Nancy agreed and said she thought their best hiding place would be somewhere behind the door of the closet where bottles of chemicals were kept. By leaving the door ajar, they could watch the person’s actions. By now someone was climbing the steps to the attic. Nancy and Burt waited breathlessly.
When he reached the lab he at once turned up the beam of his searchlight and cast it over the room. Nancy and Burt could not be seen and were safe from its harmful rays. Burt clutched the sack and watched the intruder dim his searchlight.
In the crack of light shining into the closet, Burt held up a finger and crooked it to form the letter C. He followed with an R. Nancy realized that he was spelling Crosson!
She and Burt waited for their chance. Crosson walked closer and closer to the closet. Just before reaching it, he turned his back on the door. This was Burt and Nancy’s opportunity to capture him!
Like lightning they sprang from the closet. Burt pulled the sack over the man’s head, while Nancy held his arms tightly to his sides. The movement startled Crosson so much that he fell and dropped the searchlight. Fortunately its beams had been diverted from Burt and Nancy. Nancy reached out and with one foot shut off the power.
By now Burt had managed to tie the lower part of the sack around the man’s waist. The prisoner struggled to get away. His muscles were strong. Nancy realized that he must be bound more securely. She snapped on the ceiling light and looked for something with which to bind their prisoner. She found a coil of electric wire and tied the man’s ankles tightly, while Burt tried hard to keep the sack over his head and his arms pinned down. Next, Nancy wound the rest of the wire about his body so he could not free himself.
“Let me out of here!” the prisoner screamed.
Burt looked at Nancy who nodded, and the sack was taken from Crosson’s head. Nancy thought she had never seen an angrier, more calculating smirk on anyone’s face. The man’s fiery red hair was sticking out in all directions. His eyes were like two gleaming coals, as hatred shone in them.
“Let me go!” he shouted.
Nancy looked at him and asked, “Where’s Ned Nickerson?”
Instead of answering, Crosson cried out, “You’d better release me or you’ll all die!”
Since the man was unable to use either his arms or legs, Nancy and Burt were sure that the threat was only an idle one. Nancy said she would go to the first floor and get Professor Titus to identify Crosson. Upon hearing this, Crosson’s eyes closed to a mere slit. Nancy thought he looked like a tiger about to spring upon its prey.
She hurried from the room and ran to the lobby. The scene before her startled the young detective. It was evident that Bess, George, Dave, and Professor Titus had received a dose from the paralyzing searchlight. Fortunately they were all regaining their ability to move.
“Zapp Crosson is our prisoner in the attic!” Nancy exclaimed. “Professor Titus, will you go up there with me to identify him?”
“Yea!” shouted Dave.
“Hypers!” George said. “You’ve done it again, Nancy Drew!”
The young detective still looked sober. “He won’t answer my question about where Ned is, but I’m going back to see if I can find out anything.” Then she asked, “Tell me exactly what happened down here.”
Bess explained that she had seen the front door open silently and the red-haired Cyclops had come in with his paralyzing searchlight and immediately beamed it on Dave and her, but she had managed to scream. George and Professor Titus had come running, and in turn had received an electrical shock.
Not only Professor Titus, but Bess, George, and Dave accompanied Nancy to the attic. The professor took one look at the prisoner and said, “It’s Zapp Crosson all right.”
Then he glanced at the turned-off searchlight which was still lying on the floor. He picked it up and examined the strange gadget. It would no longer switch on and he declared that the mechanism had worn out.
Nancy went to stand in front of the prisoner. Again she asked, “Where’s Ned Nickerson?”
Crosson eyed her skeptically. “Let me loose and I’ll tell you a lot,” he replied.
The others waited for him to give an explanation about the kidnapping. Instead he suddenly began to laugh.
