Password to Larkspur Lane (5 page)
Read Password to Larkspur Lane Online
Authors: Carolyn Keene
Tags: #Women Detectives, #Detective and Mystery Stories, #Girls & Women, #Mystery & Detective, #Juvenile Fiction, #Adventure and Adventurers, #Mysteries & Detective Stories, #Fiction, #Kidnapping, #Mystery Fiction, #Women Sleuths, #Adventure Stories, #Older People, #Swindlers and Swindling, #Drew; Nancy (Fictitious Character), #General, #Mystery and Detective Stories
“My score is exactly zero,” she thought. “Well, tonight I hear about the Corning mystery.”
Back home again, Nancy went to Hannah Gruen’s room to see how the housekeeper was getting along. “I’m feeling much better,” Hannah reported, and told Nancy that her father would not be home for supper.
Nancy showered, put on a pretty lime-green dress with a matching sweater, and left the house. Twenty minutes later she was ringing the bell of Helen’s apartment. The door was opened by Helen’s handsome husband, Jim Archer.
“Hi, Nancy!” he said, smiling. “We’re ready.”
“Jim will drive his car out to the lake,” Helen said as she came into the living room. “Leave yours here.”
On the way, Helen asked about Nancy’s two close girl friends, Bess Marvin and her cousin George Fayne. “How are they?”
“They’ve been vacationing in California,” said Nancy, “but they’re coming home tomorrow.” She chuckled. “Won’t they be surprised when I tell them I have two mysteries they can help me solve!”
Helen grinned. “It’s my guess they won’t be a bit surprised!”
Presently Jim turned onto the side road which led to the lake. When they reached it, the setting sun had turned the water to a golden color. A few sailboats, silhouetted against the red sky, were heading toward shore.
“What a lovely scene!” Nancy exclaimed.
The road circled the lake and at one point branched onto a drive which led up the wooded hillside. The Comings’ modern house was nestled among the trees and rocks at the top, overlooking the water. The drive wound around it to a large flagstoned area, surrounded by shrubs. Jim parked the car there.
“The front door is in the back,” Helen said with a laugh as she led the way to it and rang the bell.
The door was opened by a middle-aged houseman with red hair. He wore neat dark trousers and a white jacket.
“Hello, Morgan,” Helen said cheerfully. “How are you?”
“All right, thank you,” he answered, but did not smile. Nancy wondered if he, too, was worried about the strange happenings here.
Mrs. Corning hurried into the hall to greet her guests. She was a pretty woman, with short fluffy white hair, and just as petite as Helen. She took them into the big living room with a huge picture window.
Mr. Corning rose from a chair. He was a tall man with a bold, aristocratic nose. Though he had to use a cane to support his frail-looking body, his dark eyes were alert and usually sparkled with humor. But now, Nancy noted, there was a strained expression on his face.
“What is frightening the Cornings?” Nancy wondered.
She had no hint until after dinner when the group returned to the living room. As the girls seated themselves in deep pumpkin-colored chairs, Mrs. Corning went to the picture window. She began to draw the soft beige draperies, shutting out the dark wooded hillside below and the few lights of houses on the opposite shore.
“Oh, please leave the curtains open, Gram,” said Helen. “Let’s watch for the thing tonight. After all, that’s what Nancy’s here for.”
“Thing?” Nancy repeated, leaning forward in her chair. “Please tell me about it.”
“Of course,” said Mr. Corning. As his wife opened the curtains again, he began, “One night about two weeks ago, my wife and I were sitting here enjoying the view when we saw a large circle of blue fire at the bottom of the hill.”
“Blue fire!” Nancy exclaimed.
Mr. Corning nodded. “Yes, it’s a circle about as big as a car wheel and glows with an eerie blue fire. It’s approximately seven feet off the ground.”
“Sounds weird,” Helen remarked.
“How long did it last?” Nancy asked.
“About five minutes—then vanished. The next night it came again—this time closer.”
“We’ve seen the thing every night since,” put in Mrs. Corning. “It has come nearer each time. Somehow, I feel it is a threat.”
“In the meantime,” her husband went on, “there have been strange happenings in the house. I want to show you something.” He arose unsteadily, then suddenly gasped. Seizing the chair back with one hand, he pointed with his cane out the huge window.
“There’s that spooky blue flame again!”
Nancy leaped to her feet. In the darkness of the woods, not far below the house, glowed a large blue fiery circle.
