The Mystery of the Secret Band by Edith Lavell
CHAPTER XIII _A Prisoner in the Dark_
While Mary Louise waited for her chocolate to be served, she took thecopy of the letter from her handbag and read it again. The woman said shewas going to Florida. Oh, suppose her father should be too late to catchher!
"But if Mrs. Ferguson really is a crook, why should she write all herplans to a prisoner, when she would know that the letter would becensored?" Mary Louise asked herself.
Her eyes narrowed. The woman had written the letter on purpose to deceivethem! She probably had no intention of going to Florida! Perhaps it was acode letter.
Mary Louise recalled the Lindbergh case, in which the kidnaper hadwritten a letter to a prisoner in which the second word of every sentencewas a key, thus forming a message. She decided to try to discoversomething like that for herself. She read the letter again:
_Dear Girls:_
_You poor girls! Meet your misfortune with this $500. U.S. justice is terrible! In what other country would they detain innocent girls?_
_Baltimore is where I am now, but I am leaving immediately for a trip to Florida. Margaret can't go with me on account of school. Will you write to her? Get her address from the phone book._
_Treasure Island is playing at the movies, and we liked it a lot. From my observation it is like the book. C. S. enjoyed it thoroughly. And so did I. Bring me back the book if you go home for Christmas. It was mine anyhow._
_Tonight I am packing. Baltimore is tiresome, and I'll be glad to leave._
_Love,_ _Aunt Ethel._
On a page of her notebook Mary Louise wrote down each second word andread the result to herself:
"Poor--your--courts--what--is--can't--her--island----"
"Shucks! That doesn't mean a thing!" she muttered in disgust. "I guess Iwas crazy. But just the same, it does seem like a dumb sort of letter ifit hasn't some underlying meaning."
The waitress brought her chocolate in a lovely little blue pot, and thewhipped cream in a bowl. On a plate of the same set, dainty pink andwhite cakes were piled.
"It's a good thing I'm not dieting," thought Mary Louise, as she pouredout a steaming cup of chocolate. "This certainly looks delicious!"
She wondered idly, as she finished her refreshments, whether she shouldgo to a picture show, just to put in her time. She wasn't exactly in themood for that kind of entertainment; her own life was too exciting at thepresent moment to allow her to feel the need for fiction. So, while shewaited for her bill, she glanced again at the letter in her handbag.
"I might try the first word of each sentence," she thought. "To seewhether I could form a message that way. Though I should think that wouldbe too obvious.... Still, I'll see what happens."
She jotted down the opening word of each sentence on another page of hernotebook.
"You--meet--us--in--Baltimore--Margaret--will--get--treasure--from--C.S.--and--bring--it--to--Baltimore."
It was all Mary Louise could do to keep from crying out in her joy. Ofcourse that was the answer! Pauline and Mary were to go to Baltimore. Thetreasure, the stolen goods, must be in that house at C.S.--Center Square.And "Margaret" would go there to get it!
Mary Louise no longer had any difficulty in deciding what to do with herafternoon. She'd drive to Center Square as fast as she could--in order tobeat "Margaret" there. Oh, how she hoped that the "Margaret" referred towas Margaret Detweiler!
Her hands actually trembled as she paid the bill, she was in such hasteto be off. She hadn't time to go back to the hotel and inform Mrs.Hilliard of her plan. Later on she was to wish desperately that she hadtaken that precaution.
Instead, she hurried to the agency and hired the same car she had driventhe previous day. Then she set off on the road which was by this timebecoming familiar.
It was after five o'clock when Mary Louise reached Center Square. Thetwilight was deepening; already the short winter day was almost at aclose.
"I'll need a flashlight," she decided and she stopped in at a countrystore to buy one.
When she came out of the store she drove directly to the abandoned house.This time she did not want to take the constable with her, for he wouldforbid her breaking into the place. Yet that was exactly what Mary Louisemeant to do, if she could not be admitted by knocking at the door!
She turned into the driveway, past the "No Trespassing" sign, mounted thesteep incline, and parked her car in an inconspicuous spot behind thehouse and at the side of the barn.
"Here's hoping I don't get hit with a rock!" she thought recklessly, asshe jumped out of the car. The darkness was becoming deeper; the silencewas broken only by the moaning of the tree branches in the wind. Theplace seemed completely deserted.
With her heart beating fast, Mary Louise ran to the back door of thehouse and tried it. As she had anticipated, it was securely locked. Amoment later she encountered the same condition at the front door. Atboth entrances she knocked loudly; at neither was there any response.
"Just the same, I'm going to get in!" she muttered resolutely. "If I haveto climb over the porch to a second-story window!"
