though he was somewhat unsteady.
“What happened?” Nancy asked, and Lieu-
tenant Carney pulled out his notebook.
“I was diggin’ for clams when a couple o’men
an’ a boy seemed to come right out o’ nowhere.
They asked me who I’d brought to the Heath
gardens.”
“Did you tell them?” Bess asked.
“No, but they said they’d beat me up if I didn’t
an’ then go after the intruders themselves.”
“I tried to argue ’em out o’ it, but they was
stubborn as mules. When they started to go after
you, I tried to stop ’em.”
“But there were three against you!” George
said.
“Ye’re right. Fraid I got knocked out. But I
come to pretty soon; in fact, just in time to see
one o’ the rascals takin’ my boat.”
Salty told how he had seen one man going
through the section of wall with the stone steps
beyond and decided to follow. But the sailor had
gone no farther than the opening before every-
thing went black again before his eyes.
“Later I come to,” he said, “but I couldn’t
seem to move for a while. Somewhere in the gar-
den I heard two men talkin’. Nancy, you must
be very careful from now on,” he warned. “Those
guys are plannin’ to kidnap you!”
Lieutenant Carney spoke up. “We’d better get
back to headquarters. Salty. You can give us a
description of the men there. Also I want you to
see a doctor to make sure you’re all right.”
In a few minutes the police boat was skimming
down the river with Salty aboard. Nancy and her
friends took the rented craft back to Campbell’s
Landing, then headed home in her car.
It was midaftemoon when Nancy reached her
house. She found Mr. Drew there, looking through
some old newspapers. He and Nancy ate a late
lunch while she eagerly showed him the photo-
graphs and the diary from the Heath estate.
“You certainly had an exciting time,” her
father remarked. “But I have some interesting
news, too.”
Nancy’s eyes lighted with curiosity. “Something
that will help solve the mystery, Dad?”
Her father nodded. “It concerns Juliana’s miss-
ing nurse.”
“Emily Foster?”
“Yes. I’ve located her. And here’s the best part.
Tomorrow morning she’ll see you and tell you all
she knows!”
CHAPTER XVI
News of Juliana
“Oh, Dad! Where is Emily Foster?” Nancy asked,
thrilled by the news.'”How did you find her?
What did she say about Juliana?”
“One question at a time, please,” Mr. Drew
said, laughing I talked to her only by telephone,
go I didn’t get any details.”
“Is she here in River Heights?”
“No. In Hampton. I traced her by contacting
the State Board of Nursing. Miss Foster is on a
case in Hampton. She’ll be free tomorrow, and
has promised to meet us at the Hampton Motel.”
“That’s great. Maybe now we’ll find Juliana!”
“Don’t build your hopes too high,” the lawyer
warned his daughter. “Miss Foster may not know
what became of the dancer. Even if she’s able to
provide a clue, you have only a short time to fol-
low it up.”
“That’s the trouble,” Nancy agreed, worried.
“Only ten days are left before Heath Castle will
be lost to Juliana.”
“Anyway, it seems to me you’ve built up a case
against Daniel Hector, and that’s something,” her
father said. “Even if Juliana is never found,
there’s no reason why that unscrupulous lawyer
and his henchmen should help themselves to any
of the estate.”
The Drews planned to leave for Hampton that
evening and spend the night at the motel in order
to be on time for their early-morning appoint-
ment. Nancy, knowing she had a dozen things to
do before leaving, rushed to do them.
Before they left, she suggested that they stop
at the Fenimores’ to see if Joan and her mother
needed anything.
“I can’t help worrying about them,” she said.
Mr. Drew agreed. When they arrived at the
house, the little girl was asleep. Her mother, how-
ever, was up and in surprisingly good spirits.
“The Hoopers have moved!” she said. “Now
Joan and Teddy will be separated!”
“I wonder why they left so suddenly,” Nancy
mused.