The Clue of the Velvet Mask

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Acknowledgements

  Copyright Page

  CHAPTER I - Suspicious Masquerader

  CHAPTER II - A Daring Theft

  CHAPTER III - False Discoveries

  CHAPTER IV - Confusion

  CHAPTER V - Strange Numbers

  CHAPTER VI - Kidnapped!

  CHAPTER VII - Double Talk

  CHAPTER VIII - Telltale Tag

  CHAPTER IX - Indelible Evidence

  CHAPTER X - A New Ruse

  CHAPTER XI - Loot for Sale

  CHAPTER XII - Clever Detection

  CHAPTER XIII - Blue Iris Inn

  CHAPTER XIV - Nancy’s Disguise

  CHAPTER XV - Captured!

  CHAPTER XVI - Important Identification

  CHAPTER XVII - Prisoners

  CHAPTER XVIII - A Threat Revealed

  CHAPTER XIX - Fire!

  CHAPTER XX - Unmasked

  THE CLUE OF THE VELVET MASK

  Carson Drew portends his teen-age detective daughter’s future adventure when he says half-jokingly, “Nancy, don’t let any of the party thieves ruin your evening.”

  The masquerade party at the Hendricks’ mansion quickly turns into a mystery when Nancy and her favorite date, Ned Nickerson, spy a stranger about to climb the rose trellis to the second story. Who is this enigmatic man in the black cloak and the exotic woman in the Javanese costume? Are they members of the gang of wily thieves who sneak into parties given by wealthy people and steal jewels and art treasures? And why is the owner of the black velvet hooded mask that Ned finds in the Hendricks’ garden so desperate to get it back?

  To find the answers Nancy and her friend George Fayne devise a daring plan. The two girls switch identities! George soon discovers that while it is exciting to play amateur detective it can be dangerous to masquerade as Nancy Drew.

  “Now let’s see you tell the police what you know!” the woman said

  Acknowledgement is made to Mildred Wirt Benson, who under the pen name

  Carolyn Keene, wrote the original NANCY DREW books

  Copyright © 1997, 1969, 1953 by Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.

  Published by Grosset & Dunlap, Inc., a member of The Putnam & Grosset Group,

  New York. Published simultaneously in Canada. S.A.

  NANCY DREW MYSTERYSTORIES® is a registered trademark of Simon & Schuster,

  Inc. GROSSET & DUNLAP is a trademark of Grosset & Dunlap, Inc.

  eISBN : 978-1-101-07731-3

  2007 Printing

  http://us.penguingroup.com

  CHAPTER I

  Suspicious Masquerader

  “You look lovely, Nancy, and very mysterious,” said Hannah Gruen, housekeeper for the Drew family, as she smiled fondly at the slender, titian-haired girl.

  Nancy had just finished dressing for a masquerade party. Costumed as a Spanish señorita, she wore a red gown with a long sweeping skirt and a black lace mantilla and carried a matching mask and fan.

  She was glancing at herself in a mirror when her father, tall handsome Carson Drew, a criminal lawyer, walked into the living room.

  “Bewitching!” he exclaimed. “And don’t let any of the party thieves ruin your evening.”

  Nancy’s blue eyes peered at him eagerly. “Dad, tell me what you mean.”

  “All right. The police are looking for a gang who rob homes while a party is going on. A masquerade would be an ideal place for them to carry out a theft.”

  “Oh!” exclaimed Mrs. Gruen. “It sounds dangerous.”

  “Now, Hannah, don’t worry,” Nancy said, giving the woman an affectionate hug.

  Nancy’s mother had died when she was a little girl and the housekeeper had lived with the Drews ever since. Both Hannah and Mr. Drew were very proud of the many baffling cases eighteen-year-old Nancy had solved.

  “I hope the thieves show up tonight,” Nancy said. Dropping the fan and mask into her father’s hands, she put on gold hoop earrings.

  “Ah! Now you’re really a siren,” Mr. Drew teased. “By the way, where is Ned? He’d better get here soon or you’ll both be late.”

