Part 23 (1/2)

CHAPTER XVII.

An Important Clue

NANCY could hardly wait for her father to proceed. She left the arm of his chair and seated herself on a couch opposite him.

”As you recall,” the lawyer began, ”I mentioned that Felix Raybolt practically had stolen my client's invention-an improvement for an automatic elevator.”

Nancy leaned forward, listening intently as her father continued, ”Mr. Simpson also feels that Raybolt may have decided matters were getting too hot for him and he'd better disappear. The other day Mr. Simpson's wife happened to stop at a country store and gas station a few miles outside of Mapleton.

”A run-down old car with a shabby-looking driver was just pulling away. Mrs. Simpson had only a fleeting glimpse of the man, but she thinks he may have been Mr. Raybolt.”

”How exciting!” Nancy exclaimed. ”Did she follow him?”

”No, but she asked the attendant about him. The man bought a large quant.i.ty of canned goods -including bread in tins.”

”Which makes it appear,” said Nancy, ”that the man was going camping.”

”Exactly. Of course he may not have been Mr. Raybolt. The clerks in the store said the shabby-looking customer was a stranger to them. But I think the clue is worth investigating.”

”Oh, I agree. The man might have been Mr. Raybolt in disguise!” said Nancy eagerly. ”I'll get right to it and start by going to that store first thing tomorrow morning.”

”But not without Bess and George,” Mr. Drew insisted.

Nancy called the cousins at once. Both were enthusiastic about accompanying the girl detective, although Bess as usual said she hoped there would be no danger involved.

”Oh, by the way, Ned was here,” Nancy told her. ”He's going to deliver our gifts to Honey, then take her and her mother to see Mr. Swenson.”

”Good!” Bess giggled. ”I see you're starting this friends.h.i.+p with Ned correctly-make your date work for you!” She hung up before Nancy could retort.

The following morning the girls drove to the country store, made a few purchases, then asked if the stranger in the old car had ever come back.

”No, he never did, but he had no reason to,” one of the clerks said. ”The tank of that old crate was full to the brim, and there was enough food in the back seat to last the guy a month.”

”Which way did he go?” Nancy asked.

The man pointed in a direction opposite to the one where the burned Raybolt home was located. After Nancy had received a full description of the old car, she followed the road it had taken.

Presently she said, ”Girls, if you were coming along here and planning to hide, where would you go?”

”If I knew about that cobwebby cabin we saw I'd go there,” George replied.

”But we were in it after Mr. Raybolt's disappearance,” Nancy spoke up. ”n.o.body has been in it for a long time. Bess, what's your guess?”

”Another cabin. One that's closer. Maybe Mr. Raybolt has a small hunting lodge somewhere.”

Nancy was driving very slowly now. Finally she said she was looking for a little-used side road. If there were tire tracks on it, she would see where they led.

Suddenly Nancy stopped. On her left was a narrow, gra.s.sy lane, almost obscured by overhanging trees. There were two distinct tire tracks.