The Mystery of the 99 Steps (5 page)

“How much farther to the top?” Bess asked, puffing a little.

Mr. Drew said that the Notre Dame tower was 226 feet high. “You should be glad you’re not going to the tip of the spire,” he said with a chuckle. “That’s 296 feet from the ground.”

“It’s a tremendous building, isn’t it?” Nancy remarked.

Mr. Drew nodded. “And some outstanding historical events have taken place here, including two coronations of enormous pomp and ceremony-for Henry V of England and Napoleon I.”

By this time Nancy had reached the top step and walked out onto the platform of the tower with its shoulder-high stone railing. A few feet ahead of her a massive stone gargoyle protruded from the roof. It looked like some strange prehistoric bird overlooking the swift-flowing River Seine below.

As Bess reached Nancy’s side, she commented, “This gargoyle and the others I can see around this tower are so ugly they’re almost handsome!”

George turned to Mr. Drew. “Who ever thought up gargoyles and what does the name mean?”

“I understand,” Mr. Drew replied, “that these figures are really rainspouts. Gargoyle is derived from a medieval French word meaning gurgle or gargle. As to why they were made to look so grotesque, it’s thought this was a whim of the designer and the architects.”

Mr. Drew and the girls walked from one end of the platform to the other viewing as much of Paris as they could. The thing they noticed particularly was that practically all the buildings except churches had flat roofs.

“They were also in vogue in our country around the turn of the century,” said Mr. Drew, “but we went back to the gabled variety. Now the flat ones are becoming popular again for large buildings. Give you one guess why.”

“So helicopters can land on them,” Nancy replied. Smiling, she said, “Dad, will we have to change our roof for the helipad?”

George chuckled. “Paris is ready for the future. A helipad on every roof! And the Drews won’t be far behind!”

Nancy glanced down at the street from which they had entered the tower. Suddenly she grabbed her father’s arm.

“Dad! That man down there! He looks like Claude Aubert!”

Mr. Drew was surprised and Bess and George dashed to Nancy’s side. The man on the street was gazing upward directly at the group.

“But you said Claude Aubert was in the River Heights’ jail!” Mr. Drew exclaimed.

At that moment the man apparently sensed that they were looking at him. He turned on his heel and walked away quickly.

“He’s not limping!” Bess exclaimed.

As George gazed after him, she said, “Hard to believe he escaped from jail and got over here so fast!”

Nancy remained silent, but her father spoke up. “It’s possible Aubert had someone put up bail money for him, then he jumped bail and managed to catch an overseas plane somewhere.”

When Nancy still did not put forth an opinion, Mr. Drew asked, “What’s your theory?”

“Rather startling,” she replied, “but I have a hunch this man is Claude Aubert’s brother, perhaps an identical twin.”

“Then which one,” said George, “is the real Monsieur Neuf?”

Nancy frowned. “I don’t know, but I believe they’re working together—Claude in the United States, this man over here. It’s my guess we’ve been followed ever since we arrived.”

A frightened look came over Bess’s face. “Then we didn’t leave the danger behind. Nancy, supposing the men are brothers, do you think one calls himself the Green Lion?”

“Possibly. In any case, we should find out at once if Claude Aubert did escape, or jump bail. I’ll phone Chief McGinnis as soon as we leave here.”

Mr. Drew liked the idea and the four left the tower immediately. When they reached the street, Nancy suggested that Bess and George go inside the cathedral while she and her father looked for a telephone.

“There’s a delightful little garden in back of Notre Dame,” said Mr. Drew. “Suppose we all meet there in half an hour.”

The group separated. Nancy and her father found a restaurant which had a telephone booth and Nancy put in a call to River Heights. She was told there would be a delay of fifteen minutes.

“I’ll wait,” she said in French. “Will you please ring me at this number?”

The operator promised to do so. Nancy and her father sat down at a nearby table and ordered some French pastry and hot chocolate. When the food arrived, Mr. Drew chuckled and said, “Wouldn’t Bess be goggle-eyed over this pastry?” Nancy grinned.

Ten minutes later the telephone rang and she jumped to answer it. “Chief McGinnis?”