“I know you’re going to have me arrested but the authorities have no charge on which to hold me. You have no proof of anything. I had permission to stay in this museum and to work in this laboratory. That’s not against the law. I’ll deny everything else I’m accused of. That goes for your boy friend, Nancy Drew. I happen to know he’s safe, but he’ll never be able to leave the place where he’s being held unless I give the word.”
The red-haired man stopped speaking and refused to answer any further questions. When Nancy realized that for her to continue was hopeless, she decided to call the police and turn the whole matter over to them.
She hurried to the first floor and dialed the number. Tim Rooney answered.
“Don’t tell me you’ve caught the intruder!” he said.
“Yes, I’m reporting just that,” Nancy replied. “But he won’t tell where Ned Nickerson is. Can some of your men come to the museum at once and take charge?”
“They’ll be there shortly,” Tim Rooney told her, then said how astounded he was that Nancy Drew had caught the kidnapper.
When two other officers arrived, they were equally amazed. Nancy led them at once to the third-floor laboratory. Crosson glared at the officers and instantly told the men that they had no case against him.
“I demand that you release me!” he said.
“There’s already a warrant out for your arrest,” one of the officers told him. “And if we need any proof, I think there are several witnesses right here in this room who will testify against you in court.”
The men searched the prisoner’s pockets. When they found nothing, they untied the electric cord which had bound him, slipped on handcuffs, and let Crosson stand.
“We’ll lock him up,” one officer said. Turning to Nancy, he asked, “Just how did you solve this case?”
“By two 1923 pennies,” the young detective replied. Crosson gave a start and cast an ugly look in Nancy’s direction.
The officer asked, “Where will I be able to find you people?”
Professor Titus said he thought the group should return to Emerson at once for a good night’s sleep. Everyone agreed and the police were given the telephone number of the fraternity house.
By the time they reached Emerson it was day-break. The whole group tumbled into bed, exhausted.
“What a day!” Bess said as she closed her eyes and trailed off to sleep.
George immediately followed her cousin, but after Nancy had relaxed for half an hour without dozing off, her mind began to race. She wished that Ned had been rescued instead of Crosson having been captured.
“We’ll have to start another big search,” she said to herself.
Presently the young detective became so restless she decided to get up, dress, and walk around the campus. Maybe a long stroll would help her figure out what her next move should be. She went outside and crossed the campus to a large playing field.
Hearing a noise above her, she looked up and saw a helicopter coming. As Nancy watched it, she was startled to see the craft pause directly overhead, then begin to descend.
Her heart pounding, she asked herself, “Is this the robot copter? And if so, why is it coming here?”
Suddenly it occurred to Nancy that one or more of Crosson’s pals might be aboard! Should she run and avoid being captured?
The young detective was too intrigued to leave. The helicopter might contain another message from Ned!
CHAPTER XX
Surprising Story
As the helicopter descended closer to Nancy, she became more and more tense. The craft settled to the ground.
The rotors slowed down and finally stopped. As Nancy stared, the door opened and the pilot jumped out. Suddenly Nancy caught her breath, then she started to run toward the
young man as fast as she could.
“Ned! Ned! I can’t believe it!” she cried out.
Realizing who she was, Ned too began to run. A few moments later they were in each other’s arms.
“Oh, Nancy, I’m so glad you were the first one to greet me on my homecoming!”
“Ned, you’re safe!” she exclaimed. This brought a twinkle to the good-looking young man’s brown eyes. “There’s so much to find out about where you’ve been,” Nancy continued. “And how did you ever get away from where Crosson had hidden you?”
Ned looked at Nancy unbelievingly. “You found out who my abductor was?”
By this time Nancy and Ned were walking arm in arm toward the fraternity house.
“I’ve been working on the case. Last night we captured Zapp Crosson and he’s in jail now.”
“Thank goodness for that,” Ned replied. “I don’t think I could have taken much more. Crosson grew nuttier all the time and I was afraid he would kill me. Oh, you wanted to know where he has kept me hidden lately and how I got away.”
