The Third Girl Detective

by Margaret Sutton

  “When we come back up from the secret room we’ll unmask and go into the big dining room for the banquet. I hope you have all been keeping a list of the people whom you think you have recognized. As you know, we’re going to gather up your lists as you enter the dining room. During the banquet, prizes will be awarded to the guests who have guessed the largest number of people correctly.”

  After the applause that followed Philip’s speech, Pat pressed the button that moved the bookshelves aside. From then on Philip was kept busy leading one little party after another down into the secret room.

  Mr. Graybeard went with the first group and added to the ghostly atmosphere by posing near the safe. Behind him the paper skeleton dangled precariously from the ceiling.

  When the last guest had inspected the little room and had gone back up the stairs to the alcove, Philip said to Graybeard, “Thanks for helping us out. You make a swell ghost. Who are you anyway?”

  “Never mind,” said a cold, crisp voice. “Turn around and come down the steps with your hands up.”

  With one swift gesture, Philip released the spring that closed the secret door. Then he turned to face the gun Graybeard was pointing at him.

  Philip was caught in his own trap, but at least the man and his pistol could neither harm nor frighten the people on the other side of the door.

  Philip came slowly down the steps. “So you’re our mysterious Mr. X,” he said coolly.

  “Call me anything you like,” Graybeard said, taking Philip’s own pistol from his pocket. “Now open that safe.”

  Philip shrugged. “Anything to oblige,” he said.

  “And don’t try to pull any tricks,” Graybeard warned him. “Upstairs, two men I hired for the occasion are at this very moment relieving your guests of their excess jewelry and cash.”

  So it was a planned robbery! And Graybeard’s henchmen had probably come disguised as cowboys, carrying real pistols in their holsters!

  For a moment, Phil was paralyzed with worry about the girls. Penny and Marjorie were so impulsive! Would they submit quietly to a holdup? And Adra?

  He felt sure that the older women, although they would be frightened at the sight of guns, would do nothing which might arouse the anger of armed criminals. But the girls!

  The voice behind the mask repeated menacingly, “Open that safe!”

  Philip quickly obeyed. There was nothing else to do. Peter had been right all along: They should have called on the police for help.

  Philip twirled the dial and opened the door of the safe. “Help yourself,” he said curtly.

  “I am very much engaged in watching you,” replied the man. Philip had no choice. He emptied the safe and handed its contents to the masked burglar.

  There was a good sum of money, the payments of the guests for the week. It was mostly in checks and a great deal of the jewelry had been removed from the safe for the occasion. Philip was thanking his lucky stars that they didn’t keep too much cash, valuable articles or important papers. Philip tried to get a good look at the man’s face under his beard, but it and the mask over his nose and eyes completely hid his features.

  Could this really be the mysterious Mr. X? No, Philip decided. Graybeard was nothing but a common ordinary burglar. And yet there was something familiar about him.

  The man tucked the money into his pocket, then looked contemptuously at the bit of jewelry but put it into another pocket. Philip listened to hurrying footsteps overhead and could see that Graybeard was perturbed by them. But there was no catching this man off guard. He held the gun close to Philip every minute. He again ordered Philip to put his hands into the air, while he felt around the inside of the safe. Philip could not help but think what a curious picture this man with his long gray beard made, as he searched through the empty safe with one hand and kept his pistol pointed at Philip with the other. What on earth was he searching for?

  Then Philip heard a little click, and suddenly a drawer on two little steel rods dropped down from inside the top of the safe.

  “Missed that part of it, didn’t you?” Graybeard sneered. “Empty that drawer and hand me the stuff.”

  Philip was so surprised he stood there with his mouth open for a full minute, then with great interest he looked at this drawer that he had never seen before. It was wide and shallow and full of papers. Evidently a little hidden spring had released the rods that held the drawer in place. Could this be the place where the rumored treasure was supposed to be hidden? Philip mentally kicked himself for not having thought of such a possibility before. Much good it would do them now. Idiot that he had been not to have taken ordinary precautions that night. What fools they had all been not to follow Peter’s advice!

