The Triple Hoax

by Carolyn Keene

“I agree,” Nancy said. “Please call me the instant you hear from the abductors. Meanwhile,” she added, “I suggest you keep your phone line free in case the kidnappers or even the police want to get in touch with you.”

  “You are so wise,” Senora Mendez said. “I will not talk any longer. But I’m very upset.”

  “You have good reason to be,” Nancy told her. “Please try to calm down. Think only good thoughts for your granddaughter’s return.”

  After saying good-by, Nancy told Bess and George what had happened. The girls were thunderstruck and agreed that Nancy’s hunch about the Hoaxters was no doubt correct.

  “I also think,” Nancy told them, “that there is more to it than I have guessed so far. If the Hoaxters are successful in drawing capacity crowds, why should they need to be mixed up with con men and kidnappers?”

  George nodded. “And why was it necessary for them to run away from New York?”

  Bess was not listening. Instead she said, “I feel sorry for poor little Dolores. Oh, I hope she’s not being mistreated! The poor child! She must be so frightened.”

  Nancy proposed that they go at once to the theater where the Hoaxters were performing and try to find out if her hunch really was correct.

  Just then their telephone rang. Señora Mendez was calling again. She was very excited.

  “We’ve had news!” she said. “My daughter and her husband received a hand-delivered note. But the person who brought it hurried away before they could ask him any questions. This is what the note said:

  “Your daughter will not be harmed, but she will be taken on a long journey.”

  “Is that all?” Nancy asked.

  “Yes. And while we’re relieved to know that Dolores is all right, we are extremely worried about this long journey. They might even take the child out of the country!”

  Nancy conceded this was possible. The question was, why did the kidnapper plan to take their hostage away from Mexico City?

  The young detective asked, “You’re sure there was no demand for money?”

  “Positive,” Señora Mendez answered. “Well, Nancy, I won’t talk any longer. But as soon as I have more information, I’ll let you know.”

  The girls resumed their plan to attend the Hoaxters’ performance. Nancy wanted to ask their leader point-blank why they kept people’s possessions for at least half an hour.

  She hailed a cab which let the girls off in front of the theater. No one was standing outside. Since it was an hour before show time, Nancy thought nothing of this. The front door was locked. George noticed a bell button and pushed it.

  After a long wait, a maintenance man appeared. “What do you want?” he asked gruffly in Spanish.

  Nancy told him that it was imperative the girls talk to the manager of the Hoaxters at once.

  “He’s not here. None of them are.”

  “When will they arrive?” Nancy asked in surprise.

  “Maybe never.”

  “What do you mean?”

  The man said the troupe had packed up suddenly and left. Nancy turned to Bess and George and quickly translated the information.

  George said, “This is the second time they’ve skipped out of town!”

  “And maybe they did it before that,” Bess added.

  Nancy addressed the maintenance man. “Is the manager of the theater in?”

  The employee hesitated, then reluctantly opened the door. “I’ll take you to his office,” he said.

  The maintenance man explained that the young ladies had come to talk with the manager, then went back to his work.

  The gray-haired Mexican looked at them closely. “What’s so important that you have to see me?” he asked.

  Nancy noticed a sign on his desk with the name Senor Tomás on it. She explained that they had followed the Hoaxters from New York because certain people believed the troupe might not be honest.

  “Do you know where they went?” she asked.

  “No,” Senor Tomás replied. “They left a note and enough money to cover the theater rental for the period they had reserved. I believe they departed last night.”

  “No one saw them go?” Nancy asked.

  Señor Tomás explained that after the evening’s performance which ended close to midnight, no one else had been in the building. Apparently a car or truck had been driven to the rear of the theater and loaded with the Hoaxters’ props.

  “When we arrived this morning, we discovered that all their possessions were gone,” he added.

  “Thank you very much,” Nancy said. “Do you mind if we girls look around a bit to see if we can pick up a clue as to where the Hoaxters went?”

  The manager glanced at them, puzzled. Finally he said, “Are you detectives?”

  Nancy smiled. “Just amateurs. We’re trying to help a friend.”

  Senor Tomás gave his permission and the group walked into the theater. No one was there. The girls went down a stairway to the dressing rooms. They noticed the maintenance man cleaning the floor.

  He stared at them. “What are you doing here?” he demanded in Spanish.

  Nancy replied, “We’re just looking around.”

  The man became belligerent. “Looking around, eh? You’re spying on me! Well, get out of here and fast!”

  Although Bess and George could not understand him, they knew he was angry about something.

  Bess said, “Nancy, we’d better go.”

  The cleaning man pointed to the door and motioned for the girls to leave. Fortunately Senor Tomás arrived just at that moment. When he heard about the altercation, he told his employee that the girls had his permission to survey the premises. They could stay as long as they wished. He added that the young detectives were trying to find clues to where the Hoaxters had gone.

  “Do you know?” the manager asked him.

  “No, I don’t,” the man replied. “And if I did, I wouldn’t tell anyone. When a fellow wants to keep something secret, other folks have no right to pry.”

  “That’s enough from you!” the manager reprimanded him. “And leave the girls alone!”

