The Haunted Bridge Part 20

"The doctor!" Bess exclaimed in dismay.

"Now don't start worrying," Nancy said. "My hand hurts only a little this morning, and I intend to play in the golf tournament."

She refused to say anything more about her injury, and started to dress. George and Bess tried in every way to a.s.sist her so she would not need to use her sore hand.

"You'll just have enough time to eat breakfast and reach the first tee," George said, glancing at her watch. "It's rather late."

The girls hastened to the dining room. They had just seated themselves when Nancy glimpsed Chris Sutter coming timidly toward her.

"Excuse me for bothering you, Miss Drew, but I want to talk to you about Miss Judson. My mother is here in the lobby and she has something to tell you."

Nancy arose quickly.

"Don't wait breakfast for me," she told Bess and George. "I'll go with Chris. This may be important!"

CHAPTER XIII.

Unexpected Plunge

"HAVE you learned something about Margaret Judson?" Nancy inquired as she led Mrs. Sutter to a secluded corner in the hotel lobby. "Do you know where she's living now?"

"No, Miss Drew. That's what I want to talk with you about."

Nancy looked puzzled, and Mrs. Sutter hastened to explain. She had learned from the village postmistress that several letters addressed to Margaret Judson were being held for lack of a forwarding address.

"I thought you might have found out where she lives," the woman added.

"No, I haven't," Nancy answered.

It was clear to her now that Mrs. Sutter had come, not just to impart information, but to learn why Nancy was interested in Margaret Judson. The young detective cleverly avoided Mrs. Sutter's questions, but could not help feeling provoked because so much time had been wasted. She ended the conversation by explaining that her friends were waiting for her at the breakfast table.

Bess and George had just finished their meal. Since it was so late, Nancy ordered only orange juice and breakfast rolls.

"You can't win a golf tournament on a diet like that," protested Bess, who loved to eat.

"I must hurry. I was with Mrs. Sutter longer than I expected and learned nothing except that Margaret Judson hasn't picked up her mail for a long while."

The girls hastened to the hotel's golf office. They found the tournament chairman talking earnestly with a group of players who were to compete in the day's finals.

Betsy Howard, Nancy's opponent, explained to her, "There seems to be some mix-up. Our match has been postponed until one o'clock."

"I'm glad," said Nancy. "I really prefer to play this afternoon." Actually the young detective was delighted; she could do some more sleuthing.

Bess and George suggested that their friend rest in her hotel room while they played tennis, but Nancy told them she had other plans. After they had gone, she drove to the village to interview the postmistress. The woman consented to show her the letters she was holding for Margaret Judson.

Nancy studied them and thought, "There's no return address on any of them and they were mailed rather recently from Carrollton." Nancy knew this was a town not far from the hotel. She noted that much of the handwriting resembled Bartescue's autograph on her golf ball. "I'm sure he wrote all these letters," Nancy concluded.

Nancy's second stop was at the nearby college town of Andover. At the campus bookstore she asked to see the directory of instructors.

Rapidly Nancy searched through the list of professors for one whose first name was Mark. She felt highly elated when she came upon an instructor of philosophy named Mark Hilburn. Had she located Miss Judson's former fiance? In scanning the rest of the list she discovered another Mark, His last name was Wardell. Was he the one?

"I guess I'll have to call on both men," Nancy decided.

Professor Hilburn was not in his office. She got his home address but wasted precious minutes trying to find the street.

Even before she rapped on the door of the neat little brick house Nancy suspected she was at the wrong place. An upset toy wagon on the front lawn gave mute evidence that Mark Hilburn was married. Mrs. Hilburn answered the bell. She proved to be a charming, middle-aged woman with three children.

"I shouldn't have troubled you," Nancy apologized. "The professor for whom I'm searching is single, and I know only his first name, which is Mark."

"Then the man you're looking for is Professor Mark Wardell," the woman suggested. "He's single and not more than thirty years old, I judge. He's the head of our zoology and botany departments."

"Can you tell me where he lives?" Nancy asked eagerly.

"His home is at 16 Hyman Street, and he has a housekeeper."

Ten minutes later Nancy rang the bell at the Wardell house. She was admitted by a pleasant woman.

"Professor Wardell isn't here just now," she replied to Nancy's inquiry. "Sometimes he comes home to lunch, but I never can be certain. He usually takes a hike in the woods. The professor is deeply interested in nature lore."

Nancy was disappointed but decided to take the woman into her confidence. She mentioned that she was trying to locate a man who was an acquaintance of Margaret Judson.

"Oh, dear me, they were more than mere acquaintances!" the housekeeper replied quickly. "Professor Wardell and Miss Judson were engaged. But no wedding took place. He hasn't seemed himself since."

Nancy was now convinced that Mark Wardell was the person with whom she must talk if she expected to solve the mystery surrounding Margaret Judson.

"Will you please give Professor Wardell an important message," she requested and took a piece of paper from her purse. After writing her name and the address of her hotel on it, she handed over the notation.

"Ask him to see me at this address as soon as he can. It's extremely urgent."

"I'll be glad to. Are you a student here?" the woman asked.

"No."

On the way back to Deer Mountain Hotel, Nancy reflected that her morning had certainly been profitable. She thought, "It's rather a coincidence that both Professor Wardell and Mr. Haley are interested in botany and zoology. Is there a connection between the men?"

By the time she arrived at the hotel, Nancy barely had time to s.n.a.t.c.h a sandwich before she was due to appear at the first tee. Bess, George, Ned, and Mr. Drew were on hand to witness the start of the match, and smiled encouragingly as Nancy stood quietly awaiting her turn to drive off.

"Bring home the silver loving cup!" George urged in a whisper. "We'll be pulling for you!"

Betsy Howard, a well-known golfer, had turned in a score of seventy for her semifinal match, which was better than Nancy had ever made. The young detective knew that if she expected to win, she would have to turn in the best score of her life. Nancy feared that with her hand paining her, she might not even be able to play as well as usual.

"I'll do the best I can," she determined. "Win or lose, I'll accept the decision gracefully."

Miss Howard made a long drive from the tee. Nancy's ball did not go as far, but ended up in perfect position. When they reached the green, both putted well and the score was even.

The second and third holes were tied also. At the fourth hole Nancy gained the advantage when Miss Howard's ball lodged in a bunker, but the fifth hole found them even again. They played through the sixth and seventh, fighting for the lead.