  Ned Nickerson, a college student who dated Nancy, was to take her to the party at the Hendrick estate in River Heights. Gloria Hendrick had been one of Nancy’s school friends.

  As Nancy glanced anxiously at the clock the doorbell rang. “There he is now!” she exclaimed and ran to open the door. She greeted the attractive football player with a sweeping curtsy.

  “Wow!” he exclaimed with a quick intake of breath. “You look terrific, Nancy! What a getup! I’m sorry I’m late. I had to drive Dad and Mother to the theater. Wish they could have seen you first.”

  “Never mind the compliments.” Nancy laughed, pulling Ned into the living room. “I have a costume for you. Please change quickly.”

  “Not so fast! Do I have to go in fancy clothes?”

  “Now, Ned, you promised. Besides, you’ll like the outfit. Linda Seeley selected it personally.”

  “Who’s Linda?” Ned demanded suspiciously.

  “We used to go to school together. She now works at the Lightner Entertainment Company.”

  Nancy produced a large cardboard box, opened it, and removed an eighteenth-century Spanish grandee’s costume.

  “Isn’t it marvelous, Ned? A plumed hat and high-heeled boots! A white neck ruff, too, and lace cuffs!”

  Ned gave an indignant snort. “You expect me to wear that?”

  “You’ll make such a distinguished-looking escort,” Nancy coaxed. “Please, Ned.”

  “Oh, all right,” Ned acquiesced with a grin. He went to the upstairs guest room and ten minutes later appeared on the stairway landing. Assuming a theatrical pose, he asked, “How do I look?”

  “Cool,” Nancy replied.

  Self-conscious, Ned came down the stairs to help Nancy with her cloak. Mr. Drew walked with them to the young man’s car.

  “If Nancy involves you in a mystery, Ned, be careful of those rented clothes,” the lawyer said jokingly.

  “Ned, Dad says we should keep our eyes open at the party.”

  “What’s up?” Ned asked.

  “If you’ve been reading the papers, you may know that thieves are suspected of sneaking into parties given by wealthy people living in the River Heights area. Thousands of dollars in gems and other valuables have been stolen.”

  “You think they may show up at Gloria’s party?” Ned asked.

  Mr. Drew shrugged. “I’m advising you and Nancy to be on the alert. The ringleader must be an unusually cunning crook,” the lawyer went on. “He and his gang have been eluding the police for months.”

  Nancy and Ned assured him they would be on the lookout for any troublemakers. Then they drove directly to the Hendricks’ home.

  The gala affair was in full swing when they arrived. Dancers filled the ballroom which blazed with light from crystal chandeliers.

  “I don’t recognize anyone,” Nancy declared as they watched the masqueraders.

  A short-skirted ballerina and her escort in a minstrel suit danced nearby, doing the latest steps. Pierrot and Pierette sailed past, then a wooden soldier and china doll.

  Assuming a theatrical pose, Ned asked, “How do I look?”

  Presently Ned and Nancy were recognized by two of their closest friends. The two rushed over to greet them. Bess Marvin, a slightly plump, blond girl, was dressed as a Southern belle. The other girl was Bess’s cousin George Fayne. With her slim figure, George was convincingly disguised as a pageboy.

  “Hi!” she exclaimed enthusiastically. “It’s a wonderful party, but the dance floor is packed.”

  “Any villains here?” Nancy asked, a
nd told her friends of her father’s warning.

  “Oh, how dreadful!” Bess exclaimed as her escort Dave Evans joined them.

  “If there are any thieves here, they’re masked,” said George. “Just the right kind of party for a mystery, too.”

  “Oh, stop it,” Bess begged, and offered to show Nancy and Ned where the checkrooms were.

  She and George led the way upstairs, together with Dave and George’s escort Burt Eddleton. After they had left their wraps, Nancy suggested pausing a moment in the second-floor library to look at the art treasures.

  The room contained many valuable paintings, antique vases, and a priceless collection of miniatures in a glass case. Some were solid-silver figurines ; others, portraits painted on porcelain. One of these, a likeness of Marie Antoinette, was especially attractive. Nancy noticed that the case was not locked.

  “This is just making it easy for a thief,” she remarked.

  “Not so loud or you’ll have a detective at our heels,” Ned cautioned.

  “I doubt that there’s one in the place,” George replied. “Gloria’s parents never seem to worry about their valuables.”

  “Oh, let’s forget robberies,” Bess pleaded. “This is supposed to be a gay party.”

  “Right!” approved Ned, seizing Nancy’s hand. “Let’s dance!”

  For the next half hour the young people had a wonderful time. The music was superb and Nancy forgot everything but dancing. Later as she paused, Nancy saw Linda Seeley standing near the refreshment table. The girl was not in costume, and obviously had attended the party as an employee of the Lightner Entertainment Company. Nancy took Ned over and both lifted their masks.

  “Oh, hello, Nancy,” Linda greeted her. “Did you approve of the costumes I sent out?”

  “Perfect. The party’s lovely, too.” Nancy introduced Ned.

  “I’m glad you’re enjoying it, because I planned the party—or rather my company did. I wouldn’t be here tonight except that my boss, Mr. Tombar, couldn’t come at the last minute. I do hope everything goes all right.”

  “Of course it will.”

  “The truth is, we didn’t expect so many people.”

  “Crashers?” Ned asked.

  “I’m afraid so. We warned the family to be careful to admit only guests who could present invitations, but they didn’t want anyone checked at the door.”

  As the June night wore on, the ballroom became very warm. Seeking the cool air outside, Nancy and Ned sat for a while on a garden bench. Then they decided to dance again. As they rose, Nancy searched in vain for her mask.

  “I must have dropped it somewhere on the path,” she declared.

  Quickly they retraced their steps. The mask was nowhere in sight. As they searched for it near a grouping of shrubs on the lawn, they heard someone coming along the shadowy gravel path,

  A tall man dressed in a flowing black cloak appeared. Since his back was turned to them, he did not notice the couple.

  The man, who was unmasked, paused to examine a rose trellis which extended from the ground to the second story of the house. He put his left foot on it and reached up with his right arm.

  “What’s he up to?” Ned muttered.

  The masquerader must have heard the question, for he stepped down quickly. Even then, Ned and Nancy did not see his face. Abruptly the man turned and hastened back into the house.

  “Ned, do you suppose he intended to climb the trellis to the library?” Nancy asked.

  “It would make a handy ladder.” Ned strode over to inspect it.

  At the base he picked up a black velvet, hood-type mask. Ned thought that the man in the black cloak might have dropped it.

  “Since you can’t find your mask, Nancy, try this one for size,” he suggested.

  Normally, Nancy would not have done so. But she suspected that she might be on the trail of one of the mysterious party thieves!

  “I’ll wear the hood until we see the man in the black cloak,” she agreed.

  Returning to the ballroom, she and Ned found the floor even more crowded. In vain, Nancy looked about for the mysterious stranger. Then, unexpectedly, he cut in on Ned!

  But now he wore a mask exactly like the one Nancy had on! Before Ned could recover from his surprise, the stranger danced off with Nancy.

  “I had a hard time finding you in this crowd,” he scolded irritably. “Why didn’t you wear the Oriental costume you said you would? If it weren’t for the mask, I never would have recognized you.”

  Nancy remained silent, but her heart was thumping. Someone in an Oriental costume must have dropped the mask she was wearing.

  “You nearly wrecked our plan, stupid!” the man went on. “Can’t you learn to obey orders?”

  The dancer in the black cloak saw Ned approaching to reclaim his partner.

  “Here comes that pest again,” he muttered. “Get rid of him as soon as you can.”

  A moment before Ned tapped him on the shoulder, the man thrust a note into Nancy’s hand. She managed to hide her astonishment as they danced away, but once beyond the man’s view, Nancy paused beside a cluster of palms. Tersely she explained to Ned what had happened.

  “I’m sure that man is one of the party thieves. He mistook me for someone who works with him.”

  She unfolded the message and read it in an undertone. “‘Eastport Trellis Company offers secondhand window sash on cash terms. In case of rain every cloud has a silver lining.”’

