The Message in the Hollow Oak (7 page)
Read The Message in the Hollow Oak Online
Authors: Carolyn Keene
Tags: #Canada, #Women Detectives, #Detective and Mystery Stories, #Girls & Women, #Gold, #Mystery & Detective, #Juvenile Fiction, #Adventure and Adventurers, #Mysteries & Detective Stories, #Fiction, #Treasure Troves, #Nature & the Natural World, #Mystery Stories, #Adventure Stories, #Gold Miners, #Illinois, #Drew; Nancy (Fictitious Character), #Fraud, #General, #Mystery and Detective Stories
“Come as soon as you can,” she urged. “Fly to St. Louis and take a helicopter from there. My interesting clue is that pirates stole the treasure which Père François was carrying and hid it in a cave along the Ohio River. It the story is true, there’s a good chance the treasure has never been found because all the pirates were lost in a storm.”
Enthusiastically she told about the Ohio River towboat trips. “Would you and the others like to take one and hunt for the treasure?”
“Sounds great,” he replied. “Suppose you make all the arrangements and then call me when you want us to start. Only don’t make it too long. I’m itching to get out there.”
Tingling with happiness, Nancy came out of the phone booth. Just then Art rode up. Excitedly she asked, “Would you possibly have time to dash into Cairo and back?”
He looked at his wrist watch. “Yes, if we hurry. What’s up?”
Nancy swung onto the motorcycle and it roared down the road. She told Art the news that her friends were going to fly out to help solve the mystery.
When Art made no comment, she said, “You’ll like them. I know you will.”
He had become glum, but replied, “At any rate I’ll like Bess and George.”
The remark amused Nancy, but as time went on and Art did not respond to her remarks as he usually did, she became puzzled. Then suddenly Nancy wondered, “Could Art be jealous of Ned?”
Deciding the thought was ridiculous, she put it out of her mind. It was true she and Art had been together a good deal the past few days but the friendship was casual.
As they neared Cairo after a ride with an almost one-sided conversation, Nancy decided that her hunch had been right. Art had hardly spoken the whole time. Obviously he was not thrilled by Ned’s expected arrival! An idea of how to take care of the situation came to her.
“Art,” she said, “do you think you and Julie Anne could get away from the dig for a few days and go on the towboat trip with the rest of us? I’d love to have you come.”
Art brightened considerably. “I’m sure we could get permission. Thanks a lot.”
When they reached town Nancy directed Art to Captain Hornbeck’s home. In a short time they pulled up in front of a tree-shaded cottage on a low bluff overlooking the river. A tall, weather-beaten man with gray hair stood in the front doorway. In one hand he held an arrow.
“Howdy,” he said, smiling. “I heard you coming on that motorcycle. What can I do for you?”
Nancy introduced herself and Art and explained what they wanted. “Clem Rucker said you have no phone, so we couldn’t call you—”
“Humph!” the captain snorted. “Old Clem doesn’t know. I got an unlisted number so folks won’t bother me. But come in.”
He led the way into a small living room crowded with furniture. On a large table Nancy and Art were amazed to see arrowheads, shafts, feathers, and odd tools.
“I make bows and arrows,” the old man said, “and use the same tools as the ancient Indians.”
He showed them a stone scraper he worked with to form the wooden shafts. “Then I fit a real Indian arrowhead to it,” he added. “I’ve found hundreds of ’em around here.”
While the young people admired the artifacts he had made, the retired captain called the towboat company for which he had once worked. The line was busy. When he came back, Nancy asked him about river pirates.
“In the old days,” he said, “the Ohio and Mississippi both had their share of pirates. They were a menace to navigation.”
Warming to the subject, Hornbeck told his callers that pirates used to lie in wait along the shore until a flatboat with a pioneer family came along. Then they would go out, capture the boat, and kill the passengers.
“How wicked!” Nancy exclaimed.
Art asked, “What did they do with the cargo?”
Captain Hornbeck said they usually took it all the way to New Orleans and sold it.
