VIII
Mrs. Willoughby’s Call
The housekeeper vanished at Mr. Drew’s words to reappear almost at once followed by the elegant Mrs. Willoughby. Mr. Drew arose and politely offered her a chair. Mrs. Carter discreetly withdrew.
“Oh, Mr. Drew, I’m in such trouble!” The visitor stopped short as she noticed Nancy for the first time.
“Don’t mind my daughter. Anything that you may say will be held in strict confidence. Nancy is a close friend of your ward’s and will help you if she can.”
“Then you’ve already heard?”
The lawyer indicated the evening paper.
“I read the account in the paper. Were the details correct?”
“In the main,” Mrs. Willoughby admitted reluctantly. “Oh, it’s dreadful! Emily is heartbroken!”
Nancy, who was studying the woman closely, tried to make up her mind whether or not she was pretending. Either she was an excellent actress or genuinely agitated.
“Mr. Drew, you must help me,” Mrs. Willoughby went on. “I feel my position keenly. Even the police are blaming me. It’s so unjust.”
“Has your ward accused you?”
“Oh, no! Emily wouldn’t think of doing that. She’s been wonderful. But the loss of the jewels will leave her destitute. I can’t bear to think that I am the cause of it all.” Mrs. Willoughby began to sob into her handkerchief.
Mr. Drew glanced quickly at his daughter, and Nancy gave an emphatic nod of her head, as much as to say that she would like to probe more deeply into the case and wanted her father to help her.
“There, Mrs. Willoughby,” he said kindly, “don’t take on. I will do anything in my power to aid you.”
“You will? Oh, I’m so relieved!” The woman ceased crying and actually smiled. “I know everything will be all right now.”
“I am not certain that I can recover the jewels for you,” Mr. Drew pointed out; “so you mustn’t build up your hopes too soon. The case will be a very difficult one.”
Mrs. Willoughby’s face clouded again.
“I didn’t ask about your fee,” she stammered. “I am afraid I must tell you that I haven’t a great deal of money at present.”
“I assure you my fee will be very reasonable. And now perhaps you will answer a few questions concerning the robbery.”
“Anything!”
“Have you any theory as to what became of the handbag?”
“Oh, yes! I’m sure it was snatched by one of the inn guests at the time of that frightful automobile accident. When we checked up later, two of the guests were missing.”
“Are you certain they had not gone to help at the scene of the wreck?”
“Well, at the time of the crash, a number of persons ran out of the inn. After the victims had been rushed to the hospital, all came back except these two.”
“Do you know who they were?”
“No. Mrs. Potter and I hurried to the crossroads just as soon as I was able to walk—I fainted, you know. There wasn’t a sign of anyone near the wreck.”
“Perhaps the two who left the inn took the victims to the hospital,” Mr. Drew suggested.
“That’s so. I hadn’t thought of that.”
“In that event, their hasty leave-taking would be perfectly natural. Of course, one of the persons might have snatched your purse and used the accident as a pretext to get away.”
“That’s what I thought,” Mrs. Willoughby said eagerly.
“The clue will bear investigation,” Mr. Drew continued; “but I am inclined to believe it will not lead to anything.”
“After all, it may have been the waiter. I was suspicious of him from the moment I stepped into the inn. He kept looking at my handbag.”
“I understand he submitted to a search.”
“Yes, I insisted upon it. The jewels weren’t found upon his person, but he might have hidden them.”
“I see by the paper that the handbag was rather larger than those usually carried and was highly ornamented.”
“Yes. I knew I should need a large bag for those jewels. Still, it was not so large that it could not be stolen and concealed.”
“Do you recall whether the waiter left the dining room during the confusion?”
“I really can’t say,” Mrs. Willoughby confessed. “I was so terribly excited myself.”
“Could this waiter have known that you were carrying valuables in your purse?”
“He might have heard Mrs. Potter and me talking about it.”
“You were speaking loudly?”
“Oh, no! We scarcely raised our voices above a whisper.”
“I see.” Mr. Drew thoughtfully tapped a pencil against the arm of his chair. After a moment he studied Mrs. Willoughby again.
“Tell me, were all of the guests searched?”
“Yes. Two women protested but finally gave in.”
“How about Mrs. Potter?”
“Mrs. Potter? I don’t understand.”
“Was your friend searched with the others?”
“Certainly not,” Mrs. Willoughby returned a trifle tartly. “It would have been insulting for me to have requested it.”
“You feel then that she is trustworthy.”
“Absolutely.”
“How long have you known her?”
“Oh, a year at least.”
“Hm,” the lawyer mused. “Mrs. Willoughby, when you ran to the window, what did Mrs. Potter do?”
