girls did not choose their usual route which led along the road. Instead they cut through the woods, intending to approach Mr. Crocker’s place from the direction of the barn.

  When Susan and Penny emerged from the trees they were on Mr. Crocker’s farm. They could see two men standing by the barn.

  “There is Herman Crocker now!” exclaimed Penny as they halted. “But who is with him?”

  “It looks a little like Michael Haymond,” said Susan.

  “It’s not Michael,” Penny corrected. “Why, I do believe it’s Walter Crocker!”

  “Old Herman’s nephew!”

  “Yes, I’m sure it is he.”

  “But Penny, you said he disappeared,” Susan protested. “You thought Old Herman was responsible—”

  “It seems I was wrong,” Penny admitted ruefully. “I may have misjudged Herman Crocker completely. I thought he was an unscrupulous person, but it doesn’t look so much like it now.”

  “They’re having some sort of argument,” Susan observed. “I wish we could hear what they’re saying.”

  “Let’s try to get closer. We can move behind the barn and probably hear everything without being observed.”

  The two men were so engrossed in their conversation that they failed to see the girls moving stealthily across the clearing. A moment more and they were protected by the barn.

  Penny and Susan crept as close to the men as they dared and then stood listening. They could hear Walter Crocker speaking.

  “This is the last warning I’ll give you,” he told the old man. “Will you fork up the money or shall I go to the authorities?”

  “Give me time,” Herman replied in a whining voice. “I’ve already given you all the cash I have in the bank.”

  “I know better,” said Walter Crocker grimly. “You have plenty of money but you’re too miserly to part with it. But maybe you’d rather keep your stolen gold and go to jail!”

  “You can’t send me to jail—I’ve done nothing wrong.”

  “No?” asked the other mockingly. “I suppose you consider it perfectly legal to appropriate the inheritance of your nephew and lead townsfolk to believe that your sister died without leaving a child.”

  “You have no proof that you are Jenny’s child. I’m not going to pay you another cent. It’s blackmail!”

  “Call it what you like,” replied Walter Crocker with a sneer. “I am your sister Jenny’s child whom you thought to be safely out of the way. And I do have proof.”

  “I don’t believe it,” retorted the old man. “There could be no proof.”

  “You’ve already given me five hundred dollars hush money which is indication enough that you accept my story as the truth.”

  “I did that merely to get rid of you.”

  “Well, you’ll not escape so easily this time, Mr. Crocker. Either you turn over a good portion of the estate to me or I’ll go to law.”

  “Your case would be thrown out of court. Without proof—”

  “My proof will stand up in any court,” Walter Crocker interrupted. “It happens that I have a certain packet of letters which were written to you by my mother before her death. And there is another communication from a woman named Hilda Frank—”

  “So you are the one who stole the letters from the trunk of my cottage!” Herman Crocker cried in rage. “I could have you arrested for house breaking!”

  “I’d not act too hastily if I were you,” returned the nephew coolly. “However, I didn’t steal the letters. They came into my possession in a perfectly legitimate way.”

  “I know better. You could have obtained those letters only by stealing them!”

  “I’ll not argue with you,” replied Walter Crocker evenly, “for after all it is immaterial. The point is that I have the letters. Now will you come to terms or shall I tell my story around Kendon?”

  There was a long silence and then the girls heard Old Herman say in a weary voice:

  “How much do you want?”

  “I thought you would be reasonable in the matter,” the other returned triumphantly. “I understand that my mother left an estate of eighty thousand dollars.”

  “It was a great deal less than that,” Old Herman muttered.

  “Not wishing to be too hard on you I’ll settle for an even fifty thousand dollars,” Walter Crocker went on.

  “Fifty thousand dollars,” the old man groaned. “It’s robbery.”

  “You forget that I am entitled to the entire estate. It was you who robbed me. Well, do you agree?”

  “You must give me time to raise the money.”

  “I’ll expect a first installment in exactly one week from today,” Walter Crocker said firmly.

  “I’ll pay it only on one condition,” replied the old man with rising spirit. “You must deliver to me the packet of letters. Otherwise I’d be blackmailed out of every penny I own.”

  “You’ll get the letters all right.”

  “Show them to me now.”

  “I can’t do that,” Walter Crocker replied, and Penny thought she detected a trace of uneasiness in his voice.

  “Perhaps you haven’t the letters at all,” Herman Crocker said quickly.

  “Oh, yes, I have. But I don’t carry them around with me. I’ll bring them a week from today.”

  “All right, but remember, no letters, no money. And another thing, I can’t have you coming here. Already folks are talking about your car being in my barn. I shouldn’t have towed it here for you.”

  “Would you have wanted me to take it to a Kendon garage?”