“I know it wasn’t the farmhouse nor the cabin in the swampy wilderness because the police are watching both places,” Nancy said.
“You arranged that?” he asked.
Nancy told him that she had been working with Bess, George, Burt, and Dave. “And Professor Titus was very helpful, too.”
Ned revealed that Crosson had a third hideout. It was on an abandoned army post with a level but rather overgrown flying field.
“Whenever Crosson took me any place, I paid strict attention to how and where he piloted the copter. A couple of times he let me fly it.
“Last evening a friend of his came and took Crosson away in the copter—I think to the Anderson Museum—but only the friend returned with the craft.”
“Where is he now?” Nancy asked.
Ned said that the man had gone off in his car after giving him some supper.
“I asked him how long Crosson would be away, and he said at least a couple of days. That gave me an idea. Crosson had not chained me as tightly as he had at the other two places and after a while I was able to get loose. I determined to try flying the copter, but I didn’t dare set it down in any airport. I know I was breaking aviation rules. However, due to the circumstances I’m sure I won’t have any trouble with the authorities.”
“Was the glowing eye his own invention?”
“Yes, and he experimented with it in several ways—making it turn red, using a paralyzing type in a searchlight, and trying out a miniature, indestructible one. But he put a speaking tape in it, so if anyone should pick up the eye and open the lid, it would sound a warning. Crosson didn’t want anyone to discover his secret. He also magnetized the inner wall below where the big eye appeared in the museum. It was put there to trap anyone investigating the spot.”
“I know,” said Nancy. “It happened to me.”
“What!” Ned exclaimed. “That scoundrel! Well, I’m glad he couldn’t finish his invention. He needed mine to perfect his own for commercial uses.”
“Oh, I’m so glad he never got it,” Nancy said. “Ned, what about the eye that glowed on one of your notes? Who put it there?”
“The paper was from a pad of Crosson’s: ”
“And the drawing on the paper at your home that was eye-shaped and had numbers on it?” Nancy said.
Ned grinned. “That was my secret. Sometime I’ll explain it to you.”
“Tell me, how did Crosson happen to adopt the name Cyclops?” Nancy asked.
“He became interested in the origin of the word and made his invention in the shape of a huge eye. Then he decided to call himself Cyclops. When I sent the note to you, I didn’t dare use his real name in case he found it. I also thought Cyclops might be a good clue for you.”
By this time the couple had reached the fraternity house. Though it was early, several students were up. When Ned walked in the door, they stared at him as if he were a creature from another planet. Then a great cheer went up.
The noise awakened everyone else in the house and within minutes Bess, George, Burt, and Dave were surrounding Ned, shaking hands or kissing him and asking a hundred questions.
“Tell you what, fellows—and girls,” Ned said, winking at Nancy, George, and Bess, “suppose we have breakfast, and while we’re eating, I’ll tell you everything that happened to me. Now I want to call my parents. Nancy, will you call the police?”
“Yes, and tell them you’re safe.”
After assuring Mr. and Mrs. Nickerson he was all right, and promising to see them that evening, Ned went to his room and had the first really good shower he had taken since leaving Emerson. Refreshed, he came downstairs and all the students and visitors and Professor Titus, whom Burt had invited, assembled in the dining room. Ned ate some fruit and cereal, then got up and began his story.
“As you know, I worked next to Zapp Crosson in the lab. He proved to be a very inquisitive person and was always looking at my notes and watching my experiments. Quite accidentally I hit upon something which I think will be a worthwhile invention.
“Crosson thought so too and secretly determined to steal it from me. At one point I became a little suspicious, so I gathered up all my formulas and notes relating to my project and mailed them to my home.”
“But what about the helicopter sketches that were in the same package?” Nancy interrupted.
“Crosson used to draw copters all the time. He left a sheet of them on my worktable one day. It must have become mixed in with my own papers.”
