Forty-five minutes later she and Ned entered the Yorktown Hotel. While Nancy phoned the Chantrey house, Ned checked with the clerk. Monsieur Pappier had not registered there that night, nor had anyone remotely answering his description, either with or without his disguise, been seen there. Ned also drew a blank on Tyrox and Mr. James.
"Let"s try the motels," Nancy urged.
"Okay," Ned agreed.
They made the rounds, but learned nothing. Nancy had known the trip might end in failure, but even so, she was bitterly disappointed.
As she and Ned were walking away from the last motel, Nancy stopped at the adjoining restaurant where there was dancing. She went inside and spoke to the hatcheck girl. When she joined Ned her eyes were sparkling.
"Ned, I just learned something interesting! A Senora Sanchez who sells cosmetics has been in here tonight! She hasn"t registered, but said she was coming back."
"We"re not trailing a Spanish woman, Nancy, but a French lady."
"We may be now! Oh, I"ll bet Madame and Monsieur change names and nationality whenever the police get warm on their trail."
"The police!" Ned exclaimed. "Let"s give this information to them, and start for home."
Nancy agreed, so a stop was made at the Yorktown Police Headquarters. The desk sergeant a.s.sured the couple a close watch would be kept for both Tyrox, alias Monsieur Pappier and Mr. James, and the senora selling cosmetics.
When they reached Mrs. Chantrey"s, lights blazed in the house, indicating to Nancy that her friends had waited up. They greeted them with eager questions. Nancy and Ned related what had occurred in Candleton and at Yorktown.
"I"m sorry not to have a better report," Nancy said.
"But you learned a lot," Mrs. Chantrey a.s.sured her.
A few minutes later Ned said good night, and everyone wearily went off for a much-needed sleep.
It was early the next morning when Nancy was awakened by George who told her Mr. Drew had arrived from New York. Nancy dressed quickly, then ran downstairs to greet him with an affectionate kiss.
"Did you find out anything about those swindlers?" she asked eagerly.
"No," he reported in disgust. "Our leads were worthless. Not only Harry Tyrox, but all the rest of his gang have disappeared completely. I hate to give Mrs. Chantrey this bad news."
"Why not wait a few days?" Nancy suggested.
She told her father about her sleuthing activities since he had left, including the two times she had seen Tyrox; her suspicion that he was in Yorktown; Mother Mathilda"s story which might lead to the arrest of the perfume seller, and what she had learned from the people in Candleton and Branford who had bought Mon Coeur stock.
Although Mr. Drew was shocked to hear about the number of investors in the area, he was delighted at his daughter"s progress with the case. The lawyer decided to drive to Yorktown and learn what luck the police were having in tracing the phony senora. He set off in a rented car.
Left to themselves, Nancy, Bess and George decided to go for a swim. They rented a motorboat and went to Whistling Oyster Cove. After a delightful hour in the water, the three friends lay on their backs in the soft, warm sand. Suddenly Nancy sat bolt upright.
"Why didn"t I think of that before!" she exclaimed, springing to her feet. "It may explain everything!"
"You might try doing a little explaining yourself," drawled George, tossing a pebble into the water. "What"s cooking now in that clever brain of yours?"
"The best idea I"ve had in a week! Girls, you must go to Bald Head Cave at once!"
"Not inside," Bess objected. "As a matter of fact, I don"t even want to go close to the entrance."
"It"s approaching high tide now," Nancy declared excitedly. "I want to check out a theory of mine at the cave. You girls take me around to the ocean side of the cliff and drop me off where I can swim to sh.o.r.e. Then hurry back to the bay and anchor when you can see the cave entrance."
"And leave you alone on the cliff!" Bess retorted. "Nothing doing!"
"I"m not silly enough to risk my life," Nancy replied. "Please don"t worry. But we mustn"t delay or it will be too late to find out if my theory is correct."
"If Bess and I drop you off, what are your plans?" George asked.
"That depends upon what I find among the rocks on the ocean side. But please hurry. I have to make a search before high tide and you girls must get to your station as fast as possible."
"Your scheme sounds risky to me," George said. "But tell Bess and me what we"re to do."
"You"re to watch the mouth of the cave closely. If the bell tolls or water starts to rush out, note the exact time."
"What do you expect to discover?" Bess asked.
"I believe that as the tide comes in on the ocean side of the cliff, it may rush through a tunnel in the rocks and gush out the cave entrance."
"You mean before the tide is very high on the White Cap Bay side?" George asked.
"Yes. You recall that when we heard the bell toll, the tide had not turned in the bay."
"There may be something to it, Nancy," George agreed. "But what about the tolling bell?"
"I"ll know more after I"ve made my investigation. Come on! The tide is starting to come in. There"s no time to lose."
The girls hurried to the motorboat and in a short time rounded the cliff into the ocean.
"Be careful," Bess urged Nancy.
Nancy made a clean dive out of the boat, swam off, and easily reached the sh.o.r.e. Because the rocks were sharp, she put on her beach shoes which she had tied around her neck. Clinging tightly to precarious holds, she began to climb. By now the tide was coming in fast.
"The tunnel should be here somewhere," the young detective thought. "I"ll have to work quickly to find it."
Nancy moved toward a pile of debris deposited by the incoming waves. She crossed this and went toward a definite opening in the rocks. Then suddenly she heard a shout.
Pausing, Nancy glanced toward a ledge where a fisherman was motioning frantically to her. His words sounded like "High tide!" but she did not catch the rest, because the wind was blowing away from her.
Nancy hesitated, then advanced again in her search for an opening amid the rocks.
"Quick!" the fisherman shouted. "Help!"
Now Nancy realized the man was in trouble. Approaching the ledge, she saw that his right leg was pinned beneath a large rock.
Unless the leg could be freed, Nancy knew, the man would drown in the incoming tidel
CHAPTER XVI.