The Hidden Window Mystery by Carolyn Keene Page A

and the rest of us.”
    George went on to say she thought Luke had not expected anyone to follow him and the peacock. When the two girls ran after them, Luke had taken another means of trying to frighten them. When even the ghost disguise did not work, he turned the hose on them in desperation.
    “Luke Seeny also might be the one who strapped the peacock’s feet onto his shoes and who played ghost in the house,” Nancy added.
    “Exactly,” George agreed.
    Nancy still was convinced the masquerader was after a valuable object in Ivy Hall. “Let’s find out more about Luke tomorrow,” she suggested.
    Since the gate to Cumberland Manor was locked, the girls decided to return to Ivy Hall. The brilliance of the moonlight made traveling so easy that Nancy turned off her flashlight. They walked along the bank of Eddy Run. Suddenly Nancy grabbed George and pulled her behind a clump of bushes.
    The young sleuth pointed to a lone figure in a canoe. “If we’re wrong about Luke Seeny, that man may be the ghost,” she said.
    “It’s Alonzo Rugby!” George whispered.
    Nancy was perplexed. If Rugby had been playing ghost, he had certainly made excellent time, getting from the gate of Cumberland Manor into a canoe on Eddy Run. She mentioned this to George and added, “Maybe Alonzo and Luke are in cahoots!”
    “Where do you figure Rugby’s going?” George asked. “And where did he come from?”
    “He may be coming from Bradshaw’s studio,” Nancy guessed. “Maybe it’s a coincidence that we’ve seen him tonight. He might not have anything to do with Cumberland Manor or Luke Seeny.”
    The two girls started off again and twenty minutes later reached Ivy Hall. Sheila was nearly beside herself with worry about them.
    “Thank goodness you’re here,” the actress said. “What happened to you?” she asked, noticing their wet clothes. She insisted that they change into dry pajamas before explaining.
    Ten minutes later the group gathered in Sheila’s bedroom, where Bess and the Pattersons listened to the story of the girls’ adventure. When they finished, Annette said she would phone the hotel in the morning to find out more about Luke.
    At nine o’clock the following day, she called and learned that Luke did have a room there. He had left right after breakfast.
    “Would you mind telling me,” Annette said in an exaggerated coaxing drawl, “whether Mr. Seeny was in the hotel last night?”
    “I’m sorry, but we don’t keep track of our guests’ comings and goings.”
    After Annette had hung up, she reported to the others, adding, “I guess I’m not much good as a detective.”
    Nancy smiled. “I’d say you did a grand job. Our next project is to find out something about our other suspect, Alonzo Rugby. Let’s drive to the farmhouse where he lives.”
    “Please don’t be gone long,” Sheila requested.
    “We’ll be back by lunchtime,” Nancy promised.
    She drove off with Bess and George, and headed for Uplands Road. Reaching it, she slowed down to look at the name on each mailbox. Coming to one marked Paget, she turned into the lane leading to the rambling farmhouse.
    When the car stopped near the kitchen door, a slender, gray-haired woman came outside. Nancy asked her if Mr. Rugby was at home.
    “No, he’s not here and he hasn’t been here for a week. He stops in once in a while for mail, but he never eats or sleeps here any more,” Mrs. Paget answered.
    “Have you any idea where he’s staying?” Nancy prodded.
    “Well, I suppose he’s staying with that Mr. Bradshaw he works for—or isn’t he?”
    “I don’t know,” Nancy replied. “I’m from River Heights, where his sister lives. In fact, she’s a neighbor of mine.”
    “How do you like her?” the woman asked.
    “Well,” Nancy answered, “Mrs. Dondo hasn’t been very friendly toward me and my family. I heard she had a brother living in Charlottesville and I’m curious to meet him.”
    “She lived here in Charlottesville, you