Roadside Clue

For a moment, Nancy could not imagine what had happened to the framed picture. Nor could she recall exactly when she had last seen it.

But where had it gone? A break-in by burglars seemed unlikely. Yet none of the club members would have had any reason to take down the painting.

Nancy caught her breath as another thought suddenly struck her. Those two intruders who had been chased away just before the second scene was shot! Was it the painting they had been after? Yet, the slight noise that gave them away certainly had not come from this small downstairs room.

Nancy called Ned and the others. But none of them could account for the missing picture.

" The question is, did those two snoops we saw take the painting? " Ned remarked.

" The one who slid off the roof certainly wasn't carrying anything, " Mike Jordan declared.

Jack Billings looked at the puzzled group. " When we saw the two of them run off through the woods, they weren't carrying anything that big, either. At least, I don't think so."

The others agreed.

Nancy had been staring at the wall and thinking. " Look, people, we've been assuming all along that the picture was part of the old Grimsby furnishings."

" Sure, what else? " Mike said.

" But if that's so, how do you explain this? " Nancy pointed to the wall where the painting had hung.

" Explain what? " Sara asked in a puzzled voice.

Nancy said, " We know that the picture hanging there was square-cornered, don't we? But look at the wall stain."

The discoloration of the old tan wallpaper clearly showed the outline of an oval painting!

" You're absolutely right, Nancy! " Ned exclaimed. " If the picture that we saw had been up ever since the Grimsbys lived here, it would certainly have left its own mark."

" That's weird." Jane Logan shivered.

As the group broke up, they were still discussing the mystery. Nancy arranged to meet Ned at West-moor University later, and then went out to her car. But she did not drive off immediately. She sat at the wheel for a while and mused.

The disappearance of the picture seemed baffling —as mysterious as the theft of Shooting Star. Who could have taken the painting? And why?

This certainly wasn't the first odd thing that had happened at Grimsby Mansion. Nancy was reminded of the silver bud vase that Ned had found. Like the missing picture, that also had not been part of the original furnishings of the old house, or so it seemed, judging by appearances. Were the two items connected somehow?

That last thought helped Nancy to decide her next plan. She would pay a visit to police headquarters to see if any information on the vase had turned up.

Nancy started her car and drove to River Heights. In the lobby of the police building, she encountered Detective Phil Hart.

" Sorry, Chief McGinnis isn't here, " he told her with a smile. " He had to go see the dentist for a toothache. I have news for you, though, about that silver bud vase you brought in."

" Oh, yes." Nancy's eyes were bright with interest.

" That vase was reported stolen in one of those recent country-house burglaries. Remember the 'W' engraved on it? That was the detail that enabled us to identify it. The vase was reported stolen by the owners, named Waggoner, on May 9th."

Nancy pondered this information for a moment, then said, " I have some news for you, too, Detective Hart." She told him about the missing painting and added, " It showed a hunting scene with hounds and red-coated riders. I noticed it particularly because one of the horses in the picture reminded me of my own horse, Black Prince. Do you suppose that painting might also have been stolen just like the silver bud vase? "

" Let's check it out, " the detective said. " Have you got a few minutes, Nancy? "

" Yes, of course."

He took her up by elevator to the second floor. When they were both seated in his small office, he took a sheaf of papers from his desk drawer and skimmed through them.

" Ah, here's the list, " he said presently. A moment later, as he ran his finger down the page, his eyebrows suddenly rose. " Well, well, well! Here's a painting that was reported stolen on June 21st in another of those country-house burglaries. Its described as a nineteenth-century hunting scene in a gilded frame measuring approximately thirty-six inches by forty-eight inches, with scarlet-coated huntsmen riding with hounds."

" That's it! " the girl cried excitedly. " I'm sure of it! "

The detective beamed at her. " Nice going, Nancy. It looks like you've given us another lead on these robberies."

Nancy smiled regretfully. " A lead maybe, but not the painting itself, unfortunately. Do you have any clue as to who's committing those country-house burglaries? "

" Not really. The roads around that Brookvale Forest area where the crimes have occurred are all well patrolled at night. Yet the burglar's only been seen once and even then he was disguised! "

Detective Hart related that one of the robbery victims had been awakened one night by a noise in his living room and had come downstairs in time to surprise the robber snatching an expensive clock off the mantel. The thief had on a black Halloween costume with a white skeleton painted on both the front and the back, and a skull mask to match.

" That doesn't give you much to go on, " Nancy murmured sympathetically.

The police detective grinned back at her. " Don't worry. It just takes patience. Give us time and a few breaks, plus some more help from Nancy Drew, and we'll nab him yet! "

An hour later at Westmoor University, Nancy met Ned as he emerged from the film lab. She quickly told him the news about the silver vase he had found and the painting taken from the Grimsby Mansion. The boy was startled.

" Why on earth would the robber dump part of his loot there? " he puzzled. " Such an out-of-the-way place as an old house in the woods. It's like the middle of nowhere! "

" I agree it doesn't seem to make much sense, " Nancy said. " The obvious thing would be to take it to the nearest big city, where he could find a professional fence to help dispose of the stolen goods. But he must have had a reason."

She mused in silence for a moment, then looked up at Ned with a smile. " How would you like to drive out to North Road with me right now? "

" What for? "

" A black van was seen there on the night that Shooting Star was stolen. The police think that may be how the horse was carried off, so I'd like to search for clues." With a twinkle, Nancy finished, " It won't be out of your way because I'm inviting you to dinner tonight. Hannah's making a shrimp casserole and I know you love that."

" Uh—oh! " Ned laughed. " You just said the magic word. I'll come peaceably."

Driving along North Road, which bordered Brookvale Forest, Nancy located Tortoise Pond with no difficulty. Witnesses had said the van was parked just across the road from the pond.

Nancy and Ned searched for clues in the tall grass bordering the road. With a sudden cry, she swooped down on a broken piece of fan belt.

" Look at this, Ned, " she said. " Could this have come off the van? "

" Maybe." He inspected the object closely. " But even if it did, this wouldn't be enough to help you identify the make or model, if that's what you're thinking."

" Not exactly." There was a thoughtful frown on Nancy's face. " Suppose this did come off the van. Would that disable it in any way? "

Ned shrugged. " It might. That depends on how many belts the van's engine had, and which one this was. If the crooks didn't know it was gone, the van might have overheated and stalled before they'd driven very far."

Nancy was excited by his answer. " If that did happen, Ned, the thieves would have been in a mess! Just imagine being stranded out on the road late at night with a stolen racehorse in their van. They might have had to abandon the van and escape on horseback! "

Ned chuckled. " That sounds like a Wild West movie! But assuming you're right, what do we do now? "

" Simple. Let's drive along the road and look for an abandoned van."

" We don't even know which way they went."

" So well try both directions, " Nancy said with a smile. " Let's try away from River Heights first."

" Sounds reasonable, " Ned agreed.

A few moments later, they were driving slowly along the highway. Less than two miles from Tortoise Pond, Nancy suddenly stopped and pointed. " Look, Ned! I think I see it! "