"Better notify the police."
"As soon as I can," Nancy a.s.sured him. "There"s a telephone in the library. I hope the wires haven"t been cut."
The two separated. Nancy looked quickly about the ballroom, hoping to see some of her friends, a member of the Hendrick family, or Linda Seeley. But not one person who might have aided her was in sight. Nancy ran swiftly up the circular stairway.
The moment was a critical one. But the lively young detective had always been able to think fast in an emergency.
Nancy"s first case had been The Secret of the Old Clock. Since then Nancy had helped countless persons and faced many dangers, including her previous adventure, Mystery at the Ski Jump.
As Nancy reached the first landing, beyond view of the ballroom, she was stopped short. Confronting her was a feminine masquerader in a glittering Javanese costume.
"Is this the woman who was supposed to be wearing a black velvet hooded mask?" Nancy wondered. Now she had on a black lace mask, probably the one Nancy had lost.
For an instant the two stared at each other. Nancy caught a glimpse of piercing dark eyes and a cruel mouth. Then the lights went out.
At that instant the woman seized Nancy in a strong grasp and thrust a hand over the girl"s mouth. Nancy struggled frantically to free herself, while in the ballroom below there were calls and cries of alarm.
The woman tried to rip off Nancy"s mask, but instinct told the young detective to hold onto it. Then as suddenly as she had been seized, Nancy was released. The woman raced down the stairs and disappeared into the darkness. Recovering her breath, Nancy removed the mask and groped her way up to the second floor.
Suddenly the lights went on and Nancy hurried along the hall. Before she reached the library, a maid came running from it.
"Help! Police!" she screamed. "The house has been robbed!"
Nancy stopped the frightened girl, advising her to be quiet and not cause a panic on the crowded floor below.
"Quick!" she urged the maid. "Tell me what happened. Did a thief break into the library?"
"Y-yes.A few minutes ago-through the window. I had my back turned. Suddenly a hand was clapped over my mouth. A blindfold was slipped over my eyes, my hands were tied quick as a flash, and I was gagged!"
"How did you get free?"
"I managed to work the rope off my wrists just as the lights went on. But everything"s been taken except the wall paintings!"
"The silver miniatures too?"
"Yes, miss-all that could be carried."
"Which way did the thief go?"
"I couldn"t say. He went as quietly as a cat."
"It was a man? Not a woman in a Javanese costume ?"
"She was the lookout, I think. Before I was grabbed I saw her wandering around."
From the maid"s account, Nancy knew that the daring robbery had been well planned. Undoubtedly the masquerader who had seized her on the landing had been stationed there to see that the thief made a successful getaway under cover of darkness.
Though convinced that it was too late to capture any member of the bold gang, Nancy sped downstairs. Reaching the garden, she called Ned"s name. His answering shout informed her that he was still on guard at the trellis.
"What happened?" he demanded as she ran up. "I saw the lights go off."
"The house has been robbed!"
"The library?"
"Yes, and the thieves have escaped."
"No one has come down the trellis since I"ve been here."
"Then the thief got away before you went on guard or he slipped out of the house while the lights were off," Nancy declared, and then added, "What"s this?"
She stared at a tiny piece of cloth which had snagged on a protruding nail in the trellis.
"It must have been torn from that man"s cloak!" Nancy exclaimed as she removed it. "Ned, it"s a good clue. Come on! Let"s see if the thief is still here."
Reentering the house, Nancy and Ned looked around, but he was not among the guests, who now had removed their masks. The couple learned that Linda Seeley had summoned the police. The girl was deeply distressed, fearful that the Hendrick family might blame her for what had taken place.
"I was afraid that this very thing would happen!" she moaned. "If only the Hendricks had allowed a closer check of the guests!"
Nancy and Ned instigated a search of both the house and grounds, but as they had expected, no trace was found of the woman in Javanese garb or the man in the black robe. An empty parking s.p.a.ce near the entrance to the house indicated that they had probably left by automobile.
The scream of a siren announced the arrival of a police car. Lieutenant Kelly and Detective Ambrose, whom the Drews knew well, inspected the library, affirming that the thief had entered through the second-story window. From information provided by Nancy and the maid, it was obvious that the man had been aided by at least two accomplices inside the house-probably the woman in the Javanese costume and someone in the bas.e.m.e.nt who had turned off the lights.
The police checked the three areas for fingerprints. Afterward they listened attentively when Nancy and Ned told their story and showed the note, the piece of cloth, and the velvet mask. Then Ambrose went off.
Lieutenant Kelly said, "Nancy, we"re certainly obliged to you for this evidence. You say that man you danced with had on a mask like this one?"
"Yes. Would you mind letting me borrow it? I"m interested in the case and would like to look the mask over for clues. I"ll bring it to headquarters any time you say."
"I"ll have to ask the chief about that," Kelly said. "For you he might do it."
The officer went to the telephone and returned a short time later.
"Okay, Nancy," he said. "I"ll photograph the mask and you sign for it." He pulled out a notebook and wrote a receipt, which Nancy signed. "The chief says he"ll appreciate your help on this case," Kelly added, smiling, "and we"ll let you know when we need the mask."
In the meantime his a.s.sistant, Detective Ambrose, a brusque young man, had gone to look for Linda Seeley. He brought her to the group.
"You"re in charge of this party?" he asked.
"Yes, Officer," Linda replied. "That is, I am in the absence of Mr. Tombar. At the last minute he had other business to attend to, so he asked me to subst.i.tute for him."
"We would like you to answer some questions," Detective Ambrose said sternly, "but of course you do not have to do so without first consulting a lawyer."
Linda turned pale. "I"ll answer," she said. "I have nothing to hide."
The detective shot rapid-fire questions at the frightened girl. Who was Mr. Tombar? What company had arranged the party? What precautions had been taken to guard the valuables? Why hadn"t invitations been checked more carefully?
As the questions became more pointed, Linda answered them hesitantly. Suddenly Ambrose said, "You"d better come along to headquarters."