“Be sure to let us know how you progress with the case,” Mr. Mise said.
“Indeed we will,” Nancy replied. “We never can thank you enough for your help in trying to solve this international case.”
In the airport Nancy and her father looked carefully for the Caputtis. There was no sign of them, and finally Nancy and her father boarded their plane.
When they reached River Heights the next day and walked into their own house, Hannah was overjoyed to see them. After she and Nancy exchanged hugs, Mrs. Gruen said she had worried every minute during the Drews’ absence.
“Any special reason?” Nancy’s father asked her.
The housekeeper said that several phone calls had come for them. When she told the persons that the Drews were not at home, they had left various messages.
“I’ve written them all down for you to look at later. Some of them were warnings of one sort or another. Several of the callers demanded to know how to get in touch with you. Of course, I did not tell them, and while I didn’t say so, my answers inferred that you were only out of town temporarily.”
“Good for you!” Mr. Drew praised her. “You probably saved us a lot of trouble.”
When Nancy walked into the dining room, she was amazed to see the table set for a number of people.
“Who’s coming?” she asked.
Hannah Gruen smiled. “Three guesses.”
Nancy counted the number of places, then said, “Bess, George, Ned, Burt, and Dave.”
“Correct.”
Before the guests arrived, Nancy unpacked her clothes and the gifts she had brought. Hurrying downstairs, she put the boxes at the places where each recipient would sit, and she attached cards.
All the guests arrived in a little while. Bess said, “Oh, Nancy, I’m so happy you’re home safe and sound,” and hugged her.
George was eager to hear about Nancy’s adventures. “And don’t leave out a word!” she commanded.
Burt and Dave, both strong, sturdy football players, greeted the Drews enthusiastically, saying they were envious of their exciting trip. Ned, more handsome than the others, had brown eyes, wavy dark hair, and a ready smile. He gave Nancy an affectionate embrace.
“It’s sure great to have you back,” he said.
The dinner was filled with fun and excitement, and the guests were thrilled with their presents. Hannah, Bess, and George put on their necklaces, while Ned fastened his stickpin to his necktie. Burt and Dave were surprised to receive anything, but Nancy explained that their gifts were actually from Bess and George, who had given her money to buy souvenirs for their friends.
“They’re neat!” all the recipients exclaimed, and Hannah hurried to the mirror to admire her matching necklace and earrings.
“And now tell us about your trip and what sleuthing you did in Japan,” George begged.
Nancy and her father kept their audience spell-bound for some time. Bess actually shivered at the episode of the man calling into her bedroom at the Mises’, and again at the frame-up when the necklace was found in Nancy’s kimono sleeve.
“I’m afraid we didn’t accomplish as much as we had hoped,” the young sleuth said. “We think, however, that we will be able to continue our work from here.”
When Nancy finished her account, Mr. Drew turned to Bess and George. “Suppose you tell us what you’ve been doing during our absence.”
George smiled. “We watched Mr. Moto’s shop whenever we could to see if Mr. Kikichi would do anything suspicious.”
“Did he?” Nancy asked eagerly.
“No. Not a thing. But one day on the way home we saw Mr. Moto in the back seat of a car. At least we think it was Mr. Moto. He seemed to be asleep. Perhaps he was drugged.”
“George, that’s a wonderful clue!” Nancy exclaimed. “We heard it from the Tokyo police chief but had no idea that it came from you!”
“We reported it to Chief McGinnis,” Bess took up the story. “He promised to pass the information on to you.”
“We tried to follow the car,” George said, “but lost it in traffic.”
“Did you get the license number?” Mr. Drew asked.
“Yes,” Bess replied. “The police checked it out and found that the car was stolen. It was discovered the following day in a supermarket parking lot.”
“Too bad,” Nancy said.
As the group at the table was eating dessert, the telephone rang. Nancy, being nearest the hall door, jumped up and answered it.
“Is this Miss Nancy Drew?” a man’s voice asked.
“Yes.”
“I am a friend of Mr. Moto’s. As you know, he’s planning to go to Japan. Mrs. Rossmeyer is home now and is giving a surprise farewell party for him. She would like very much to have you come.”
