Mr. Drew said that he had cabled a lawyer friend of his in London, but there had been no time for an answer as yet.
“I’ll let you know as soon as I hear anything,” he promised, kissing her good-by, and left the tent.
Erika came in a few moments later and at once asked what had happened to her.
“What do you mean?” Nancy asked.
“Because you look as if you’d lost your best friend.”
Nancy recounted all the news Mr. Drew had told her. Erika said that she was glad the mystery about Hitch had been cleared up, but she had to admit that his story about the Kroons had complicated matters.
“Do you suppose Mrs. Kroon kidnaped Lolita?” she asked, her eyes opening wide.
Nancy shrugged and asked Erika to keep the matter in strictest confidence. If Kroon should find out what Hitch had told the police, there was no predicting what the ringmaster might do.
“I saw Mr. Kroon a couple of times this morning,” Erika told Nancy. “He seemed to be in a worse humor than usual. Do you suppose it has anything to do with the mystery? He might even have found out that Lolita and Pietro had planned to elope and then changed their minds because of your suspicions about him.”
“It’s possible,” said Nancy. “Pietro once remarked that there was a spy in the circus who carries tales to Mr. Kroon.”
Nancy did not tell Erika another suspicion of hers—that the stolen bracelet might be at the circus. She was sure that whoever had stolen it had done so at Kroon’s request.
“I must find out,” the young sleuth told herself. “But how?”
Erika remarked that she hoped Nancy’s worries about the mystery would not affect her performance that afternoon. Nancy laughed and assured Erika that she would do her best. And she did. Later, her roommate remarked that Nancy had never done her stunt riding better.
Nancy made a point of sitting next to Lolita at supper that evening. As soon as she had an opportunity, she asked Lolita if she had mentioned to her foster parents that Nancy had the bracelet.
“Why, yes, I did. Is something the matter?”
Nancy did not reply, but asked Lolita if she could remember when she had told them.
The aerialist thought a few moments, then said it was some time during the last day that the circus was in River Heights.
There was no question now in Nancy’s mind that Kroon had engineered the theft. During the rest of the meal, the young sleuth kept trying to figure out how to prove her point.
“I’ll bet whoever stole the bracelet brought it here to the circus,” she reasoned. “And if he did, it’s my guess that the bracelet is hidden in Mr. Kroon’s trailer.”
Later, Nancy confided in Dan Webster about the theft of the bracelet and why she thought it might be in Kroon’s possession. She said she was wondering how she could find out if her suspicions were correct.
“I thought perhaps I’d get in touch with the police captain,” she said. “Maybe he could make a search.”
Dan Webster thought that this was the sensible thing to do, but it had one big drawback.
“Kroon will know at once that you instigated the search, since it’s your bracelet,” he reminded Nancy. “He’ll instantly make trouble for both you and the other riders in your act.”
Nancy had to admit that there was merit in Dan Webster’s objections. Suddenly her eyes lighted up.
“Dan,” she said, “how would you like to play detective for me?”
“Me!” Dan Webster began to laugh. “You don’t mean you want me to go make that search? I’d be sure to get caught.”
“No, not make the search. Just lay the groundwork for me,” Nancy suggested.
Dan Webster scratched his head. “Well, keep talking. I’ll let you know my answer after I hear what you want me to do.”
“I can’t tell you now,” Nancy said hurriedly. “I see Mr. Kroon coming. I’ll meet you in your office after the show.”
The two separated, but after the show was over, Nancy returned to Webster’s office. She said to the horse trainer in a low voice: