The Triple Hoax (5 page)

The following morning Chief Raleigh from the New York police asked the girls to come to headquarters. “We have news about the man Nancy Drew photographed,” he said.

Nancy promised to go at once. Aunt Eloise had already left for school. Bess and George accompanied the young detective.

When the girls walked out of the apartment building, they noticed a car parked not far from the entrance. The driver appeared to be sleeping since his head was bent low over the steering wheel.

“Funny place to take a nap,” Bess commented.

Just then a taxi drove up and the girls signaled for it to stop. They climbed in and Nancy gave the driver directions. He looked at her quizzically, but she volunteered no further information about their errand.

George noticed that the driver in the parked car had suddenly started his engine and was following the taxi. She wondered if this was on purpose.

Presently he drove up close behind them, then pulled out as if to pass. Instead, he deliberately sideswiped the taxi, whose right front wheel jumped the curb.

“Oh!” Bess cried out. She tumbled off the rear seat and hit her head.

Nancy, on the left side, got the full impact of the crash. Instinctively she braced herself on the backrest of the driver’s seat and escaped injury. George managed to avoid getting hurt, but like Nancy, she was badly shaken.

With trembling hands they pulled Bess up to the seat. “Are you all right?” Nancy asked worriedly.

“I—I guess so. My head hurts where I bumped it, though.”

“That man hit us on purpose!” Nancy declared angrily.

She looked out the window just in time to see their attacker rounding the next corner. Apparently there had not been enough damage to his car to disable it.

“Did you get his license number?” Bess asked hopefully.

“Yes,” Nancy replied. “Luckily he was still close enough when I looked out.”

George pointed to their driver, who was slumped over the steering wheel. He did not move and the engine was not running. Apparently it had stalled from the impact.

“He must be unconscious!” George exclaimed.

She jumped from the cab, opened the right front door, and slid across the seat. She tried to revive the driver but without success. Quickly she picked up the radiophone and called the taxi company. While waiting for a reply, she looked for the cab’s license that was posted on the dashboard.

“Hello,” she said after a man answered her call. “This is cab 52341. We were rammed deliberately by another car and Max Topping, the driver, is unconscious. Could you please notify the police and send an ambulance for him?”

The dispatcher promised to do so at once. A few minutes later the police arrived. Nancy gave them the license number of the car that sideswiped them and told the police what had happened.

Just then the ambulance pulled alongside the cab. Two men put the stricken driver on a stretcher, then carefully transferred him into their vehicle. Seconds later they were on their way to the hospital.

The police officers asked the girls where they were headed. When the men learned it was police headquarters, they offered to take them there.

In Chief Raleigh’s office, a stenographer recorded Nancy’s story. The young sleuth gave the details of the accident and signed the transcript. Shortly afterward a report came in saying the car which rammed the taxi had been stolen and was abandoned.

“That’s unfortunate,” the officer said. “We found only the owner’s fingerprints on the steering wheel, so the thief must have worn gloves. Obviously the accident was planned because there was only minimal damage to the side of the car. The driver either had a grudge against the cabbie or you girls. Can you shed any light on the matter?”

“As I told you before, we suspect Howie Barker to be a con man. But we haven’t found any new clues.”

The chief smiled. “We have, however. That’s why I wanted you to come down. We received a new picture in the rogues’ gallery that matches the photograph you’ve taken, Nancy. His full beard is one of his many disguises. The man is listed by the name of Ralph Rafferty. Originally he worked for the Francisco Insurance Company. He proved to be dishonest and went to prison for forgery.”

“But now he’s free?” Nancy asked.

“Yes. After being released from prison, Rafferty disappeared from the West Coast. He swindled someone out of a large sum of money in Chicago and is wanted again. Your clue will help us a great deal.”

“Did you check the telephone number and address on his calling card?” Nancy asked.

“Yes. It was an apartment here in the city, but he moved out before we got there. We questioned the superintendent and other tenants, but no one knew anything about him. He was a resident only a short time. But we think he’s still in this area.”