“Mr. Moto is still in this country?” Nancy asked, pretending to be surprised.
“Yes. The party will be tomorrow night at her home at eight o‘clock. Please bring an escort if you wish. When you arrive, say to the doorman, ‘Twelve and thirteen’.”
Nancy, frowning, walked back to the table and sat down. “I was just invited to a surprise party and told to bring an escort,” she explained to her friends.
“Who called?” Bess inquired.
“A friend of Mr. Moto’s!”
“You’re kidding!” Ned burst out. “Did he give his name?”
“No. He said the party would be held by Mrs. Rossmeyer as a send-off for Mr. Moto, who is going to Japan.”
“Then Mrs. Rossmeyer is home?” Mr. Drew asked.
“Apparently.”
Hannah Gruen shook her head. “This is very strange. Mrs. Rossmeyer plans a party. There are no formal invitations, Mr. Moto appears mysteriously at Mrs. Rossmeyer’s, and you’re invited. She doesn’t even know you! Something’s fishy. I don’t believe you should go.”
“Hannah is probably right,” Mr. Drew agreed. “What else did the man say, Nancy?”
“That was it, except he told me to introduce myself and my escort by the numbers twelve and thirteen.”
“That does it!” Hannah cried out. “It’s a trap! Nancy, I am afraid you are in great danger if you accept!”
“But if I don’t, I might miss a wonderful chance to solve the mystery!” Nancy objected. “And if Ned comes with me and we’re careful, I’m sure we can avoid falling into any trap. Ned, are you game to go?”
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” he replied. He flexed the muscles in his arms. “Bring on your crooks.”
Everybody laughed, then Bess asked, “If Mr. Moto was responsible for losing Mrs. Rossmeyer’s valuable necklace with the thirteenth pearl, why should she be giving a farewell party for him?”
Still puzzled, the group sat around the table for a long while. Then Bess and George said they should leave. Burt and Dave went with them. After Nancy had helped Hannah tidy up, the housekeeper and Mr. Drew said they were going to retire.
Nancy and Ned stayed in the living room for some time discussing what they might expect at Mrs. Rossmeyer’s party. Nancy smiled. “I suppose I’ll have to dress up.”
“I brought party clothes myself,” Ned announced. “One never knows what a guest of yours may be expected to do, or where he might be asked to go, so I came prepared with all sorts of clothes.”
The house was very quiet, with Togo asleep in the kitchen. The couple sat in semidarkness. Not a sound came from outdoors, until suddenly there were footsteps and a commotion near the front door.
Nancy and Ned jumped up to see what it was. Ned took hold of Nancy’s arm. “Don’t open the door,” he warned. “You have been in so much trouble, and this might be more of it.”
A man’s voice outside shouted, “Open up or we’ll break down the door!”
Nancy and Ned did not move. The warning was not repeated. Instead, there was a splintering crash, and the front door burst open. A huge vicious dog bounded inside, directly at the couple!
CHAPTER XVII
Pounds of Jewelry
B
EFORE the police dog could attack Nancy and Ned, they bounded into the living room, jumped over the back of a sofa that stood cater-cornered to the wall, and dropped to the floor.
The furious animal jumped onto the sofa and snarled at them. He did not pounce on the couple, however, apparently afraid of being caught in the narrow enclosure.
“Help! Help!” Nancy and Ned shouted at the top of their lungs.
Suddenly the man at the front door called out, “This is your last warning!”
The big dog, meanwhile, had jumped off the sofa and tried to crawl underneath it in order to get at Nancy and Ned. He succeeded only partway, but kept snarling at the trapped couple.
“Help!” Nancy cried out again. “But be careful! There’s a vicious dog in here!”
Just then her father came running down the stairway in his bathrobe and slippers. He carried a stout cane. As Mr. Drew reached the last step, the stranger, who stood in the doorway, commanded, “Don’t interfere!”
