The Swami's Ring (11 page)
Authors: Carolyn Keene
It was sitting in a parking space near the manager’s office. Ned pulled in next to it and as he shut off the ignition, Nancy stepped out. Ned walked close behind her as she dashed to the door, opening it quickly and announcing herself to an officious-looking secretary.
“Mr. Hillyer is in conference at the moment,” was her reply.
Was he talking with the boy whom Nancy suspected had attacked Vince? She and Ned waited a few minutes before interrupting the woman again.
“It’s really urgent,” Nancy said, half surmising that the manager had given instructions not to admit Nancy.
“As I told you, Mr. Hillyer is tied up. I have no idea how long he will be, and I suggest you call for an appointment.”
Nancy strode quickly past the woman, knocking on the office door. She heard two voices clouded by the partition and stepped back, somewhat embarrassed.
The receptionist was on her feet by now and glaring at Nancy. “I suggest you leave,” she snapped.
“We can‘t,” Ned returned with equal brisk-ness.
The woman gritted her teeth and pressed the intercom, advising the manager, “Miss Drew is here and she refuses to go.”
“I’ll be right out.”
As the man emerged in the doorway, Nancy observed someone in the visitor’s chair. His hair peeked out from the high back.
“Shall I have you thrown out of here by our security guards?” Mr. Hillyer rasped.
Nancy overlooked the comment. “I have reason to believe that the young man in your office clubbed Vince over the head last night.”
“That is absolutely preposterous,” the manager said.
“But I told you before how a boy almost knocked me down as he came out of the sound booth only minutes before I found Vince.”
Hillyer had intentionally closed his ears. “He happens to be the son of a fine family from Castleton. He called me this morning about a job. He’s had some experience in summer theater and we may hire him, especially since he just completed course work at Oberon with honors.
“Frankly, Miss Drew, knowing that we don’t have your wholehearted support on the subject, I probably
will
hire him.”
will
hire him.”
“But—” Nancy said, still trying to capture the man’s attention.
“Good-bye, Miss Drew, and please don’t bother me again.”
Nancy knew it was useless to inquire about the boy’s name, because neither Hillyer nor his receptionist would volunteer it. Nonetheless, she had picked up some interesting tidbits which she stored for future reference.
“Come on, Ned,” she said, pausing to look at the performance schedule on an outside bulletin board.
The word POSTPONED had been stamped across two programs, including a spectacular trio of violinists and what had been advertised as the rare appearance of a famous jazz pianist. The Jansen production, however, seemed to be continuing.
“I’m game for another round of
Oklahoma,”
Ned smiled. “Maybe we can at least see two scenes worth—”
Oklahoma,”
Ned smiled. “Maybe we can at least see two scenes worth—”
“Before the stage collapses?” Nancy laughed. “Well, I had something else in mind for this evening—like a trip to the old Flannery homestead!”
“I knew you wouldn’t give up on that one,” Ned sighed. “In that case, I’d better do a little weight lifting this afternoon to build up these tired muscles.”
“And I’m going to put in a call to the swami’s retreat,” Nancy said.
They returned to the Drew home, where they agreed on a time to meet later.
“See you at nine,” Ned said, and drove away.
Nancy hurried into the house, where to her amazement she found Hannah in a complete dither. She had personally called Chief McGinnis to inquire about the ongoing search for Cliff.
“The police think they’ve found him!”she exclaimed.
“What?” Nancy replied.
Could it be possible that the young man and his intriguing ring had been discovered the same day?
Hannah bobbed her head excitedly. “Yes, it’s true. It’s true. The chief says someone saw him hitchhiking. The description fits, according to what he told me.”
“Where is he now?” Nancy pressed.
“We don’t know, exactly,” Hannah said, losing some of the animation in her face. “All they have is a report, and they’re scouring the area where he was seen.”
Nancy now dialed headquarters, asking to be put through to the chief at once. Within seconds, she was told a similar version of the story.
Chief McGinnis chuckled, however. “We get reports like these all the time, you know,” he said, “and I’m afraid Hannah has been so worried about Cliffs kidnapping that she didn’t hear my final comment before she hung up.”
