she had been coaxing the cat to come toward her. Finally it walked to where she was standing. Nancy picked up the Persian and the two girls went back to the second floor. When Miss Carter heard the story, she gasped.
“Every day this mystery becomes more of a puzzle,” she said. “You girls are doing a good job, but I wish that the unwanted stranger would stop coming into the house.” She took the cat on her lap. “You poor tabby,” she said. “You might have been smothered. Oh, there are such wicked people in this world!”
Just then Mrs. Bealing appeared in the doorway. She had heard only part of the conversation and wanted to know what had happened. When Nancy explained, a look of dismay spread over the nurse’s face.
“I’m afraid that I locked the cat inside the mummy case,” she said. “I went upstairs to get some rags. The case was open so I locked it.” She gave a great sigh. “Oh, I never would have forgiven myself if this beautiful animal had died because of me.”
Miss Carter spoke up quickly. “How were you to know? What I want to find out is who brought the cat into the house.”
No one had an answer. While they were still discussing the incident, Bess came into the driveway. She deposited her packages on the kitchen counter and went upstairs.
When she reached the second floor, Mrs. Bealing burst out with the story of the cat in the mummy case. “I’d certainly like to know who brought that Persian into the house!”
Bess was aghast and hung her head. “I did,” she said. “The poor thing didn’t seem very well, so I took it to my room. You were asleep, so I decided to tell you later. I guess the cat went up to the third floor by itself.”
Miss Carter was relieved. “Such a simple explanation for what started out to be a big mystery,” she remarked.
Bess said, “I stopped at the pet shop downtown and asked the man what to do for a sick cat. He gave me this special food.” She held up the package.
By now the cat had gone into a deep sleep on Miss Carter’s lap. For a moment everyone wondered if perhaps the Persian had been drugged like the others. But when the actress roused the cat, it stretched, yawned, then jumped from her lap.
“It seems to be all right,” she remarked. “But go ahead and give my pet some of the special food you bought, Bess.”
As Miss Carter watched the Persian daintily eating the tidbits, she said that the mummy case had been used in the play The Dancer and the Fool.
“I wonder if Toby Simpson might like to use it in his revival of the play. I think I’ll phone him later today.”
Just then the phone rang. Mr. Drew was calling Nancy. “I have some further information for you,” he said. “It’s rather startling.”
“What is it?” Nancy asked quickly.
The lawyer said that something he had learned only complicated the case. “The license for the Bunces’s car was issued in Pleasantville to a Gus Woonton.”
“What!” Nancy exclaimed. “Dad, do you think that the Bunces and Gus Woonton are together?”
“Either that, or Bunce is using Woonton’s name.”
“I’d say,” Nancy put in, “that whichever is true, it proves that the Fred Bunce we know is the administrator of the Woonton estate.”
The lawyer said he had checked the Pleasantville address given to him by the license bureau but that neither Gus Woonton nor anyone named Bunce was known there.
“So it’s apparent Bunce or Gus Woonton gave a phony address.”
Mr. Drew also said that he planned to ask the St. Louis and Chicago authorities for further information on William Woonton’s will.
“I’ll start right away,” he promised. “Take care. Good-by.”
Nancy sat lost in thought for some time. There were many clues and many leads in this puzzling mystery, but at the moment they seemed to have led only to dead ends. She finally roused herself and went to report the latest findings to her friends.
Bess sensed at once that the girl detective was discouraged.
“Every day this mystery becomes more of a puzzle,” she said. “You girls are doing a good job, but I wish that the unwanted stranger would stop coming into the house.” She took the cat on her lap. “You poor tabby,” she said. “You might have been smothered. Oh, there are such wicked people in this world!”
Just then Mrs. Bealing appeared in the doorway. She had heard only part of the conversation and wanted to know what had happened. When Nancy explained, a look of dismay spread over the nurse’s face.
“I’m afraid that I locked the cat inside the mummy case,” she said. “I went upstairs to get some rags. The case was open so I locked it.” She gave a great sigh. “Oh, I never would have forgiven myself if this beautiful animal had died because of me.”
Miss Carter spoke up quickly. “How were you to know? What I want to find out is who brought the cat into the house.”
No one had an answer. While they were still discussing the incident, Bess came into the driveway. She deposited her packages on the kitchen counter and went upstairs.
When she reached the second floor, Mrs. Bealing burst out with the story of the cat in the mummy case. “I’d certainly like to know who brought that Persian into the house!”
Bess was aghast and hung her head. “I did,” she said. “The poor thing didn’t seem very well, so I took it to my room. You were asleep, so I decided to tell you later. I guess the cat went up to the third floor by itself.”
Miss Carter was relieved. “Such a simple explanation for what started out to be a big mystery,” she remarked.
Bess said, “I stopped at the pet shop downtown and asked the man what to do for a sick cat. He gave me this special food.” She held up the package.
By now the cat had gone into a deep sleep on Miss Carter’s lap. For a moment everyone wondered if perhaps the Persian had been drugged like the others. But when the actress roused the cat, it stretched, yawned, then jumped from her lap.
“It seems to be all right,” she remarked. “But go ahead and give my pet some of the special food you bought, Bess.”
As Miss Carter watched the Persian daintily eating the tidbits, she said that the mummy case had been used in the play The Dancer and the Fool.
“I wonder if Toby Simpson might like to use it in his revival of the play. I think I’ll phone him later today.”
Just then the phone rang. Mr. Drew was calling Nancy. “I have some further information for you,” he said. “It’s rather startling.”
“What is it?” Nancy asked quickly.
The lawyer said that something he had learned only complicated the case. “The license for the Bunces’s car was issued in Pleasantville to a Gus Woonton.”
“What!” Nancy exclaimed. “Dad, do you think that the Bunces and Gus Woonton are together?”
“Either that, or Bunce is using Woonton’s name.”
“I’d say,” Nancy put in, “that whichever is true, it proves that the Fred Bunce we know is the administrator of the Woonton estate.”
The lawyer said he had checked the Pleasantville address given to him by the license bureau but that neither Gus Woonton nor anyone named Bunce was known there.
“So it’s apparent Bunce or Gus Woonton gave a phony address.”
Mr. Drew also said that he planned to ask the St. Louis and Chicago authorities for further information on William Woonton’s will.
“I’ll start right away,” he promised. “Take care. Good-by.”
Nancy sat lost in thought for some time. There were many clues and many leads in this puzzling mystery, but at the moment they seemed to have led only to dead ends. She finally roused herself and went to report the latest findings to her friends.
Bess sensed at once that the girl detective was discouraged.
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