A Detective Fails

BESS and George were startled by Nancy’s sudden declaration.

“In which old album? ” George asked. “You’ve uncovered so many I can hardly keep track of them all.”

Nancy grinned at her friend. “It’s not that confusing, George, ” she said. “I’m sure we can find the clue in that old album of Mrs. Struthers’.”

“The one the precious stones were stolen from? ” Bess questioned.

“Right! ” Nancy answered. “Let’s hurry over to her house and I’ll show you what I mean.”

The three girls soon reached the Struthers home and hurried inside. While the others watched in bewilderment, Nancy quickly flipped through the pages of the brass-filigree album until she came to the photograph of Enid Struthers in her bridal gown.

“Do you notice anything odd about this picture? ” she asked.

In turn George, Bess, and Mrs. Struthers examined the photograph and shook their heads.

“Don’t you see anything unnatural about it? ” Nancy persisted.

Rose, who had joined the group, volunteered her opinion. “It looks more like a doll than my mommy! ”

“Exactly! ” cried Nancy, pleased to have her hunch confirmed. “Rose, I’m sure this isn’t a photograph of your mother. It’s a picture of a doll made to look like her! ”

“Why, Nancy, that’s fantastic! ” Mrs. Struthers exclaimed. “This is my daughter! ”

“If you’ll look closely at the face, you can see an artificiality about it, ” Nancy declared.

The others scrutinized the picture carefully, and realized that Nancy was right.

“Such a lifelike doll makes those mannequins at Taylor’s look like so many sticks, ” George remarked.

“But seeing them gave me the idea about this picture.” Nancy smiled.

“How do you account for the doll being made? ” Mrs. Struthers asked.

“My guess is that Romano, being a gypsy, wanted to follow their custom of presenting a doll to his bride. Since she was not a child and not a gypsy, he had one made to look like her in her bridal dress. He probably thought it so attractive that he had it photographed.”

“But why go to all that trouble? ” George questioned. “Why didn’t he just take a picture of Mrs. Pepito? ”

“If I had the answer to that, ” Nancy replied, “I’d have the key to the whole mystery.” To herself she said, “Maybe Enid didn’t have a bridal dress of her own.”

“What do you suppose became of the doll? ” Mrs. Struthers asked. “If Enid had it, why didn’t she show it to me or to Rose? ”

“Perhaps your daughter was forced to sell the doll, ” Nancy speculated. “Or possibly her husband took it with him.”

“Without doubt this doll in the picture is the one I’m to find for Rose, ” Mrs. Struthers said. “But what importance could it have for her? During the last few days of Enid’s life, she did say she had expected Rose to be well off financially, someday, but that the hope had been lost. Could that have had some connection with the doll itself? ”

Instead of answering, Nancy looked at the elderly woman and asked, “Mrs. Struthers, at the time of your daughter’s illness, did you have the same servants you have now? ”

“No, a Mrs. Hunt was with us then. She was our housekeeper and was very attentive to Enid.”

“Where is Mrs. Hunt now? ”

“She has retired to a little cottage near the edge of River Heights. It was through her that I came here. Do you think she might know something helpful, which she did not tell me? ”

“Possibly, ” Nancy replied.

“Then do call on her, ” Mrs. Struthers said.

As the girls left the house, George and Bess suddenly remembered that they had promised to meet their mothers downtown to go shopping. Nancy dropped them off and drove to the former housekeeper’s home alone.

Mrs. Hunt was rather reserved at first, but Nancy’s straightforward and sincere manner impressed her. When the woman seemed satisfied that Nancy wanted to help Rose and her grandmother, she willingly told her everything she knew about Enid Struthers.

“I felt so sorry for the poor girl, ” she murmured. “Her marriage to Romano Pepito brought her happiness for only a short time. She didn’t confide in her mother about her fears, but she did tell me a few things.”

“Did she ever mention a doll made to look like her? ” Nancy asked.

“No, she didn’t. If she had one, she probably kept it in a small trunk in her room.”

Nancy looked surprised, for Mrs. Struthers had never mentioned the trunk to her.

