Drew 17 - The Mystery of the Brass-Bound Trunk (5 page)

“Oh, I’m so happy to see you awake!” Nancy exclaimed, kissing her. “What does the doctor say?”

Before George could answer, a physician appeared and introduced himself as Dr. Karl. He answered the question himself.

“Your friend George is lucky not to have been injured worse. She did get a good bump on the head. No permanent damage has been done, though. She’ll have to remain here for twenty-four hours for observation.”

George smiled. “I’m terribly sorry, Nancy. I guess I won’t be able to help you for a while.”

“Don’t worry about that,” Nancy said. “Right now you just get better.”

The young detective thought perhaps Bess and Nelda would like to come for a short visit, so she picked up George’s bedside telephone and dialed one twenty-eight. There was no reply at first, but finally Bess answered.

“Oh, Nancy,” she said, “something terrible has happened. Please come right back to the cabin and hurry!”

“What’s the matter?” Nancy asked.

“Two men came in here to rob us!” Bess cried out.

“Okay, I’ll be right there,” Nancy said and hung up. She decided not to tell George what Bess had said and waved good-by. “I’ll be back soon,” she told the girl. “Right now I’ll have to go and find out about my trunk. We never did finish our job.”

When Nancy walked into one twenty-eight she found Nelda and Bess seated on one of the beds. Both girls were shaking like leaves.

“What happened?” Nancy asked.

“Oh, it was awful, just awful!” Bess replied. “Heinrich brought two strange men here. He said they were plumbers and had come to fix our shower. After the steward was gone, I told the men nothing was wrong with our shower. They looked anyway then returned and said yes, it was okay.”

“That’s when the trouble started,” Nelda put in. They came back into our room and one of them saw the brass-bound trunk!”

“He yanked it out from under the bed,” Bess continued. “I asked him why he was doing that, and he told me he recognized it. The trunk was supposed to be in the hold.”

Nelda added, “But we told them they couldn’t have it. Then one of them said it belonged to a friend of his and they were going to take it whether we liked it or not.”

“But they didn’t,” Nancy remarked.

Nelda smiled. “Because we wouldn’t let them!”

“Don’t think they didn’t try,” Bess added. “They pushed us out of the way and tried to grab it. When they did that, we both screamed. They got scared, I guess, and ran out of the cabin.”

“Did anyone else hear you?” Nancy asked.

“Yes. Within seconds Heinrich, another steward, and two or three passengers arrived. They did their best to calm us.”

“I’m sure,” Nancy said, “that those men weren’t ship’s plumbers. They suspected or were told that an unmarked trunk with the initials N. D. on it was in here and decided to have a look.”

“More than that,” Bess said, “they decided to steal it!”

Nelda told Nancy that she had asked the two strangers for the name of their friend who allegedly owned the trunk, and one of them had answered in an ugly tone that it was none of her business.

Nancy asked what the two intruders looked like.

“They both had blondish beards and mustaches,” Nelda said.

Nancy thought about the disguises in the trunk. The owner could have more of the same in a suitcase in his cabin. She doubted that the beards were real! But she did not say anything and tried to calm the nervous girls.

Bess said, “Probably we’ve not seen the last of those two villains. Nancy, they threatened that if we said anything about their being here and trying to take the trunk, we’d be harmed!”

Nelda added, “And they insisted that they’d be back. They want that trunk!”

“This is serious,” Nancy stated. “I think I’ll call Rod Havelock. He goes off duty just about this time. Maybe he’ll come up here and give us some advice as to what we should do about this.”

She phoned the purser’s office and found that the assistant was indeed about to leave. “I’ll see you in a few minutes,” he promised.

While waiting for him, Nancy told Bess and Nelda about the accident in the hold, and that George was in the infirmary.

Bess, already distraught, burst into tears. “Oh, my poor cousin! Nancy, tell me exactly what happened and how she is!”

Nancy reported that the doctor had said George would be all right, but she must remain in bed for twenty-four hours.

“That isn’t so bad,” Bess said finally. “I’m glad she was not seriously hurt.”

A few minutes of silence followed, then Nelda said, “Obviously those two men weren’t plumbers. Do you think they might have been passengers in disguise, Nancy?”

“I do. But I’d like to check with the maintenance crew, anyway, just to make sure. Could you two identify the men?”

Both Bess and Nelda were sure they could, provided the men’s beards were real.

There was a tap on the door. Bess and Nelda jumped, but Nancy told them she was sure it was Rod Havelock. She opened the door and the assistant purser stepped inside. He greeted the girls pleasantly. “What’s your problem?” he asked. “I’ll be glad to help if I can.”

When he heard about the accident in the hold and the episode in the cabin, his expression became grave.

“Those two intruders must have watched Nancy and George leave, and they knew only Nelda and Bess were in the cabin,” he reasoned. “And they thought they could handle the two of you. What did they look like?”

When he heard about the beards, he shook his head. “No one in the maintenance crew fits that description as far as I know. But I’ll make some inquiries and see if those so-called plumbers are part of the crew elsewhere.”

“Thank you,” Nancy said. “Now, we have something to show you.”

She got the key to the mystery trunk and swung open the lid. She held up the worn workman’s clothes and the wigs.

Havelock whistled. “Obviously the owner of this trunk is an artist in disguises,” he said. “Maybe he’s a criminal and is afraid to claim his property for that reason.”

He stared off into space a couple of seconds, then added, “In thinking this over, I believe the trunk should not be taken to the hold.”

“You mean we should keep it here?” Nelda asked.

“If we do, we’ll get into trouble!” Bess added.

Havelock shook his head. “I have an idea. The adjoining cabin is vacant. It had been booked, but the people who were supposed to occupy it missed the ship. I’ll get you keys for it.”

He pointed to a connecting door in the girls’ room. “You see, the two open into each other, and each has a connecting door that can be opened only from the inside. I’ll unlock both and leave the keys with you.”

“And we’ll hide the trunk in the other cabin?” Bess asked.

“Yes. We can carry it quietly from here to there and hide it in the wardrobe. Heinrich won’t go in since no one is staying in number one thirty.”

“That’s a great idea,” said Nancy. “Then we can investigate the trunk further. I really can’t believe that someone would want these clothes so badly that he would threaten people. Perhaps something much more valuable is hidden in the trunk!”

Havelock nodded. “You may have a point there. By the way, did you find your own trunk in the hold?”

“I caught a glimpse of it,” Nancy replied, “just before the ship gave a great roll and knocked some of the cargo over. But I think I could locate it.”

“What happened to Pieter?” Rod Havelock asked.

“He was taken to the infirmary along with George, who hit her head. Perhaps he’s still being treated. I don’t know how serious his injury is.”

“I’ll find out,” the assistant purser offered. He picked up the telephone and called the infirmary. The nurse told him that Pieter was being kept there until the following afternoon, but that he was not seriously hurt.

Havelock hung up and turned to Nancy. “Pieter will be all right. Now suppose we get your trunk up here and put it where the other one is. If the intruders should come again, you can let them have a closer look and they’ll realize it’s not what they want.”

“Good idea,” Nancy said. “But suppose they see us bring it up?”

“We’ll have to do it at night when everyone is in bed. How about two-thirty A.M.? By that time the entertainment will be over and most people will have retired. I doubt that we would meet anybody then.”

“Great!” Nancy was excited at the prospect of the adventure, and also about having her own clothes.

At bedtime, when the other girls changed into their nighties and robes, Nancy put on a pair of blue jeans and a sweater of George’s. The three girls tried to sleep but it was hopeless. Finally they began to whisper.

“How do you suppose those two men knew the mystery trunk was in our cabin?” Bess asked.

“Perhaps they saw the porter carry it in,” Nancy replied. “Or they might have found out it was not in the hold and questioned all the stewards until they located it.”

Nelda said, “I wonder if Heinrich is entirely innocent or if he’s somehow mixed up in the mystery. He knew there was nothing wrong with our shower, and since he works on the ship, wouldn’t he know the plumbers?”

Nancy shrugged. “Not necessarily. Sometimes they hire people just before a trip. As for the shower, they could have told him there was a leak somewhere else, which could have been caused by our pipes.”

“I think he’s honest,” Bess said. “Merely inquisitive.” She looked at her watch. “Nancy, it’s almost two-thirty. You’d better get ready to go.”

Just then there was a tap on the door. As Nancy walked toward it, Bess warned. “Watch out. It may not be Mr. Havelock after all!”

CHAPTER VII

Nelda Is Missing

NANCY opened the corridor door an inch and looked out before admitting the caller. She was pleased to see Rod Havelock standing there. “Come in,” she said.

The assistant purser stepped inside, closed the door, and took a ring of keys from his pocket. He walked over and greeted the other girls. “I have all the keys you’ll need for the adjoining cabin,” he said. “I suggest that you hide them until Nancy and I get back from our little excursion.”

Rod grinned and explained what each key was for. “The one with the blue mark will open the connecting door from this cabin to one thirty. Beyond it you’ll find another door, which opens into the other cabin, but you can’t unlock it from this side.”

“You mean we’ll have to enter cabin one thirty from the corridor?” Bess asked.

“That’s right. With the yellow key. And this red one opens the connecting door from one thirty to one twenty-eight. I suggest that you bolt the corridor door from the inside and leave the bolt in place. Then unlock the connecting door from one thirty and leave it open for the rest of the trip so you can go next door without stepping into the hallway. Is that clear?”

“It’s as clear as mud.” Bess giggled.

Rod went on, “I think all of us should know where you are going to hide the keys. Does anyone have an idea?”

The girls looked around and finally Nelda pointed out that there was a tiny drawer on the back wall of their wardrobe.

“That’s a good suggestion,” Rod Havelock agreed. “Here, take them.”

He handed the keys to Nelda, who immediately put them in the hiding place. Then he said to Nancy, “Let’s go!” He peered into the corridor and announced that no one was in sight. “Come on!”

Nancy slipped the key to one twenty-eight into her pocket, then the two set off. They did not rush but walked on tiptoe to avoid calling attention to themselves.

They reached the iron stairway to the boiler room and descended. The men on duty nodded to Havelock but did not ask any questions as the couple headed for the hold. Rod unlocked the heavy steel door, then he switched on the overhead lights.

“I’m glad the lights were fixed,” Nancy said, crossing the heavy plank floorway. She led the way toward the area where she had seen the trunk she thought might be hers. It was still there, but crewmen had evidently piled up some of the baggage that had fallen down.

“That’s my trunk, all right,” the girl stated. For the first time she noticed that a net had been stretched across this part of the hold to keep the baggage in place. But the upheaval caused by the meteor had torn it to shreds.

Rod said, “I think we can get it out of there easily enough.” He smiled. “You look like a strong girl.”

As Nancy examined the baggage around her own piece, she suddenly found herself staring into the face of a rat. It seemed to be wedged tightly between her trunk and a heavy box.

“Oh!” She let out a stifled scream.

“What’s the matter?” Rod Havelock asked anxiously.

Nancy explained and the assistant purser came to look at the little animal himself.

“We’ll just let him loose,” he said. “The rat will be more scared of us than we are of him. He’ll run off in a hurry.”

Reaching up, he yanked aside the trunk next to Nancy’s. But the menacing rat did not scoot away as predicted!

Suddenly Nancy began to laugh. “Rod, he’s dead!”

Havelock laughed too. “The joke’s on us, all right,” he remarked.

He lifted the rodent by the tail and flung it off to one side. Then he and Nancy set to work to loosen her trunk. By manipulating it from side to side, they were finally able to pull it forward.

“We’d better be careful of the box on top of it,” Nancy said. “We don’t want to break anything.”

Gently the box was shoved backward so it would not fall. Then Rod and Nancy took hold of the leather handle on each side of her trunk and eased it out. It was tedious work, but finally it was released.

After they had carried the trunk to the door and set it down, the assistant purser said, “My, this is heavy! Nancy Drew, are you sure there isn’t part of a gold mine from South Africa in there?”

The girl laughed. “No, but I bought a lot of gifts and souvenirs.”

She assured her companion that she was strong enough to carry the trunk with his help. He clicked off the light and locked the hold. Then he opened the door that led into the engine room and called softly to one of the men, “Will you help me get this up the stairs, please?”

“Ja, ja,”
a burly engineer replied, and came over.