Stealthily she crept forward. When she got as close as she dared, their voices reached her.
“You’d better buy plenty of them,” the older man said in a stern tone. “We don’t need trouble with those girls here.”
Nancy did not like the way the tall, powerful man said, “those girls.” He had graying red hair and a cruel-looking mouth. His dark eyes shifted nervously.
His younger companion looked worried. He stifled a yawn. This angered the other.
“Now get going,” he growled, “and don’t you dare miss him.”
The younger man was dark and, although smaller, seemed equally powerful. His face was kinder, but Nancy was sure the two men were related.
Who are they? she wondered shifting her position. Just then a loud crack resounded through the woods—Nancy had stepped on a fallen branch.
The two men started, then disappeared. Nancy burst from her hiding place to follow, but they had vanished. She walked pensively back to the graves. I wonder who the “him” is they’re afraid of missing?
Nancy decided to return to the house. Again, she passed the strange igloo-shaped ice house. Curious, she ventured to the opening and peered down into the cool darkness. Suddenly, she was pushed roughly from behind. With a cry, the young sleuth disappeared down into the dark hole.
Meanwhile, inside the house, Nancy’s absence began to alarm her companions. “Where can she be?” Sally wailed. “What if she went outside before daylight!”
“Nancy wouldn’t break her promise without a good reason,” declared George quickly.
“I never should have brought us to this place,” Sally berated herself.
“I think we ought to start looking for Nancy,” Bess insisted. The ordeal of the previous night was still fresh in her mind.
George agreed. “It was broad daylight when someone tried to push that tree onto us. Nancy could be in real trouble.”
The girls nervously began a search of the grounds. The dull morning and chilling winds made them shiver.
Apprehensive, they walked up the hill. The top was bare except for a large headstone. They proceeded along the lake.
“Look! Footprints!” George cried suddenly. “They’re Nancy’s sneakers!”
The three girls separated, calling her name loudly.
“… the ice house,” came a distant reply.
They ran to the structure. “Nancy?” Bess called through the opening.
“Get me out of here,” she begged from below. “It’s creepy.”
Relieved, Sally and Bess ran for a rope and flashlight.
“What happened?” George called down as they waited. Nancy told her all about what had happened. “Do you think those men pushed you?” George asked, frowning.
Before Nancy could answer, Sally and Bess returned, breathless. Nancy hugged the wall so the flashlight could be thrown down safely.
Quickly she explored her icy prison. The round ice house was made of stone and extended deep into the cold ground. Leaves covered its floor. Fortunately, they had cushioned Nancy’s fall.
She pushed some aside. To her surprise most of the stone slabs had been removed from the floor and deep holes had been dug into the ground. She looked at the walls. There, too, stones were missing, revealing similar holes.
Finally a rope snaked down to her, and she was pulled to the top. “I thought you’d never find me,” Nancy gasped as she reached her friends.
“Not another word,” George commanded. Shivering, Nancy was led back to the house and a roaring fire in the fireplace. Only after some breakfast did they allow the girl detective to tell her story. She ended by thanking her rescuers.
“You could have been seriously injured,” Sally said with concern.
“It was probably that ’tree chopper,’ ” George remarked, “or those strange men you saw.”
“But those men are Trass Sabuch’s sons,” Sally protested. “My family trusts them completely.” She apologized for not warning the girls that the men still lived nearby. “The older man, Red, worked here with Trass as a boy. Jimmy, the younger one, joined Red after Trass’s death. They keep an eye on the farm now.”
Nancy listened thoughtfully. The dogs were apparently spectres, but whoever was trying to harm the girls was very real. They would have to live close by. Red and Jimmy were obvious suspects. But why would they not want us here? Nancy reflected.
As the girls exchanged guesses about the incident, Sally was quiet. Suddenly, she said, “It’s too dangerous here. Ghosts haunt us at night and now someone tries to harm us during the day. I think we should leave. We’ll walk down to the store and intercept my husband. Once we’re there, we can phone Red and Jimmy. With their help Jeff could move the tree so we’d be able to come back for your car, Nancy. Then, we’ll leave this farm to its ghosts—forever!” Her eyes brimmed with disappointed tears. The others were stunned.
