News of Juliana

«Oh, Dad! Where is Emily Foster?» Nancy asked, thrilled by the news. «How did you find her? What did she say about Juliana?» «One question at a time, please,» Mr. Drew said, laughing. «I talked to her only by telephone, so I didn't get any details.»

«Is she here in River Heights?»

«No. In Hampton. I traced her by contacting the State Board of Nursing. Miss Foster is on a case in Hampton. She'll be free tomorrow, and has promised to meet us at the Hampton Motel.» «That's great. Maybe now we'll find Juliana!» «Don't build your hopes too high,» the lawyer warned his daughter. «Miss Foster may not know what became of the dancer. Even if she's able to provide a clue, you have only a short time to follow it up.»

«That's the trouble,» Nancy agreed, worried. «Only ten days are left before Heath Castle will be lost to Juliana.»

«Anyway, it seems to me you've built up a case against Daniel Hector, and that's something,» her father said. «Even if Juliana is never found, there's no reason why that unscrupulous lawyer and his henchmen should help themselves to any of the estate.»

The Drews planned to leave for Hampton that evening and spend the night at the motel in order to be on time for their early-morning appointment. Nancy, knowing she had a dozen things to do before leaving, rushed to do them. Before they left, she suggested that they stop at the Fenimores' to see if Joan and her mother needed anything.

«I can't help worrying about them,» she said. Mr. Drew agreed. When they arrived at the house, the little girl was asleep. Her mother, however, was up and in surprisingly good spirits. «The Hoopers have moved!» she said. «Now Joan and Teddy will be separated!» «I wonder why they left so suddenly,» Nancy mused.

«It was strange,» Mrs. Fenimore replied. «Mrs. Hooper never talked about moving. A truck drove up with Mr. Hooper and another man and they loaded up all the furniture. Then Mrs. Hooper and Teddy left in a taxi with their luggage.»

Mrs. Fenimore went on to say that Teddy had been boasting to Joan lately.

«He said his father was a smart man - he knew how to make money without working for it. Oh, how the talk frightened me!»

«I've never seen Mr. Hooper,» Nancy said. «Can you describe him?»

«Cobb Hooper is a tall, thin man, sullen-faced, and unkempt in appearance.»

«Did you say Cobb?» Nancy was startled by the name.

«Yes.»

Nancy did not show her excitement as she recognized the name of the suspicious man she had overheard in the cloister at Heath Castle! She asked Mrs. Fenimore if she knew anything about Teddy and his family.

«I never knew when that boy was telling the truth,» the woman replied. «But he told Joan he knew where there was a hidden treasure.» Nancy's mind was whirling as pieces of evidence seemed to fall into place. «Mrs. Fenimore,» she asked, «did Joan ever talk to the Hoopers about Juliana and the property she was to inherit?»

«Dear me, yes! The child told everybody.»

«And Teddy repeated it to his parents?» «I don't know. He told Joan he went to the castle himself. But she was to keep it a secret.» «When did Teddy tell your daughter this?»

«Oh, some time ago.»

There was nothing more of importance that Mrs. Fenimore could remember. After learning that the family was not in need of food or anything else, Nancy and her father got up to leave. Nancy remarked that they were on their way to interview a woman who might have information about Juliana.

«Oh, I hope she does!» Mrs. Fenimore said. As soon as the Drews were in the car, Nancy told her father of her suspicion regarding Cobb Hooper.

«I thought Cobb was a last name,» she commented. «It never occurred to me that Biggs' companion might be Teddy's father. The man I overheard in the cloister didn't act very paternally toward the boy.»

«Maybe it's only a coincidence.»

«Possibly. But Cobb is not a common name. Shouldn't we talk to the police again?» Mr. Drew glanced at his watch. «All right. But we haven't much time if we're to get to Hampton tonight.»

At headquarters the sergeant on duty consulted the files and informed the Drews that Cobb Hooper had a prison record.

«Have you a mug shot of him?» Carson Drew asked.

«Sure.»

The photograph was brought out. With only one glance Nancy knew that he was the same man she had seen in the castle garden. «Cobb Hooper was one of the men who was hacking at the stone walls,» she revealed. «He also rammed me with his boat.»

«I'll try to get a warrant for his arrest,» the officer said.

Nancy and her father thanked him and left for Hampton. They arrived at ten o'clock, and the next morning waited in the motel lobby to meet Emily Foster. She was fifteen minutes late. «I'm sorry I couldn't make it on time,» she said as she rushed in breathlessly. «You are Mr. and Miss Drew, aren't you?»

As the two nodded she went on, «The nurse who was to relieve me was late.» Nancy and her father liked Miss Foster at once. She was in her early forties, brisk and efficient, with a friendly smile.

After some polite conversation, she came right to the point. «Mr. Drew, you said over the telephone that you wanted to ask me about a former patient of mine. I'll be glad to help you if I can.» «The information we are seeking concerns Juliana Johnson,» Mr. Drew began, «but I believe she gave the name Julia Flower at the hospital. She was injured in a hit-and-run accident.» He showed Emily Foster Juliana's photograph. «Yes, I knew her as Miss Flower,» the nurse said.

«Tell us about her,» Mr. Drew urged. «Whatever you can remember.»

«Well, I had a hunch right away that Miss Flower gave us an assumed name,» Emily Foster recalled. «For one thing, she never had any visitors. No messages came for her, no letters. She would not allow the authorities to notify anyone of her accident. 'I don't want anyone to know, ' she would say. 'Not until I'm well.'» «Did she believe she would recover?» Nancy asked quickly.

«Only in the beginning. Then the doctor told her the truth-that she'd be lame for the rest of her life.»

«How did she take it?» Mr. Drew questioned. «Very hard. Miss Flower cried for days, saying the strangest things. One remark I recall was, 'His little Cinderella will never dance for him again.' Oh, it was heartbreaking to listen to her.»

Cinderella!

Nancy was so sure she was on the right track that her mind leaped from one possibility to another. She nearly missed hearing her father's next question.

«Where did Miss Flower go after she left the hospital?»

«I don't know,» Miss Foster admitted regretfully. «From her remarks, I surmised she intended to live in some secluded place near Hopewell.»

«That name Flower,» Nancy mused. «Juliana was interested in gardening,» she added, recalling what Mrs. Fenimore had told her about the dancer. «She would pick a place with flowers and trees and vegetables, probably a farm.» «Miss Flower no doubt did,» the nurse said. «She was always asking me to buy her garden magazines. Why, the day before her release, I remember she cut an advertisement from the local paper-» «What was it?» Nancy asked eagerly. «The ad offered a small fruit and vegetable farm for sale-a place known as Clover Farm.» «Where is it?»

«It seems to me there used to be a Clover Farm at Milton about ten miles from here. I don't know whether it's the same one, though.» Nancy turned to her father.

He sensed her thoughts and said, «Yes, we'll go there today. It may be a futile trip, but we must follow every lead.»

«Oh, I hope it's the right place!» said Nancy. «We must find Juliana soon. Time is getting short!»