Ned paused a moment before continuing his story. “He fooled me part of the time. Though I was suspicious of his intentions regarding my invention, I did not suspect he planned to kidnap me and keep me a prisoner until he could get my invention and market it.
“A week ago yesterday Crosson came to my room and told me he had a copter which he kept, with special permission, on a farm outside of town. He asked me if I would like to take a ride in it. He seemed so friendly that I was taken off guard and accepted. I had no time to write a note to Burt and Dave, because he insisted we leave at once.
“We drove out to the farm and I left the car parked at the side of the road. Everything went well until we got into the copter. Then Crosson suddenly pulled a gun and said I was his prisoner and he would not release me until I had given him a complete set of drawings and formulas for my invention. Of course I refused and he took me to that wilderness hideout.”
“How wicked!” Bess Marvin burst out. Other students agreed and there was a few minutes of bitter talk about the graduate student. Finally Ned went on to relate what else had happened to him.
“Every time Crosson got word from his pals that the police were on his trail, he moved me. I had an idea it was Nancy who was keeping the police informed. We went from place to place but they were always in secluded areas.
“In the beginning Crosson wanted to scare Nancy off the case so she wouldn’t try to solve it. Apparently he knew of your reputation, Nancy, and also where you lived. He said he could make his copter into a robot and that he intended to program it to go directly to your house. He was planting a bomb inside it, which was to roll out when the door opened automatically and blow up part of your home, and he even hoped to injure you and your father so you’d be too scared to try finding me.”
“A bomb!” George exclaimed. “Nothing went off and the police didn’t see it in the copter. What happened to it?”
Ned smiled and said that he had talked Crosson into letting him walk outside to see the helicopter when it was ready.
“I had decided to send Nancy a warning note so I wrote it and put the note into my pocket. When Crosson had everything set to go, I told him I’d heard something in the sky. Maybe somebody was coming after us. Of course he looked up and this gave me a chance to remove the bomb and put the note into the copter.”
“What did you do with the bomb?” Burt spoke up.
Ned said he had taken a chance and hidden it under his coat. The
robot copter was taking off from the hiding place in the wilderness.
“After it had gone, I told Crosson I wanted to get a certain plant out of the swamp and he assumed it had something to do with my invention, because he felt sure I was going to give in to his demands. He didn’t want to walk into the mucky area himself, so he told me to go ahead but warned me not to try to escape. I assured him I wouldn’t, but went far enough away so that he couldn’t see what I was doing. I bent down to pull up a plant, but at the same time I gently placed the bomb underwater.” Ned laughed. “I suppose it’s still there. We must tell the police about it.”
As Ned paused, Dave asked, “When Crosson found out the bomb didn’t arrive at the Drew home, what did he think?”
“That during the flight the bomb must have rolled out and dropped off some place. Crosson watched the newspapers to see if there was a report of any accident but he never saw one.”
Ned told his listeners that when the robot copter did not return to the wilderness hideout, Crosson decided to go see what had happened. “It was he who knocked out the police guard at the Drew house, cut the rope which had been used to tie the helicopter down, and flew the craft back where we were staying.”
After glancing at his wristwatch, Ned announced, “Fellows, it’s time for those of you who have classes to leave. Later I’ll tell you more about my abduction.”
Nancy and her special friends went to the guest room and sat down. Fortunately Burt and Dave had no classes so they could stay to hear the rest of Ned’s story. They learned that Crosson had robbed the Emerson lab to equip his own in the wilderness. Also that he had set the bomb in the file drawer of duplicate papers relating to the glowing eye. He didn’t want anyone to see them.
Nancy asked, “Ned, is your invention still a secret, or could you tell us about it now?”
“I sure can, especially after all the great things you have done for me and captured Cyclops. My invention is a new way for a scientist to produce laser light so that even a small source of energy will do great feats. It’s done by converting all of the energy into light.”
Mystery of the Glowing Eye Page 11