“Sally, we want to stay,” Nancy assured her. The others nodded. “We’ll make a bargain,” she urged. “If we can’t solve the mystery before Jeff arrives, we’ll go back.”
Sally hesitated a few seconds, then gave each one a grateful hug and agreed.
“I’d like to solve the mystery surrounding this place,” Nancy quickly said. “Tell me, why are those holes in the floor and walls of the ice house?” Her friends could offer no explanation.
“We could ask Red or Jimmy if we see them,” Sally suggested.
“We’d better get him to move the tree for Jeff in any case,” Nancy added as she scribbled on some paper. “What do you think of our ghosts’ names?” They stared at the four words in puzzled silence.
“We were instructed to put the dogs’ correct names on the stones,” Sally said. “They were always called by nicknames. My grandfather eventually found the real names on their pedigree papers.”
“They sound like Indian deities,” Bess remarked, “not names for pet dogs.” All the girls agreed the names were unusual.
“Did the will leave instructions for their own epitaphs?” George asked.
“Yes, but I don’t remember the inscriptions,” Sally answered.
“Let’s go see them,” Nancy urged.
The four girls soon reached the hilltop gravestones. Below the conventional inscriptions were the enigmatic words:
“Whosoever loves us shall hold us forever through the pages of time.”
“That’s weird,” Bess commented.
“I wonder if it’s a clue,” Nancy said as she started down the hill.
George, an experienced camper, suddenly exclaimed, “Someone has been digging around here!”
Nancy was startled. “Why do you think that?”
“Because everywhere there are signs of quickly covered holes.”
Nancy examined the ground where George was pointing. “You’re right, George. It does look as if someone has been looking for something around here.”
“But what?” Sally demanded.
“Another mystery,” Nancy replied, staring into space. “Maybe whatever it is has some connection with that episode in the ice house.”
The girls finally returned to the house. They shuddered as Nancy pointed to the splintered claw marks. She also related her discovery of the pathway of disturbed soil.
Sally sighed. “This detective work only seems to uncover more mystery.”
“That’s it.” George grinned. “We find the clues, then Nancy figures it all out.”
The young detective seemed not to hear her. She was deep in thought.
“Tell us more about the missing gold statues,” Bess begged Sally as they ate lunch.
“Well, my grandfather thought that they were still somewhere at Whispering Oaks. That’s really why he went to the farm that night. He was worried, though, and none of us has looked for them since.”
All at once Nancy had an inspiration. “What did the McDonalds enjoy most in their lives?” she abruptly asked Sally.
Sally thought for a moment. “Probably their family, then Whispering Oaks, the
ir dogs, horses, the garden, and reading.” To prove this, she led the girls to the library. Every foot of wall space was covered with shelves of books. Each shelf was labeled.
“Canines, Horses, Gardens,” Bess read.
“What are you up to?” George asked Nancy. The young detective wore a knowing smile and her eyes twinkled.
“I have a hunch the golden statues are hidden right here in this farmhouse,” she announced.
Settled before a crackling fire, Nancy revealed her theory. “The McDonalds hid the valuable statues at Whispering Oaks after they were made. They wanted only your family to have them, Sally, so in the will they placed instructions concerning where to find them.”
“So where are they?” asked George impatiently as the others nodded.
“The key is the answer to the riddle of the gravestones,” Nancy said mysteriously. “ ’Whosoever loves us shall hold us forever through the pages of time,’ ” she recited. “But we still have to figure out the dogs’ mysterious names before we find the key to where the statues are hidden.”
Suddenly there was a heavy thud against the house. Nancy bounded to the window and threw it open. Dry leaves rushed through the casement. Warding them off with her hand, she peered outside. Nothing!
I wonder if someone was listening outside the window, Nancy thought. Red or Jimmy? And if so, why?
