Password to Larkspur Lane by Carolyn Keene Page A

Spire had given Nancy as a clue.
    “The missing Mrs. Eldridge!” Nancy murmured excitedly.

CHAPTER XV
    Daring Plans
    “Do I dare go closer?” Nancy wondered, watching the woman behind the fence.
    Just then the old lady awakened and for a moment sat up straight in her wheelchair.
    “Oh dear!” she said. “I thought—I guess I dreamed I was—”
    Her wrinkled chin twitched and she leaned back with closed eyes. Tears crept from under her lids.
    Nancy was about to speak when she spotted a white figure hurrying down the hill. The nurse!
    “So there you are!” she said harshly, drawing near the old woman. “I thought so! Trying to hide again!”
    A sob escaped the elderly patient.
    “Come now, stop that crying!” the nurse commanded. “If you act like a baby, you will have to be treated like one.”
    The old lady lifted a fragile, blue-veined hand in protest, but let it drop limply.
    “Very well, Mistress Contrary, you may sit there for half an hour,” the nurse snapped. “Lucky for you I’m tender-hearted, or I’d take some of your privileges away. See that you’re here when I come back.” She strode up the hill.
    As the patient closed her eyes wearily, Nancy edged closer. “Mrs. Eldridge! Mrs. Eldridge!”
    The old lady’s eyes snapped open and she looked wildly about her.
    “Here I am on the other side of the fence, behind the trees,” Nancy said. “Listen closely, I will bring you help.”
    “How do you know my name? Who are you?” Mrs. Eldridge whispered.
    Nancy moved closer. Quickly she told the woman who she was, then explained how she had identified her.
    Mrs. Eldridge clasped her thin hands. “Bless you, child,” she said, “but you can do nothing.”
    “Yes, we can,” said Nancy, speaking with confidence. “But you must be brave and ready to follow instructions.”
    Bess and George had moved up to Nancy, who quickly introduced them.
    “We’ll all help you, Mrs. Eldridge,” Bess said.
    “You can trust Nancy.” George spoke cheerfully, despite the pain in her ankle.
    The old woman smiled. “What brave young girls!” Her chin lifted and a glint came into her eyes. “All right. I’ll do my part.”
    Nancy glanced uneasily up the hill. “We’d better stay out of sight while we’re talking.”
    The girls stepped back and crouched down behind the brush. “Tell us where your room is,” Bess urged. “We’ll get you out, then call the police and they can rush the place.”
    “No, no!” exclaimed Mrs. Eldridge. “We’ve all been warned that if strangers try to enter the grounds, we’ll be locked in the cellar.”
    “The police would find you,” George said.
    “Yes, but some of the women here are heart cases. Many of them could not stand the shock. Hush! Dr. Bell is coming!”
    “Bell!” thought Nancy, recalling the bluebell code message.
    Quickly the girls slipped back among the trees and watched. Striding down the slope was a tall, distinguished-looking man in a black suit. He had smooth gray hair and a pointed beard.
    He spoke in honeyed tones to the old woman. “Well, well, what has upset our dear patient?” he asked, bending over and gallantly kissing her hand. “I’m afraid you fret too much. However, I must tell Miss Tyson to be less strict with our favorite guest. Shall I call Luther and have him wheel you through the gardens?”
    “No, just leave me alone.” Mrs. Eldridge sighed.
    “Yes, that is what you need—rest and quiet,” Dr. Bell agreed. “But,” he went on, “we must talk business. Shall we get over that little matter of signing the transfer papers now?”
    “Your proposition is nothing short of robbery, and I will not consent,” Mrs. Eldridge replied, sitting bolt upright.
    “Dear me, how harsh you are,” Dr. Bell said soothingly. “When you came here, you had every confidence in me. You entered this place of your own accord. You didn’t give your relatives any idea where you were going. Didn’t you agree to that as part of your