Nevertheless, Nancy concluded that circus life was pretty strenuous. As she was wearily removing her costume before going to bed, Erika dashed in, her eyes aglow.
“Hurry and change your clothes,” she said. “We’re going to have a party.”
Nancy sighed, admitted she was extremely tired, and thought it best if she were excused from it.
“Oh, you have to come,” Erika told her. “Lolita is giving the party and she has a surprise for you!”
“A surprise for me?” Nancy repeated.
Erika would not tell her any more. The two girls changed their clothes, then her roommate quietly led Nancy to Rancoco’s trailer. Lolita and Pietro were there and several of their best friends from the circus. On a table were plates of sandwiches and bottles of soda.
“Oh, Nancy,” said Lolita, hugging her, “I’m so glad you came. I don’t know where to begin to tell you all that’s happened in the past few hours.” Then, looking at Pietro and taking his hand, she continued, “My foster father was so cruel to me today that I can’t stand another minute of it. Pietro and I are eloping!”
Nancy stared dumfounded. Then she said, “Oh, you mustn’t do that!”
A hush came over the group and Nancy realized that she had thrown a damper on the gay party.
“I don’t want to seem preachy,” she said. “I’d better explain what I mean.”
Quickly Nancy told them that during the day she had found out several things in connection with the mystery of Lolita, her parents, and her foster parents. She felt that it would be disastrous for the aerialist to leave at this time.
“I hate to say this,” Nancy went on, “but I think Lolita, and you too, Pietro, had better stay here and watch Mr. Kroon.”
Everyone in the trailer gasped. What did Nancy mean?
“I can’t give you all the details,” she said. “My father is going to help me on the case. But I’ll tell you this: Lolita’s own mother may still be alive. And there may be some fraud in connection with money which rightfully belongs to her or Lolita. I suspect Mr. Kroon is back of it all.”
Pietro came over to Nancy. He said it was he who had talked Lolita into eloping. It was impossible for him to stand by any longer and watch Kroon treat his foster daughter the way he was doing.
“All he’s interested in is the money her performances bring,” the clown said angrily. “We could easily get jobs in another circus. Nancy, you are the one to solve the mystery. We know nothing about such things. Couldn’t you find out just as much about Mr. Kroon if we weren’t here?”
Nancy smiled. “I’m afraid,” she said, “that if you two should leave, Kroon would become very suspicious. He might even blame me for your going away.
“I have a strong hunch that I may not fool him much longer. If he finds out I’m meddling in his affairs, he’ll dismiss me at once. If that happens, I’ll certainly need you here, Lolita, to do my sleuthing for me.”
Pietro threw up his hands in a gesture of resignation. “You have convinced me, Nancy,” he said. Turning to Lolita, he added, “In that case, sweetheart, I’m afraid our wedding will have to be postponed.”
“I guess it is the wise thing to do,” the dainty aerialist said. “I’d much rather have a lovely wedding and everyone who attends it to be happy.”
She thanked Nancy for persuading them to wait. Then she suggested that they all eat the delicious food which Rancoco’s wife had supplied, and enjoy the party anyway.
Early the next morning Nancy was surprised by a visit from her father. As Mr. Drew sat down with her alone in her tent, the lawyer said he had had a hard time getting past the guard at the gate, but after showing him a permit from the local police chief, the man had let him in.
“I have a lot of news for you,” he told Nancy. “I thought it best not to give such confidential information to you over the telephone.”
Nancy listened intently as her father revealed an interesting story. That morning the River Heights police chief, McGinnis, had called and asked Mr. Drew to come down to the jail at once.