diff options
| -rw-r--r-- | .gitattributes | 4 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | LICENSE.txt | 11 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | README.md | 2 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/53448-0.txt | 5574 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/53448-0.zip | bin | 94367 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/53448-h.zip | bin | 910291 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/53448-h/53448-h.htm | 7290 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/53448-h/images/cover.jpg | bin | 85593 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/53448-h/images/endpaper.jpg | bin | 100491 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/53448-h/images/frontispiece.jpg | bin | 101034 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/53448-h/images/i-025.jpg | bin | 101143 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/53448-h/images/i-053.jpg | bin | 95938 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/53448-h/images/i-078.jpg | bin | 100872 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/53448-h/images/i-137.jpg | bin | 100804 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/53448-h/images/i-174.jpg | bin | 99514 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/53448-h/images/title.jpg | bin | 34114 -> 0 bytes |
16 files changed, 17 insertions, 12864 deletions
diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..219d0f2 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #53448 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/53448) diff --git a/old/53448-0.txt b/old/53448-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 3e99d96..0000000 --- a/old/53448-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,5574 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Silver Ring Mystery, by Helen Wells - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: The Silver Ring Mystery - The Vicki Barr Flight Stewardess Series #13 - -Author: Helen Wells - -Release Date: November 4, 2016 [EBook #53448] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SILVER RING MYSTERY *** - - - - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, MFR and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - -_The_ CHERRY AMES _Stories_ - - Cherry Ames, Student Nurse - Cherry Ames, Senior Nurse - Cherry Ames, Army Nurse - Cherry Ames, Chief Nurse - Cherry Ames, Flight Nurse - Cherry Ames, Veterans’ Nurse - Cherry Ames, Private Duty Nurse - Cherry Ames, Visiting Nurse - Cherry Ames, Cruise Nurse - Cherry Ames at Spencer - Cherry Ames, Night Supervisor - Cherry Ames, Mountaineer Nurse - Cherry Ames, Clinic Nurse - Cherry Ames, Dude Ranch Nurse - Cherry Ames, Rest Home Nurse - Cherry Ames, Country Doctor’s Nurse - Cherry Ames, Boarding School Nurse - Cherry Ames, Department Store Nurse - Cherry Ames, Camp Nurse - Cherry Ames at Hilton Hospital - - -_The_ VICKI BARR _Flight Stewardess Series_ - - Silver Wings for Vicki - Vicki Finds the Answer - The Hidden Valley Mystery - The Secret of Magnolia Manor - The Clue of the Broken Blossom - Behind the White Veil - The Mystery at Hartwood House - Peril Over the Airport - The Mystery of the Vanishing Lady - The Search for the Missing Twin - The Ghost at the Waterfall - The Clue of the Gold Coin - The Silver Ring Mystery - - - - -[Illustration: _“And of course I kept the ring,” Lucy said softly_] - - - - - THE VICKI BARR FLIGHT STEWARDESS SERIES - - _THE SILVER RING MYSTERY_ - - BY HELEN WELLS - - [Illustration] - - _GROSSET & DUNLAP_ - PUBLISHERS - _New York_ - - - - - © BY GROSSET & DUNLAP, INC., 1960 - - _All Rights Reserved_ - - PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - - - - - _The author acknowledges with thanks - the generous co-operation of the Eastern - Region Stewardess Division of American - Airlines and Miss Mary Cody and Miss - Joan McGuckin, Supervisors of Stewardesses, - for the information given in the - preparation of this book._ - - - - -CONTENTS - - - CHAPTER PAGE - - I ABOARD THE ELECTRA 1 - - II VICKI MEETS THE BRYANTS 10 - - III THE STORY OF LUCY 20 - - IV A PUZZLING DISCOVERY 38 - - V THE GIRL IN THE PORTRAIT 50 - - VI VICKI SEARCHES 63 - - VII WHICH LUCY? 76 - - VIII A GAME OF WITS 95 - - IX SECRETS AT MIDNIGHT 112 - - X THE SIGNAL 134 - - XI ESCAPE 155 - - XII THE SILVER RINGS 159 - - - - -CHAPTER I - -_Aboard the Electra_ - - -“That’s why,” Vicki explained to her family, “the Electra is so -challenging. Mary Carter warned us stewardesses, while she was -retraining us for the Electra, that this beauty flies so fast there’s -hardly time to get all our jobs done.” - -“You mean it’s a hard assignment, don’t you?” said Ginny. She was -fourteen, and Vicki’s younger sister. - -Their mother, Betty Barr, said, “I’m sure if I had your job on a -jet-prop--Or is it a jet? Which is it, Lewis?” - -Professor Barr looked amused. “You know perfectly well. The all-jet -without propellers,” he