  No wonder Mr. X Graybeard had planted red herrings guaranteed to keep Jimmy and Marjorie searching everywhere for hidden treasure except in their own safe.

  “Quit stalling,” Graybeard growled, poking Philip with his gun. “Come on, hand over that stuff and make it snappy. The boys upstairs must be about ready to go.”

  Philip took from the drawer two packages of old papers that looked like receipted bills, and a large, bulging Manila envelope. This Graybeard snatched from Phil’s hand and pocketed it with a satisfied air. He glanced at the old papers and said, “You can throw those away. What I want is bound to be in this envelope.” He went on in a patronizing voice, “Thanks, sonny boy. If you hadn’t played right into my hands, I might have had to use some ‘soup’ to blow the lock off that safe. Messy stuff, ‘soup,’ and noisy. When I heard you were going to throw this ball and show your guests the secret room, I decided to let one of you dopey Allens open it for me.” He patted the pocket into which he had stuffed the old Manila envelope. “What I have here is much more valuable than all the money and jewels the men I hired have taken from your guests. They can keep whatever they collected as their pay.”

  “Just what is in that old envelope?” Phil asked, stalling for time. The man, in the boasting, triumphant mood he was now in, might be caught momentarily off guard.

  Graybeard chuckled evilly. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

  “I certainly would,” Philip said and added shrewdly, “I should think you’d like to know too. After all, it may be stuffed with nothing but more old receipted bills.”

  The man, struck by this thought, glared at Philip through his mask. “Never thought of that,” he muttered and hastily shifted the gun from his right hand to his left so he could reach into his pocket and open the envelope.

  In that split second, Philip went into action. Before Graybeard knew what was happening the pistol had been knocked from his hand. At the same moment, Philip’s fist crashed against his jaw. Graybeard went limp and toppled to the floor.

  Phil leaped over his unconscious body to retrieve the gun. Then he took his own pistol from Graybeard’s pocket.

  “Now the tables are nicely turned,” Phil chuckled. He quickly tore strips from the black draperies on the wall and tied the man’s hands and feet together. He worked fast because he was worried about what was going on upstairs.

  Then he heard sounds on the other side of the door at the top of the steps. Phil held his pistol ready. One of the gunmen, worried by the prolonged absence of Graybeard, might be coming down to see what was happening in the secret room.

  The door swung open, and, to Phil’s relief, Pat leaped down the stairs. Phil met him halfway. “What happened?” he asked nervously. “The girls—are they all right?”

  “Everybody’s just fine,” Pat said, grinning. “I’ll tell you all about it later. Let’s see what you have here first.”

  He bent down and yanked the beard and mask from the unconscious man’s face.

  “Whew!” Pat and Phil whistled in one breath. “Our nice cheap laundry man!”

  For it was Mr. Taggart, and, as he regained consciousness, glaring with rage up at Phil, his face was anything but ple
asant.

  CHAPTER 14

  FORGOTTEN TREASURE

  Pat swiftly untied Taggart’s feet. “Get up,” he ordered. “Your pals are waiting for you in a nice shiny prowl car in front of the Lodge.”

  “The police,” Phil gasped. “But how—?”

  Pat grinned. “The whole hold-up was a washout. Oh, some of the ladies got a little scared when we all suddenly found ourselves facing those cowboys and their guns. And I was pretty worried about you myself when I saw the door close and guessed you were trapped down here with the ringleader.” He chuckled. “Penny saved the day. Just before the hold-up was to take place, she happened to notice that two of the cowboys, who were loitering out in the hall, were carrying real guns. She raced upstairs and called the police.” He laughed at the chagrined expression on Taggart’s face. “The police arrived shortly after our friend’s pals had collected their loot. In fact, they walked out of the door and right into the arms of two of the biggest cops I’ve ever seen.”

  “Those fools,” Taggart snarled. “I told Jerry and Rick not to let anyone out of their sight once the secret door was open.”

