The Secret of the Wooden Lady

by Carolyn G. Keene

  On the way, she asked him if he knew where Flip Fay was and if he had heard Fay was a wanted criminal known as The Crow. Quint did not know this. He thought Fay had skipped out.

  They had left Provincetown when the girls noticed a car following them.

  George peered out the back window. “It’s a State Police car. The trooper’s signaling for us to stop.”

  Nancy pulled over to the side of the road. The other car stopped. A uniformed officer got out and put his head into the window of Nancy’s automobile. He looked Red Quint over, then he said:

  “You’re under arrest. Come along with me!”

  CHAPTER XIX

  A Fiendish Plot

  NANCY felt sheepish. She suddenly remembered having told the police to arrest Red Quint!

  “A man answering this one’s description is wanted on a disorderly conduct complaint,” the trooper said. “The complaint was lodged by somebody named Nancy Drew.”

  “I’m Nancy Drew,” the young detective said.

  “You! Then what are you—? Say! All of you come along with me!”

  The officer got into his car, taking Quint with him, and told Nancy to follow in her car. But as she trailed the trooper toward State Police headquarters, Nancy’s brain was in a whirl. She had wanted Quint arrested. Perhaps now, out of spite, he would never reveal the whereabouts of the wooden lady!

  When they arrived at headquarters, Nancy told the officers about Fay, Lane, and the abduction of Captain Easterly.

  “I don’t want to press my charge against Red Quint,” she concluded. “I’m sure he’s not a thief like the other two. But maybe he’d be better off in jail for his own protection. I don’t know what Flip Fay might do to him if he found out how much Quint has told us.”

  The police captain seemed to think this was a fair proposition. Meanwhile, he said, they would check the sailor’s story and speed up the search for Flip “The Crow” Fay.

  Suddenly Quint, who had been listening quietly, said, “Could I speak to Miss Drew in private?”

  The officer agreed. Nancy and Quint went off to a corner.

  “Miss Drew,” Grizzle Face whispered, “you’ve been square with me. I want to be square with you, so I’ll tell you where the figurehead is. You take the road to Truro, but turn off just before at the sign that says Wright’s Cove. About a mile the other side of a settlement, you’ll find a little white house with an old sea trawler rotting away in the front yard. That’s Mrs. Parker’s house. That’s the place.”

  Nancy thanked him, and the three girls hurried out to their car.

  “Do you think Quint told you the truth?” Bess asked, worried. “Maybe he’s just putting us off the scent so he can find the treasure himself when he gets out of jail.”

  “I think he’s telling the truth,” Nancy said. It was a beautiful drive, but the girls scarcely noticed the trim cottages, the gardens, the blue sea and sky, as they sped on their way to the hiding place of the figurehead. Nancy finally turned down a sandy lane.

  “There it is!” George cried. “White house, old fishing boat. There’s a sign—Mrs. Parker’s Guesthouse.”

  The girls jumped out of the car and ran up the brick walk. At that moment a woman came around from the back yard, carrying a hoe.

  Nancy told her what they were looking for. “Is the figurehead here?” she asked.

  “Oh, that old thing.” Mrs. Parker smiled. “It’s out in the woodshed. A man named Burns brought it here with him.... No, it was Mr. Bleeker, I guess. He owed me twelve weeks’ board, and the poor man didn’t have a cent. He offered me the figurehead in place of the money. Said I could sell it, but I never bothered.”

  How glad Nancy was that Mrs. Parker had not sold Melissa!

  “Are you girls collecting antiques?” Mrs. Parker went on. “I have some Sandwich glass, if you’d like to look at that.”

  “No, we’re just interested in the figurehead,” Nancy told her, smiling. “May we see it, please?”

  “Certainly.” Mrs. Parker, still carrying the hoe, and quite unaware of her visitors’ excitement and impatience, led the girls through the garden to the woodshed.

  She unhooked the door, and they stepped over the sill into semidarkness. “It’s behind these boxes,” the woman said, pushing them aside.

  Nancy helped her, and presently in the dim light she saw the long-lost figure of Melissa. The wooden lady was indeed like the carved lady on the snuffbox. The three girls picked up Melissa and carried her into the yard.

  “She’s beautiful,” Bess said. “She must have looked lovely on the ship.”