“What did she do?” Mrs. Willoughby asked a trifle impatiently. “Why, I don’t remember exactly. She screamed and rushed to the window too, I believe.”
“Then she was beside you every moment.”
“N‑o,” Mrs. Willoughby admitted slowly. “We weren’t at the same window. Really, I can’t see the sense of these questions. Mrs. Potter had nothing to do with the loss of the handbag.”
“Probably not,” Mr. Drew agreed soothingly. “But I am trying to get at the bottom of the affair, and to do that I must investigate every clue.”
“Mrs. Potter is my best friend. She would have no reason for stealing the jewels.”
Seeing that Mrs. Willoughby was becoming agitated again, Mr. Drew decided to terminate the interview.
“I believe I have nothing more to ask you,” he told her.
“You’ll get the jewels back for me?”
“My dear Mrs. Willoughby, I can’t make rash promises. As I told you before, the case is complicated. I will do my best to help you, though at the present time I am busy with other work. It seems to me that it might be wise for you to turn the affair over to a detective.”
Mrs. Willoughby shook her head as she arose to leave.
“No, I’ve heard a great deal about your work, Mr. Drew, and I want you to take the case.”
“Very well, I will report to you as soon as I learn anything of importance. In the meantime, do not discuss the case with anyone.”
The lawyer escorted Mrs. Willoughby to the door and waited until she had left the porch before turning to Nancy.
“Well, little Golden Locks, what do you think of her?”
“Quite frivolous, but apparently honest,” Nancy returned slowly. “It’s a real mystery, isn’t it? Do you really suspect Mrs. Willoughby?”
“No, or I shouldn’t have taken the case even for your sake and for Emily’s. Still, she is far from being free from suspicion. Any one of a number of persons might have stolen the jewels.”
“I’d like to meet Mrs. Potter and hear her version of the robbery,” said Nancy slowly.
“Yes, I must ask her to come to my office tomorrow.” Mr. Drew frowned. “Hang it all, I have an important conference! I really haven’t time for this case.”
“I wish I could take it,” Nancy murmured wistfully.
Mr. Drew studied his daughter meditatively.
“Well, why not?”
“I’m afraid it’s too complicated for me. Anyway, Emily might feel that I was interfering.”
“If you’re still planning on running out to see her, you’d better hurry. It’s getting late.”
“I’ll go now.”
Nancy caught up her hat and with a hurried goodbye dashed out the back door to the garage. In a few minutes she was speeding toward the cottage on the lake.
“I hope Mrs. Willoughby doesn’t get there before I do,” she thought. “I’d rather talk to Emily alone.”
After a short drive she came within sight of the cottage and was relieved to see that a light was shining through the windows. Parking the roadster, she hurried up the path and rapped on the door.
“Nancy!” Emily gasped, as she flung open the door to admit her friend. “Oh, I’m so glad you came!”
“You’ve been crying,” Nancy observed quietly.
“I’ve lost my inheritance, Nancy. Mrs. Willoughby thinks we’ll get the jewels back, but I’m sure we’ll not. I was counting on the money so much! Now I can’t help Dick!”
As Emily Crandall spoke she looked away and tried to keep back the tears. She did not succeed, and when the two girls entered the living room she flung herself on the couch and burst into a paroxysm of weeping.
“Oh, it’s too dreadful, Nancy,” she sobbed. “To have this inheritance come to me and then have it snatched away just when I’d planned to do so much with it! It’s the loss of my grandmother’s jewels and my not being able to help Dick and having to postpone my marriage, all jumbled into one!”
Nancy waited for a few minutes, then as the sobs grew quieter said comfortingly:
“Perhaps the fortune will be recovered.”
“I’m afraid not. It seems to me the police are just going around in circles. By this time the thief is probably safe in another state.”
“It’s too mean for anything,” Nancy went on. “I wish there was something I could do.”
Emily glanced up quickly as a thought occurred to her.
“Why can’t you help me?” she demanded tensely. “You’ve helped lots of other people!”
“I don’t want to interfere. The police—”
“Oh, the police!” Emily dismissed them with a wave of her hand. “You’re a wonder when it comes to solving a mystery! Will you help me?”
Nancy Drew hesitated and then nodded.
“I’ll do my best.”
“Oh, fine!” Emily’s relief was evident. “The jewels are as good as found this minute!”
Nancy Drew smiled at her friend’s returning good spirits, but as she walked down the path a few minutes later the smile faded from her face. She was eager to help Emily and pleased at an opportunity to “try her teeth” on a baffling mystery, but well she knew that she faced the most difficult task of her career.