“Helen! Jim!” Nancy exclaimed. “Let’s go see what it is!”
“Be careful!” Mrs. Corning urged as the young people dashed from the room. The trio let themselves out the main door.
“Helen and I will go to the right,” Nancy whispered. “Jim, you take the left. When we’re even with the light, let’s close in on it.”
As Jim slipped away in the darkness, the girls went quietly down through the woods. The blue circle continued to burn steadily.
“Queer,” Nancy murmured. “What is it?”
Unfortunately, Helen slipped on a stone and turned her ankle. Involuntarily she gave a cry of pain. Both girls froze, their hearts pounding.
For a moment the circle of light did not move. Then, slowly, it began to turn toward them!
CHAPTER VI
Mysterious Morgan
HELEN seized Nancy’s arm as the eerie blue circle of fire moved toward them through the woods. Nancy squeezed her friend’s hand reassuringly, though she herself was not certain that the ring meant harm to them.
Closer and closer it came. Suddenly Helen could stand the suspense no longer and gave a shrill scream.
Instantly the circle vanished!
Nancy darted to the place it had been, but now nothing was there. She tried to peer through the darkness, but the night seemed blacker than ever.
At the same time, she could hear Jim shouting for Helen and running toward them. “What’s the matter?” he panted.
“That weird fire was coming at us,” said Helen. “I lost my head and screamed. I’m sorry, Nancy,” she added. “It spoiled your chance to find out what the thing was.”
“Never mind. I’ll see it again, I’m sure.”
Back in the house, the Comings met the three with a flood of anxious questions. They had heard Helen scream and were badly shaken. Quietly Nancy explained what had happened.
“I’ll ring for Morgan,” said Helen’s grandmother. “I think we could all do with a cup of tea to settle our nerves.” She pushed a button on the low table beside her.
Five minutes later the houseman had not yet appeared. “I’ll go for him, Gram,” Jim offered, but returned to report that he could not find the servant. “I looked everywhere, including his room.”
“Perhaps he went outside to investigate the blue fire,” Nancy suggested. “I think we ought to search the woods for him.”
“I went out and called,” said Jim, “but got no answer.”
The elder Comings exchanged worried glances. “Never mind, Gram,” said Helen. “I’ll make the tea. You tell Nancy the rest of the story.”
“It was two weeks ago,” said Mrs. Corning, “that we first saw the circle of fire. And it was exactly two weeks ago that Morgan changed.”
“How do you mean?” Nancy asked.
“He used to be such a cheerful fellow,” she replied, “always ready with a little joke. Nothing we asked was ever too much trouble. I can’t tell you what a tower of strength he has been. Over the years he has become like a member of the family. But now—he’s a stranger.”
“He forgets things,” said Mr. Corning. “Sometimes we ring and he doesn’t come. Afterward, he mumbles a flimsy excuse.”
“Several times I heard noises at night on the first floor,” said Mrs. Corning. “I came down and found Morgan wandering around, fully dressed, with a strange, frightened look on his face. We’ve asked him a number of times to tell us what’s the matter, but he avoids answering.”
“How long have you known him?” Nancy asked.
“Fifteen years,” replied her host. “He came to us with excellent references. And now I don’t know what we would do without him.”
“Perhaps he needs medical help,” Nancy suggested.
“Maybe he does,” said Mrs. Corning, “but I feel sure the reason for his trouble is the blue fire.” She arose, went to a modern-looking desk, and returned with an envelope. From it she took a folded card.
“On the morning of the day the fire first appeared,” said Mrs. Corning, “a letter came in the mail for Morgan. A little later when I went to the kitchen, he was sitting in a chair, very pale, with his hand on his heart. The open envelope was on the table but the card had dropped to the floor. As I picked it up, I couldn’t help noticing it was an ordinary greeting card.”
“Did you see a signature?” Nancy asked. Helen’s grandmother shook her head.
Mr. Corning explained that they had called a doctor, who said Morgan had suffered a bad shock. But the houseman would answer no questions.
“That afternoon,” Mrs. Corning went on, “I called a taxi and went to the little shopping center across the lake. I found a duplicate of the card there. I wanted to get a close look at it.” She handed the card to Nancy.
On the front of the card was the picture of an attractive cottage with the door wide open. Above it were the words “OPEN THE WAY TO FRIENDSHIP.” The inside was blank.
“Did you see any marks on the original?”