Nancy returned and put the dogs’ names in front of the girls. Bess grabbed a dictionary. For a while, they studied the strange words.
“Those ghosts could tell us the answer,” George remarked with a grin.
“Maybe they’re trying to!” Nancy cried to the others’ astonishment. “What if Trass was wrong and the dogs haunt the farm because their statues have not been recovered by the McDonalds? They try to enter the house to tell us that the statues are inside.”
Sally seemed struck by what her friend had said.
“I have a plan,” Nancy continued. “I want to watch the ghosts tonight.”
“Nancy, please don’t take any risks,” Sally implored. She was still convinced that the ghosts were evil.
“Jeff will be here by then,” Bess reminded her. “He’ll help us.”
“George and I will slip outside before nine and hide,” Nancy planned, “where we can watch as the ghosts move toward the house. I’m sure it will give us some answers.”
“Thanks for volunteering me,” George said with a smirk.
Sally jumped as a loud knock sounded at the door. Expecting Jeff, she ran to it. Red Sabuch loomed into the room. He spoke to her, then left hurriedly.
“Jeff is going to be late,” Sally announced with dismay. “Jimmy has just returned from the store. Jeff is there, but his car has broken down. When Jimmy left him an hour ago, Jeff told him he would try to arrive here before dark.”
“I’m sure he’ll make it,” Nancy said encouragingly.
“Did you ask Red about all the digging?” George asked, pursuing Nancy’s discovery.
Sally answered distractedly. “He knows nothing about it … told me girls who stay in haunted houses often imagine things or exaggerate them … and promised to help move the tree.”
George was incensed. “Imagine—exaggerate! I think those holes mean that Nancy isn’t the first one to think the missing statues are here.” The others agreed.
Nancy thought of the stranded Jeff. She had hoped he would be here to help with her daring plan.
“Let’s find hiding places while it’s still light,” she suggested. “I’ll watch the gravesite. George, suppose you keep an eye on the house.”
The two girls went outside while the others prepared dinner. Eventually Nancy and George found suitable hiding places.
“Nancy, look over there!” George whispered suddenly. The Sabuch brothers were watching them intently. When they saw the girls staring back, they hurried away toward their cabin. Nancy and George exchanged suspicious glances and went back inside.
Over dinner the four girls discussed the plan. They agreed to use flashlights for signaling: two flashes, all clear; the light left on, trouble.
Two hours passed. A pitch-black night descended. Jeff had not arrived. Sally paced the floor.
“We’d better hide,” Nancy finally announced. “It’s already twenty minutes to nine.”
As Sally wrung her hands, Nancy tried to reassure her. “Jeff should be here any minute.”
Their companions remained visible in the house while Nancy and George crept silently out the side door, which they left unlocked in case they had to return in a hurry. Soon, they settled in their hiding places.
No moon, Nancy thought. A perfect night for ghost watching.
However, she could barely distinguish the four gravestones from her position.
For what seemed hours, the girls waited. Suddenly, Nancy caught her breath. Four pairs of yellow eyes materialized over the graves. Her spine tingled.
Despite the horrible whimpering of the dogs, Nancy edged forward. She had to see these canine ghosts. Their eyes began roving round and round. A cacophony of chilling sounds now surrounded Nancy. She inched closer and closer, her own eyes glued to the creatures. Unfortunately, one foot caught on a fallen branch. With a muffled cry, she fell heavily to the ground.
The sounds stopped. The four pairs of eyes turned in Nancy’s direction. She dared not even breathe. Motionless, the creatures scanned the trees where she lay. Suddenly they moved directly toward her!
Nancy scrambled to her feet. The horrible sounds again resounded through the woods. A cold fear gripped her. Two pairs of eyes vanished. Nancy whirled around. Snarling, the two creatures now stood directly behind her!
In desperation Nancy bravely raised her flashlight, prepared to fight off the animals. Something abruptly caused her to lower the weapon. One of the approaching eyes flickered. Then it disappeared. Only three eyes glared at her. Nancy pointed her flashlight. Summoning courage, she turned the powerful beam directly on the mysterious creature. What she saw made her gasp. But at that instant a heavy blow hit her from behind. Nancy crumpled to the ground, unconscious!