  The cleaning man looked sullen and continued to mop the floor. Nancy thanked Senor Tomás, who left with a nod. Together, the girls went through the various dressing rooms but found nothing to indicate the whereabouts of the Hoaxters.

  “This place is big!” George remarked. “Why don’t we split up? That way we can cover more space.”

  “Good idea,” Nancy agreed and the girls separated.

  In a few minutes Nancy found herself on the stage. In the dim light it was difficult for her to spot anything the Hoaxters might have left. As she stood still, thinking about the mystery, something heavy suddenly crashed over her head. It almost knocked her to the floor!

  Dizzily she struggled to extricate herself from the object and finally succeeded. Before her lay an oil painting that she had seen hanging on the wall during one of the Hoaxters’s routines.

  As she thought of it around her neck like a hoop, Nancy chuckled. Then her face became grim. “That painting didn’t fall on me by accident!” she thought. “Someone deliberately jammed it down over my head!”

  She looked in all directions but saw no one. “I’ll bet it was that disgruntled cleaning man,” she reasoned.

  Just then a pretty Indian woman with a mop and bucket walked onto the stage. She stared at Nancy in amazement. Noticing her rumpled hair and disheveled blouse, she asked in Spanish what had happened.

  Nancy explained and the Indian shook her head in sympathy. “That is very bad!” she declared. “I am glad you were not hurt.”

  The woman introduced herself as Sara. Then the girl detective asked her if she had seen anyone on stage a few moments before.

  “Yes,” Sara replied, “the maintenance man.”

  “I thought it was he,” Nancy said.

  She now questioned the woman about the Hoaxters’s sudden departure.

  Sara said she had not heard why the troupe had disappeared. “I did not li
ke them,” she added. “I think they were up to no good!”

  “Have you any idea where they went?” Nancy asked.

  Sara suddenly looked frightened. “I know, but they threatened to harm me if I told anyone!”

  “Oh!” Nancy exclaimed. Here was a wonderful clue, the young sleuth thought, but how could she persuade Sara to tell her what it was?

  10

  A Setback Reversed

  The cleaning woman began to mop the floor. Nancy was afraid that she would not reveal where the Hoaxters had gone. While the young detective tried to figure out how to persuade Sara, she picked up a dust cloth and wiped off the stage furniture.

  Sara looked at her and smiled. Nancy smiled back. “Sara, if the Hoaxters have left, how can they harm you?”

  The woman hesitated, then replied, “You are right. I overheard the men say they were going to Los Angeles. They realized I was standing close enough to hear their conversation, and accused me of eavesdropping. But I had no such intention. That was when they threatened to harm me if I told anyone.”

  “I’m glad you did tell me,” Nancy said. “Los Angeles is a long way from here. I wouldn’t worry if I were you.”

  Sara was relieved. She told Nancy that ever since seeing the men take wallets and handbags she had not trusted the performers. “I think they ran away because something happened,” she said. “But I have no idea what it was.”

  Nancy wondered about the information. Suddenly she had an idea: No doubt one of the patrons complained to the police about having to give up his wallet until the end of the show. The police in turn must have asked the Hoaxters to come to headquarters and explain. Since they want nothing to do with the authorities, they left. The same thing probably happened in New York!

  “Sara,” she said to the woman, “the maintenance man wasn’t very nice to us when we came in. Is he always so grumpy?”

  Sara glanced up from the mop she was using.

  “I do not like him. He does as little work as he can get away with and is forever looking for tips. The Hoaxters gave him big ones. I know because he used to brag about it.”

  “Did he receive large tips because he did special favors for the magicians?”

  Sara shrugged. “I do not know, but it is possible. Or perhaps he found out some secret of theirs and they paid him to keep quiet.”

  Nancy changed the subject. “Did anyone not connected with the show ever come here to see the Hoaxters?”

  “Oh, yes. Two fellows came twice. One was called Howie, the other Lefty. They arrived after the performance and talked to the Hoaxters in a dressing room with the door locked. No one else could hear what they were saying.”

  At this moment George and Bess arrived on stage. Nancy introduced them to Sara and said the woman had given her some good clues.

  “Did you girls learn anything?” Nancy asked.

  “Nothing,” Bess replied.

  George added, “At one point the cleaning man followed me though the theater, but I managed to avoid him. I didn’t come across anything to help solve the mystery, however.”

  Sara had nothing else to contribute either, so the girls said good-by to her, walked off the stage and out the back door.

  “Sara mentioned Howie and Lefty visiting the Hoaxters,” Nancy told Bess and George excitedly. “I’m sure that was Howie Barker. I wonder who Lefty is.”

  “Maybe he’s another con man,” Bess offered.

  While the three girls were waiting for a taxi in front of the theater, Nancy brought her friends up to date on her conversation with Sara.

  “Well, where do we go from here?” Bess asked.

  “To Los Angeles!” Nancy replied promptly.

  As soon as they reached the Fortunato Hotel, she called the airport to make reservations. As Nancy hung up, she frowned.

  “No flights?” George asked.

