The Nancy Drew Sleuth Book (13 page)

“You must be kidding!” Peg protested. “I can’t even remember simple things, like what day it is!”

The girls laughed, then Nancy went on. “I’ve marked the various lines with letters. Below the palm is the explanation.”

Martie spoke up. “Haven’t I heard that if a person has a high mount of Jupiter, he or she has a lot of pride and ambition?”

“That’s right,” Nancy replied. “Apollo denotes art and riches. Saturn stands for fatality, while Mercury indicates science and wit.”

“I’ll bet Venus stands for love,” Karen said.

“That’s correct. Also for music. And Mars shows cruelty and courage.”

The girls studied their palms. Karen said excitedly, “I have a long life line!”

“Oh, dear,” Peg exclaimed. “Mine is short.”

“I wouldn’t worry about it,” Nancy told her. “Modern science has little use for palmistry.”

“Are you expecting us to use this knowledge in finding out about the strange couple in the motel?”

“Perhaps,” the young sleuth answered. “That’s why I’d like you to learn whatever you can about palmistry. Then we’ll plan our next move.”

The girls studied the subject until lunchtime. Then while they were eating, Peg and Sue were given the assignment to ask the manager what had made him suspicious of the Tonios. Karen and Martie would talk to the chambermaid who took care of the Tonios’ room, to see if she could come up with any clues. Cathy and Honey were to interview the waitress who served the Tonios’ table, as well as any of the men who handled their baggage.

“I’ll try to talk to the couple personally,” Nancy said. “Wish me luck.”

The meeting broke up, and the girls arranged to assemble later and report their findings.

As they filed out of the Drew living room, Sue remarked, “I hope that couple won’t skip town before we have a chance to investigate them. After all our preparation, it would be such a disappointment!”

The next morning the club members arrived at Nancy’s home again. All were eager to tell what they had learned at the motel.

Sue and Peg said they had had a hard time getting Mr. Schwinn to talk. “It wasn’t until we told him that we were working for Mr. Drew,” Peg explained, “that he would even speak to us. Then he telephoned your father, Nancy, who confirmed that it was all right to discuss the case with us.”

Nancy remarked, “I can’t blame him for being careful.” She grinned at her students. “You could have been part of some gang!”

Sue and Peg burst into laughter.

“Tell us what Mr. Schwinn said,” Martie begged.

Peg related that when the Tonios arrived, they had insisted upon carrying their own bags to room 315. “They were quite large. Mr. Schwinn was concerned that Mrs. Tonio was too small and delicate to be doing such heavy work.”

Sue took up the story. “The next thing Mr. Tonio insisted upon was a private telephone line. Mr. Schwinn told us this was very unusual. Usually only VIPs get their own telephone line. However, it seems they got in touch with some friends, and the telephone was installed.”

“Hmm,
”said Nancy. “That’s very interesting. The couple has connections with people of influence.”

“Looks that way,” Sue confirmed.

Since the two girls had nothing more to report, Karen and Martie told what they had found out at the Rest-a-While Motel.

“The chambermaid who takes care of the Tonios’ room had a rather funny experience,” Martie began. “The whole time she was cleaning up and tidying the room, the Tonios did not say a word, but kept staring at her. The girl felt very uncomfortable, and she guessed that the Tonios did not speak English. But according to Mr. Schwinn, they do!”

“And another thing,” Karen added, “the chambermaid noticed a palmistry book on the table. When she picked it up, Mrs. Tonio grabbed the book immediately, as if she didn’t want the girl to look inside.”

“Strange,” Nancy remarked. “Did anything else happen while she was in the Tonios’ room?”

Martie replied, “The phone rang. Mrs. Tonio picked it up and scribbled notes on a pad, but she said nothing in reply. Then she hung up the receiver.”

“It sounds weird,” Peg remarked. “If I had been that chambermaid, I would have had chills going down my spine.”

The other girls agreed that it was strange indeed and that this made the couple even more mysterious than before.

Now Cathy and Honey told their story. The waitress who served the Tonios’ table had noticed that the couple never talked except to find fault with the food. They kept asking for all sorts of ethnic dishes that were not on the menu and fussed a great deal because they could not be made especially for them.

“What about you, Nancy?” Cathy asked. “Did you have any luck?”

“Yes and no,” Nancy replied. “When I knocked on the Tonios’ door, there was no answer. I knocked again, but still no one came to open it. So I walked up the hall, still wondering whether someone was in the room. Then I met the porter. On a chance, I asked him if he knew whether or not the Tonios were there.”

“What did he say?” Peg asked eagerly.

“He said he thought so and wanted to know if I had knocked. When I said there had been no response, he said, ‘I don’t know if there’s anything to it, but the other day I happened to be turning a comer and overheard someone mention the word
gypsy
. Then a woman went into the Tonios’ room. Maybe she used it as a password. ”’

“Did you try it, Nancy?” Karen inquired.

“Yes, but there still was no answer. The couple definitely must have been out.”

Nancy said she expected her father any minute, and the girls should stay to tell him their findings. The lawyer arrived a short while later and listened with interest.

“You ladies have found out a great deal about the Tonios,” he said. “I’ll pass this information on to the FBI and the police to see if the couple are wanted for any criminal action. For the time being, continue with your work, and let me know if you learn anything else.”

The Detective Club members discussed their next move. Nancy felt she should return to the motel and try to talk to the Tonios.

“Suppose you girls come along and, with the same partners, take positions in strategic spots. If the Tonios find out what we’re up to and decide to get away, you’ll be able to stop them. Cover the exits on their floor and the first floor.”

The others agreed, and decided to meet at nine o’clock the following morning at the Rest-a-While Motel.

