Phone Threat

Nancy’s eyes widened. For a moment she could only stare in silence at the television staffer.

“Are you all right, dear? ” the woman asked anxiously.

“Er, yes. Sorry, I was just thinking of something else. Thank you for the information.”

Nancy left the broadcasting studio almost in a state of shock. Could it possibly be that the urgent message Maggie Farr was trying to communicate had something to do with Kim Vernon or her withdrawal from the Charleston Cup match? If not, it was certainly an amazing coincidence!

But if not a coincidence, the alternative seemed just as weird. What possible connection could there be between a golf star and a spider?

Nancy waited for her father to join her in a tearoom near Radio City Music Hall. Then, after a sandwich and iced tea, they drove back to River Heights.

Hannah Gruen greeted them with the news of a phone call for Nancy. “The same man phoned last night too, dear, while you were out with Ned, ” she added. “I forgot to tell you.”

“It doesn’t matter, since I wasn’t in, anyway, ” the teenager responded with a smile. “Did he leave his name or say what he wanted? ”

“Neither, ” Hannah replied with a worried little frown. “I must say, he sounded rather unpleasant.”

“In that case, ” Nancy chuckled, “maybe it’s just as well I missed him! ”

She spent the evening curled upon the sofa with a good book, though much of the time her thoughts were far from the printed page.

“It doesn’t make sense, ” Nancy said to herself for the umpteenth time the next morning, while dressing in a green knit shirt and a short green and white golf skirt. She was to pick up George and Bess and play a round of golf with them at the country club.

The teenage sleuth was still puzzling over the information that the woman at the TV station had given her yesterday afternoon. The intriguing problem gave her an additional reason to hope she might encounter the golf star on the course this morning.

Soon the three friends were well into their game, and Nancy was relaxed enough to be able to concentrate on keeping her two-stroke lead over George. As they were on their way toward the sixteenth green, Bess exclaimed, “Oh look! There’s Kim Vernon! ”

Nancy glanced across the intervening row of shrubbery to see Kim waving a greeting to them from the adjacent fairway. She was playing with Buzz Hammond, the club pro, who was just selecting an iron from his bag.

N one way, it seemed a lucky encounter since it might provide an opportunity to follow up on her Saturday night conversation with Russ Chaffee. But o further thought, Nancy decided it might be best not to take any initiative in the matter, until she had decided how best to handle the situation.

Kim and Buzz had disappeared by the time Nancy and her two friends walked off the golf course.

“Oh, I’m sooo hungry! ” said Bess. “Let’s all have lunch here, shall we? ”

George laughed and winked at Nancy. “When I’m with Bess, I never need a wristwatch. I always know when it’s lunchtime or dinnertime! ”

Her cousin giggled. ‘Oh, you’re just jealous because I have such a good, healthy appetite! ”

Nancy, who was standing by smiling at their exchange, found Bess’s idea appealing. “How about you, George? Want to eat here at the club? ”

“Lead on, ” the slender, dark-haired girl agreed willingly, and all three started toward the locker room.

Just then, Kim Vernon emerged from the club entrance. She declined the three girls’ invitation to join them at lunch and said, “Nancy, may I speak with you for a minute? ”

“Of course.”

With a parting wave, her two friends went on into the clubhouse. “We’ll go on and get a table, Nan, ” George murmured. “See you inside.”

Kim and Nancy walked toward the shade of a big oak tree.

“Nancy, ” the golf star broke the silence, “Russ Chaffee told me he’s asked you to investigate my dropping out of the Charleston Cup Tournament.”

“Yes, he did. He’s very concerned.”

“Russ is a wonderful man and a good friend. He’s helped me a lot, ” Kim declared. “But this is my business only! ”

The attractive young golfer’s face was pale and serious. She spoke decisively, but Nancy thought she detected a faint tremor in her voice.

“I’m sure he only wants to help you, ” the teenager replied calmly.

“Perhaps so. But please, ” Kim persisted, “I must ask you not to interfere! I had y reasons for withdrawing, and there’s no need to make a federal case out of it. It’s strictly a private matter. So can’t you just let things be? ”

Her onyx-dark eyes looked intently into the teenager’s sapphire-blue ones.

What a spot to be in! thought Nancy. Aloud and choosing her words carefully, she said, “I understand how you feel, Kim. I knew you might object, so I just told Mr. Chaffee I’d look into it - that’s all. I assure you, you have nothing to worry about from me.”

Kim let out a long breath. “Thank you, Nancy! ”

“Sure you won’t join us? ” the girl detective went on. “We’d love to have you.”

“I wish I could, but I promised to have lunch with my brother, ” Kim Vernon replied. “He’s driving over to River Heights on purpose. I’d better hurry, in fact! ”

Nancy walked thoughtfully into the clubhouse and soon joined her friends in the dining room. Over soup and salad, she told them about Russ Chaffee’s request and described her rather uncomfortable conversation with Kim.

“Does that mean you’re not going to investigate after all? ” George asked shrewdly.