She walked around the house again, more slowly this time, examining eachwindow as she passed it. Everywhere she found boards nailed over theglass. On only one window at the side did she discover a partial opening.It was the window through which she had seen the face of the young girlwith the ugly woman beside her.
Mary Louise's heart leaped up in joy. She could break through that glassand get in!
The window which she was examining was at least three feet from theground, and two boards were nailed across the lower sash. But by standingon a log which she dragged to the spot she was able to reach the uppersash. With the aid of a stone she smashed the glass into bits.
It would have been easier to climb through the opening without her furcoat, but Mary Louise felt sure that she would need its protection in thedamp, cold house. How thankful she was later on that she had not yieldedto her first impulse!
She accomplished the feat successfully, however, without even tearing herclothing or breaking her flashlight, and stood on the floor of a roomwhich she soon identified as the dining room.
It was horribly cold and damp inside the house, but Mary Louise scarcelynoticed it at first. A thrill of excitement sent a pleasant glow throughher body. She was going to search for the treasure!
Keeping her flashlight turned on, she gave a quick glance about the room.A table, half a dozen chairs, a sideboard of beautiful mahogany, and achina-closet filled with lovely dishes comprised its furnishings.
"A good place to begin my search!" she decided, going straight to theattractive sideboard and opening the drawer nearest the top. A luncheonset of exquisite design greeted her eyes.
"Rather grand for a country place," she silently commented. "Let's seewhat else we can find!"
A second drawer was entirely empty, but a third contained a full set ofsilverware. Seizing a spoon in one hand, Mary Louise turned theflashlight on it with the other. A wild cry of joy escaped her lips; thespoon was decorated with an ivy-leaf pattern! Yes, and there were theinitials, too--S.H. (for Stoddard House, Mrs. Hilliard hadsaid)--engraved on the stem!
"So I know that I'm in the right place!" she couldn't help exclaimingaloud in her triumph.
The sound of her own voice in the silent, dark house was strange; MaryLouise found herself trembling. But only for a moment: courage and commonsense came to her rescue. Hastily she gathered all the silver togetherand put it in a pile on the dining-room table.
"I may have to go out through the window again," she figured, "so I'llleave my stuff here. But first I'll try the doors from the inside."
There, however, she met disappointment. There were no dead latches on thedoors; they were both locked securely, and the keys had been removed.
Now that she had familiarized herself with the plan
There were four bedrooms, she saw by the aid of her flashlight, and abathroom. A narrow staircase led to an attic above.
"I might as well begin with the attic," she thought, "and do the thingthoroughly. That would be a natural place to hide things--especially ifthere's a closet."
There was a huge closet, she soon discovered, besides two trunks, and allsorts of odds and ends of furniture piled about the room. Naturally, MaryLouise began her search with the trunks: to her delight she found themunlocked.
"If I only have the same luck that I had in the dining room!" she wishedas she began to examine the trays.
Things had apparently been stuffed in hit-or-miss fashion: ribbons,scarves, odd bits of costumes were all entangled together. Off in acorner of the tray she found a heavy box which looked especiallyinviting. Opening it excitedly she let out a wild whoop of joy. There wasjewelry inside!
But when she examined the articles one by one she experienced onlydisappointment. There was nothing valuable in the whole collection; itwas merely "five-and-ten-store" stuff, which nobody would wear except toa costume party.
"I might have expected that," she mused as she put the box back into thetray. "If this trunk had had anything valuable in it, it would have beenlocked."
Nevertheless, she resolved to make her search thorough and went throughboth trunks, without any success. Then she directed her attention to thecloset.
This occupied a large space--almost as big as a small room--so that MaryLouise found that she could easily enter it herself. It was horriblychilly and damp; she shivered, and drew her coat more tightly around heras she continued her task.
She was peering into a hat box when she suddenly heard a pounding on awall. She stopped what she was doing and listened intently. Where was thenoise coming from? Had someone come in? Was "Margaret" here, or had thepolice come to arrest Mary Louise for housebreaking? Her hands shook andshe turned off her flashlight, waiting tensely in the darkness, while thepounding continued. But she did not hear any footsteps.
The noise finally ceased, and, reassured at last, Mary Louise turned onher flashlight and resumed her search. But the attic revealed nothing ofany importance, not even any loose boards in the walls or floorunderneath which the treasure might have been stored.
With a sigh of disappointment, Mary Louise descended the attic steps.
Entering the bedrooms one after the other and searching them carefully,she encountered no better results. The bureaus were practically empty;the beds contained only a blanket spread over each mattress, and thoughMary Louise felt around them with her hands for hard objects which mightbe concealed, she found nothing.
