The Message in the Hollow Oak (14 page)

“I’m afraid,” she said, “the abductors will move Bob before the police can track down the spot from which he beamed his message.”

Art and Todd offered to ride to town on the motorcycle and telephone the police for news.

Nancy said, “How about calling the radio station and the ham? Maybe you’ll learn more.”

“We’ll do that,” Art promised.

When the group heard the motorcycle coming back, everyone rushed outdoors. “What did you find out?” several of them asked.

“I got in touch with the ham,” Art answered. “He thinks Bob beamed his message from somewhere in southern Illinois in an open area.”

“That’s where we are!” Julie Anne exclaimed.

Theresa said, “I suggest a day off tomorrow so most of you can try to find Bob. I will stay here with four others to guard our dig and the lab.”

The young archaeologists planned to start out early the next morning, dividing the territory. Nancy thought that her group should go back to the quarry and start from there.

Good-nights were being said when they became aware of an old car driving in. As soon as it stopped, Clem Rucker stepped out.

“Howdy, folks,” he greeted everyone. “I was in town this evenin’ and picked up a letter for you, Nancy, in my box. Funny thing, it was mailed right in Walmsley yesterday. Must be from somebody you know around here.”

Since the young detective knew no one in the area except Roscoe Thompson and this was not his handwriting, her curiosity was aroused. She tore open the letter and glanced through it. A frown creased her forehead. She read aloud:

“‘Bob Snell is our prisoner. We will release him after you give us the contents of the hollow oak plus five thousand dollars. Leave them tomorrow morning before seven o’clock in the abandoned well house one mile west of the quarry. Do not notify the police or you will regret it.’ The note is not signed.”

“Oh!” Julie Anne exclaimed. “This is dreadful!”

“Now we really have something to work on,” George remarked. Nancy nodded.

Julie Anne said, “Nancy, surely you aren’t going to give those abductors five thousand dollars!”

“Of course not. Even if I could, I wouldn’t.” She suggested that they leave a dummy sack containing paper and a few stones in the well house.

At once Claire Warwick spoke up. “I’m sure the whole thing will be a wild-goose chase. Nothing has convinced me that Bob was really abducted. He probably is just playing a joke on us. You’re wasting your time. It is more important to stay here and dig.”

With that she went into the farmhouse without saying good night to anyone.

Bess turned to Nancy. “You don’t think there could be any truth in her conclusion, do you?”

“No,” Nancy replied. “Bob wouldn’t play such an idiotic joke.”

“That’s right,” Art added. “He’s too nice a guy to worry his parents and friends.”

“We must get this note to the police,” said Theresa, and Nancy agreed, despite the warning against doing so.

“I’ll run you down to State Police Headquarters on the highway,” said Clem. “Hop in.”

Nancy, Ned, and Theresa accepted his offer and thirty minutes later the four were seated before the desk of a brisk young police captain. He studied the note carefully, then listened intently to Nancy’s plan about leaving the dummy sack.

“This ransom note could be a hoax,” he said, “but we’ll check it. Miss Drew, I think that you and your friends should deliver the sack as you suggested. I’ll keep my men hidden in the woods. If the kidnappers think the police are around they won’t go through with the deal.”

The details were arranged and everyone agreed, though Theresa was concerned about the danger.

“Don’t worry,” Nancy said confidently. “We’ll be cautious.”

Next morning everybody was up very early. Nancy and her friends from home ate a quick breakfast, then piled into the truck, taking the dummy sack which the boys had fixed the night before. The others waved good-by and called, “Good luck!”

A short distance from the quarry, Ned parked the truck. Then the three couples headed in a westerly direction. Burt and George walked a little to the left of Nancy and Ned, while Dave and Bess went to the right.

The instructions in the letter proved to be correct. Exactly one mile from the quarry they came upon an old well house. It had originally been part of a farm home but now there were only ruins of a burned house and barn.

“The abductors certainly chose a secluded spot for the ransom,” Nancy said.