“None. It was exactly like this one—just an innocent card.”
“Not so innocent, I’m afraid,” said Nancy. “It had no signature and that makes me think the card was a message from someone Morgan knows and probably fears. Have you reported any of these happenings to the police?”
Mr. Corning sighed. “We discussed doing so, but Morgan begged us not to. I thought he might have another attack if we did. No, Nancy, we’d like to get to the bottom of the matter quietly.”
Helen returned with the tea wagon. As Mrs. Corning poured, she suggested that the young people stay overnight. “To tell the truth, we’d feel better with you here.”
They agreed and Nancy went to call her father. Before retiring, she asked, “Have any of the lake residents seen the blue fire?”
“There is only one other house near ours,” Mr. Corning replied, “but it’s empty. Folks across the lake don’t bother about what goes on here.”
Jim spoke up. “Gram said Morgan often disappears for a while after the blue fire is seen. He probably spots it from his room, which is at the end of the house and faces the lake.”
“I imagine he’s back by now,” said Mrs. Corning. “I’ll check after I show you to your rooms.”
She led the three guests into the hall and up a spiral staircase. Nancy was given a room which had a full view of the lake.
“There are several pairs of new pajamas in the dresser,” Mrs. Corning told her. “Help yourself.”
Nancy waited until her hostess had checked on Morgan. He had not returned! As the young sleuth got ready for bed, she wondered where the mysterious houseman had gone.
In the morning, when she followed Helen and Jim to the dining room, Nancy found Mrs. Corning setting the table while her husband watched, white-faced, from a chair.
Morgan was still missing!
“His bed hasn’t been slept in,” said Helen’s grandmother, “and our car hasn’t been used.”
“He might be lying hurt in the woods,” Nancy suggested. “We’d better search.”
The three young people hurried toward the front door. But as Jim reached to open it, Nancy exclaimed, “Wait!”
Sticking out from under the door was a piece of white paper. She picked up the paper and unfolded it. It contained a message written in pencil. Nancy read it aloud:
“ ‘Don’t worry about me. Have to be away for a while. Don’t call police. Will explain later.’ ” It was signed “Morgan.”
“He must have slipped this under the door late last night,” said Nancy.
The three returned to the dining room and Nancy showed the note to Mrs. Corning. “Yes,” she said, “that is Morgan’s handwriting.”
“Gramp, I think you should call the police,” said Helen.
Her grandfather shook his head. “For the present, we’ll do as Morgan asks.”
“Of course, we can get along without him for a day or two,” said Mrs. Corning, “but I’d feel safer if someone were here at night.”
“I wish I could be here,” said Helen, “but—”
“No, no,” her grandmother said firmly. “Your place is with your husband.”
“Perhaps Nancy could stay,” Helen suggested. “Would you?” she asked her friend.
“I’d love to,” said Nancy, “but you know I am also working on another case.”
Mrs. Corning smiled. “This could be your headquarters for both.” Suddenly she frowned. “But I don’t like to think of you working on this case alone. It might be dangerous.”
“Maybe Bess and George could come,” Helen said eagerly. “You three could have lots of fun here when you’re not working on your mysteries.”
“I’ll see what Dad says,” Nancy promised. “Anyhow, I’ll come back tonight. I’d like another chance to catch whoever is responsible for that ring of blue fire.”
After breakfast she walked down the hill to where she and Helen had seen the strange phenomenon the night before. Here and there she found singed twigs and leaves, but had no time to look for other clues. Jim was waiting with the car.
When Nancy entered her own house a little later, she found Effie whistling cheerfully in the kitchen. Her hair was topped by a pink bow.
“Oh, hello, Nancy! Your father’s gone already, but he said to tell you he’d see you tonight. Your friend Bess called. She and George are back. They want you to phone them right away.”
Just then the back doorbell rang. Nancy turned to see a small boy outside the screen.
“Hello, Johnny,” she said, walking over to him.
“Hi, Nancy!” he said. “What’s in that box in your back yard?”
Effie cut in quickly, “A pigeon. And don’t you touch it!” The girl explained to Nancy that she had taken the pigeon’s box from the garage and placed it in the yard. I put on a lid with holes in it. Now he can get air and a little sunlight.”
“I peeped through a hole,” said Johnny, “and I saw something move. Is it a bird? I like birds. My Mommy has a parakeet. Oh, Nancy, can I have some cookies?”
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