Sally and Bess watched frantically from the window. They knew something was terribly wrong. The dogs had suddenly disappeared. Through the trees only the steady beam of a flashlight pierced the darkness.
“What shall we do?” Bess wailed helplessly.
Sally was as white as a sheet. Both girls seemed immobile.
Presently, soft scratching sounds broke the eerie silence. The girls were seized with terror. With a groan, the front door slowly began to open. Sally screamed. Bess panicked and threw her flashlight against the door. There was a crash as it shattered against the wood.
“Hey! What’s going on?” a surprised male voice cried out.
“Jeff!” Sally exclaimed as he hesitantly entered.
She ran to her husband and collapsed in his arms. Color rushed to Bess’s face as she sputtered an apology.
“Now calm down,” the tall, attractive man said gently, “and tell me what happened.”
The girls hurriedly briefed him. Jeff’s face showed deep concern. From the moment Sally voiced her plan to visit Whispering Oaks, he had scoffed at the ghostly danger. Now he was sure that Nancy and George were in serious trouble.
“You stay here,” he commanded. “I’m going to look around.” He took Sally’s flashlight. “Now I’m really sorry I didn’t get here this morning.”
Sally and Bess looked puzzled.
“Didn’t Red give you my phone message that I’d arrive at noon instead of six?” Jeff asked.
Sally frowned. “He told us around six that when Jimmy left the store at five o’clock, you—”
“Five!” Jeff exclaimed. “I met a man who told me he was Jimmy Sabuch at eleven-thirty this morning. I stopped to buy something. When I came out, he was standing there with packets of batteries in his hands. My car wouldn’t start, so he offered to take a message back to you.”
“Why did Jimmy go down to the store this morning and wait until six to
tell us you were there?” Bess questioned.
Jeff frowned. “I don’t know. What I do know is that it took all day to repair a mysterious hole in my gas tank. At the time, I thought a malicious prankster had done it. Then, I finally arrive, and someone has chopped a tree down over the road. I had to walk the rest of the way!”
“But Sally told Red to move that tree hours ago!” Bess said in a strained voice. “And we already had bought plenty of batteries at the store.”
Jeff was furious. The conclusion was obvious.
“But why would Red and Jimmy want to prevent you from reaching us?” Sally asked anxiously.
“I intend to find out,” he declared angrily, “then call the police. Nancy and George’s disappearance may not be so mysterious.” Following Sally’s directions, he stormed off toward the Sabuch cabin.
Nancy’s eyes fluttered open. She blinked to confirm that she was in total darkness. Her head reeled as she tried to use all her senses. The young detective was bound and gagged, propped against a wall on a hard floor. She could smell mothballs. Restricted hand movements told her that the walls and floor were wooden.
I’m probably in a clothes closet, she reasoned, still groggy. Suddenly to her left she caught the scent of George’s shampoo.
George! Nancy remembered at once. Her head cleared as she wriggled toward her friend. Abruptly, she collided with George’s inert form. Nancy placed an ear to her body. She was still breathing.
I must get us out of here, Nancy thought frantically. George could be seriously hurt!
Suddenly, angry voices reached her ears. She moved with difficulty to what was apparently the door. Red and Jimmy Sabuch were outside! They were arguing.
“I’ll never give it up!” Red shouted.
“But she saw me!” Jimmy returned angrily.
Nancy could now clearly recall what her light had revealed. The ghostly creature before her had been a man, his body completely covered in black material. On each hand was a black glove with two yellow eyes attached.
“That girl has ruined everything!” Red shouted back. “They’ll all pay for her snooping,” he snarled.
“Don’t hurt them!” Jimmy cried out. “Dad would never have approved of this. He only scared people so he could look for the gold statues. You’re going too far. If you hurt them,” he warned, “I’ll—”
The Ghost of Blackwood Hall Page 4