Nancy’s father paid no attention. He turned on the ceiling light in the living room and approached the sofa. At the same moment, Hannah Gruen appeared from the kitchen, also wearing a bathrobe and slippers. In one hand she held a broom, in the other a bucket of water.
Nancy suddenly remembered her pet. Frantically she called out, “Where’s Togo?”
“Up in your room waiting for you,” Hannah replied. “I shut the door, so he can’t get out.”
The unfriendly German shepherd had started to back out from under the couch. Hannah whacked him with the broom, and as soon as the dog’s head appeared, she threw the bucket of water into his face.
The animal yelped in pain from the whacks, and his owner whistled for him. Willingly, the defeated attacker ran from the house. Ned pushed the sofa forward and hurried after him to the door. The visitors had already left in a car.
The lock had been broken, but with Mr. Drew’s help, Ned managed to nail it shut. Then they pushed the sofa back into place.
In the meantime, Nancy had emerged from her hiding place and thanked Hannah for taking care of Togo, who was barking wildly upstairs.
“Shouldn’t we report this to the police?” Nancy asked her father. “The dog might be a clue to who the stranger was.”
“Yes, that’s a good idea. Call right away.”
Nancy spoke to the officer on duty and asked if he had a record of large German shepherds owned by the residents of River Heights.
“Yes, we do have a list from the license bureau. I’ll phone each owner and find out where his dog has been,” he promised. Twenty minutes later he called back. “Every German shepherd in town was indoors during the time when the vicious dog entered your home,” he reported.
Nancy thanked the officer and decided that “the voice” and the vicious dog had come from out of town. She mentioned this to her father, and she remarked, “The stranger certainly is well-protected.”
Late the next afternoon she and Ned dressed for Moto’s farewell party. Since Nancy did not know where Mrs. Rossmeyer’s house was, she decided to call Mr. Kikichi.
“Mrs. Rossmeyer is at home?” he inquired, amazed.
“I guess so,” Nancy replied. “She invited me to come and see her. Have you heard from Mr. Moto?”
“No.”
This answer puzzled Nancy, but she did not tell Mr. Kikichi that the party was supposed to be in his friend’s honor. She got directions and thanked the man.
On the way to Mrs. Rossmeyer’s, Nancy and Ned discussed the situation. “It’s over my head,” Ned confessed. “Tell me your thoughts.”
“There is a possibility Mr. Moto has not been kidnapped, but instead has chosen to go into hiding,” Nancy said, but she did not sound convincing.
“But if this is so, why hasn’t Mr. Kikichi been invited to the party?” Ned asked.
“Not only that,” Nancy said, “But just before Mr. Moto disappeared, he told us that he had never met Mrs. Rossmeyer. If the party is really in his honor, she must have been introduced to him after that.”
Ned added, “And perhaps he told her about you. That’s why you were invited.”
“Could be,” Nancy agreed thoughtfully. “But I still think all this is very strange.”
“I do, too,” Ned said. “And so does your father. He gave me a bunch of keys in case Mrs. Rossmeyer is in league with the crooks and tries to lock us up in her estate.” He pulled out two rings with master keys on them. “You take one, and I’ll take the other. Your Dad felt they might come in handy.”
“Good idea.” Nancy smiled and put the key ring into her evening bag. “Dad thinks of everything to protect me.” She smiled at her companion. “And you do pretty well yourself at the same job.” She quickly added, to cover any embarrassment he might feel, “I’m suspicious of those numbers we were told to use for identification. I wonder what it’s about.”
“I’m with you.”
“Suppose I say ‘number twelve and escort’ to the doorman? I’d like to avoid thirteen.”
“That’s a good idea,” Ned agreed. “And please stay close to me. Together we’ll be safer if any funny business is going on.”
It was almost dark when they reached the road to which Mr. Kikichi had directed them. It was narrow, rutted, and looked like a lane through the woods, rather than the entrance to an elegant estate.
As they drove along, Ned remarked, “Mrs. Rossmeyer must like privacy, unless Kikichi is sending us in the wrong direction.”
Just then, however, the house came into view. Many cars were parked near the brightly lighted entrance.
“He didn’t.” Nancy chuckled. “And there’s really a party going on. Now I feel better.”
