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Authors: Carolyn G. Keene

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BOOK: The Strange Message in the Parchment

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She drove a few blocks until she came to an older section of town. Finally she parked in front of what had once been a house and was now a store. A gaudy sign in the window read: IF YOU CAN’T FIND IT HERE, YOU CAN’T FIND IT ANYWHERE. The two shoppers smiled.

Nancy remarked, “That’s a pretty broad claim. I wonder if the owner can live up to it!”

Junie giggled. “If he can, your quest is over.”

The interior of the shop was untidy and badly in need of dusting. A middle-aged man came from the rear room, slid behind the counter, and asked what the girls wanted.

Nancy noted that he eyed them up and down, as if he were asking the question, “What are girls like you doing in this part of town?”

Nancy made her request. At first the proprietor shook his head, saying no one had brought in a picture that morning. Then suddenly he added, “Oh, I forgot. A young fellow from town was in to buy some glass.”

“What size was it?” Nancy asked quickly.

The man looked at a piece of wrapping paper lying on the counter not far from his telephone. On it was scribbled 12 X 20 inches. He repeated this to the girls.

“That’s just the size we’re interested in!” Nancy said. “Who was this young man?”

The proprietor said he did not know, and Nancy wondered whether he was telling the truth or covering up for the thief. Acting as if she believed him, she asked, “What did he look like?”

“Oh, he was of medium height and kind of tough looking. I did notice one thing about him, though. His right hand had been bandaged as if he’d cut it. I asked him about it. He told me he had injured his hand on some broken glass that he wanted to replace.”

Nancy and Junie were exuberant. They were sure they had tracked down the thief! But the question was, where was he?

“You say you don’t know him?” Nancy asked the owner again.

The man shook his head. “I’ve seen him hanging around town with some other tough guys, but I don’t know who he is. In fact, I don’t want to know who he is.”

The girls felt that the least they could do for all this information was to buy a few articles from the shop. Junie selected a small hammer, an awl, and a package of assorted nails. Nancy found a new type of lawn sprinkler and purchased it to take home to her father. As soon as the articles had been wrapped and paid for, she and Junie left the store.

As they got into the car, Junie teased Nancy. “Now I suppose you will ask me to drive around to where the tough guys hang out!”

Nancy smiled and said, “You’re wrong this time. Take me to a drugstore in this neighborhood.”

She explained that she wanted to find out where the young man with the cut hand bought the bandage he was wearing.

“It’s a long chance, I know,” she added, “but, Junie, a good detective tracks down every possible little clue.”

Junie said she was beginning to see that. “It amazes me how much trouble you have to go to for one itsy-bitsy clue.”

The girls went into the drugstore and approached the counter where first-aid accessories were sold. A pleasant woman waited on them. Nancy asked her if a young man had been in that morning to purchase a fresh bandage for a cut hand.

She was elated when the woman said, “Yes, there was. He was in early. Said he had been in a car accident but didn’t have to go to a doctor. He could bandage his own hand.”

“Do you know who he is?” Nancy asked hopefully.

“Of course I do. He comes in here a lot. His name is Sid Zikes. I’m surprised that girls like you would be interested in trying to find out about him.”

Nancy thought it best not to explain her reason. She merely asked where he lived. This time she received an “I don’t know” for an answer.

“But I understand he doesn’t have a very good reputation,” the woman said. “If you aren’t aware of that, I think it’s my duty to warn you to stay away from him.”

“Thank you for the advice,” Nancy said, smiling. “Why does he have a bad reputation?”

The woman said she had been told that upon several occasions when there had been a theft in town, young Sid Zikes had suddenly disappeared. “But the funny thing is that after a while he comes back and nothing ever happens to him. I guess he has been suspected many times but never arrested.”

Nancy asked the woman if Sid Zikes ever wore gloves. She said she did not know. “But it wouldn’t surprise me. Sid, in his own flashy way, can be quite a dude.”

Both girls thanked the woman for her helpful information. Then they bought some powder and perfume. Nancy decided that hers would go to Hannah Gruen.