“I’m not sure about that,” Nancy said. “We suspect that he may be in cahoots with a group of performers called the Hoaxters. They left unexpectedly for Mexico City.”

The officer’s eyebrows shot up. “Oh? That’s interesting. I’ll get in touch with the police there and ask them to be on the lookout for Rafferty, alias Barker.”

“I certainly hope they catch him,” Bess said. “He came near getting some money from me. He’s a slick talker.”

“And a very good-looking and likeable person,” George added. “I guess it’s easy for him to sell phony products.”

“I’m afraid so,” the chief agreed. “Thank you very much, girls.”

He opened his desk drawer and handed Nancy the original snapshots she had taken. “We’ve made duplicates of these,” he said.

When the girls left headquarters, Nancy suggested they go directly to Aunt Eloise’s apartment and do no more sleuthing for the day.

“All I want to do is lie in a tub of hot water. I’m stiff all over,” she confessed.

“And I’d like to go to sleep,” George said. She still felt shaky from the accident.

Bess nodded. She had a terrible headache. Quickly Nancy hailed a cab and the girls climbed in. When they reached the apartment, she phoned the taxi company to find out how their driver was. The answer was a relief: he had suffered a slight concussion, but would be all right in a couple of days.

When Aunt Eloise returned from school later that afternoon, she was amazed by her visitors’ story.

“You’re lucky not to have been seriously injured,” she said. “Did you get a good look at the man who ran into you?”

“Only a fleeting glimpse,” George said. “Not enough to identify him.”

They tried to figure out who the attacker could have been. Nancy said she had a strong hunch he was connected with the Hoaxters.

Aunt Eloise was inclined to agree. “But why did he want to harm you?” she asked.

There was silence for a few minutes, then Nancy said, “I think we should go to Mexico City and continue our sleuthing. We shouldn’t let the Hoaxters get away from us!”

“You’re right,” Aunt Eloise said. “How I wish that I could go with you! But of course, that’s impossible.”

Bess and George felt Nancy’s suggestion was a good one. George added with a sigh, however, “I’ll have to phone home and try to get more money. Frankly, my detective allowance account is down to zero!”

 

 

 

Bess was the first to call her parents. While the other girls waited eagerly, she explained their plans and said she would like to join Nancy on her trip to Mexico. The Marvins readily agreed.

George phoned next, but she had a more difficult time getting permission. Mr. Fayne reminded his daughter that she had, indeed, used up her detective allowance.

“But Dad, this is very important!” George pleaded. “Would you lend me the money and after I get home, I’ll earn some and pay you back?”

Mr. Fayne chuckled. “You’re working hard now. How would it be if you got paid for being a detective?”

“No, Dad. If I accept money for my work, it would take me out of the amateur class. And I know Mr. Drew wouldn’t like that. Besides, I couldn’t work with Nancy and Bess any longer.”

“Okay, you’ve convinced me,” Mr. Fayne said fondly. He promised to raise her allowance to pay for the trip. “But be sure you solve the mystery!” he teased.

George laughed. “With Nancy carrying the ball we won’t fail.”

As soon as the girls had finished their calls, Nancy contacted her father and told him about the proposed trip to Mexico City. Then she phoned Mrs. Richards. Nancy was glad to learn that the woman was feeling fine, and revealed their plans. She asked Mrs. Richards, however, to keep their trip a secret.

“Of course I will,” the woman promised. “But I think you should tell me where you’re staying in case I need to reach you.”

“At the Fortunato Hotel,” Nancy replied. “We’ll let you know what’s happening.”

She made reservations on a flight for early the next morning. After breakfast, they said good-by to Aunt Eloise.

“And thank you for your wonderful hospitality,” Bess added.

The girls arrived in Mexico City during the afternoon. While claiming their baggage, the three Americans heard nothing but Spanish spoken. Bess and George stared at each other. They did not understand a word!

“Nancy, I’m glad you speak Spanish,” George said. “We’d have a hard time otherwise.”