“So do I,” Ned said as he positioned his car in such a fashion that they could make a quick getaway if necessary. Then the couple walked up to the house.
They could see people through the windows and paused to look at them. About half were American, the other half Asiatic. All wore evening clothes, but many of the outfits were so outlandish that Ned whispered, “They’re dressed as if they were going to a Halloween party.”
“And look at the jewelryl There must be tons of it!” Nancy said.
She was astonished at the gems the women were wearing. After studying necklaces, Nancy suddenly realized that so far as she could judge from the distance, every one contained twenty-five pearls. Like Mrs. Rossmeyer’s stolen piece, there was a large center pearl with twelve smaller ones on each side.
The center pearl differed with each necklace. Some were white, others gray, many were blue, a few were rose-colored, and three of them were black.
Nancy pointed out her discovery to Ned. “There certainly must be some significance to that,” she said in a barely audible voice.
“Perhaps we shouldn’t go in,” Ned suggested. “How about reporting the party to the police? By the way, the man who called you said it was a surprise. Well, I’d say it is!”
Nancy nodded but insisted they go in. “I have a feeling we’re on the verge of making a big discovery, and I don’t want to back out now.”
He finally agreed, and the two went up a few steps to a large, open veranda. From there they walked to the front door. It was opened by a man in a red velvet uniform. He looked at the couple and put out an arm as if to stop them.
To allay any suspicion on his part, Nancy smiled and said, “I am number twelve and this is my escort.”
The doorman stared at her, and she and Ned held their breaths, wondering what would happen next.
CHAPTER XVIII
The Weird Ceremony
THE doorman at Mrs. Rossmeyer’s home did not question Nancy and Ned. They went into a large hall, and from there into the living room where a reception line had formed. Mrs. Rossmeyer was heavily covered with jewelry from head to toe.
Nancy was amazed that she wore no necklace, however. Her white satin dress was covered with gems that sparkled in the artificial light. Even its standing collar and long sleeves were embroidered with numerous pearls,
diamonds, rubies, and emeralds.
“She’s decked out like a Christmas tree,” Ned whispered to Nancy.
The young sleuth suppressed a smile and stared at the woman. She did not look at all like Nancy had pictured her. She was very thin, had prominent cheek bones, and a determined-looking chin. Her hair was straw-colored, and there was an overabundance of rouge on her cheeks.
“I expected her to be beautiful,” Nancy said to Ned in a low, disappointed tone.
He grunted almost inaudibly. “She lets her gems make up for her looks!”
Nancy glanced along the receiving line and around the room. She did not see Mr. Moto, the jeweler. “I wonder where he is,” the young sleuth thought
In a few minutes, she and Ned moved up to the head of the receiving line, where Mrs. Rossmeyer was shaking hands with various guests, kissing some, and whispering into one woman’s ear.
When Nancy reached the hostess, the girl said, “We appreciate your invitation. Your party is wonderful.”
On the spur of the moment she decided not to use her right name. “I’m Nan Drewry,” she added, “and this is my friend, Edward Nickson.”
Mrs. Rossmeyer stared hard at them but made no comment. She turned to the Japanese man on her left “I would like you to meet Mr. Moto,” she said.
Startled, Nancy shook hands with him and asked, “By any chance are you related to Mr. Moto, the jeweler from River Heights?”
“No, I am not,” was the answer.
Ned shook hands with the slightly built man, but asked no further question. “I hope you enjoy your trip to Japan,” he said.
“I am sure I will,” Mr. Moto replied, and the couple moved on.
They mingled with the crowd, but realized that they knew no one, and none of the guests spoke to them. So their conversation was confined to admiring the gorgeous paintings, rugs, and tapestries with which the mansion was furnished.
As they walked back into the center hall, Nancy and Ned heard a strange noise upstairs. Curious, they went to the second floor. In one of the beautifully furnished bedrooms, an elderly American woman, dressed in evening attire and wearing a lot of pearl jewelry, was seated on the side of a bed. She rocked back and forth rhythmically, muttering to herself.
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