She and Ned hurried forward. The other two couples watched from a distance, then they all converged. Cautiously Nancy and Ned led the way to the small, shadowy well house. It was empty. As Ned laid down the sack of paper and stones, Nancy looked around. On the far side she noticed a crumpled paper on the floor. Nancy picked it up to see if anything was on it.

“A message from Bob!” she cried. “Listen! ‘Was a prisoner here but am being moved. I don’t know where. Hollow oak not located.’ ”

“What a find!” Ned exclaimed. “I wonder how long ago he wrote this.”

“Let’s hope,” George put in, “that we’re so hot on the trail, those kidnappers haven’t been able to take Bob far away.”

Everyone was excited and now began to hunt outside for clues to the direction the kidnappers had gone. Dave was the first to spot two sets of footprints leading in a northeasterly direction. Did the prints belong to two abductors who might have been carrying Bob, or to Bob and one abductor?

“I believe one set is Bob’s,” Nancy remarked.

“We must follow them, of course,” said Ned, “but somebody ought to stay here and stake out the well house.”

George and Burt volunteered to keep watch. “I’ll bark like a dog,” said Burt, “if the kidnappers show up.”

“Okay,” Ned replied. “Besides, you’ll be safe enough because the police are supposed to be hiding around here.” He frowned. “They’re doing a good job, if they are. There’s not a sign of them.”

Nancy set off with her friends. A short distance away the footprints ended but tire tracks took their place. The two couples followed them. The marks went straight for some distance, then curved abruptly around a hill.

Not knowing what might confront them on the other side of it, the four young people went ahead cautiously, single file. Ned had insisted upon taking the lead in case there was any trouble. When they reached the far side, they saw an empty car parked in a clearing.

On a hunch that someone would soon come for it, Nancy suggested, “Let’s retrace our steps and spy around the side of the hill.”

In a few minutes their caution was rewarded. They could hear voices. Soon three men approached on foot. The watchers gasped.

On either side of him were the fake museum guards who had come to the farmhouse.

“Don’t try any funny work, young man!” one of them said in a harsh voice.

The watchers looked at one another, then got ready to attack!

THE fake guards were taken completely by surprise. Ned and Dave gave them a football rush that knocked the two men over.

For a few seconds Bob did not know what was going on. He put up his fists to ward off anyone who might attack him. Instantly Nancy and Bess came to his rescue. Quickly they untied his blindfold and pulled the gag from his mouth.

“Nancy!” Bob cried out. “Where did you come from?”

Without waiting for an answer he pitched into the fight to help Ned and Dave. The kidnappers were quickly subdued. Exhausted, they did not try to escape.

Nancy introduced her friends to Bob. He thanked them for rescuing him, and said, “How did you ever find me?”

Nancy explained and added, “Oh, Bob, we’re so glad to see you!”

He managed a smile. “Am I glad to see you! How’s everything at the dig?”

Quickly Nancy told about the attempted thievery, then asked, “Who kidnapped you?”

Bob confirmed that it was Kit Kadle. “By the way, he does use the alias of Tom Wilson.”

Nancy quizzed the prisoners, but they sat on the ground, looking glum and refusing to answer. Bob said he did not know their names but the men were pals of Kit Kadle.

“Did you hear the radio message I sent that a ham picked up? Evidently he passed it on.”

“Yes, to a broadcasting company,” Nancy replied. “Later we learned the ham thought you were in this general area.”

Just then George and Burt came around the side of the hill. They stopped short at the surprising scene before them, then hurried over, full of questions.

Swiftly Ned explained the situation and Nancy introduced the newcomers to Bob. Then she turned to George. “Why did you leave the well house?”

“Because the police have the well house surrounded. One of the officers spotted us and said it wasn’t necessary for us to keep watch. We came to see if you needed our help.”

Bob nodded. “How about tying up these men? There’s some rope in that car of theirs, and by the way, the ignition key is in it.”

The two prisoners suddenly tried to make a break, but they were quickly stopped by the four boys. Since it seemed best for all of them to hold onto the men, George went to the car and found the rope. She helped tie the men’s hands behind their backs and hobbled their feet.