  “No,” answered Herman Crocker shortly.

  “I thought not. Well, where shall I meet you if you don’t want me coming here?”

  “At the footbridge by the ravine.”

  “Where is that?” Walter Crocker asked.

  “A quarter of a mile below my cottage. Be there next Thursday night at ten o’clock.”

  “I’ll be waiting,” returned the young man. He started to walk away.

  “Are you taking your car?” Herman Crocker called after him. “I fixed the wheel.”

  “Yes, I’ll get it now,” the young man replied.

  As the girls saw Old Herman walk toward the house alone they felt a trifle sorry for him. There was no question as to his misdeeds, yet their sympathies went out to him rather than to Walter Crocker who evid
ently had been deprived of his rightful inheritance.

  Penny and Susan heard the barn doors open and knew that the young man was getting out his car. As he remained in the building longer than seemed necessary, they moved around to a dust covered window and peered curiously inside.

  “Why, he’s searching for something!” Penny whispered.

  Walter Crocker had removed the seat cushions and was examining every inch of the automobile. His face was twisted with worry. The girls could hear him muttering angrily to himself.

  “What do you imagine he has lost?” Susan asked in an undertone. “You can tell by the way he acts that it’s something important.”

  “I don’t know, of course,” Penny replied with a chuckle. “But I have a sneaking idea it may be Herman Crocker’s packet of letters!”

  CHAPTER XV

  The Missing Letters

  “What makes you think he has lost the letters?” Susan whispered to her chum. “Didn’t he tell Herman Crocker that he would positively deliver them next Thursday night?”

  “Yes,” nodded Penny, “but obviously he had to say that. I thought he acted very uneasy as if he might not have the evidence in his possession.”

  The girls did not peep into the barn again for they were afraid that Herman Crocker might see them. Quietly they stole back to the woods and started for the cottage.

  “Well, Penny, you were right about Old Herman being a mysterious character,” Susan commented as they walked along.

  “I feel a little disappointed though,” Penny returned. “Now that everything is explained so nicely we’ll not have any more fun.”

  “There are a great many things I don’t understand.”

  “I’m not clear on every point,” Penny admitted, “but in general I have an idea of the trouble.”

  “Then I wish you’d explain it to me.”

  “Well, from the conversation we overheard, it’s evident that Walter Crocker is trying to blackmail his uncle. Only legally I suppose it wouldn’t be blackmail because Walter is entitled to the entire fortune.”

  “Then you believe Herman Crocker really did cheat him out of the money?” Susan asked.

  “Mr. Crocker practically admitted it, didn’t he? I gathered that sometime during his life he had received letters from his sister, Jenny, and another woman—letters which probably mentioned the boy, Walter. Herman made a bad mistake when he kept those communications.”

  “But what became of Walter after Jenny’s death?” Susan questioned in deep perplexity. “Why didn’t his claim to the fortune come up at that time? And how did he get the letters?”

  “In some manner Old Herman must have kept Walter in ignorance,” Penny replied thoughtfully. “I have no idea how he finally learned the truth. As for the letters, I believe they were stored in the trunk of the cottage attic.”

  “Think what an opportunity you missed!” Susan exclaimed.

  “I’m not sure how long the letters have been there. I remember that several days ago Old Herman came to the cottage and went to the attic. At the time I couldn’t imagine what he was after. Now I feel certain he was alarmed because Walter Crocker had attempted to extort money from him. Undoubtedly, he came to find the letters which he knew would stand as damaging evidence against him.”

  “You think the letters already had been taken?” Susan questioned.

  “Herman didn’t find what he was after, I know. You remember he accused Walter of stealing the letters.”

  “Yes, but he denied the charge.”

  “Walter might have been lying, but he acted sincere,” Penny said slowly. “Anyway, when I looked in the trunk—that was after Herman had visited the cottage—a package of letters was still there. However, I doubt that it was the right packet or Herman would have taken it with him.”

  “Yet you told me that when you went to the attic the second time, the letters were gone,” Susan reminded her chum.

  “That is right. If the letters wouldn’t stand as damaging evidence against Herman I don’t see who would want them.”

  “Mightn’t it have been that man who tried to break into your cottage at night?”

  “It could have been all right,” Penny admitted, “but I didn’t hear the fellow in the attic. I was under the impression that he had just entered the cottage when I awoke.”

  “It seems to me that there is a great deal which isn’t explained.”

  “The part about the letters is still a deep mystery,” Penny acknowledged. “But we do know that Old Herman cheated his nephew out of a fortune, and that fate has caught up with him at last.”

  “I suppose the old man deserves everything he gets,” Susan commented. “I don’t like him a bit, but for that matter there’s something about Walter Crocker that gives me the creeps too. He has such a snaky look!”

