Nancy beckoned her to walk to a more secluded spot where they might talk. Quickly the girl detective divulged her suspicions about the bracelet. Lolita was aghast to hear that her foster father might be a thief. Nancy said she was sorry bun felt that it was necessary for Lolita to know all the facts in order to help solve the mystery.
“I want you to search that bureau,” Nancy told her.
Lolita looked frightened. “But how can I?” she said. “Mother’s always in one trailer or the other.”
“I’ll arrange for her to leave,” said Nancy. “I’ll have Erika ask her to come to our tent and help with some sewing.”
Lolita finally consented to the scheme. An hour later, when Mrs. Kroon was safely out of the way, the aerialist went into her father’s trailer. Nancy posted herself at the window. Some distance away was Dan Webster, acting as lookout.
Lolita pulled out drawer after drawer, lifting various articles aside and feeling beneath pieces of clothing. The bracelet was not in any of the drawers. Just as Lolita opened the lowest drawer, Nancy heard a low whistle. Looking up, she saw Dan Webster warning her of danger.
Rheinhold Kroon was almost at the trailer!
Through the window Nancy hissed at Lolita. The girl was so engrossed in her search that she did not hear her friend. The next moment, Kroon stepped inside. Seeing the open bureau, he thundered at Lolita:
“What are you doing?”
CHAPTER XVII
Blackout
When Lolita heard someone step into the trailer, she slammed shut the bureau drawer. But her movement and the telltale clothes which trailed from the drawer gave her away completely.
“I said, what are you doing?” her foster father yelled at her.
He took hold of the girl’s arm and yanked her around violently. As he glared at Lolita, she began to shiver with fright.
“Please don’t hurt me!” she begged.
“You tell me what you were doing or I’ll—” The ringmaster did not finish because of an unexpected interruption.
Fearful that Lolita’s reply might give away their secret, Nancy decided upon a desperate measure. She had once learned a few ventriloquistic tricks, and now determined to use one of them. Throwing her voice to sound as if it were inside the trailer, Nancy gave an unearthly scream. Then, dashing around to the door of the trailer, she ran inside.
“I heard a scream,” she said. “Lolita, is something the matter?”
Kroon glared at Nancy. The ringmaster was so taken aback that he released his hold on Lolita and said nothing for a moment.
The pretty aerialist sagged weakly onto a couch. “Oh, Nancy!” she wailed helplessly.
Kroon’s eyes narrowed and Nancy felt as if they would burn right through her. The ringmaster walked toward her in menacing fashion. Nearing Nancy, he pointed a finger at her.
“Why, you little double-crosser!” he shouted.
Nancy stood her ground, not moving an inch. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Dan Webster in the doorway. Should she need any protection, it was near at hand.
“Nancy, eh?” Kroon yelled. “You’re Nancy Drew, that self-styled detective, and you sneaked in here to spy on the circus!”
Still Nancy said nothing. This seemed to infuriate the man. Towering above her, his face so red that Nancy thought he might have a stroke, he continued to wave a finger in her face.
“I knew you’d joined the circus and I let you stay because you were a good rider,” he went on. “But I’ve had spies trailing you. So don’t think you’ve put anything over on me, you little sneak!”
“Nancy has done nothing wrong,” Lolita said stanchly. “She’s done a good job in this circus.”
The ringmaster gave a harsh chuckle. “But no thanks to you. I suppose you were snooping through this bureau because Nancy Drew asked you to. What were you looking for?”
Lolita looked pleadingly at Nancy. She did not know whether to answer him or not.
Nancy decided it was time for her to speak.
“Mr. Kroon,” she said, “what is so dreadful about your daughter looking in your bureau? Goodness, whenever I want a big hanky I go to my father’s chest of drawers.”