A few minutes later, as the young detectives were driving off, Nancy said, “Junie, I think we should report our suspicions to Officer Browning. Let’s stop at State Police headquarters and tell him or at least leave a message for him.” He was not there, so Nancy wrote a note to the absent officer.

When she and Junie finally reached home, Mrs. Flockhart met them. After she had kissed the two girls, she said, “Nancy, you are to call home at once. Your father phoned and said he has some very special news for you!”

CHAPTER XII

Telltale Glove

WHEN Mr. Drew answered the phone, he asked how Nancy was, and how she was progressing with the mystery. Hearing that she was very enthusiastic about her work, he added, “Hannah Gruen and I are both very busy and we keep well, but I must say we miss you very much.”

He now began to tell her about his interview with the United States Immigration Department. He said they had made a thorough search and could not find a Salvatore Rocco who had come into the United States from Italy about ten years before, with or without the baby he claimed was his nephew. The lawyer said he was sorry he did not have better news for his daughter.

“Oh, I’m not discouraged,” Nancy assured him quickly. “I assume that Mr. Rocco either sneaked into the country with the baby, or came here under an assumed name.”

“No doubt you’re right,” her father agreed, “and it would be almost hopeless to track down this man under such circumstances. But let me know if you get any more clues I can help with,” he added.

Nancy now brought him up-to-date on the mystery and ended by telling him about Diana Bolardo. “Do you think it would be a good idea to find out if anyone by that name entered this country either to stay or to visit during the past ten years?”

The lawyer thought it was a good idea. “However, if the woman is living in Rome, it won’t be necessary.”

Nancy said she would let her father know the instant Mr. Caspari told her what his grandparents had found out.

“And now,” Mr. Drew said, “I have a surprise for you. The police caught the girl who stole your jacket.”

“Really? How wonderful! What did she say?”

The lawyer reported that the girl had noticed Junie carrying the coat in a see-through bag and felt she had to have it. She followed Junie from the station, found the Drews’ door open and tiptoed in. “Her case comes up in two weeks. I guess you’ll have to testify against her. Incidentally, she’s a known petty thief and hitchhiker. She wasn’t acquainted with the man in whose car you saw her.”

“Too bad,” Nancy said with a sigh.

By the time she had finished her call, Junie had gone outdoors to visit the barn where the newborn lambs were kept. As Nancy sat thinking about the case and what to do next, Mr. Flockhart came in.

“Why so pensive?” he teased. “Did the phone call upset you?”

Nancy told him about the conversation, and then changed the subject. “I was thinking about something else. Would it be possible for me to obtain a piece of parchment the size of the one that was stolen? I’d like to try painting on it to see how close I can come to imitating the four original paintings.”

The owner of Triple Creek Farm said he would be glad to let Nancy have a piece of his finest parchment. With a twinkle in his eyes he added, “If you make a really good duplicate of the stolen picture, I’ll have it framed and hang it up!”

Nancy grinned. “I don’t expect to do anything so wonderful as the original artist did, but I’d like to try. It’s just possible it might help us solve the mystery.”

Mr. Flockhart said he would take her to the factory at once and choose exactly the right piece. He escorted her outside to his car and they drove off. Since Nancy had never tried painting on parchment, she did not know what to choose, but Mr. Flockhart showed her the different grades of parchment and told her which was the best variety for what she wanted to do.

Nancy thanked him and said she could hardly wait to get started on the painting. She had expected to return home at once, but Mr. Flockhart wanted to speak to Eezy, so they rode back to the house the longer way.

He parked the car where Junie had on previous occasions and walked up the hillside with Nancy. Eezy greeted them with a big grin. The shepherd did not wait to hear any message that might be brought to him.

At once he said, “Howdy, boss! Howdy, Nancy Drew!” Then as he picked up his Irish harp, he quoted from the Bible, “
‘Now I can make a joyful noise unto the Lord.”’
⁵

At once he began to accompany himself in a song telling about a lamb that had wandered far from home. Finally though, the little sheep had become so lonesome he could not stand it and turned around and went back. Eventually he rejoined his flock and the ditty ended with a series of baas in various pitches.