  “Mr. Burns—or was it Bleeker?” Mrs. Parker explained, “told me the thing came off a pirate ship, but I don’t believe those old yarns. I’ve heard too many of ’em.”

  The girls exchanged glances. Was her former boarder a descendant of a pirate? Had he removed the ruby from it? Hardly likely, or he would have been able to pay his rent.

  “Would you sell the figurehead?” Nancy asked.

  “Of course I’ll sell it. What would you give for it?”

  A bargain was quickly made, since Mrs. Parker was glad to get rid of Melissa. The girls carried the wooden lady to the car, and with some manipulating managed to get it inside. Then Nancy drove back quickly to the guesthouse where the girls were staying.

  Their hostess was amused to see that they had found an old figurehead. She had no objection to their taking Melissa upstairs.

  “I can’t wait,” George kept saying. “Let’s cut her right open and look for the ruby!”

  They had just closed their door when the telephone in the lower hall rang. A moment later the owner of the house knocked on the girls’ door.

  “A message for you from Captain Easterly, Miss Drew,” she said, coming in. “You’re to follow him to the Bonny Scot at once. He’ll leave a rented rowboat on shore for you.”

  Nancy was amazed. “Was that all?” she asked.

  “He said he was moving back.” The woman hesitated as though she did not want to reveal the rest of the message. In a moment the reason was clear. She was about to lose three boarders! “The captain said you were to move back, too.”

  “Then we’ll have to go,” Nancy said. “I’m sorry. We’ll pay the full day’s rent.”

  Once more the girls packed, then drove to the beach with Melissa. The promised rowboat was there. A slip of paper with Nancy’s name printed on it lay on the floor. George offered to return the rented car. While she was gone, Nancy and Bess put Melissa and the luggage in the rowboat.

  George soon returned, and they set out. Reaching the clipper, Nancy called to Captain Easterly. A moment later Mr. Ogden appeared.

  “Hello, girls!” he said, smiling. “You got here ahead of the captain.”

  In the dim light Nancy saw the long-lost figurehead

  “What made you change your mind?” Nancy asked.

  Mr. Ogden said he had decided after they left that his company had been unduly hasty. He had telephoned his office and convinced his superiors to let Easterly buy the clipper.

  “I had quite a time locating the captain,” Mr. Ogden concluded, “but I did finally. Well, come aboard, girls. I see you picked up a figurehead.”

  He let down the rope ladder. George and Bess climbed up the side, then tossed down a rope which Nancy tied around the figurehead. They hauled Melissa aboard, while Nancy went up the ladder.

  Mr. Ogden helped George and Bess carry the luggage to their former cabin. Nancy remained on deck to wait for Captain Easterly. She did not want to leave the figurehead for one minute!

  In a few moments Bess returned. Excitedly she whispered that George hoped Nancy would begin hunting for the ruby at once. Mr. Ogden was in the captain’s quarters, writing. George would keep track of him and warn the others if he came on deck.

  “I think this is the place to start,” said Nancy, eager to see if the ruby were still there. She pointed to a small block of wood forming a part of one shoulder. “This doesn’t match the other shoulder,
” she pointed out.

  Nancy ran to the stern of the ship where she had seen a locker with tools. In a moment she came back with a chisel. With it, the girls quickly removed the odd block of wood.

  “Goodness!” Bess cried, gaping at the hole below it.

  In the hole lay a tiny metal box, rusted almost to paper thinness. Inside on a velvet lining was the precious ruby! The fabulous gem of the Orient glinted in the sunlight.

  The girls were so excited that they did not hear stealthy footsteps behind them. Suddenly they were startled by a harsh, masculine voice.

  “Thanks for all your footwork!”

  Nancy and Bess whirled around to see Flip Fay smiling triumphantly!

  “I’ll take the ruby,” he said, reaching for it. Nancy held on tightly to the ruby, and ran for the rail, while Bess screamed and clutched at the thief.

  Simultaneously Mr. Ogden appeared. Instead of assisting the girls, he suddenly laughed raucously. Pushing Bess to the deck, he helped The Crow overpower Nancy and took the ruby from her. “Fell right into our trap, didn’t you?” Ogden gloated. “The smart Nancy Drew!”

