Carolyn Keene - The Ringmasters Secret

"Oh, hallelujah, there's a farmhouse!" George cried. "I never was so glad to see a house in my life!"

Nancy grinned. She was pretty delighted about it herself. At the farmhouse they found an elderly couple. They looked searchingly at the disheveled girls when Nancy asked to use their telephone.

"I guess so," the man answered. "Where you two be comin' from this early hour of the mornin'?"

"Why—uh—we were out riding," Nancy replied haltingly. "We—uh—left our car over by the railroad."

"Broke down, eh?" the man said, as he led the girl to the telephone.

Nancy put in a call to her home, reversing the charges. It hardly seemed as if the telephone had started ringing when Hannah answered. The frantic woman wanted to know if Nancy was all right.

"I'm fine, Hannah," she said. "Don't worry about me. I'll be home after a while."

"Where are you?" the housekeeper asked.

"Just a minute. I'll find out."

Nancy turned to the man and asked where she was. He said not far from the town of Black River. The girl relayed this to Hannah.

"My goodness," she said, "that's about a hundred miles from here."

Nancy said that if she needed any assistance in getting home she would call again. She asked the housekeeper to notify George's parents that their daughter was with her and was all right.

After Nancy had completed the telephone call, she asked the farmer if it would be possible for him to drive the girls to town.

"I'll be glad to," he said. "I was going anyway, soon as I have my breakfast. Have you girls eaten yet?"

When they told him no, his wife invited the girls to join them.

During the meal, the kindly couple were curious to learn more about their visitors, but the girls were wary of saying anything.

Upon arriving in Black River, the girls immediately went to the State Police office, and after giving their names, told what had happened to them.

"We haven't a shred of evidence to prove who was responsible," said Nancy, "only suspicions. And the police are already working on the case, so I'm not asking your help except to get us home. We haven't a penny with us."

"I can do that," the officer said, smiling. He took some money from a drawer and handed it to Nancy. "Return the cash when it's convenient."

The girls thanked him and went to the station, A short time later they boarded a train to River Heights and at nine o'clock reached home.

Mr. Drew hugged his daughter, and Hannah wiped away tears of joy. After the greetings and explanations were over, Nancy said ruefully:

"I won't dare go back to Sims' Circus, I suppose. I wonder what will happen to the Vascons' act."

"That's no longer your worry, Nancy," her father said firmly. "What's more, you're leaving town at once. Let Kroon think his diabolical plan was a success."

"Where am I going?" Nancy asked.

"How would you like to visit Aunt Eloise and continue to work on the case in New York?" he suggested.

Nancy kissed her father. "Dad, you're a genius. I can't think of anything I'd rather do!"

CHAPTER XIX New York Yields a Lead

As Nancy quickly packed her bags in order to catch the afternoon plane to New York, she discussed further angles of the case with her father.

"Don't you think George ought to go away, too," she asked.

"I think it would be a very good idea," her father replied. "Why don't you take her with you?"

Nancy telephoned her friend and learned that the Fayne family already had planned for George to be out of town for a while. They were taking her on a motor trip.

Nancy's next call was to Bess. It had been she who had learned of the disappearance of Nancy and George from the circus. Bess had summoned Mr. Drew, who had gone at once to question Kroon. The ringmaster had told the lawyer he had discharged Nancy because she was not a regular member of the circus. He had assumed that Nancy, of course, had gone home.

"Kroon is a slick individual. There's no doubt about it," Mr. Drew pointed out. "But I don't think he'll suspect, even if he learns you were here for a while, that you have gone to New York."

Mr. Drew drove his daughter to the airport and waved good-by as she boarded the plane. Nancy settled herself comfortably and soon fell asleep from exhaustion. By the time she reached New York, Nancy was refreshed and ready to continue work on the case.

Her father had given her a letter of introduction from Police Chief McGinnis in River Heights to Captain Smith of the New York Police Department, who had been assigned to the Tristam Booking Agency investigation.

Nancy toyed with the idea of going at once to call on the police captain. But she knew her aunt would be waiting, since Nancy's father had said he was telephoning to her from the airport. Nancy took a taxi to Eloise Drew's apartment and soon the two were embracing each other.

"How good it is to see you!" Miss Drew exclaimed.

"You're an old dear to let me barge in like this." Nancy laughed. "Aunt Eloise, you look simply wonderful. A new hair-do?"

Miss Drew smiled. "Yes. Do you like it?"

"It's stunning. And, Aunt Eloise, how in the world did you get that picture of me?"

Nancy's eyes were focused on a large photograph of herself on a table. She was in her circus costume, standing on a horse.

Miss Drew laughed. "I asked a photographer at the circus to take it when I was there," she said. "It came out very well, don't you think?"

When Nancy asked for a copy of the photograph, her aunt said she was saving it as a surprise for Mr. Drew's Christmas present.

"Your father is so hard to buy for," she said. "I'm sure there's nothing he'd love better than a remembrance of his daughter appearing in the circus—especially since she was helping out other people."

While they ate supper, the conversation turned to the mystery. Aunt Eloise begged her niece to be careful and not undertake any sleuthing alone. Nancy promised.

"First thing tomorrow morning I'm going down to talk to Police Captain Smith," she said. "I wonder what he found out about Lola Flanders. Wouldn't it be wonderful if she really were Lolita's mother?"

Aunt Eloise was not so sure of this. Perhaps the woman had changed a great deal during a period of ten years. It seemed very strange that she had not been in touch with her daughter.

"At least Lolita knows nothing about this," Nancy replied. "If it seems best not to tell her about Lola, I shall keep it a secret."

The situation bothered Nancy. She tossed restlessly in bed for nearly an hour after turning out the light. But finally she dropped off to sleep. Directly after breakfast, however, she set off for Captain Smith's headquarters.

She presented the letter of introduction to the sergeant on duty and he took it to the captain. In a moment the sergeant returned, inviting Nancy to follow him. He showed her into the office, then closed the door and left.

"I'm glad to meet you, Miss Drew," the officer said, smiling. "Chief McGinnis and I were buddies in the Army some years ago. He tells me that you're quite a detective."

Nancy blushed slightly and admitted that she had solved some cases. Then she turned the conversation from herself and asked:

"Have you found Lola Flanders?"

"We don't know yet," Captain Smith told her. "We're still checking."

He went on to say that one of their detectives had called at the Tristam Booking Agency. He had been able to learn little from either the owner or his secretary.

"They're cagey people," the officer said. "They told our detective that they never discuss their clients' private affairs."

"But you did find out something about Lola Flanders?" Nancy asked.

"Yes. She's a young dancer and uses the stage name of Millie Francine."

"A young dancer!" Nancy repeated. "Then this Lola Flanders is not the person I'm looking for."