At this, Marty tossed her head into the air and a smug expression came over her face. "Next thing I know you"ll be asking me what he told me about the glowing eye."
"I did have that in mind," Nancy admitted with a little smile. "Well, how about my other question? When did you last hear from your contact Zapp Crosson?"
"I won"t tell you," the young lawyer said defiantly.
"As you like," Nancy replied. "But I want to tell you that Crosson might be involved in a kidnapping case."
"Oh, you mean your boy friend?" Marty King shot back. "Well, I"m sure Zapp had nothing whatever to do with it."
Marty King looked a little frightened at the information. "I"ll tell you this. Zapp pesters me with letters but I don"t answer them."
Nancy asked her where the letters had been mailed.
Marty replied, "Most of them were postmarked Emerson."
Nancy stared into s.p.a.ce. This meant that Crosson was still in the general area from where Ned had been taken. She must concentrate all her efforts in that vicinity to find him!
For a few seconds Nancy was tempted to confide in Marty. But a feeling of distrust about the girl swept over her and she changed her mind.
"I must go now," Nancy said. "Thank you, Marty, for your helpful information. And I think I should warn you again: Zapp Crosson is in bad trouble-very bad trouble."
"What do you mean?" Marty asked. "Are you implying that he is a suspect in the kidnapping?"
"Yes," Nancy said.
For the next few minutes there was a verbal exchange between the two girls which revealed nothing of importance to either one. Marty prodded Nancy to tell her more about Crosson but the young sleuth was evasive. Finally she said she must leave because of her next appointment.
Marty King walked with her to the door and Nancy politely introduced Glenn Munson. The young lawyer"s eyebrows lifted and Nancy could imagine her saying, "Where did you meet this handsome young man?"
Nancy was amused but merely said, "Tell Dad I"m sorry I missed him. Good-by. And good-by to you, Miss Hanson."
Nancy and Glenn hurried off and in a little while they were airborne and heading for Hager. The pilot set his whirlybird down in an airfield not far from the Anderson Museum and locked the ignition.
As they jumped out, he said, "I hope I"m not intruding, but I have a feeling you could use a little extra protection. Mind if I go along?"
"I wish you would," she said.
Professor t.i.tus was waiting in front of the building. "You"re right on schedule," he said. "Well, let"s go inside and see what we can learn."
Nancy introduced Glenn and the three entered the building. Miss Wilkin gave the visitors her usual icy reception and informed them that the museum would be closing for the night at four-thirty.
Nancy spoke up. "Your booklet says you stay open until five o"clock."
Miss Wilkin replied, "At times we make exceptions. Tonight is one of them."
Nancy tried not to show that the woman"s chilly att.i.tude annoyed her. She said, "We"d like to explore a little while."
"All right, but watch the signs and don"t touch anything you"re not supposed to," the prim woman ordered them.
Nancy at once led Professor t.i.tus and Glenn to the narrow hallway behind the wall where she had seen the glowing eye. Glenn searched the wall for a switch that might activate any machinery. He found one and turned the switch but nothing happened. With sensitive fingers he moved along, trying again and again to locate another possible contact, but without success.
Professor t.i.tus had gone around to the big room where the glowing eye had shone high on the wall. Nancy, meanwhile, had found a sliding panel in the wall near where Glenn was looking and saw a closet. There was nothing in it.
The young detective stepped inside. "Maybe there"s some kind of a switch in here," she said to herself and began running one hand over the wall.
Suddenly her fingers felt strange and she tried to pull them away. But she was not able to do so. Her whole hand was drawn against the wall. She tugged harder but still could not move it. Before she could call out to Glenn, the panel closed.
Instinct told Nancy she was in serious trouble. At the top of her lungs she cried, "Help! Help!"
CHAPTER XV.
Abrupt Resignation
WHILE Nancy, terror-stricken, continued to yell for help, Glenn and Professor t.i.tus tried to find her. She was hidden from sight and they did not know where to look. The closet she was in stifled her voice.
The trapped girl felt herself becoming faint. A fleeting thought crossed her mind: if she slumped she might be able to pull her hand away from the wall. Without losing her balance, she leaned backward creating a great deal of pressure on her hand. It did not budge.
"Help!" she cried, but this time rather feebly.
By now Glenn had traced her voice and slid open the closet door.
"What"s the matter?" he asked.
"I-I can"t-get-my-hand-loose!" Nancy whispered.
At that moment Professor t.i.tus arrived. While Nancy was trying to tell him what had happened, Glenn dashed off to find Miss Wilkin. She was seated at the reception desk in the hall.
"Quick!" Glenn exclaimed. "Turn off all the power! Miss Drew is pinned to the wall!"
The prim custodian looked at him blankly and did not move. "Is this some kind of a joke?" she asked.
"No, no!" Glenn a.s.sured her. "Nancy is in real trouble. Please turn off all the power in this building!"
Miss Wilkin jumped into action. She grabbed the keys from the desk drawer and rushed down the main hall and around the corner. Glenn raced after her.
The woman reached a large panelboard on the wall and unlocked the covering to it. Quickly she pulled down several levers. At once the place was in darkness.
Glenn did not wait for her to return to the lobby. There was still enough daylight sifting through the windows so that he could easily make his way back to Nancy. The young pilot sighed in relief as he found her seated on the floor, released from the magnetized wall. Professor t.i.tus was kneeling beside her and ma.s.saging her hands vigorously.
"Are you all right?" Glenn asked solicitously.
Nancy gave a wan smile. "I will be as soon as the circulation is restored to my hand and arm. They"re numb."
Professor t.i.tus kept ma.s.saging them for another three minutes, then asked Glenn to take over. The young man seated himself on the floor and began to rub Nancy"s hand and arm vigorously.
"That feels great!" she said. "Thank you both so much. I don"t know what would have happened to me if you hadn"t come to my rescue."