An early-morning phone call from the police office confirmed Nancy"s guess. The men in the truck had been caught and had confessed to their part in the sheep racket. The superintendent requested that Nancy and her friends come to headquarters as soon as possible.
Later at the police office the four girls learned how Anderson and Buchanan had trailed the truck. They had taken photographs of the thieves" every activity, which was irrefutable proof of their operations.
Mr. Dewar flew into a rage. If the Glasgow hotel had not made a mistake in the names, he ranted, and if dumb Paul Petrie had not translated the directions for the sheep smuggling into Gaelic to impress his boss, the scheme might have gone on successfully. He had slipped into Dewar"s room and put the note in a bureau drawer when a chambermaid left the door unlocked while she went down the hall to the linen closet for clean towels.
"As for you, Miss Drew," Dewar rasped, "Petrie was supposed to keep you away from Inverness-shire. He bungled that job too."
Nancy learned that Petrie had caused the smashup of her car in River Heights, then followed up with the warning note with the piece of plaid. To scare her further, he had planted the bomb in the mailbox and telephoned the threat to Ned. In Scotland he had attempted to force Nancy"s car into a ditch so that she would be injured and unable to proceed with her sleuthing.
At this point, Petrie was brought into the room. The superintendent ordered him to confess his part in the scheme.
The American glared at Nancy. "She"s too smart. Sure, I gave the story about her to the River Heights Graphic. It was to throw suspicion away from Dewar and me." Petrie suddenly grinned. "She"s smart, oh yes, but I sure gave her the slip in Edinburgh," he boasted, "when I used a stolen pa.s.s to get into the court building."
Petrie went on to say he took care of the wool and sheepskins which were smuggled by freighter into the United States. Two crewmen had already admitted being involved in the dishonest operation.
"When I found you were coming to Scotland," Petrie said to Nancy, "I thought I"d better get here ahead of you and keep track of your movements. I left a note in Dewar"s room to notify him I was here. I suggested the bagpipe signals. You heard me practicing in Dewar"s room."
Nancy said, "We figured out most of your Gaelic code message. But we"d like to know the full meaning."
Dewar told her that it indicated the route of the thieves" truck-first a deep ditch to be followed; then a warning to lock the rod on the rear of the covered vehicle carrying the sheep, not merely to close the doors; finally, to transport the wool and sheepskins to the houseboat and to await word about taking the loot to Dumbarton.
Nancy said she had figured out all the sketches on the message except the cradle. "What is the significance of that?"
The prisoners looked at one another, but none answered. Nancy shot a question at them. "Which one of you has a wife who resembles me?"
This time Dewar and Petrie exchanged glances. Finally Petrie shrugged. "I brought my wife over here with me. With a little fixing up, she looks enough like your photograph on the magazine to pa.s.s for you. Several years ago she visited Culzean Castle and saw a cradle there in the shape of a boat. When our son was born, she had a cradle made just like it. The sketch was to indicate to Dewar that she was in this country, ready to do her job."
Nancy said she felt very sorry that Petrie"s wife had been dragged into the men"s dishonest activities. "Then she is the one who was pa.s.sing the worthless checks and using my name on them? And it was your wife you were phoning in the drugstore to tell her you got my autograph?"
Petrie nodded. He said the words "without stamp" meant that his wife"s arm did not bear a certain identifying stamp which the thieves used to identify one another. The forgery scheme was a private deal between Petrie and Dewar.
Nancy and the other girls were praised by the police officer for having solved the mystery. Then Nancy said, "There"s someone else who helped us. He"s the one who uncovered Paul Petrie"s ident.i.ty in River Heights."
Bess chuckled. "His name is Ned Nickerson."
"Congratulate him for me," said the officer. Turning to Nancy, he asked, "Have you any more questions you would like to ask these prisoners?"
"Yes. I believe Mr. Petrie and perhaps some of his partners know the whereabouts of a valuable brooch which disappeared from my great-grandmother"s home."
After considerable prodding, Dewar answered the question. "Lady Douglas" maid, Morag, told a friend that her mistress was going to give the topaz-and-diamond brooch to Miss Drew. I heard the story from this friend and decided it would be a profitable sideline for Petrie and me to steal the pin and divide the money we got for it."
"Where is the brooch now?" Nancy persisted.
"At the bottom of the pond on Lady Douglas" estate!" was the startling reply.
Dewar admitted that he had gone to the house to try to steal the brooch. A dog had barked and almost bitten him. "I had my knockout spray gun with me," he continued. "I gave the dog too much and he died."
Dewar went on to say that just at this point Lady Douglas had come out for a stroll and he had seen the pin on her dress. As he was trying to decide how to get it, the pin had dropped off.
"I waited until she entered the house, and then picked up the brooch. I heard a man"s voice and started to run. Suddenly I stumbled and fell. The brooch flew from my hand into the water. I went back one night to try to get the pin from the pond, but two servants were strolling around and I had to give up the idea. Petrie and I decided to try again as soon as you girls left Scotland."
The news electrified all the girls. They could hardly wait to leave headquarters and return to Douglas House. As they rushed in, their cheeks rosy and their eyes shining, Nancy"s great-grandmother asked what had happened. Upon hearing the latest information, she too became excited, and as soon as the girls had changed into swim suits, followed them outside, and across to the pond. Morag and Tweedie went along.
The four girls made dive after dive, swimming underwater and searching the leaf-strewn bottom of the pond. On Nancy"s sixth time down, she saw something shiny and quickly pushed aside the underwater debris from the object.
It was indeed the topaz-and-diamond brooch!
She triumphantly swam to the surface and waved the pin in her hand.
"You have found it!" Lady Douglas cried out ecstatically. "Oh, Nancy, you have really earned this heirloom-and in a very hard way!"
"But, Great-Grandmother dear, this pin is so gorgeous, it"s worth all the effort."
Nancy had decided to refrain from mentioning that Morag had told the story of the brooch to a friend. There seemed no point in upsetting anyone during these happy moments.
Lady Douglas, walking with Nancy back to the house, suddenly chuckled. "In all the excitement I forgot to tell you some very good news. Your father will be here in time for tea."
"Oh, wonderful!" said Nancy. "He can join in our celebration."
That afternoon the girls decided to dress for the festivities. When Nancy was ready, she made an overseas call to Ned. As soon as he answered, she said excitedly, "The mystery is solved!" She gave a brief account and ended with, "Now I"ll have to go and give that little boy, Johnny Barto, an autograph."
"Sure thing," said Ned. "And listen! Don"t you dare find another mystery until the June fraternity dance is over!"
"I promise."
After Nancy had hung up, she told Fiona she was going into Bess and George"s room. The cousins were not ready, so Nancy sat down in a chair to wait for them.
For a few minutes Nancy was silent, wondering what mystery might come her way next. She was to find out soon, when challenged by The Phantom of Pine Hill.
Presently she looked at Bess and said, "I have a confession to make. When I first learned that you had put my photograph in the contest and won, I admit I was worried because of the publicity. But now I want to tell you that your idea turned out to be a very good one."
"Really?" said Bess.
"Yes," Nancy replied, smiling. "Your surprise was a wonderful help to me in finding the clue of the whistling bagpipes!"
end.