“What was it, Chief?” Nancy inquired.
“Just that eight out of ten reports on missing persons don’t usually lead anywhere.”
The disappointment Nancy felt was no less than Hannah’s when she related her conversation.
“No matter what the chief says,” Nancy remarked, “I intend to remain optimistic.”
“Good girl,” Hannah said, hugging her. “And when that young man comes back, I’m going to bake him the biggest coconut layer cake he ever laid eyes on!”
“Mm, sounds delicious,” Nancy said, sniffing the faint odor of something else in the oven.
“Oh! The tarts!” Hannah cried. “They’ll burn for sure!”
She dashed into the kitchen, leaving the young detective alone to mull over the numerous details in the mysteries that beset her. Suddenly, she realized that only she and Ned knew about the unexpected return of Cliff ’s ring, and she raced upstairs to her room. She sprawled out on the bed, resting the telephone alongside her.
She called Bess and George first, then her father. All of them were ecstatic about the discovery.
As it entrenched itself in her mind, Nancy finished her conversation with Mr. Drew and closed her eyes. She saw the gold ring swirl vigorously around the figure of a man whose face was indistinct. But as she ran toward him, a beard grew along the chin, then floated away, leaving a smooth complexion and large eyes several shades darker than his skin.
“Jhaveri,” Nancy murmured before slipping into a deeper sleep.
When she awoke, she discovered the phone partly off the hook and a twilight haze creeping between the trees outside her window. She jolted out of bed, resetting the receiver, and changed into slacks and a light sweater.
The dinner hour faded quickly as the young detective let a large noodle slide off her fork.
“Why didn’t I think of it before!” she exclaimed.
“What, dear?” Carson Drew inquired.
“The ring!” Nancy said excitedly.
In the course of her nap, two elements of the mystery had joined themselves—Cliffs jewelry and Mr. Jhaveri’s jewelry store. Flannery, alias DeNiro, had been there on one occasion, at least. Had he tried to sell the ring to Mr. Jhaveri after stealing it from Bess and George?
“I have an idea that Mr. Jhaveri wanted to ship it back for some reason,” Nancy said. “Since the man had introduced himself as Dr. DeNiro from Oberon College, Mr. Jhaveri sent the ring there!”
17
Moonlight Intruder
Nancy’s declaration about Cliffs ring caused Mr. Drew to smile. “I assume, then, you are planning a trip back to Mr. Jhaveri’s shop,” he said.
His daughter grinned. “First, however, I’m going to do a little investigating around the Flannery house. Ned said he’d go with me.”
“When is that scheduled for?”
“In about two hours,” Nancy said.
“Tonight?” the attorney questioned in surprise.
Nancy related her visit with Mrs. Flannery and her determination to find out whether the man who called himself by the same name was her husband.
“He wasn’t there this morning,” Nancy said, “but I figure he ought to show up eventually.”
Although the young detective would have liked to reveal everything that had occurred during the day, she chose not to. She knew, for instance, that Mr. Hillyer’s reaction to her would upset her father unnecessarily, so she avoided the subject.
“I think I’m on the way to convincing the mayor of my innocence,” Mr. Drew said unexpectedly.
“That’s terrific, Dad,” Nancy replied.
It was the first time he had even made reference to the situation in a while. Yet, despite the note of optimism, Nancy did not see an observable change in her father’s face. He still seemed distressed.
“So I don’t want you to worry anymore,” he continued.
Had he only told her half the truth in order to allay her fears? Nancy wondered. But she didn’t ask any questions, allowing the rest of the meal to pass quietly.
Before long it was nine o‘clock, and Nancy slipped into a jacket, thinking Ned would arrive punctually. To her surprise, though, half an hour had elapsed when the bell finally rang.
“I tried calling you this afternoon, but all I got was a busy signal,” Ned said. He explained that his parents had asked him to do a number of errands and he knew he’d be late.
Nancy promptly recalled how the phone receiver had slipped off the hook as she slept next to it.
“I wonder if I missed any other important calls,” she said, waving good-bye to her father.
“Well, if you did, I’m sure they’ll call back,” Ned declared.