“In those days travel overland was so slow that news of a piracy did not reach New Orleans until after the men had left there.”
The elderly captain went back to the telephone and tried again to get the towboat company. This time he was successful and after a short conversation arranged the trip for Nancy’s group.
“You can go aboard in the evening day after tomorrow.”
“That’s perfect,” Nancy told him. “Thank you so much. We’ve enjoyed talking to you.”
The elderly man walked to the door with Nancy and Art. “I hope you have fun and good luck on your trip,” he said.
Before returning to the dig, Nancy called the airfield. When she learned that Roscoe Thompson was not there, she left a message requesting him to pick them up Saturday morning and fly them to Cairo.
Art was more talkative and whistled cheerfully on the way back to the dig. Nancy was relieved that apparently whatever was bothering him had vanished. When they arrived at the farmhouse, Nancy thanked Art and then dashed inside to change into digging clothes. No one was around.
“I guess everyone’s down in the pit,” Nancy thought. “I—Oh!”
She had caught sight of a crudely printed note propped up on the bureau. Her name was scrawled across the top. Underneath was a message:
“You will never find the right hollow oak. I have taken the message out of it and destroyed the tree. Now the treasure it told about will be mine! Ha! Ha!”
CHAPTER IX
Escaping Thief
NANCY studied the note on the bureau intently. Was it true that someone had found the message in the hollow oak which told of a treasure?
The young detective took a long breath. “Maybe it’s only a joke,” she said to herself. “Perhaps one of the girls or even one of the boys left this note to play a trick on me.”
Nancy took out her magnifying glass and examined the paper for fingerprints. There were none on it.
She was still puzzled as she laid the note down and began to change her clothes. As soon as she was dressed for the dig, Nancy went to the excavation and climbed down.
The busy workers looked up and said, “Hi!” Julie Anne asked if she had had any luck reaching Ned.
“Yes,” Nancy replied. “I’ll tell you about it later.” She changed the subject and asked, “Which one of you left a note on the bureau?”
“Note?” Julie Anne repeated. “There wasn’t any note when I was in the room.”
Not only Nancy’s roommates but all the other girls said they knew nothing about the message that had been left for Nancy.
“How about you boys?” Nancy called out.
They in turn denied having written it. Art asked, “What did it say?”
Nancy told him and the others. Theresa looked disturbed. “This is serious. I beg of you, if anyone here did it as a joke, please own up so none of us will be worried.” The whole group reiterated that they knew nothing about the strange message.
“Oh, Nancy,” Julie Anne burst out, “it must have been that awful man or some pal of his!”
Theresa Bancroft said she did not like the thought of anyone sneaking around the dig. “Whoever the person is, he’s very brazen to come here in the daylight. I want all of you to be very careful.”
Nancy’s roommates were alarmed over the situation. They were sure she had not heard the last of her enemy.
Julie Anne, after thinking this over, said, “I don’t believe what’s in that note. If the person had really found the message and was on the track of a treasure, he wouldn’t bother to tell you. I think he left the note to frighten you away. If you don’t leave, he may harm you.”
Nancy turned to Theresa. “There’s good logic in what Julie Anne says. I think I should go to Cairo and stay there until my friends arrive. Did Art tell you they’re coming?”
“He didn’t say a word,” Julie Anne replied.
Art lowered his eyes. Was it possible he did not like the idea? Quickly Nancy explained about the five friends who would join her on the river trip.
“That’s fine,” said Theresa. “And bring them back with you after the trip. We’ve plenty of room. As for your leaving here today, I insist that you stay until it’s time to go meet your friends.”
The archaeologist requested that everyone get back to work Nancy picked up her shovel.
The boys had unearthed the fine skeleton of a man and carried it to the laboratory. Here they planned to wire it together so it could be hung up and exhibited. When the others finished work, they all trooped to the barn to see it.
The skeleton was suspended from a rod which the boys had put up. Theresa was very much pleased and said it was one of the finest specimens ever to be uncovered.