The teenage sleuth shook her head. “On the contrary - now I feel I must. Kim didn’t just sound worried, she looked frightened. I think she’s in some kind of trouble! ”

After dropping off Bess and George at their houses, Nancy drove home. As she entered the Drews’ comfortable, cool hall, Hannah Gruen was on the phone.

Turning with a smile to Nancy, she said into the telephone, “One moment, please. Miss Drew just walked in. I’ll let you speak to her.”

Covering the mouthpiece with one hand, she whispered, “It’s that man who called on Saturday and Sunday but wouldn’t leave his name! ”

Nancy nodded and took the phone, while Hannah retired to the kitchen. “This is Nancy Drew speaking. Who’s calling? ”

“Never mind who’s calling, ” a tough, gravelly voice retorted. “You gave me a lot of trouble on Saturday at the country club, Miss Nosy Busy-body! Next time you get in my way, I’ll do more than just knock you down! ”

And he hung up.

Nancy, too, put down the phone, her heart beating a bit faster.

Her unpleasant caller had to be the squint-eyed thief whom she’d stopped from tampering with Kim Vernon’s golf bag! But how had he learned who she was?

After a cooling shower, Nancy put on a pink dress and went out to the garden, where Hannah was picking vegetables for the Drews’ dinner. She told the housekeeper she had a visit to make but would be home for dinner.

“Good. We’re having one of your favorite meals, dear---fried chicken and biscuits.”

“Oh, great! I wouldn’t miss it for the world! ”

“You be careful now.” Hannah smiled and waved.

Soon Nancy was driving out on Old Church Road. She had decided to talk to Kim’s boyfriend, Brett Hulme. On the way, she reviewed what she knew about the talented young jewelry designer.

Over the past few years, Hulme had made quite a name for himself, designing special items of jewelry for prominent socialites and headline personalities. His work was sold in the most exclusive stores and had even been displayed in museums. Recently he had bought a big old house on the outskirts of River Heights and converted its ground floor into a workshop.

As Nancy turned into the graveled drive that led to the half-timbered, tudor-style mansion, she drove past a large, shiny dark limousine with a uniformed chauffeur waiting at the wheel.

Nancy parked and walked up to the house. Just as she reached it, the front door opened and a rather courtly, jolly-looking man emerged. He was elegantly dressed and had a beautifully twirled and waxed moustache.

Smiling at the pretty teenager, he doffed his pearl gray hat and gave a slight bow as he held the door open for her.

As Nancy beamed back at him, his expression made clear that he felt himself amply rewarded. Passing through the vestibule, she glanced out the wide front windows and saw him step into the waiting limousine.

Hulme’s large, airy, sunlit workshop spread out over what Nancy guessed had once been most of the floor space occupied by the mansion’s drawing room, dining room, and kitchen.

There were file cabinets, shelves, and work benches equipped with a variety of hand and power tools. Nancy’s quick eyes took in buffing and grinding wheels, a drill press, a small lathe, electric pickle pots, and at various points on the floor a gas torch, a forge, a motor-driven tumbler for smoothing rough stones and metal, as well as a huge safe and a sink and counter all the way to the rear.

Hunched over a desk, with his back to Nancy, sat a broad-shouldered young man with thick, curly brown hair. Nancy caught her breath as she saw the beautiful creation spread out in front of him. He appeared to be assembling an intricate, web-like necklace. Its delicate, silvery strands glittered under the dazzling radiance of his work light.

With a start, the young man suddenly sensed her presence and looked up. “I didn’t hear you! ”

“Sorry.” Nancy smiled. “I came in just as your last visitor was going out---that’s probably why the sound didn’t register.”

The designer nodded and stood up, switching off the light and removing his eyeshade.

Nancy gestured to the silvery craftwork on his desk. “How lovely! What exactly is it to be? A cobweb necklace”

Hulme merely shrugged and folded his muscular arms. “It’s a special order for a customer.”

“Oh I see. I’d better introduce myself, by the way. My name is Nancy Drew. I’m a friend of Kim Vernon’s.”

She saw Hulme’s gray-green eyes brighten with interest, but his handsome face remained impassive. “Oh, yes? ” Evidently the young designer was not going out of his way to make the interview any easier.

“I understand you and Kim used to be good friends, ” Nancy went on, “so I was wondering if you could help me.”

“In what way? ”

“Her coach is very much concerned about her, and frankly so am I. Kim has such a promising future, yet she seems about to throw it away. No doubt you’ve heard about her dropping out of the tournament in Charleston? ”

“Yes, it was... too bad.” Brett lowered his gaze uneasily and drummed his fingers on the desk. “Very unfortunate and puzzling.”

“That’s exactly the point, ” said Nancy. “No one can understand why she would do such a thing. That’s why I came here, hoping you might be able to suggest a reason. You know her better than I.”

Brett Hulme hesitated. His expression was troubled and sympathetic, yet strangely uncertain. Nancy sensed a conflict going on inside him, and for a moment she thought or hoped he might be about to provide her with a clue to the mystery.

Instead, he shook his head and murmured, “I’m sorry. I really don’t know how I can help.”

Almost as if in protest, there was a sudden crash of glass! A fist-sized object came hurtling through the window, straight toward Brett Hulme’s head!