The couple strolled across the driveway to Ned’s car, unaware for the moment of the silver hatchback that was parked a short distance up the street. In spite of the moonlight that glinted on the hood, it remained concealed under a low-hanging tree. The driver, however, kept his gaze steady on the Drew house.
When Ned finally backed the car out onto the street, the hatchback’s headlights turned on and the engine started to purr. The driver waited several seconds before pulling away from the curb, then followed the young detectives.
They headed for the Flannery house. Ned had paid only scant attention to the car in the rearview mirror. It had maintained a fair distance, but when Ned’s car halted at the end of a block, the hatchback suspended the chase, waiting for the pair to emerge.
“The downstairs lights are still on,” Nancy said to Ned as she gazed at the Flannery house.
“If we see the guy you’re looking for,” Ned said, “do you want to talk to him?”
“I’m not sure. Let’s play it by ear.”
“Okay. You’re the boss on this one.”
“Gee, thanks,” Nancy smiled.
Together, they stole up the driveway, hiding behind a tree trunk when Mrs. Flannery moved in front of the living room window.
“Did she see us?” Ned asked.
“I don’t think so.”
But the girl knew their shadows could be seen on the pavement. She shrunk back, leaning against the bark. From where they stood, they were able to see a back window as well, and as one light in the front turned off, others switched on in the kitchen.
“Somebody’s eating,” Ned commented. He had craned his neck to peer between the lower branches and caught sight of black hair. “Come on. Let’s get closer,” the boy said.
They ducked out from their secret place and edged forward, stopping only when they heard the kitchen window being cranked open. Instantly, the two young people dodged discovery, pulling next to the house and accidentally stepping into a garden of petunias.
“Yuck,” Ned said as he shook dirt off his sneakers.
Nancy, however, was more concerned about the footprints that might be noticed, and sprang to the ground to cover them up quickly. As she did so, voices drifted outside. One was low, yet recognizable.
“That is the man we saw at Swain Lake Lodge!” she told Ned.
After all the mysteries she had solved, she had learned to use all her senses with amazing accuracy.
“How can you be so positive?” Ned whispered.
“Trust me,” the girl said, raising a finger to her lips.
Then, even Ned heard Nancy’s name! But what precisely was being said about her?
Nancy closed her eyes to concentrate, but the whistle of a boiling teakettle interfered. She was also oblivious to the figure crouched behind the front hedge. It was the driver of the hatchback. He had crept up the sidewalk when the couple moved up the Flannery’s driveway and darted behind bushes before coming to a standstill.
Ned, in the meantime, had let Nancy slip forward under the kitchen window.
“If she comes snooping around here again,” the man was saying, “you know what to do.”
“Sure, and I’ll dump her at the lake.”
Nancy winced, imagining another horrifying night in the forest shelter. Or worse, she thought.
“Well, she won’t be back,” Mrs. Flannery continued. “Good thing you waited until now to come home.”
“When she trailed us out to the house on River Lane,” her husband said, “I figured she’d turn up here sooner or later.”
There was a clatter of cups and saucers and the sound of running water which interrupted the conversation temporarily. Then the lights went out, plunging the driveway into total darkness.
Instantly, the figure behind the hedge bolted toward Ned and seized him from behind, chopping a well-placed blow to the neck. The boy sank to the ground without a cry.
Nancy let out a shriek, quelling it as the boy dived for her too!
Now the lights went on in the kitchen again, and the back door opened and closed.
“Who’s out there?” came Flannery’s deep voice.
Nancy turned as the boy’s fist shoved her down on the pavement, causing her to roll within inches of the man’s feet. He grabbed her quickly, and dragged her into the backyard, and up the porch steps, letting her attacker escape.
“Let go of—” she cried, but he covered her mouth with his hand.
“What about her friend in the driveway?” Flannery’s wife said.
“Just leave him. We’ll be gone from here long before he comes to.”
Nancy struggled as the pair secured her to a chair, binding her arms and legs so tightly she felt almost nauseated.
“You can’t get away with this,” the girl said, causing Mrs. Flannery to stick a soft roll in her mouth.
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