  Pat, as he deftly emptied Taggart’s pockets, told him, “They didn’t exactly let her dash upstairs to the phone in her room. She went so quickly and so quietly they didn’t even know she wasn’t among those present downstairs. When it finally dawned on them that none of their victims was dressed as a bride, I imagine they guessed that the game was up and decided to scram without waiting to see what had happened to their boss.” He gave Taggart a push. “Get going,” he said gruffly. “There’s a nice shiny pair of bracelets waiting for you.”

  It was after one when the men returned from the precinct station after preferring charges against the three men. The girls were waiting excitedly for them on the porch.

  “Oh, Phil,” Marjorie yelled, running down the steps. “To think that Graybeard was Mr. Taggart our laundryman, and none of us saw through his disguise.”

  “Well,” Phil said, “it was a good disguise for one thing, and he was careful to spend most of his time with Adra who had never seen him.”

  Adra smiled rather shamefacedly. “I’m such a lazybones! He usually came in the morning before I was up. When he did come later in the day I guess I was always off somewhere having a good time while you Allens worked.”

  “That’s what you were supposed to be doing,” Penny said, smiling. “You’re our guest, remember?”

  “Never mind about that,” Marjorie interrupted impatiently. “What I want to know is whether or not Mr. Taggart was Mr. X.” She tugged Phil’s arm, leading him to a seat beside her on the porch glider. “Did he plant the clues we found and write us the threatening letters?”

  Phil nodded. “The other men were merely hired by him for the evening to keep the guests out of his hair while he looked for a secret drawer in the safe. He made a complete confession before we left the police station.”

  “Oh, oh,” Marjorie cried jumping up. “Then the mystery is solved. Tell us everything, Phil, right now.”

  He patted her hand affectionately. “Not now, honey. First we must think of our guests. Family affairs can come later.”

  Once everybody was in the dining room, its light and decorations made a gay setting for the return to normal feelings. As Philip followed the last guest into the room, Penny said, “Adra and I were just sick with worry over you, Phil. I want to know every single thing that happened as soon as possible! Are you sure you’re all right?”

  “I’m fine,” Phil assured her.

  Jimmy, too, caught Philip and said. “Good work, Phil. When do I get to hear the whole story?”

  “As soon as the guests have all gone home or to bed in the Lodge,” Philip said. “It’s a long story.” He turned to Penny, “And it was your quickwittedness that made it have a happy ending.”

  “I didn’t do anything but dash up to my room and call the police,” Penny said. “You’re a hero, Phil.”

  By now, of course, everyone had removed his mask and all the faces were familiar ones.

  Philip moved on to a space at the central table where he and Adra were going to sit together. He held her hand in a firm clasp and her fingers twined in response. Peter smiled at him and clapped his hands together for order.

  “Speech! Speech!”

  Philip smiled at everybody and didn’t seem at all nervous or upset after his experience of the evening.

  “I’m very sorry,” he began, “that robbers chose us for their victims tonight, and that I could not prevent your disagreeable experience.”

  “It was fun,” Judy interrupted impulsively. “For the longest time I thought it was just an act Jimmy and Alf were putting on. What I’ll have to tell the girls when I get back to Cincinnati!”

  Philip smiled at her and continued: “I hope that you all can forget the unpleasant part of the evening and that you will enjoy the feast Ann Mary prepared. I have here the jewelry and wallets and handbags the armed cowboys took from you. As I hold up each item will the owner please come and get his or her property?”

  While the food was being served, Philip distributed the stolen articles to their owners.

  “I was much too surprised to be frightened at first,” said Mrs. Curtis, calmly pouring cream into her coffee. “Indeed, like Judy, I thought for quite a while that it was some stunt the boys had thought up. The young people today are always doing some crazy thing.”

  “I was nearly speechless at those guns,” said Mrs. Powell. “I don’t know what the country is coming to! But it was all over so quickly I don’t suppose I was much more frightened than I would have been trying to get across a busy street.”

  “That, my dear, is slightly underestimating it—at least for me,” said Mr. Powell. “I was just plain worried one of those guns would go off.”

  “I certainly hated to see my jewelry gathered in,” remarked Mrs. Sanders.

