The Clue Of The Tapping Heels Part 11

"Someone got in here somehow," the lawyer said, setting his jaw firmly.

Puzzled, Nancy and her father ran upstairs. The only windows which were open were those in their bedrooms. The Drews could find no evidence on any of them that an intruder had entered the house. The screens were locked in place and there were no holes in them. Furthermore, no personal property had been removed.

Nancy hurried to the third floor, followed by her father. Certainly someone had gained access to the house.

Nancy said, "Since the intruder wanted the diary, it's apparent he was Gus or a friend of his."

"It looks that way," Mr. Drew agreed.

No burglar was in sight but a window at the far end of the attic was wide open. There was no screen in it.

"We never leave that window open," said Nancy.

"But only a human fly could climb up here on the outside!" Mr. Drew declared.

CHAPTER IX.

Suspicious Salesman

As Nancy hurried to the open attic window, she wondered if someone might be clinging to the sill and trying to hide. There were no fingers showing and cautiously she looked out.

"See anything?" Mr. Drew asked, joining her.

"n.o.body in sight," Nancy replied. "But, Dad, look! Here's a natural ladder."

She pointed to a stout trellis which ran from the ground to the roof.

"A lot of those leaves have been torn off," Nancy said. "I guess the intruder came up this way."

"He's still a human fly," her father remarked. "The man could have fallen and broken his neck. He must be mighty sure of himself to have attempted such a climb."

A thought came to Nancy's mind. "Dad, it never occurred to me to look for a trellis at Miss Carter's. Maybe the tapper gets into her attic that way."

"Let me know what you find," the lawyer said.

Before leaving for his office, Mr. Drew decided to board up the attic window. He found a piece of wood in the garage and soon had it in place.

"I'm glad you did that instead of ripping the vines off the house," Nancy said as they ate breakfast. "The ivy looks so pretty."

Later, as she was clearing the table, Nancy realized that actually she was not very safe from her pursuer. Despite all her precautions, he knew she had brought the diary home. That meant the tapper or someone else who slept in the secret room had discovered that the diary was missing.

"I still have that cupboard key in my purse," Nancy reminded herself. "Someone may try to s.n.a.t.c.h it."

She decided to put the key on a ribbon and hang it around her neck. An hour later, with warnings from her father still ringing in her ears, Nancy drove away. She locked herself in the convertible and turned on the air conditioner. As she rode along, Nancy began to feel easier. No one seemed to be following her.

Upon arriving at Miss Carter's, Nancy parked the car in the driveway and then walked all the way around the house. No vines were growing on it and there was nothing else to which a person might cling in order to climb any of the walls.

"Well, there goes my theory about the human fly," she thought. "But how does that tapper get into the house?"

She found Miss Carter and Hannah Gruen very upset. Five more cats had been stolen during the night!

"The garage was securely locked," the actress said. "Someone has a skeleton key, that's sure. I must have a padlock put on the door. Fortunately my little beauties that are to go to the show had been brought into the house-I wanted to help with the grooming-so they weren't taken."

"Did you call the police?" Nancy asked.

"Oh, yes," Miss Carter answered. "Detective Keely came. He made a thorough search of the grounds and came up with one good clue."

"What was that?"

"The thief was a short, stocky man who wore spiked golf shoes. There were holes in the ground outside the garage but not inside it," Miss Carter went on. "Maybe the thief took off his shoes before he went in for the cats, but in any case you couldn't detect the marks in the hay."

Nancy asked where the footprints led and learned they crossed the neighbor's back yard and went out to the street.

The conversation was interrupted by the ringing of the doorbell. Nancy offered to go downstairs and answer it. To her surprise Bess and George stood there. They had borrowed the Marvin car.

"Hi!" they both said, and Bess added, "You didn't expect us to get back in time for the cat show, did you?"

George grinned. "What's more, we just couldn't stay away from the mystery any longer. We didn't pick up any clues, though, to Gus Woonton."

"Girls," said Nancy, "the cat thief was here last night and took five more Persians."

"Oh, no!" Bess cried out.

"See what happens when we're not here to guard the garage?" George remarked.

Bess looked sober. Hesitatingly she confessed that on the drive to Berryville she had told George she would not sleep in the garage another night.

"But I guess I'll have to change my mind," Bess said. "I'm terribly sorry to hear about the theft."

"Fortunately the cats to be sold at the cat show today were in the house," Nancy told her chums.

The three girls went upstairs. "I'm delighted you're back," said Miss Carter. Upon learning that the cousins would take up their vigil in the garage that evening, she added, "You're dolls, both of you."

Presently Nancy said, "I suppose we should start soon for the cat show. How many miles is it to South Bedford, Miss Carter?"

"I'd say about twenty."

Hannah Gruen offered to pack a lunch for the girls and went down to the kitchen.

During the next hour Miss Carter directed the preparations for the trip to the show. Five carrying cases were brought into the house. Brushes, eyewash, a bottle of delicately perfumed spray and cans of cat food were packed in a large tote bag. George placed the bag in Nancy's car and also a sack of kitty litter.

"And don't forget to take a jug of water and a dish," Miss Carter said. "Oh dear! I wish so much that I might be there. I hope you have no trouble selling the cats because I really need the money. Oh yes! One more thing. Be sure to put in several paper hankies so you can keep my cats' mouths and feet immaculately clean."

Out of sight of Miss Carter, George grinned and whispered to the other girls, "We always have cats at my house. They certainly never get all this attention. They keep themselves groomed!"

Bess giggled. "Mine do too. But then, you and I aren't in the business of selling cats."