In the meantime, Nancy tried to figure out how she might trap the suspects. After a great deal of thought, she tucked a small can of talcum powder and a black cotton handkerchief into her handbag. She looked at her palm and whispered certain words over and over again, pointing to different areas on her hand.

“I guess I have it memorized all right,” she finally told herself. “Oh, I hope it works!”

The club members were prompt, and Nancy and her friends set off by nine o’clock. They arrived at the motel half an hour later. All the girls except Nancy scattered in pairs to guard the various entrances.

Nancy walked into the motel and spoke to Mr. Schwinn. “I’m going to call on the Tonios again,” she said. “Will you be here for the next hour or so? I might need your help.”

“Yes. What’s on your mind?”

Nancy said that she had high hopes of trapping the couple into revealing who they were and what they were doing in the motel. “I’m sure they’re traveling under assumed names, but I’m trying a little trick to make them give away their identity.”

Mr. Schwinn smiled. “I wish you luck. And I’ll be ready.”

Nancy went to room 315. No one was in the hallway when she knocked softly. She waited to give the couple enough time to come to the door, then she whispered through the crack, “Gypsy!”

There was a slight rustle inside. The young sleuth knocked again and said, “Gypsy, gypsy!”

Mr. Tonio opened the door. Nancy smiled and walked in. “Good morning,” she said brightly. “Isn’t it a beautiful day?”

Mr. Tonio looked a bit surprised, but did not ask her to leave. Nancy’s heart was beating faster. Now she had jumped the first hurdle! Just then Mrs. Tonio appeared, dressed as a gypsy. “If you came to have your fortune told, you have wasted your time. I do not tell fortunes anymore,” she said.

“Oh, I didn’t come because of that,” Nancy replied. “I have a message for you.”

“What is it?” Mrs. Tonio seemed to become tense.

Nancy put a finger to her lips and motioned for the woman to sit down at a table. Then she pulled up a chair for herself, opened her handbag, and took out the black cotton handkerchief and the can of talcum powder.

While Mrs. Tonio stared at her in puzzlement, the young detective took the woman’s right hand in her own and sprinkled her entire palm with the powder. Then she lifted Mrs. Tonio’s arm and put her palm onto the black handkerchief, pressing down hard.

Mr. Tonio, who had been looking on in stunned silence, spoke up. “What are you doing?”

“Wait!” Nancy said softly.

She lifted Mrs. Tonio’s hand from the handkerchief. On the cloth was a perfect palm print! Nancy was happy that the humps and lines showed perfectly. She pointed to the woman’s lifeline and whispered, “In danger! Meet others at—” She stopped and pointed to the health line. Then she finished the sentence with the word
club
.

To be sure both Mr. and Mrs. Tonio had grasped the meaning of what she was trying to say, she went through the whole procedure again. The message was:
Your life is in danger Meet others at health club.

To Nancy’s delight the couple looked at each other in surprise. Then both nodded. A wave of relief swept over the girl. Her ruse had worked! She picked up the handkerchief and powder, put them into her handbag, and left the room with a short nod, closing the door quietly behind her.

She hurried to Mr. Schwinn’s office. The manager leaned over the counter eagerly.

“What happened?” he asked.

“I did it! At least I think I did!” Nancy replied. “The Tonios will be leaving and hopefully will lead us to their coconspirators. Please call the police and a man from the FBI to come here at once!”

Mr. Schwinn asked the girl to come into his private office and sit down while he made the calls. Within minutes four police officers arrived, and soon afterward, the FBI man appeared and introduced himself. They crowded into Mr. Schwinn’s office.

“What’s this all about?” the federal agent asked.

Before Nancy could answer, Mr. Schwinn put his finger to his lips and went to the counter, closing the door behind him. Mr. Tonio had walked up and wanted to pay his bill. The manager pulled a sheet from his file and took his guest’s money, signing a receipt.

“Are you leaving now?” he asked.

“Yes. Will you please call a taxi for us?”

“Certainly. Would you like a bellman sent to your room?”

“No, no. That will not be necessary,” Mr. Tonio replied, and hurried away. Mr. Schwinn went back into the office and informed everyone of Mr. Tonio’s planned departure.

Nancy, meanwhile, had begun to tell the FBI agent and the police exactly what had happened, and described the couple.

“You say you took a palm print?” the FBI man asked. “May I see it?”

Nancy reached into her bag and pulled out the cotton handkerchief. The powder was slightly smudged, but most of the impression was clear enough.

After staring at it for a few moments, the man exclaimed, “See that scar through the mount of Jupiter? Without question this print was made by a woman not only the FBI but Interpol has been trying to find. She and her husband are wanted for a number of criminal activities both in Sicily and in various states of the U.S.”

“Then they’re not really fortune-tellers?” Nancy asked.

“Of course not. Their name is Vallecci, and they’re known criminals.”

Just then the couple came to the lobby, lugging their heavy bags. As they started for the front door, the FBI man and the four officers surrounded them, followed by Nancy and Mr. Schwinn.

“What does this mean?” Mr. Tonio demanded to know.

“It means you’re under arrest,” one of the officers replied. “We’ve been looking for you for a long time, Mr. and Mrs. Vallecci!”

The couple looked stunned, and the woman dropped her bag, staring in all directions fearfully. When she spied Nancy, an evil expression came into her eyes. “You—you are a spy! A wicked girl. You tricked us to set us up for the police!”

“Yes, I did,” Nancy said. “My friends and I are detectives.”

The other girls had arrived in the lobby and were crowding around the prisoners.

Mr. Tonio’s face was a mask of anger. He hissed at his wife, “I told you, you would get us into trouble with your stupid fortune-telling!”

“Your own fortune won’t be very fortunate,” the FBI man said. “Come on now, let’s get down to headquarters!”