  “It must be a hoax, Nancy!”

  “I don’t think so,” she replied soberly. “No, Ned, this message is in code. We must decipher it!”

  CHAPTER II

  A Daring Theft

  NANCY and Ned reread the mysterious note several times, trying to figure out its meaning.

  “Maybe the word trellis refers to the one we saw the man start to climb,” Nancy said.

  “Yes, and it’s on the east side of the house,” Ned added.

  “The man in the black cloak was looking up at the second-floor windows of the library, Ned. Does that suggest anything?”

  “A robbery?”

  “This note must mean that there are valuables worth plenty of cash for any thief who climbs that trellis.”

  “How do you interpret the second sentence of the message?” Ned asked. “‘In case of rain every cloud has a silver lining.”’

  “In case-silver. The silver miniatures in the glass case!” Nancy exclaimed.

  “You’ve hit it!” Ned cried out. “I’ll bet they intend to pull a job here tonight—at any minute!”

  “We’ll have to work fast to stop them. Ned, station yourself at the trellis and keep watch. I’ll rush up to the library.”

  “Better notify the police.”

  “As soon as I can,” Nancy assured him. “There’s a telephone in the library. I hope the wires haven’t been cut.”

  The two separated. Nancy looked quickly about the ballroom, hoping to see some of her friends, a member of the Hendrick family, or Linda Seeley. But not one person who might have aided her was in sight. Nancy ran swiftly up the circular stairway.

  The moment was a critical one. But the lively young detective had always been able to think fast in an emergency.

  Nancy’s first case had been The Secret of the Old Clock. Since then Nancy had helped countless persons and faced many dangers, including her previous adventure, Mystery at the Ski Jump.

  As Nancy reached the first landing, beyond view of the ballroom, she was stopped short. Confronting her was a feminine masquerader in a glittering Javanese costume.

  “Is this the woman who was supposed to be wearing a black velvet hooded mask?” Nancy wondered. Now she had on a black lace mask, probably the one Nancy had lost.

  For an instant the two stared at each other. Nancy caught a glimpse of piercing dark eyes and a cruel mouth. Then the lights went out.

  At that instant the woman seized Nancy in a strong grasp and thrust a hand over the girl’s mouth. Nancy struggled frantically to free h
erself, while in the ballroom below there were calls and cries of alarm.

  The woman tried to rip off Nancy’s mask, but instinct told the young detective to hold onto it. Then as suddenly as she had been seized, Nancy was released. The woman raced down the stairs and disappeared into the darkness. Recovering her breath, Nancy removed the mask and groped her way up to the second floor.

  Suddenly the lights went on and Nancy hurried along the hall. Before she reached the library, a maid came running from it.

  “Help! Police!” she screamed. “The house has been robbed!”

  Nancy stopped the frightened girl, advising her to be quiet and not cause a panic on the crowded floor below.

  “Quick!” she urged the maid. “Tell me what happened. Did a thief break into the library?”

  “Y-yes. A few minutes ago—through the window. I had my back turned. Suddenly a hand was clapped over my mouth. A blindfold was slipped over my eyes, my hands were tied quick as a flash, and I was gagged!”

  “How did you get free?”

  “I managed to work the rope off my wrists just as the lights went on. But everything’s been taken except the wall paintings!”

  “The silver miniatures too?”

  “Yes, miss—all that could be carried.”

  “Which way did the thief go?”

  “I couldn’t say. He went as quietly as a cat.”

  “It was a man? Not a woman in a Javanese costume ?”

  “She was the lookout, I think. Before I was grabbed I saw her wandering around.”

  From the maid’s account, Nancy knew that the daring robbery had been well planned. Undoubtedly the masquerader who had seized her on the landing had been stationed there to see that the thief made a successful getaway under cover of darkness.

  Though convinced that it was too late to capture any member of the bold gang, Nancy sped downstairs. Reaching the garden, she called Ned’s name. His answering shout informed her that he was still on guard at the trellis.

  “What happened?” he demanded as she ran up. “I saw the lights go off.”