said, “the Boeing 707, is used more for long -hauls--nonstop coast to coast, or across oceans. The Electra 188, with -jet engines _and_ propellers, is used mainly for intercity travel. I -trust I have the facts correct, Victoria.” - -He smiled at Vicki who looked so much like him--fair hair, light-blue -eyes, the thoughtful Barr gaze--that it was a family joke. - -“Well, anyhow,” said Vicki’s mother, “if _I_ had to get sixty-eight -passengers safely on, off, and fed, in two hours--Whew!” - -“Fortunately I’m not going to have to do everything all by myself,” -Vicki answered. “Jean Cox and I will work the New York-Chicago-San -Francisco run together on the Electra.” - -They were having a leisurely early lunch at home, at The Castle, before -Vicki started out for Chicago. It was Thursday, February twelfth, -Lincoln’s Birthday, an appropriate day to be in Lincoln’s state, -Illinois. The holiday explained why Mr. Barr was not teaching at nearby -State University that day. The holiday did _not_ account for Vicki’s -presence at home. As a flight stewardess, she often worked on holidays. - -Vicki popped in and out of The Castle between assignments, whenever -she could. That wasn’t often. Perhaps now that Federal Airlines was -transferring her to the Electra and one of its transcontinental runs, -she might be lucky enough to see her family more often. - -Her mother was wondering about the same thing. “Will your being based -in San Francisco mean that we won’t see much of you?” - -Vicki went over her schedule again with her family. She and Jean Cox -would fly regularly with the same crew on the New York-Chicago-San -Francisco run, and return flight. They would have at least an -overnight stop in Chicago, and some rest days in New York and San -Francisco, “mostly in San Francisco where our plane will be serviced.” -Also, since passenger traffic was sometimes heavier in the East, Vicki -and Jean would occasionally fly the New York-Chicago and Chicago-New -York “turn-around” run. The fast cruising speed of the Electra--up to -five hundred miles per hour--made these schedules possible. - -“Anyway, I’ll be in and out of Chicago,” Vicki told her family. “If I -haven’t time to run down to Fairview to see you, maybe you’ll drive up -to Chicago to see me?” - -“I’ll come up,” her mother promised. “Now if you don’t start for -Chicago, young lady, the Electra may take off for New York without you.” - -“Heaven forbid! I’ve been studying, practicing, and dreaming -jet-props!” So had her stewardess friends, so had pilots and -navigators--all of them had been training intensively for the new -aircraft at Federal Airlines’ schools in New York and Texas. “I -wouldn’t miss today for anything!” - -Her family drove Vicki to the Fairview station in plenty of time for -the noon train to Chicago. Freckles, their spaniel, sensed Vicki’s -excitement and ran around the platform so wildly that for safety they -had to lock him in the car. - -“Do you think, dear,” Mrs. Barr asked Vicki, “that you’ll meet any -especially interesting people on this new plane?” - -“I wouldn’t be a bit surprised.” - -They could hear the train coming. In another minute it pounded in -alongside the platform. Vicki’s mother and sister hugged her. “Good -luck! See you soon!” Mr. Barr picked up her overnight kit, helped her -aboard the train, and found her a seat. He bent over to kiss her. - -“You look mighty little to be flying coast to coast, Victoria.” - -“I feel like an eagle in the sky--you know, the words of the spiritual? -Dad! The train’s starting to move!” - -He got off, and then her family was waving to her, and the train slid -quickly out of the station. She was on her way. - - * * * * * - -By three o’clock Vicki was in Chicago, and a little before four -she reached Midway Airport. That allowed comfortably for an hour’s -preflight ground duties before departure time at five P.M. In the -stewardesses’ lounge, Vicki changed into her blue uniform and cap, then -picked up her topcoat, purse, and overnight kit. She walked over to the -operations area where she initialed the crew check-in sheet, wrote in -the time, and noticed that Jean Cox had signed in five minutes ago. - -Vicki found Captain Jordan in the busy meteorologist’s room. Jean was -there, too. - -“Good afternoon, Captain Jordan--Jean. Reporting in for our very first -Electra flight!” - -The pilot, a graying, solidly built man in blue uniform, smiled at -her and Jean grinned. Jean Cox looked like a good-natured imp, with -her cropped brown hair and twinkling eyes. Vicki knew that her fellow -stewardess, despite the elfish grin, was absolutely reliable--just as -their million-mile Captain Tom Jordan was a rock of strength. He told -his two stewardesses: - -“Dan McGovern will be our copilot, and Chuck Smith our navigator. Good -men, both of them. I expect the five of us will work together fine as a -unit. Now, then--” - -Captain Jordan gave Vicki and Jean the flight plan and