Nancy laughed. “You two should really learn the language. It isn’t difficult.”

The cousins made up their minds then and there that they would take lessons. Nancy was right. It was becoming more and more important for Americans to learn the language of their neighbors just across the Rio Grande River.

The girls took a cab to the Fortunato. When they walked up to the desk, Nancy said to the clerk, “We’d like a large room for the three of us.”

“Your names, please?”

“Nancy Drew, Bess Marvin, and George Fayne.”

“Nancy Drew?” The clerk stared at her. “Please wait a minute,” he said. “The manager has a message for you.” He turned and hurried into a back office.

Nancy looked at her friends. “I wonder what this is all about?” she said. “Not many people knew we’d be here and the ones who did promised to keep it a secret.”

A good-looking Mexican in a white suit came from the rear room and addressed Nancy. “I will have to ask you to come into my office. There is something I must discuss with you.”

The girls followed him and he motioned them to be seated in his small, paneled room. The girls were worried. Was bad news from home awaiting them?

The manager, who introduced himself as Senor Gonzales, said, “I am sorry to detain you, but the police telephoned and asked me to do so.”

Nancy frowned. “How do the police know we are here?”

“They alerted every hotel in town,” Senor Gonzales revealed. “We have your reservation.”

The conversation had been in Spanish, and Nancy turned to translate for her friends. When Senor Gonzales realized Bess and George did not speak his language, he switched to English.

“The clerk told me you were here and I called Lieutenant Tara. He should be here any minute. Please be patient.”

The girls looked at one another in dismay. Members of their families and Mrs. Richards were the only people who could have phoned! Just then the officer walked into the room. Fortunately he spoke English so that Bess and George could follow the conversation.

“I understand that you are detectives,” Lieutenant Tara said.

Nancy replied, “I guess you might call us that. Why?”

“I have been told that you are practicing without a license.”

“License!” Nancy protested. “We’re strictly amateurs and never get paid for our work.”

Lieutenant Tara’s eyebrows shot up. “Can you prove it?”

The girls were stymied for a moment. They were in a foreign country! How could they possibly prove that they never charged for their detective services?

Finally Nancy said, “We have no proof with us. But if you phone my father in River Heights in the United States, he’ll back up our statement. He’s a lawyer. And you might phone Chief McGinnis of the River Heights police force. He has known me ever since I was a little girl.”

The officer rubbed his chin. “Your father is an attorney?”

Bess answered, “Yes, and very well known!”

“We came to Mexico City to locate a con man who is wanted by the New York police,” Nancy said.

“Amazing!” the manager said.

Lieutenant Tara picked up the phone and first called Mr. Drew, then Chief McGinnis. They confirmed the fact that the girls were strictly amateur detectives and Chief McGinnis said, “Nancy Drew is the daughter of a famous attorney and she is known for her talent in solving mysteries.”

Lieutenant Tara thanked the chief and said good-by.

George spoke up. “Who gave you this false information about us?”

The officer hesitated. “I don’t know. Our chief received the message. Why don’t you ask him personally?”

Senor Gonzales offered to get the chief on the line. In a few moments Nancy was explaining to him the girls’ mission in Mexico City.

He told her that the message had come from someone in the U.S. Department of Justice, but that he had not caught the man’s name. He then asked Nancy if she and her friends had any more to tell.

“Indeed we have!” Nancy replied. “This is outrageous. We have never been investigated by the Department of Justice. Your anonymous caller gave you false information.”

The chief cleared his throat, but did not comment. Instead, he asked to speak to Lieutenant Tara again. The chief told him that he saw no reason for detaining the girls and Tara should return to headquarters. When the officer finished, Tara smiled and relayed the message.

“Thank you,” Nancy said. “That’s a relief.”

Bess grinned. “I feel a hundred pounds lighter!”

After Tara had left, Senor Gonzales apologized profusely to the girls. He told the desk clerk to give them a fine room with bath. “That may compensate for all the trouble we Mexicans have caused you.” He smiled broadly.