Mystery of the Glowing Eye Part 3

"No, but I will. It's too late now. We must all get to bed."

Nancy went to her room, but she kept thinking, "Did Dad mean it was too late because Marty is working on the case?"

The young detective found it impossible to sleep. Finally at six o'clock she dressed and drove to Mr. Drew's office to which she had a key. Quickly she made a photostat of Ned's note and put it in her purse. Then she left the original at police headquarters for Chief McGinnis and went home.

No one was up yet. Using the telephone extension in the kitchen, she called George, then Bess.

"Will you drive up to Emerson with me today?" she asked. "I want to try getting a lead on Ned. Could you be ready in an hour?"

Both girls promised to hurry. Nancy ate a cold breakfast, left a note for her father, then hurried from the house to pick up George and Bess.

As they headed toward the highway in Nancy's convertible, Bess asked, "What's the big rush? Did you pick up a clue?"

Nancy briefed the cousins on the night's happenings. They were thunderstruck and George asked, "Do you think the copter took off by remote control, or did whoever attacked the police guard fly it?"

"I don't know," Nancy replied. "Probably the police will come this morning and investigate."

The girls were silent for nearly two miles as they enjoyed the early morning with its twittering birds and hide-and-seek sunshine.

Finally Bess spoke up. "What is Cyclops, anyway? I remember something from school about it being a one-eyed monster."

"I looked it up to make sure," Nancy replied. "The story comes from Greek mythology. There was a race of giant shepherds. Each man had only one eye. It was in the center of his forehead. The Cyclops made weapons and armor for the G.o.ds, and also thunderbolts. One of these thunderbolts killed Aesculapius, so his father Apollo had all the shepherds put to death."

"What a gruesome story!" Bess commented. "But what in the world did Ned mean by Cyclops?"

George had no answer, but presently Nancy said, "I have a hunch that maybe the glowing eye is a present-day Cyclops."

Bess's eyes opened wide. "You mean there's a one-eyed monster man loose somewhere? And he kidnaps people?"

"Yes," George replied. "And his main diet is plump young ladies who like to eat sweets."

Bess made a face at her cousin, then said, "Nancy, are you suggesting that Ned is being held by some monster man?"

"With one eye?" George added.

"Seriously," Nancy answered, "Ned may have stumbled upon a clue in the glowing eye mystery. I did mention it to him. Oh, I wish I knew what his note means!"

By eleven o'clock Bess began to complain of being starved. "Let's stop for a bite in Martin City," she suggested.

Though Nancy would have liked to push on and had not thought of food, she suddenly realized she was hungry. "Okay, Bess."

When they reached the turnoff, Nancy took the downhill road that led to the industrial city on the Wimpole River. "What do they manufacture here?" she asked.

George said, "Fresh-water fishing equipment and small boats. My dad has bought a lot of things made by these people. By the way, this is a historic place. Maybe we could look around a little."

"After we eat," Bess said firmly.

At an intersection in town Nancy inquired of a traffic policeman where there was a good restaurant. He recommended The Clearview. In a few minutes the girls reached the attractive, ivy-covered brick homestead. Inside, it was filled with beautiful old furniture and paintings.

"How charming!" Bess exclaimed as the girls went to the powder room.

A few minutes later a headwaitress led them toward a table by the window. Nancy, who was ahead of the others, stopped suddenly. At a booth for two in a secluded corner sat her father and Marty King!

"What's the matter?" asked George, who had b.u.mped into Nancy. The young detective did not answer. Instead she called to the headwaitress. "We'd like to sit back here." She herself chose a table out of sight of her father and his a.s.sistant.

After the headwaitress had handed the girls menus and gone off, Nancy told the cousins what had startled her. "I thought it best not to be seen by Dad and Marty," she added.

George guessed what was going through her friend's mind. "You're afraid Marty will think you followed them because she was going to work on the glowing eye mystery."

"Yes," Nancy replied. "And I don't want Marty to bring it up to me. They must have flown here. Let's eat quickly and leave."

The young detective's hopes of not being seen were in vain. A short time later Marty came directly toward the girls on her way to the telephone booth in the hall. She looked surprised, but said cheerily, "h.e.l.lo, Nancy. How's everything? Have you caught up with the kidnappers yet?"

Nancy introduced Bess and George. Marty smiled, then said, "Oh, you're the girls who help Nancy solve mysteries. What fun you must have! Well, I'll run now and make a call to the office."

She walked away without saying a word about Mr. Drew. On impulse Nancy got up, said to Bess and George, "Order me some soup and a ham on rye," and hurried across the room to speak to her father.

He was surprised but invited her to sit down. "Marty's with me," he said. "We flew up here in connection with a boat-company case. You decided rather suddenly to go to Emerson, didn't you?"

"Yes. It may be a wild-goose chase, but I'm trying to follow the course that copter took. By the way, I think there may be a connection between Cyclops that Ned mentioned and your mystery of the glowing eye. Dad, you haven't yet told me details about that mystery, which you first called the Anderson case."

"You could be right about a connection between the two cases," the lawyer agreed. "I'll tell you the whole story when I have time." Out of the corner of her eye, Nancy saw Marty coming back. "I'll give you this hint. Investigate the Anderson Museum in Hager. It's about six miles from here."

Nancy returned to her table in a far better mood than she had left it. Her father was not sidestepping her detective work in favor of Marty's after all! Bess and George noticed the difference in their friend. But before they had a chance to ask her about it, Nancy said they were going to Hager to pick up a clue.

"What is it?" George asked.

"Something to do with Cyclops or the glowing eye."

Twenty minutes later the three girls were on their way. Mr. Drew and Marty remained at the restaurant. The six miles were quickly covered.

Hager proved to be another historic town with brownstone mansions dating back to the "elegant eighties" and still in fine condition. Tall trees and well-kept lawns lent the area a picturesque, though severe atmosphere.

Bess remarked, "I wouldn't be happy living in these surroundings. You'd never dare disturb anything, and you'd be afraid to laugh."

Nancy smiled at Bess's pretended fears. "Cheer up. The people here are no doubt very friendly."

After riding around a while the girls came to a large estate with a high hedge around it. Over the entrance drive was a stone archway with a large silver nameplate at the top. Engraved in script was Anderson Museum.

Nancy parked and the girls started up the long walk to the museum. There were no flowers, no bright-colored shrubs, just green gra.s.s and evergreen trees on either side.

When the visitors reached the building, the huge front door was opened by a slender, elderly woman whose plain black dress and severe hair-style fitted the rigid surroundings. "Good afternoon," she said, but her face was expressionless.

"I'm Nancy Drew." The young detective smiled. "My father is Carson Drew, a lawyer in River Heights. He suggested I visit your museum." She then introduced Bess and George.

Nancy's smile was not returned. "I'm Miss Wilkin. I don't know your father and we have no lawsuits pending. The only person from River Heights who has been here lately is a Miss King. What in particular do you wish to see?"

Nancy's mind whirled. On a hunch she said quickly, "Just what Miss King saw."