briefed them -on the route and the flight conditions for this trip. Vicki knew that -the passengers who asked questions about the flight might include -anyone from a businessman who flew his own private plane to an aviation -engineer, so she listened carefully. The pilot planned to fly above the -day’s overcast, at an altitude of around 22,000 feet. “Our cruising -speed will be about 400 to 420 miles per hour,” he said. - -Captain Jordan then handed Vicki and Jean the Stewardess Briefing -Book, which they quickly read and initialed. He answered a couple of -questions for them, discussed the ETA--estimated time of arrival--and -said, “See you aboard.” - -“Aye, aye, sir,” said Jean, for both of them. - -The two girls hurried back to the stewardesses’ lounge. There they -prepared the necessary report forms for the trip. - -“Do I look all right, Vic?” Jean asked. - -They both checked their appearance--a stewardess had to be perfectly -groomed and turned out--before leaving the operations area of the -building. - -They hurried down a flight of stairs into Hangar One. In the vast high -shed, Captain Jordan had two men in blue uniform with him. The five of -them met beside a DC-7 which a repair crew was tuning up. The engines -roared; Captain Jordan had to shout. - -“Miss Vicki Barr, Miss Jean Cox, this is our first officer, Dan -McGovern--” - -The girls shook hands with their copilot, who was a large, quiet, -serious-looking man. - -“--and our navigator, Chuck Smith.” - -Chuck Smith was young, small, and wiry, with an ingratiating grin. - -“See you aboard,” they all said. - -The two stewardesses went outdoors onto the windy airfield. A little -distance away their immense silver Electra stood waiting for them. The -plane was 104 feet long with a 99-foot wing span. Its sheer size took -their breath away. - -Vicki and Jean had forty minutes’ work to do before the passengers -came aboard. They had many things to check--it would be just too bad -if, once aloft, they discovered there was not enough water for making -coffee, or found the ventilation or heating system wasn’t functioning -perfectly. Hurrying up and down the long cabin aisle, they took pride -in their handsome Electra. Wide reclining chairs were upholstered in -blue, in beige, and a few in pumpkin color; the silver-beige walls -and curtains and coral-colored carpet harmonized. Vicki took special -satisfaction in the semicircular observation lounge with its wide -windows in the rear of the plane. - -While Jean checked their service kit, all emergency equipment, cabin -and lavatory lights, seat belts, and a dozen or more other items, -Vicki was busy in the buffet area amidship. The two tall, wide, -metal buffets, facing each other, held drawers and compartments -for everything she and Jean would need to store, heat, and serve -sixty-eight dinners, and to brew gallons of fresh coffee. Vicki found -it a big job to check every item. Next, the caterer brought aboard -precooked dinners on individual trays, water, bags of coffee, and Vicki -checked all items off on her report form. She called through the open -service door to the commissary men on the ground: - -“We’re short one dinner.” She saw the fueling crew hosing kerosene for -the plane’s four jet engines into the storage tanks inside the wings. -Daylight was fading; the first of their passengers were gathering -behind the wire gate, looking on. - -Captain Jordan came aboard and went into the cockpit. In a minute or -two his copilot and navigator followed. The cockpit door stood open -until departure time; Vicki could see the complex instrument panel, and -the three airmen at work with their air maps and weather charts. She -turned on the music--a little early, but they all were keyed up about -this flight, and it helped to have lilting music fill the cabin. - -Twenty minutes later Vicki and Jean were breathless but ready. They -repowdered their faces, and smiled expectantly at each other. Jean said: - -“I must say you look poised and calm.” - -“Calm? Who, me? Well, here’s wishing us good luck.” - -Jean said a fervent amen, and then pressed down on the switch which -released a folding staircase from the plane to the ground. Slowly the -stairs for the passengers’ use dropped down into place. Then Jean -took up her post just inside the main entrance door, to greet their -passengers. Vicki stood smiling in the aft cabin to greet them and -assist them in getting seated. - -Mothers with babies and small children straggled aboard first. Vicki -directed them to window seats in the quieter locations. - -“Miss, will you be able to heat my baby’s bottle?” one mother asked her. - -“Yes, I’ll be glad to.” - -Vicki turned to a young couple who looked like honeymooners. Their -faces shone, and the girl wore flowers. “Welcome aboard,” Vicki said to -them, and nearly added, “Congratulations.” She suggested the forward -cabin compartment which was smaller and more private. - -Most of the passengers, many