  “Stop the gab and get to work!” Fay ordered.

  Nancy glared at Fay’s companion. “I see now. You’re not Josiah Ogden at all. You’re Lane, the man who kidnapped Captain Easterly!”

  The man smirked. “Anything else you want to know?” he asked impudently as Fay produced some heavy rope.

  In spite of the struggle they put up, the two girls were tied securely to the foremast. Then George, who had been locked in a closet, was brought up and bound also.

  “You should have paid attention when you got my warning,” Flip sneered, tying a final knot. “Easterly must have known what the lizard meant.”

  Lane spoke up. “If Farnsworth had let me buy the ship, you wouldn’t be seein’ land for the last time.”

  “What have you done with Captain Easterly?” Nancy asked her captors. She was sure now he, too, had been tricked.

  The men looked at each other. Then Fay said enigmatically, “You might have a chance to say good-by to him yet.”

  With that, he and Lane walked quickly to the anchor windlass. With a sinking heart Nancy watched them haul up the anchor. Then they climbed over the rail.

  “Have a nice trip,” Flip Fay called as he disappeared from view. “The tide’s going out, and there’s a stiff breeze to take you to sea tonight.”

  “They’ve set us adrift!” Bess wailed as the girls struggled desperately to free themselves.

  CHAPTER XX

  Dreams Come True

  NANCY wriggled and twisted to loosen the tight ropes which held her to the mast.

  “Can you move your left hand, George?” Nancy asked.

  “I can’t move anything,” George answered.

  “We’re drifting out of the cove!” Bess cried frantically. “We’ll be lost at sea!”

  They were indeed passing through the inlet, and the ship began to pitch and toss in the cross-currents. There was not another craft in sight to rescue the girls and darkness was fast closing in.

  Something on the deck suddenly rolled toward them. Nancy saw that it was the chisel with which they had been working on the figurehead. If only she could reach it!

  She yanked against the chafing ropes and worked her right foot loose. She had to wait for another roll of the ship to bring the chisel nearer. Finally she reached out, dragged the tool toward her, and held it with the toe of her shoe.

  “How can you get it into your hand?” Bess asked, watching anxiously.

  By this time Nancy had managed to free the lower part of her right arm. She wriggled and pulled, but she could not get close enough to the deck to pick up the chisel.

  “If we could only manage to slide our ropes down on the mast,” Nancy said.

  “Let’s all try,” George urged. “We’re tied together, so if one slides down, we’ve all got to.”

  Inch by inch the girls worked themselves down toward the deck, until at last Nancy grasped the chisel with her fingers. She began feverishly to work on the rope holding George’s left arm, grinding the hemp against the mast with the cutting edge of the chisel.

  “Hurry, Nancy!” Bess pleaded. “We’re getting farther from shore every minute and soon it will be pitch black!”

  George said encouragingly, “When we get loose, Nancy, do you suppose the three of us could hoist the foresail?”

  Bess and Nancy looked at the great heavy loops of canvas. “It’s our only chance to save ourselves,” Nancy said. “And the wind’s shifted, thank goodness.”

  Free at last, the three girls turned to the problem of raising the great sail to catch the night wind. With their combined strength they finally hoisted it, made the halyard fast, and rushed to the wheel. The canvas flapped furiously, the ship careened; and then, to their great relief, righted itself as the wind filled the great white sheet.

  “We’ve done it!” Bess cried excitedly. “We’re heading back toward the cove!”

  “Can you girls manage without me?” Nancy asked.

  “You aren’t going to leave us?” Bess quavered.

  Nancy said she had been mulling over Fay’s remark about Captain Easterly. She was afraid it meant he was a prisoner on board.

  “I want to look for him,” she said.

  “Go ahead,” George told her. “We’ll manage. Besides, there’s a bit of a moon coming out, so at least we can see where we’re going.”

  Nancy hurried below and started calling. No answer. Grabbing a flashlight from the captain’s quarters, she raced from one spot to another. At last, in the stuffy forecastle, she saw a man lying on a bunk, his back to her. His hards and feet were bound.

  “Captain Easterly!” she cried, turning him over.

  Nancy loosened his bonds, then half dragged, half carried him to the foot of the companionway. She yelled for Bess and together they got him to the top deck. George was astounded to see him.