Nancy and Mr. Flockhart laughed and clapped appreciatively. Nancy now went to pat her favorite lamb, who nudged her affectionately. She noticed that he was growing stronger daily. She had to brace herself to avoid being shoved over.

In a few minutes Mr. Flockhart finished talking with his herdsman and called to Nancy that he was ready to leave.

“What’s the rush?” Eezy asked. “I got somethin’ in the cabin I want to show Nancy.”

He disappeared inside his shack but soon returned, holding up a glove. The girl detective was amazed. The glove looked exactly like the one she had torn from the hand of the thief who had stolen the parchment painting.

Excited, she asked Eezy, “Where did you get this?”

As the shepherd slipped the glove onto one hand, he said, “You know, this fits perfectly. Rover brought it to me. You’re a good detective, Nancy. Do you think you could find me the mate to this?” He began to sing loudly.

Before the callers could answer the question, one of the nearby sheep, apparently unused to his singing, gave a loud
baa,
which made everyone laugh.

It was Nancy’s turn to surprise the shepherd. “I think maybe I know where the mate to this glove is. If I’m right, I’ll tell you.”

Eezy wagged his head from side to side. “You’re the most amazing girl I ever met! You take this glove and see if it matches the one you know about.”

Nancy now changed the subject and asked Eezy if the two men who had attacked him had ever returned. “I was afraid they might attempt to attack you again.”

“Oh, no, nothing like that,” the shepherd said emphatically. “I’m keeping that mean ram penned up behind my cabin. If there is any disturbance around here, I’ll just turn the old fellow loose on anybody who bothers me!”

“That’s a good idea,” Mr. Flockhart said.

Nancy was thinking of the walkie-talkie that she and Junie had brought to the shepherd. Apparently he thought the ram would be a quicker and more effective means of warding off an attack!

“And after what happened to me,” she thought, “I guess he’s right!”

In the meantime Eezy had picked up his harp and began playing a pretty little tune on it. He finished in a few minutes, then Nancy and Mr. Flockhart said good-by and trudged down the hill. When they got into the car, he drove at once to State Police headquarters and turned over the glove Rover had brought to Eezy.

Officer Browning was there and was thunder-struck to see Nancy holding the matching glove.

“There is no question but that this is the mate,” he said. “Where did you find it?”

Nancy told him how Rover had picked it up on the Triple Creek property and brought the glove to his master, Eezy.

“I have a strong feeling,” Nancy said, “that the thief wanted to get rid of the mate of the telltale glove. He deliberately planted it on Mr. Flockhart’s farm to throw suspicion on Eezy or some of the other shepherds or helpers. What do you think, Officer Browning?”

“That you have made a reasonable deduction,” he said. “Of course it would be hard to prove, but we may get some other evidence to support your theory.”

Mr. Flockhart spoke. “It didn’t do that thief a bit of good to try making any of my men look guilty. I trust every one of them, and I am sure all are innocent of any wrongdoing.”

The officer nodded. “I would certainly take your word against any other person’s,” he said. “The police are convinced that the intruder in your home was a stranger, and the theft of the parchment picture was an outside job. Don’t worry, there will never be any charge against your men, I’m sure.”

After a little more conversation about the mystery, the phone rang, so the visitors stood up to leave.

“Don’t go yet,” Browning said. “I’ve been expecting a call. I think it may be of great interest to you.”

Nancy and Mr. Flockhart stood still while the officer answered the phone. He said, “Very good. Bring him in here. I have two visitors who would be glad to see him.”

The officer put down his phone, but gave no explanation of the conversation. Nancy and Mr. Flockhart looked at each other, puzzled.

A full minute went by, then the door opened. Two policemen walked in with a handcuffed prisoner. A sullen-looking youth glanced at the visitors, then his eyes dropped.

Officer Browning said, “Mr. Flockhart, Miss Nancy Drew, I want you to meet Sid Zikes!”

CHAPTER XIII

A Paint Disaster

BOOK: The Strange Message in the Parchment

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