The prisoners sat down again, glaring at their captors. Burt offered to bring back a couple of policemen who were staking out the well house.

While Burt was gone, Bob explained how he had been kidnapped. “It happened while I was near the dig,” he said. “These two guys came out of nowhere. While one of them stuffed a gag in my mouth, the other one grabbed me and tore my shirt. A piece of it came off in my hand when I tried reaching for the guy’s arm. Before they had a chance to tie me up, I pretended to pass out. I staggered toward a tree and stuck the material in it. They dragged me away and made me walk in a brook a long distance. The whole time I kept wondering what my capture was all about.

“Later I found out Kit Kadle was in back of the whole thing. He was very nervous about being found, so he had these men moving me from place to place in their car. They had another car they had stolen but were afraid to use it.

“I told them I didn’t know anything about the hollow oak, but they didn’t believe me. Kadle figured that the message contained directions to a hidden treasure. If he could find it, he would be a rich man. And I guess he also planned to sell whatever he could steal from the dig.”

George said, “We found the note you left in the well house. Did they keep you a prisoner there part of the time?”

“Yes,” Bob replied. “One or the other of the two armed guards always kept watch outside the places where Kadle and I stayed. Kadle was away a lot, so I had plenty of time to try figuring out how I could save myself.”

Nancy was curious about the strange row of stones she had found. “Did you leave them?”

“Yes. When the men took me out for exercise, they untied my hands. I spotted the spearheads in a heap. While they were busy talking, I filled my pockets with them. Later, they moved me. When they weren’t watching me for a few seconds, I dropped the spearheads onto the ground one by one. Once I tried to get away but it was hopeless.”

Bess spoke up. “I think you were marvelous to rig up a sending set and get a message out. Where did you find the equipment?”

Bob laughed. “I’m studying to be an electrical engineer, and you’d be surprised at all the odd little things I gathered in that shack where Kadle was staying. I worked on the set whenever he was out.”

“Where is this shack?” Nancy asked.

“I don’t know,” Bob replied. “In the woods somewhere. I was blindfolded whenever they moved me in and out of it.”

“Is he at the place now?” asked Ned.

Bob said Kadle had gone off somewhere but had told the men he would join them later.

“In the meantime they were to move me to a new hideout. Kadle caught me sending the radio message last night and figured the police would soon locate the place where we were staying.”

“When is he going to the well house to pick up the ransom?” Nancy asked.

“Sometime this morning,” Bob replied. “That’s all I know. Nancy, did you find the message in the hollow oak?”

“No,” she said, “but apparently Kadle thinks I did, because he made it part of the ransom.”

Bob shook his head. “Kadle doesn’t know whether you have or haven’t. He just put that in the ransom note in case you had. Anyway, he figures he’ll get five thousand dollars.”

Ned grinned. “Is he in for a surprise!” Bob laughed when he was told about the dummy sack.

Ned turned to the prisoners and questioned them about where they had planned to take Bob. The men remained silent.

“It doesn’t matter now, anyway,” said Nancy. “The police should be here soon.”

To her dismay Burt returned without them, saying he could not find any of the officers. “I figure they either captured Kadle or are trailing him.”

After a discussion it was decided that Bob and Burt would use the prisoners’ car and take the kidnappers to the authorities.

“Bob, please don’t go before you answer a few more questions,” Nancy requested. “Did you ever find out why you were abducted?”

“Yes,” Bob replied. “Two reasons. One, Kadle hoped my disappearance would frighten you off the case. Two, he thought I could give him a clue to the hollow oak. He was sure I had picked up information about it from you.”

“How did he learn the story of the oak?” Nancy asked.

“He overheard the New York detectives talking about it when they were out here,” Bob answered.

Nancy asked him if he knew one of those detectives had been kidnapped by Kadle. “No. But I’m not surprised. Kadle is a fanatic on the subject of the hollow oak. He’s determined to find it first and won’t let anything stand in his way.