Looking at her watch, she saw to her surprise that it was almost eighto'clock. Supper hour was long past; because of her excitement, and onaccount of her refreshments in the Philadelphia tea shop, she had notfelt hungry. But she was thirsty and was delighted to find running waterin the bathroom.
"I'm glad I don't have to climb out of that window to get a drink at thepump!" she congratulated herself. And while she was there shemethodically searched the bathroom, again without any success.
"Why, here's an electric light button!" she exclaimed in surprise. "Thesepeople must be rich--they have all the modern improvements. And I've beenusing up my battery!"
But the light did not turn on; no doubt the current was cut off while thepeople were away, and Mary Louise had to resort to her flashlight again.
"Because I started in the attic, the treasure will probably be in thecellar," she concluded. "I hope my battery doesn't give out before I getto it."
Nevertheless, she meant to proceed with the downstairs first, just as shehad planned. She would rather be there if "Margaret" arrived. Oh, how shewished the girl would come! Especially if she proved to be MargaretDetweiler.
The kitchen consumed a great deal of time, for she had to look in everypossible can and dish in the various closets. As she examined everything,she was conscious of increasing hunger; she sincerely hoped that shewould find something she could eat. But her search revealed nothingexcept some dry groceries: tea, sugar, salt, and spices. Moreover, thestove was an electric one, useless without current. She could not evenheat water to make herself a cup of tea!
She was debating whether she should crawl out of the window and go to astore for something to eat, or whether she should wait until she hadcompleted her task. It was just nine o'clock now; if she left the houseshe might miss seeing Margaret and lose all chance of finding either thegirl or the treasure. But as she passed through the dining room from thekitchen she saw immediately that her decision had been made for her. Thewindow through which she had crawled into the house had been boarded uptightly! She was a helpless prisoner in this dark, lonely house!
So that was the explanation of the pounding which she had heard from theattic closet! Oh, why hadn't she rushed down to see who was doing it? Nowwhat in the world could she do? If Margaret didn't come, she would haveto spend the night here--alone! And tomorrow was Christmas!
But suppose nobody came tomorrow--or the next day--or the next week!Starvation, death from pneumonia, loneliness that would drive herinsane--all these grim horrors stared Mary Louise in the face.
Shivering with cold, she stood motionless in the dining room and tried tothink of some way out. It would be impossible for her to break down thoseheavy wooden doors, and she knew nothing about picking locks. Therewasn't an unboarded window on the whole first floor, and even the windowsover the porch on the second floor were tightly nailed shut. Oh, what onearth could she do?
"If only Max and Norman would come along now and give that familiarsignal!" she wished. But no sound disturbed the silence of the night;even the wind had died, leaving a stillness like death all about her. Shefelt buried alive in a doorless tomb.
"Nobody knows I'm here," she moaned. "Not even Mrs. Hilliard.
"I'll have to think of something," she decided, with a supreme effort tokeep herself in control. "In the meanwhile, I might as well finish mysearch."
But even that satisfaction was denied to Mary Louise. In the doorwaybetween the dining room and the living room her flashlight went out. Atthe most critical moment, when her courage was at the lowest ebb, thebattery had died!
A groan of agonized dismay escaped from her lips. In utter despair shegroped for a chair and sank down in it, miserable and defeated.
The impenetrable blackness of the room was overpowering, for she was usedto the lights of the streets in Philadelphia and in Riverside. A strange,physical fear took possession of her, paralyzing her limbs; for severalminutes she sat still in the darkness, not even attempting to move.
A shiver ran through her; she was becoming colder and colder in thisdamp, icy house. Her need for warmth stirred her to action. She rosecautiously to her feet and groped her way to the hall, where sheremembered the stairway to be located, and without encountering anyserious knocks, she slowly ascended to one of the bedrooms.
Here the inky blackness still confronted her, but it was not so deep asthat of the first floor, for there was an unboarded window in the room.Gradually, as she made her way towards it, Mary Louise could perceive itsoutline. Most of the window was covered by the tree branches, but hereand there through the limbs she could distinguish patches of sky.Yes--far off, and dim, but real, nevertheless--was one shining star!
"The Christmas star," she murmured. "Or at least--my Christmas star. Forit's the only one I'll see tonight."
There was something immensely comforting in its presence. The starreassured her, it reminded her that God was still in His heaven, and shewas not forsaken. Tomorrow, Christmas morning, rescue would surely come!
So, after collecting all the blankets in the house on one bed, she tookoff her coat and her hat and her shoes and lay down, drawing the squirrelcoat over her on top of the blankets. Cold and hunger and