  With a whiff of the fresh air, the captain finally regained consciousness from a hard blow he had received at the hands of Fred Lane. The scoundrel had tricked him aboard with the same kind of story which Fay had telephoned to the girls at the guesthouse.

  “See here, what’s going on?” the captain asked suddenly, realizing they were under sail.

  Nancy told him what had happened. He tried to get up and help the girls, but he was too weak. It seemed no time at all before they were back in the safe waters of the little cove. Captain Easterly told the girls when to take in the sail and how to drop the anchor.

  “We’ll have to swim to shore,” Nancy announced. “There’s no boat.”

  The captain told them to be careful, and said he would be all right alone. George decided to stay with him, however.

  Nancy and Bess quickly donned swimsuits and started off through the dark water. They were good swimmers and soon reached the beach.

  Gasping and dripping, they rested a moment on the sand, then headed for the nearest house. Nancy asked the woman who answered her knock to telephone the police and ask someone to come there at once.

  While waiting, the girls told the flabbergasted woman a little of the story. She lent them towels and gave each girl a beach robe to put on.

  “Thank heaven you’re safe,” she said. “To think of such goings on in this quiet little cove!”

  Nancy repeated her story to two troopers who arrived in a few minutes. They radioed an alert throughout the area, then set off in their patrol car in pursuit of the criminals.

  Nancy borrowed a boat and returned to the clipper with Bess. They changed to street clothes, then with George and Captain Easterly came back to town. At headquarters they learned that Flip Fay and Fred Lane had been captured on the road to Boston. Fay had the ruby in his pocket and it was now in the possession of the police.

  “The ruby won’t cause any more trouble,” said the real Mr. Ogden of the Eastern Shore Shipping Company, when he arrived the next day and met the group at State Police headquarters. “My com
pany believes the ruby rightfully belongs to the descendant of Mathilda Witherspoon—Mrs. Smythe of Provincetown. What do you think, Mr. Farnsworth?” he asked the man who had inherited the clipper.

  “I agree with you.”

  Nancy was delighted to hear this, knowing the woman needed money. “Oh, may I tell her?” she asked eagerly.

  When Mr. Ogden nodded, Nancy sped to a telephone. The astounded Mrs. Smythe gasped. When she got her breath, the woman asked Nancy to thank everyone, then added:

  “When I told my neighbor about your coming the other day, she went to her attic and brought down a drawing of the Dream of Melissa. Maybe you’d like to have it.”

  Nancy was thrilled. “Is the figurehead on it?” she asked.

  “Yes, indeed. She looks like she must have the day she first set sail.”

  “Thank you very much,” Nancy said. “I’ll get it tomorrow when I bring the ruby.”

  Red Quint, who was standing nearby, said he, too, had a present for Nancy. “I want you to have the snuffbox. You earned it, Miss Drew, catchin’ up with a couple of pirates like Fay and Lane. You taught me a good lesson.”

  Nancy accepted the little carved box. She was relieved to learn that Red would probably be released on probation. Captain Easterly offered to take him on the clipper as a handyman and cook.

  “That is,” the captain added, “if I am going to have a chance to buy the clipper.”

  Mr. Ogden said he and Mr. Farnsworth had come to a gentlemen’s agreement in the matter. The Dream of Melissa was to be deeded to Captain Easterly with a clear title! Mr. Farnsworth would receive a portion of the sale price.

  “Then everything’s settled,” Bess sighed.

  Nancy telephoned her father in River Heights and related the whole story. Carson Drew was overwhelmed to hear that so much had been accomplished in such a short time. Mr. Marvin’s ring, Mrs. Marvin’s jewelry, and the coins were found in The Crow’s possession, and he had confessed to having overheard Nancy’s plans by chance on the telephone during the robbery. Then he had gone to Boston to investigate the story of the Bonny Scot, in league with his buddy Lane.

  After Nancy had discovered Fay on deck, and Captain Easterly had been sure he would not return, the thief had made two visits to the clipper and had hidden in the secret compartment below the wardrobe. From various vantage points, he had listened to Nancy tell Mrs. Smythe’s story and had heard that a Mr. Ogden was coming from Baltimore. Fay had induced Lane to impersonate Ogden and take over the ship.