  The prizes were awarded, and there was music afterwards. Some of the older people retired soon, but as this was the last general celebration, the younger set preferred to linger.

  Philip, whose duties as host had been accomplished, wasted no time, but took Adra to a moonlit walk and pretty nook on the shore where they sat on the sand and talked.

  Philip told Adra of his feeling of responsibility for his brother and sisters. “Now Penny is engaged to Peter as I suppose she told you. This summer’s venture will see Jimmy and Marjorie through school.” He hesitated. “And, er, college. At last, Adra, I feel I have a right to say, well, that the only treasure I ever wanted is you!”

  Adra’s blush was most becoming and gave Philip courage to go on. “Could you possibly care for me, Adra? You know your father has invited me into his office and I want to go on with my college education evenings, but somehow, whatever I decide to do depends on you. If you care, I think we can—”

  “Manage the rest,” finished Adra calmly, though her heart was beating fast. “Yes, Phil, I care enough.”

  Two happy young people walked back to the Lodge about half an hour later. As Phil and Adra entered they found most of the guests gone and Marjorie and Jimmy curled up in big chairs on the porch, sound asleep.

  “Those two wouldn’t dare go to bed for fear they’d miss something.” Adra and Philip laughed and went back to find Peter and Penny raiding the pantry for a snack.

  “Ha!” cried Phil. “More burglars!”

  “Yes; come join us,” replied Penny, unwrapping some brick ice cream.

  “Delighted,” returned her brother. “We need to celebrate. Adra and I have just reached a momentous decision and this Lodge can hardly contain me, big as it is.”

  “Honest? Oh, Adra, you perfect dear!” and Penny dropped the ice cream to hug Adra with enthusiasm. And Peter, who had caught the ice cream on his plate, shook hands with Philip after carefully setting down his burden.

  “You know,�
� said Peter slyly, “Philip was going to tell us what Mr. Taggart said when he confessed, but I guess Adra has made him completely forget it.”

  “That she has,” answered Philip. “Anything else that happened tonight is very unimportant by comparison with this. After all, that’s over. Exciting enough while it lasted, but not nearly as interesting as plans for my future life with Adra.”

  “Listen to the hero make little out of his great adventure,” cried Penny. “Phil, I can’t stand it another minute. Begin at the beginning and tell us every word Mr. Taggart said when he confessed. How did he know there was a secret drawer in the safe, and what was in the drawer?”

  For answer, Peter led the way to the porch. “Wake up, Sleepy Heads,” he said, nudging Marjorie and Jimmy. “Wake up and hear a bedtime story about hidden treasure!”

  “Hidden treasure,” Marjorie repeated, instantly wide awake. “Phil! You’ve been keeping something important from us.”

  “I told you it was a family matter,” Phil said, putting his arm around Adra. “And before I told the tale I wanted to be sure that Adra as well as Peter will soon be members of our family.”

  “I knew it,” Marjorie cried, giving Adra a hug. “I told you so, Jimmy.”

  “Congratulations, you two,” Jimmy said. “I mean, you four. Now, can we hear what went on in the secret room tonight, Phil?”

  “The story,” Phil began, “goes back to about twenty years ago when Uncle John was a very rich man and living in New York City. At that time he invested $20, in a small company belonging to one of his friends who told him that the stock was sure to go up. But the stock didn’t go up. It went down and finally its name disappeared from the Stock Exchange boards and from the newspaper stock lists. Naturally, Uncle John thought his certificates were worthless, but, lucky for us, he didn’t destroy them.”

  “Golly, Phil,” Jimmy cried enthusiastically. “When you say ‘lucky for us’ do you mean the old stock is worth something? Can I have a sailboat after all?”

  Phil grinned. “Let me finish, puh-leeze. About five years ago, the company started paying dividends, but it couldn’t locate a great many of its stockholders, among them, Uncle John. He had changed his address several times before he settled down here. So the company officials turned the matter over to a special detective agency which specializes in tracking down owners of forgotten stocks. Notices also appeared in newspapers throughout the country, and Mr. Taggart saw one of the notices.