  “An air strike just started and may last for a month!” Nancy responded. “What’ll we do now?”

  “Drive,” Bess suggested.

  “Do you realize how far it is?” Nancy asked.

  “Over twenty-five hundred miles!” George answered.

  “Right. It’ll take us five days if we drive ten hours a day!”

  “That’s better than staying here for a month,” George declared.

  “I suppose so,” Nancy said unenthusiastically.

  Bess sighed. “I’m not looking forward to that long haul either. But we can take turns driving and perhaps even make it in four days.”

  Nancy nodded. “Okay. Let’s rent a car tomorrow.”

  The next day directly after breakfast their telephone rang. Señora Mendez was calling. She sounded hysterical.

  “Oh, Nancy, come here at once. Please!” the woman sobbed.

  “What happened?”

  Senora Mendez said she could not tell her over the phone, but she had something very important to show the three sleuths.

  “We’ll take a taxi and be over as soon as possible,” Nancy promised.

  When the girls arrived at her residence, the Mexican woman showed them a letter that she said had been left on the front doorstep.

  “My maid heard a knock and went to answer it. When she opened the door, no one was there but the letter lay on the mat. She brought it to me and I almost fainted. Please read it.”

  Nancy unfolded the note that was flat but originally had been folded like a fan. It was on a long, narrow sheet of paper and the words that ran from top to bottom were composed of letters or words cut from a newspaper. The message was:

  Get

  ready

  to

  deliver

  $100,000

  ransom

  in

  unmarked

  bills

  in

  a

  small

  light-

  weight

  sack

  in

  hundred

  dollar

  denominations

  to

  assure

  release

  of

  Dolores

  8

  hours

  later

  totally

  unharmed

  by

  her

  poor

  needy

  abductors.

  X

  directions

  will

  follow

  “Have you called your daughter?” Nancy asked.

  “Yes. She has heard nothing. I told her I would gladly pay the money, but she is afraid Dolores may not be returned even though the ransom is paid. That’s why I’m so upset. I don’t know what to do and I can’t ask anybody to help me!”

  “Why not?” Nancy countered. “We girls will continue to work on the mystery for you.”

  The woman pointed out there was another part to the note that they had not read yet.

  “Turn it over,” she directed.

  The remainder of the message warned Senora Mendez that harm would come to Dolores and her family if anyone contacted police or detectives.

  The Mexican woman walked up and down the living room in great agitation. “So you see,” she said, “I’ll have to ask you girls to forget the case!”

  Nancy, Bess, and George were stunned. They appreciated the grandmother’s concern about the safety of her family, but the young sleuths did not want to give up trying to find the child.

  Nancy went to the distraught woman and put an arm around her shoulders. “We are not part of the police and we are not professional detectives,” she said soothingly. “We are only amateurs and the note does not include us. Please let us continue to work on your case.”

  Senora Mendez hugged Nancy and kissed her, then consented to let the girls proceed in their hunt.

  “But what can you possibly do?” she asked. “You have no idea where the kidnappers have taken my Dolores!”

  “We suspect,” Nancy replied, “that the Hoaxters are involved in this, as I told you before.” She paused.

/>   “Yes, yes, go on,” the woman urged.

  “We found out,” Nancy continued, “that they have gone to Los Angeles. Possibly they took Dolores with them. The whole troupe left here abruptly without giving the theater manager any advance notice.”

  “Oh, if you could only find Dolores!” Señora Mendez said, gazing at the three girls in admiration.

  Nancy examined the ransom note more carefully, reading the words over and over. “I believe there’s a code message hidden in the wording.”

  “It’s hidden all right,” Bess commented.

  “A message for whom?” George asked.

  Nancy replied, “My guess would be that it was intended for someone connected with the kidnappers.”

  “But why would it be folded again and again before being sent to Senora Mendez?” Bess questioned.

  Nancy was thoughtful. “Perhaps this folded note was not meant for her. It could have been delivered to Senora Mendez by mistake. Suppose there were two identical notes,” Nancy went on. “One was folded, the other not even creased. The plain one may have been the ransom note for Senora Mendez, the folded one a copy for a confederate.”

  “I still don’t get it,” Bess admitted.

  “The clue to a hidden message for the confederate must be in the folds!” Nancy declared.

  “But there’s a fold under every word,” Bess said. “That’s the strangest kind of code I ever heard of.”

  “Maybe the fan is the identification of the group.” Nancy said.

  “You know,” George spoke up, “this reminds me of a game we used to play as children. A sheet of paper and a pencil were passed around a group. Each player would write one line, then fold the paper over and give it to the next person. When all the players had written on it, someone would open it and read the story. Usually it was a silly one about somebody in the group. Once the paper said I was a mad elephant who liked to dance!”

  Nancy was not paying strict attention. She was already working to decipher the ransom note. First she read every second fold, next every third, then the fourth.

  Suddenly she cried out, “I have it! The code is in every fifth word!”

  “Well, Sherlock Holmes, what does it say?” Bess urged.

  Nancy smiled and replied, “It says, ‘$100,000 in sack to 8 by X.”’