“Any museum would be delighted to have this,” she remarked, “but I’m glad it will be on exhibit at Paulson University.”
After dinner Nancy invited Julie Anne to go on the towboat trip.
“Oh how exciting!” she exclaimed. “Suppose I ask Theresa right away.”
She hurried off. On the way to find the leader, Julie Anne met Art who was about to make the same request. Both promised Theresa they would work doubly hard as soon as they returned to the dig.
“All right, go ahead,” Theresa said. “Neither of you has been in this area before and it will be a nice side trip for you.”
As usual the evening was gay with singing and for the time being everyone forgot about Nancy’s mysterious note. Finally all the boys went home except Bob Snell, who remained on guard.
The girls fell asleep quickly but at once Nancy began having worrisome dreams. She could see pirates attacking towboats and barges. She spotted sneaking figures in the moonlight, and finally when someone tried to grab Père François’s treasure from her, she woke up.
“Oh!” she said softly. “What a nightmare!”
Everything around her was peaceful but Nancy could not get back to sleep. Finally she arose, pulled on slacks and a shirt and went outdoors. She did not see Bob Snell and wondered where he was. Restless, she walked past the dig site and around the house to the farmyard.
The night was dark, with few stars, but her eyes soon became accustomed to this. She could make out the shape of the old barn. Beyond it lay the wide empty field and the woods. Far in the distance a dog barked and another answered.
Nancy wondered where Bob was. Perhaps behind the barn-lab? She considered turning on her flashlight, but instinct told her not to.
“What’s the matter with you?” she asked herself sternly. “You’re actually nervous!”
The next moment she heard a low creaking noise. Someone was slowly opening the barn door! Instantly she knew it was not Bob. He would not be so cautious about it.
Before Nancy could investigate, a strange ghost-like shape appeared from the ramshackle building. Nancy’s heart began to pound as she saw what it was. A skeleton was walking toward her!
Nancy blinked several times, then her good sense returned and she knew someone was carrying the skeleton in front of him.
He must be a thief! Walking on tiptoe but quickly, Nancy came up to the skeleton. Someone was indeed carrying it!
“Put that down!” she ordered, reaching out to grab the bony figure.
There was a startled grunt from behind the skeleton and the next moment a man thrust it at her, brushed past, and ran fast toward the road.
“Bob! Bob!” Nancy shouted, but got no reply.
She did not dare pursue the fugitive. It was too dangerous, and besides, she had retrieved the valuable fossil and must hold onto it.
“I’d better put this back in the lab.”
As she was about to walk to the barn, two flashlights appeared from the farmhouse. Julie Anne was holding one, Theresa the other.
Seeing the skeleton, Julie Anne gave a loud squeal. Then, spotting Nancy, she exclaimed, “What on earth!”
Quickly Nancy explained and Theresa said, “I’m glad you didn’t run after the man. Where’s Bob?”
“I don’t know,” Nancy answered. “I called him but he didn’t answer.”
Julie Anne asked worriedly, “Do you think that thief might have knocked him out?”
“Oh, I hope not!” Theresa said. “We’ll put the skeleton back in the lab and then hunt for Bob.”
He was not in the big workroom nor anywhere else in the barn. The three searchers walked around the exterior of the farmhouse but did not find him.
“He may have become ill and gone to the boys’ house,” said Theresa. “We’d better go over and inquire.”
She and Julie Anne hastened to their bedroom and slipped into some clothes. Then the three headed across the field to the boys’ quarters.
Nancy knocked on the door and moments later Art answered, pulling on his robe. Seeing the girls, he was alarmed. “What’s the matter?”
Nancy told him what had happened.
A skeleton was walking toward her!
“I’ll check and see if Bob’s here,” said Art. In a few moments he came back to the door. “Not here,” he reported grimly. “We’d better search.”
“Yes,” Theresa said anxiously. “He may have met with foul play.”
In twenty minutes the field and woods were alive with flashlights as all the boys joined in the search for the missing youth.
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