Part 28 (1/2)

Captain Johnson handed the papers to Mr. Drew. ”Please look at these,” he requested. ”If they have any bearing on this case-”

Felix Raybolt jumped from his chair. ”Don't read them! I admit I paid small sums to inventors and promised royalties I never sent, though I sold their ideas for large amounts. I'll give rest.i.tution to every one of them!”

”Felix! Felix!” his wife screamed. ”Don't give in!” She glared at Nancy. ”Oh-look at all the trouble you've caused!”

Raybolt appeared not to hear her. ”I'll pay everyone even if it takes my last cent! I'll do anything if only you won't send me to prison!”

”Don't do it! Don't do it!” Mrs. Raybolt pleaded. 'We'll be ruined!”

”We'll be ruined if I don't,” her husband muttered, ”because I'll have to go to jail.”

Mrs. Raybolt sank into a chair, covered her face with her hands, and began to sob. For an instant Nancy felt sorry for her, then changed her mind, as the woman burst out:

”We had the whole thing so well planned. No loopholes. Then this Nancy Drew has to come along and spoil our lives.”

Nancy, her father, their friends, and the police captain looked at Mrs. Raybolt in astonishment. The officer leaned forward and asked, ”Are you admitting that you and your husband planned this whole unscrupulous plot?”

”Keep quiet!” Raybolt stormed.

But the damage had been done. Little by little a full confession was obtained from the husband and wife about the plot they had devised to pile up a fortune from insurance, then vanish.

Raybolt finally admitted that he had rigged up a television set on the first floor to trigger the explosion by remote control. He had planned that it would go off when Joe Swenson arrived for the appointment.

”But Swenson was twenty minutes early,” Mr. Raybolt growled, ”so I had to go ahead and cause the explosion without getting the papers out of the safe. I knew I could come back later for them.”

Further questioning proved that Mrs. Raybolt was responsible for having the two detectives track down the inventor and put the blame on him.

At the end of the session, everyone in the room showed complete disgust for the Raybolts.

”All their conniving at the expense of other people,” Nancy thought.

Both the Raybolts were held. They were allowed to telephone for legal counsel, but even before the lawyer arrived, the husband asked for a checkbook from Mrs. Raybolt's purse and wrote out a check for several thousand dollars to the order of Joe Swenson.

”If you'll look among those papers Nancy Drew saved,” the estate owner said, ”you'll find one that's a receipt for the sale of his invention to the Streeter Corporation.”

Mr. Drew looked at the receipt and commented that the amount of the check was five hundred dollars less than the sum on the receipt.

”I received five hundred from Mr. Raybolt in cash,” Joe Swenson spoke up. Then, without smiling, he added, ”Thank you, Mr. Raybolt, for this check.”

Mr. Drew, meanwhile, had continued looking through the papers Nancy had rescued. He frowned angrily, but said nothing until he came to a bulging envelope which he opened.

”These are the plans stolen from my client, Mr. Simpson,” he remarked. ”I will take them, Mr. Raybolt. And, Captain Johnson, I think you had better keep the rest of these papers to see that the other inventors are properly reimbursed.”

”I'll certainly see that they are,” the officer declared.