As the man turned toward the burned house, Nancy was in a quandary. She did not dare rouse her friends, yet she wanted to follow the intruder. She must find out who he was-Ned, come to help her, an inquisitive neighbor, or Felix Raybolt.
Leaving her friends, Nancy began to follow the man. Stealthily she crept nearer the ruins, dodging from tree to tree. She was glad there was no moon, for the darkness afforded protection.
When she was only a few feet away from the man, Nancy paused. He turned on a flashlight. This was not Ned Nickerson. From descriptions of the estate owner and from numerous newspaper photographs of him, Nancy felt certain that the tall, thin figure must be Felix Raybolt! He was carrying a shovel.
Suddenly he scrambled over the rubble and began to dig vigorously in the cellar wall some distance from where Nancy had been working.
"So that"s where the secret hiding place is," thought the young detective.
She watched excitedly as Mr. Raybolt uncovered a group of stones in the foundation wall. He removed them, opened the door of a safe beyond, and pulled out a stack of papers. To Nancy"s horror, he laid them down and set a match to the sheaf.
"It"s evidence against him!" Nancy said to herself. "He can"t destroy it!"
Instantly Nancy sprang forward. She grabbed the shovel and beat out the flames. At the same time she cried, "Mr. Felix Raybolt, you can"t burn those papers!"
The man had started violently and staggered backward. Nancy caught him by the arm, saying, "Why have you been hiding?"
Almost at once, Mr. Raybolt recovered from the shock of the unexpected encounter, and jerked himself free. For an instant he looked at Nancy in blank amazement.
"A snooper, eh?" he sneered.
Without warning he grabbed both his flashlight and her own. He turned and started to run across the grounds. "Get out of my way! Mind your own business!" he warned.
Nancy darted after him, but he definitely had the advantage of being familiar with the area. Her only chance to capture him lay in the possibility of his turning toward the place where she had left Bess and George. She must arouse them. Nancy did not know what Raybolt might do if she made an outcry, but she had to take that chance.
"Help! Help!" she screamed.
Bess and George, having heard the shrill cries for help, and approaching footsteps, were now convinced Nancy had uttered the cries and that she was in danger.
"Oh, what shall we do?" asked Bess. "The screams seemed to come from near the ruins."
"Sh!" George warned. "Those footsteps coming up the driveway! Maybe it"s someone who can help us!"
This remark electrified Bess, who turned on her flash and rushed frantically ahead. She was the first to reach two men running up the driveway.
"Mr. Drew! Ned Nickerson!" the cousins cried in relief.
"Where"s Nancy?" the men asked together.
"We don"t know," Bess gasped. "We heard her scream-over by the ruins."
The men dashed past the girls, Ned in the lead. Bess and George started after them.
"Help! Help!" came Nancy"s scream again, but this time it was nearer.
Suddenly a man"s figure burst from a clump of shrubs at the bend in the driveway. He saw the approaching group too late to stop. He could not turn, for Nancy appeared directly behind him. He veered off to the lawn.
"Hold on there!" Mr. Drew commanded sharply.
"Dad!" Nancy cried out, and an instant later she recognized the second figure. "Ned!"
Felix Raybolt was easily captured. The appearance of the two men convinced the estate owner that his game was up, and he made little protest as they led him to Carson Drew"s sedan.
"Nancy, you girls had better come with us," Mr. Drew suggested. "You can return and pick up your car later." They agreed readily.
"Where are you taking me?" Raybolt muttered, as he got into the sedan.
"To jail," Mr. Drew told him tersely.
"To jail?" the prisoner shrieked. "I haven"t done anything!"
"Maybe not, but an innocent man is being held there in connection with your disappearance. You must exonerate Joe Swenson at once from having had anything to do with your absence or with the fire."
"Swenson?" echoed the captured man. "He-"
Raybolt broke off and slumped down in the seat. He looked sick and beaten. His face was grimy and unshaven, and his clothing torn and stained.
"How in the world did you and Dad get here at the psychological moment?" Nancy asked Ned.
"Well-I"d been gone from home since morning," Ned explained. "This evening I drove to River Heights to see you. Mrs. Gruen told me you had gone to Mapleton and said she thought I was with you. I telephoned Mother from your house and she gave me your message."
Mr. Drew added, "I returned home just as Ned was leaving. When I heard what you were doing I decided I"d better come along."
At the jail Foxy Felix did not even appear to be fl.u.s.tered about the situation. When questioned by the officials, he admitted that he had had an appointment with Joe Swenson but said that he had been outside the house at the time of the explosion.
"Isn"t it true that you had explosives illegally stored in your cellar?" Nancy asked him.
Raybolt nodded. He claimed the explosion and fire had been accidental. When asked about his disappearance, he gave an evasive explanation. He said that he had been stunned at first, then had staggered off into the woods.
"And vanished," said Carson Drew. "You carry heavy life and fire insurance, I presume, Mr. Raybolt. Your wife could have collected the money, and met you later in some faraway place."
The telltale flush on Raybolt"s face told the lawyer that Nancy"s and his supposition had probably hit its mark, but Raybolt confessed nothing. They judged that Mapleton had become too unfriendly a place for Foxy Felix. His enemies were numerous, and he no doubt lived in constant fear of physical harm. The fire had given him an opportunity to slip away quietly.
"Guess we can"t hold him," the captain told the Drews. "This clears Swenson beyond a doubt. Sorry we arrested him, Miss Drew, but you must admit the evidence pointed his way."
Joe Swenson was brought into the room. He was overjoyed about being freed, and at first could scarcely believe the good news. Tears came to his eyes as he thanked Nancy and her friends for all they had done.
"It"s a shame that Felix Raybolt can"t be held," Nancy said. "Isn"t there any charge to keep him here?"
"I"m afraid not," her father returned. "Everyone knows the man has swindled people, including my client, but we have no proof. We need papers, letters-"
Suddenly Nancy grabbed her father"s arm. "I may be able to produce them!" she said excitedly, and told about the papers which Raybolt had tried to burn but she had managed to save.
"Excellent," said Mr. Drew, as Bess, George, and Ned gasped in astonishment. "We"ll go out there at once with an officer if Captain Johnson agrees."
The captain called a lieutenant and said that the man would accompany them to the burned estate. Mr. Raybolt, he added, would have to remain at headquarters to await the arrival of the papers.
The others hurried outside and drove off in a squad car. When they reached the ruins, Nancy pointed out the exact location of the safe. The police lieutenant quickly gathered up the records that Raybolt had started to burn, also some papers which the officer found in the safe. When the Drews and their friends reached headquarters, they were amazed to find that Mrs. Raybolt had arrived. She was admonishing her husband not to admit anything.