“Enid always wore the key to it on a ribbon around her neck, ” Mrs. Hunt added. “She never opened the trunk when anyone was near.”

“What became of it? ”

“I don’t know. Mrs. Struthers may still have it. But the contents are gone. They were removed by Enid before she died.”

“Do you know why? ”

“About a week before poor Enid passed away, she and I were alone in the house. A woman came to see her. They talked a long while together. Then they went to Enid’s bedroom.”

“Did Mrs. Pepito seem upset? ”

“No, she seemed very pleased about the whole affair. The visitor finally left, carrying a rather large package. After that, Enid never bothered to lock the trunk, and one day when it was open, I noticed it was empty.”

“You’ve no idea what it was she gave away! ”

“Not the slightest. For a day or two she was very happy, telling me her broken life was about to be set right. Then, seemingly for no reason, she became discouraged and began to cry a good deal. Her illness, which was incurable, become worse, and she passed away suddenly.”

“She said nothing about her visitor? ”

“Not directly, but when I mentioned her, Enid said please not to tell her mother anyone had been there.”

“Mrs. Struthers told me that Enid on her deathbed begged her mother to find a certain doll. She seemed to want it for Rose.”

“Yes, ” Mrs. Hunt nodded sadly, “but we couldn’t figure out what she meant.”

“Do you recall what the woman who came after the package looked like? ” Nancy asked.

“Yes, indeed. She was of medium height and well dressed. Her eyes were dark and piercing—the kind that usually go with coal-black hair. But this woman’s hair I guess was bleached. Anyway, it was a strange shade, a kind of carrot color.”

“Oh! ” Nancy cried. “I know who she is! ”

“You do? ” asked Mrs. Hunt, astounded.

Nancy did not say that she thought the caller had been Nitaka, but she was sure of it. The pieces of the puzzle were beginning to fall into place rapidly now! ”

“I’m glad you called, ” Mrs. Hunt declared as the girl announced she must leave. “You’re a true friend of Mrs. Struthers’ and I can see you want to help her.”

“I hope I can.”

“Well, I don’t mean to discourage you, my dear, but that detective she hired never was able to learn anything about the doll. Nor was he able to trace the woman who called on Enid when I told him about her.”

“Mrs. Struthers hired a detective? ”

“Immediately after the daughter passed away. He charged her an enormous price, in return for doing absolutely nothing! ”

“I hope I won’t fail, ” Nancy said with determination. “By the way, part of my work is to find Rose’s father. Mrs. Struthers believes the family should be reunited.”

Mrs. Hunt was amazed to hear this, but delighted as well.

Nancy explained. “At first I was looking for Romano Pepito to find out about the doll. Then I came across a picture of him and showed it to Rose and her grandmother.” Nancy smiled. “He’s handsome and kind looking. Now they want him to join the family.”

Mrs. Hunt smiled too. “I’m so glad. Enid was deeply in love with her husband, and I’m sure he must be a fine man. By the way, how is Rose? She was unmanageable during her mother’s illness.”

Nancy reported the improvement in Rose’s behavior and mentioned her talent in music. “I believe she’ll be on the concert stage and in movies and television someday, ” she prophesied.

“I’m so pleased, ” Mrs. Hunt said, as she opened the door for her caller. “Good-by and come again.”

On the way home Nancy remembered that she had promised Hannah to make a trip out to the farm where the housekeeper bought chickens each week.

“I’ll do it now, ” she decided, and turned onto a country road.

Her purchase made, she started down the steep, high-banked lane from the farmhouse. At the intersecting highway she came to a dead stop to look for passing cars. An automobile whizzed by at high speed, but not too fast for Nancy to catch a glimpse of the driver’s face.

“The purse snatcher! ” she thought, hardly daring to believe her eyes. “In a black sedan! ”

There were no other cars on the road, so she quickly turned into the highway and pursued the man. As she pulled nearer, he must have realized that Nancy was trying to overtake him, for he put on a burst of speed. Nancy did the same.

The chase was on!