  The girls emerged from the woods close to the Nichols’ cottage. Observing that an automobile stood by the fence, they both halted.

  “Why, that is Walter Crocker’s car!” Susan exclaimed in an undertone.

  “He must have driven straight over here from Herman’s place,” Penny added. “Now what do you suppose he wants?”

  The girls walked slowly on. As they drew near the automobile, Walter Crocker alighted and tipped his hat politely.

  “How do you do, Miss Nichols,” he said with a forced smile. “I’m not sure if you remember me or not.”

  “I remember you perfectly,” replied Penny, hiding her uneasiness.

  She was afraid that the man might have seen Susan and herself peeping through the window of the barn.

  “I feel very grateful for the ride which you and your father gave me some nights ago,” said Walter Crocker. “I must apologize for running off the way I did without thanking you. I was in such a hurry to reach my uncle’s home.”

  Penny and Susan drew a breath of relief. They were glad that the man did not intend to question them concerning their latest actions.

  “Oh, that was quite all right,” Penny replied. “We assumed that you had gone on to Mr. Crocker’s place.”

  The young man shifted his weight uneasily. “Oh, by the way,” he said, “I don’t suppose you found a package of letters in the rumble seat?”

  “Letters?” repeated Penny.

  “I thought perhaps they might have dropped from my pocket while I was riding with you.”

  “Were they valuable?” asked Penny very innocently.

  “Only to me,” answered Walter Crocker shortly. “But I must have them back. Do you mind if I look in the back end of your car?”

  “You’d be welcome to search if it were here.”

  “Where is the car?” demanded the man, in his anxiety forgetting to be polite.

  “I couldn’t say right now, Mr. Crocker. My father has the automobile.”

  “When will he return?”

  “Probably not before evening,” Penny replied, thinking quickly. “You might drop back after supper. He should be here by then.”

  “Thank you,” said Walter Crocker shortly.

  He climbed into the car and drove away.

  “That’s a good one!” laughed Penny, highly amused. “He has lost the Crocker letters all right, and he thinks they may be in our car!”

  “Don’t you expect your father home before night?” asked Susan.

  “Of course I don’t know exactly when he’ll come,” chuckled Penny. “But I’d not be surprised to see him driving in any minute. I wanted to give myself plenty of time to examine the car before Mr. Crocker returns.”

  “What would you do if you found the letters, Penny?”

  “I haven’t thought that far,” Penny admitted. “But the chance that they’re in our car is a very slim one.”

  The girls stationed themselves on the front porch so that they would not miss Mr. Nichols when he drove in. Two hours later they glimpsed the car coming up Knob Hill.

  Penny meant to tell her father everything that had happened during the day, but the detective seemed to have important matters on
his mind. When the girls ran down to the car to meet him, he responded absent-mindedly to their greetings and went on into the cottage.

  “Penny!” exclaimed Susan. “There’s another auto coming up the hill!”

  “And it looks like Walter Crocker’s car!” Penny cried in alarm. “Quick! We’ve no time to lose!”

  The girls darted to Mr. Nichols’ automobile and lifted up the rumble seat. While Susan anxiously watched the road, Penny climbed up and peered into the bottom of the car.

  “Susan, they’re here!” she squealed in delight.

  “And so is Walter Crocker,” Susan muttered in an undertone. “He’s looking right this way.”

  With her back turned to the approaching automobile, Penny deftly slipped the package of letters into the front of her dress. She pretended to keep on searching in the bottom of the car.

  “Act as if everything is perfectly natural,” she warned Susan in a whisper.

  Mr. Crocker stopped his car with a jerk and sprang out. He glanced suspiciously at the girls as he came toward them.

  “Oh, how do you do, Mr. Crocker,” Penny said, climbing slowly down from the rumble. “Dad just drove in a minute ago. I was looking for your letters.”

  “Are they there?” the man asked sharply.

  “Perhaps you ought to look,” Penny replied, avoiding Susan’s glance. “I had just started to search when you drove up.”

  Walter Crocker climbed up on the step and made a careful examination of the interior of the automobile. Penny and Susan stood watching him with perfectly innocent faces. They knew that he would not find the letters.

  The man did not like to give up.

  “They may have been pushed up forward out of sight,” he said. “Do you have a flashlight?”

  “I’ll get one from the garage,” Penny offered.

  She and Susan went into the building, lingering there while they enjoyed a good laugh at the expense of Walter Crocker.

  They were just ready to return with the flashlight when Penny suddenly placed a restraining hand on Susan’s arm.

  “Wait!” she whispered.

  Unaware that the girls were in the garage, Mrs. Masterbrook came hurrying from the cottage. She went directly toward Walter Crocker, her face convulsed with anger.