“Yes. You’re calling from Paris, Nancy?” he said. “It must be important.”

“It is. Tell me, is Claude Aubert still in jail?”

“Sure. Why?”

Quickly Nancy told him about the man she had seen. “Could you find out from Aubert if he has a brother who looks like him, perhaps a twin?”

“Hold on!” The chief was gone for several minutes.

Finally McGinnis came back and said that Aubert had refused to answer. “That makes me think you may have guessed correctly,” the officer told Nancy. “By the way, we’ve observed that his limp is phony. Anyhow, I will report your suspicions to the Paris police.”

Nancy told the chief where she was staying and thanked him for his help. She asked about the stilt walker. The man had not been found yet.

As Nancy emerged from the booth and rejoined her father, she was beaming.

“Don’t tell me,” said Mr. Drew. “I know from your expression you’re on the right track.”

Nancy laughed. “I shouldn’t wear my secrets on my face.” Then she remarked softly, “If this other man is Claude Aubert’s brother and is following us, we should turn the tables and follow him.”

“A neat trick if you can do it,” the lawyer said. “But we’ll keep our eyes open.”

The Drews made a tour of the breathtaking interior of Notre Dame. Nancy was awed by its vastness and the beauty of the stained-glass windows and the many statues. She paused before one of the Virgin Mary, whose lovely face looked down at arms which had once cradled an infant.

“The baby’s statue was mysteriously taken away,” her father explained. “Stolen apparently.”

“How dreadful!” Nancy exclaimed. “And how sad!”

She and her father left the cathedral and walked down the side street to the open garden at the rear. Bess and George were waiting for them and admiring the colorful beds of zinnias and petunias. The four sat down on chairs and Nancy told the cousins of her talk with Chief McGinnis. She urged that wherever they all went, each one try to spot the man she thought was Claude’s brother. A few minutes later Mr. Drew suggested that they go back to the hotel and have lunch.

“That’s a grand idea,” Bess spoke up. “I’m starved!”

She arose, and before heading toward the street, turned slowly in a complete circle, hoping she might see the suspect. Suddenly her eyes became riveted on a black lamppost which stood near high bushes and trees at the back of the garden. She had spied a figure crouching behind the post.

“Nancy,” Bess whispered quickly, “I think I see Mr. Nine!”

 

 

 

As Bess pointed toward the lamppost, the man crouching behind it seemed to realize he had been discovered. He sprang up and plunged into a mass of bushes and trees behind him.

“Let’s chase him!” Nancy urged, and the whole group took off in pursuit.

George reached the other side of the shrubbery first. She cried out, “I see him! He’s heading for the back street!”

When they came to the Rue du Cloître, they could see their quarry running to the south.

“We mustn’t let him escape!” called Mr. Drew. “You girls go on. I can’t run as fast as I used to.”

Nancy soon caught up to George. But at the corner of the Quai de l’ Archêveché, they were stopped by a policeman wearing a tight-fitting, dark-blue tunic suit, white gauntlets, and a high-crowned, peaked cap.

“Why are you in such a hurry?” he called out in French.

Nancy pointed down the street toward the fugitive. “He is a suspect trying to get away from us!”

The officer’s eyebrows lifted. “Suspected of what?” he asked.

For a moment Nancy was stumped. What did she suspect the man of? Only of being Claude Aubert’s brother. Finally she said, “He has been watching and following us. We want to find out why.”

By this time Mr. Drew and Bess had reached the group. The lawyer introduced himself and the girls and showed his identification.

“I beg the pardon of the Americans,” the policeman said, and waved them on.

But Nancy shook her head. “Too late. Look!”

At that moment the long-armed man was jumping into a taxi. Disappointedly his pursuers watched it drive out of sight.

The policeman said cheerfully, “If the man is following you, he will be seen again. What is his name?”

“We do not know,” Nancy replied. “We think it may be Aubert. By any chance, have you ever heard of a Claude Aubert?”

The officer stared at her. “Mais
oui,
mademoiselle! Claude Aubert is a well-known forger. Some time ago he faked the signature on a large check and was nearly caught by our captain, but he got away. You mean, that man you were chasing is Claude?”

“No, he’s in jail in the States,” Nancy replied, then added that Captain McGinnis was going to get in touch with the Paris police. On a hunch she asked whose signature Claude Aubert had forged. The group was astounded to learn it was that of Charles Leblanc! The “frightened financier”!

Nancy and her father were elated over this clue, which might prove a strong link between his case and Nancy’s.

As calmly as she could, Nancy asked the officer where Claude Aubert had lived at the time he vanished. The policeman gave her the address of an apartment house in the section of Paris known as the Left Bank.

The Drews thanked him for the information and walked back toward Notre Dame. Mr. Drew suggested they have lunch at one of the sidewalk cafes instead of returning to the hotel, then go to Aubert’s apartment house.

“That would be fun,” Bess said eagerly. “Some fine French food will step up my brainpower. You’d like that, wouldn’t you, Nancy?”

Her friend laughed. “This mystery is becoming so complicated, I can use all the help you can give me.”

Mr. Drew selected a pleasant cafe and the group seated themselves at a small table. After their luncheon orders of cheese souffié had been given, the lawyer said in a low tone, “Monsieur Leblanc’s office building is not far from Aubert’s apartment.”

George asked, “Do you think that fact has a bearing on your case, Mr. Drew?”

The lawyer shrugged. “At least it’s a strange coincidence.”

When they finished eating, Mr. Drew suggested that on their way to the Left Bank, they stop at the famous Louvre to view some of the paintings and statuary. A taxi took them to the massive museum which had once been a palace.

Bess sighed. “It would take us a week to see everything in this place,” she commented.

Mr. Drew smiled. “You’re right, Bess, but there are certain priceless art objects you must not miss —for instance, the Winged Victory.”

George grinned. “She’s the lady with the wings but no head, isn’t she?”

“That’s the one,” Mr. Drew answered.

“The Venus de Milo statue is here too,” Nancy said.

“That’s right.”

George chuckled. “She’s the beautiful lady without any arms. Where did she lose them?”

“I haven’t heard,” the lawyer said with a grin, “or I might look for them.”

Bess announced, “One thing
I
want to see is Leonardo da Vinci’s portrait of Mona Lisa.”

Mr. Drew said that apparently this was considered the most valuable art treasure in the Louvre, since it was more heavily protected than any of the other pieces.

When the group reached the famous painting, they found it guarded by an iron rail and two uniformed men, who carefully watched each visitor.

“Mona Lisa’s face is lovely,” Nancy remarked. “Just looking at her portrait gives me a peaceful feeling.”

The River Heights visitors stayed for an hour in the famous old building. Then, weary, they decided to stop walking and drive across the Seine to Claude Aubert’s former home. The concierge in charge of the apartment house was a rather gruff man of about fifty. At first he seemed unwilling to answer any of their questions about the forger.

“It was bad enough having the police come here disturbing me!” he complained, growing red in the face. “Who are you?”

Nancy smiled disarmingly. She decided to shoot a direct question at him. Could she get him to answer?

“What’s Claude Aubert’s twin’s name?” she asked.

Without hesitation, the concierge replied, “Louis.”

Nancy could hardly keep from shouting her delight. Mr. Drew, Bess, and George also found it difficult to maintain calm expressions.

“Oh, yes,” Nancy said nonchalantly. “Let me see, where does Louis live?”

The man did not answer at once, but finally he said, “It is out in the country. I do not know the name of the place.” Suddenly he went on, “You know, Louis is the bright one. Claude is a bit slow. He just does what his brother tells him to.

Mr. Drew put in casually, “Louis keeps busy, no doubt. We saw him today from a distance. What’s he doing now?”

“Oh, he is some sort of scientist. That business with formulas and flasks and such is beyond me.”

Nancy’s intuition told her they were getting nearer and nearer to an excellent clue. Again she smiled at the concierge. “Would it be possible for us to see where Claude used to live?”

Actually Nancy did not expect to find any clue in the apartment. What she did want to do was count the number of steps to Aubert’s living quarters. It was just possible there might be 99 and there would be some significance to this!