of them businessmen with brief cases, -found seats by themselves in the large main cabin and, beyond the -buffet area, in the aft cabin. For several minutes the wide aisle -swarmed with people. - -“Please be seated,” Vicki said to them as they passed her, “and then -I’ll hang up your coats.” - -A white-haired, well-dressed couple came very slowly down the aisle. -They must be in their mid-sixties, Vicki thought. The elderly woman -looked pleasant, but the heavy-set man was scowling and grumbling about -something. He had a look of authority, of command. - -Vicki went forward to help them. “Good afternoon. Would you like to sit -here?” - -The man nodded curtly. He helped his wife into the window seat, then -placed her hatbox up on the luggage rack. - -“If you don’t mind, sir,” said Vicki, “may I put that hatbox in the -closet? It might bounce off the rack during flight, and the sharp -corners might hurt somebody.” - -The elderly man sat down as if he had not heard her. Then he remarked, -“The hatbox can stay where it is.” - -Vicki gulped, and said with her sweetest smile, “Yes, of course, if you -prefer.” The man’s wife half smiled at her as if to say, “You mustn’t -mind.” - - - - -CHAPTER II - -_Vicki Meets the Bryants_ - - -All the passengers were aboard now. Jean had closed the main cabin door. - -Captain Jordan flashed on the “No Smoking--Fasten Seat Belts” sign. -Vicki went up and down the aisle checking to see that passengers had -fastened their seat belts. The airplane began to vibrate. She made her -welcoming announcement over the plane’s public-address system, adding, -“Captain Jordan will keep you informed of flight data en route.” Then -both stewardesses found seats--the observation lounge was the only -vacant place--and strapped in for the take-off. - -Suddenly the Electra was taxiing and in instants they were racing past -the end of the runway. Even more suddenly--no wail, no warm-up of the -engines--zoom! Whoosh! Up they went! - -Jean and Vicki were so amazed that they stared at each other. “Jet -engines!” they exclaimed. “Look at our rate of climb! And steep--almost -straight up!” - -The plane tore into the sky. The “No Smoking--Fasten Seat Belts” sign -went off. Here in the cabin there were music, air at a comfortable -temperature and pressure, newspapers, magazines, and pillows which -Vicki and Jean distributed. The captain’s call button sounded on the -board in the buffet area, and he spoke over the plane’s communications -system to the two hostesses. - -“Everybody comfortable?” - -“Yes, Captain,” said Vicki. - -“You can tell our passengers we reached our cruising altitude within -five minutes after take-off. Anyone especially interesting aboard?” - -“We’ll tell you soon, sir,” said Vicki. - -The passengers were interested in the Electra and asked questions. -With sixty-eight aboard, Vicki and Jean could not stop to visit. But -they chatted with the passengers while they set up at each seat the -tray tables for dinner and spread linen tablecloths. The white-haired -couple, Vicki learned, were Mr. and Mrs. Marshall Bryant. The lady -told her this; the elderly man had fallen asleep, as if overtired. One -genial man was a movie star, perennially young, even though he had -five children. Several passengers recognized him, judging by their -interested glances. He asked Vicki several stiff technical questions -about the jet-propelled Electra. - -From across the aisle a woman touched Vicki’s sleeve. “My two -youngsters are getting hungry, I’m afraid. Could you please--?” - -“Yes, indeed, we’ll serve dinner soon. And we always serve the children -first.” - -Vicki made her way along the slightly swaying plane toward the buffet -area. She was waylaid by only three passengers on the way. One man -wanted to know if there was a razor aboard which he could borrow. -There was. A woman asked Vicki how to adjust the individual air vents -and reading lights. And a determined-looking man announced to the -stewardess that he was a vegetarian. - -“Y-yes, sir,” said Vicki, and made her smiling way to the sky kitchen. -Once inside the closed accordion curtains, Vicki lost her smile and her -face became as desperate as Jean’s, in her struggle with several oven -drawers full of turkey dinners. - -“Hi,” Jean greeted her. “Better put your smock on, like me. I’m scared -we’ll still be serving dinners ten minutes after landing in New York.” - -“We’ll do fine,” Vicki said without believing it, and started to make -coffee. - -“Parsley, parsley, where’s the parsley?” Jean muttered. “Somewhere in -this overgrown filing cabinet--oh, yes, here.” - -“Can we spare extra rolls for some hungry kids?” Vicki peered in the -roll warmer. “Yes, we can.” - -She collected nine rolls on a tray, one for each of the children -aboard. On her way back to the buffet area with her empty tray, Vicki -noticed that something was wrong in the Bryants’ area. Two men -passengers were standing over Mr. Bryant, one loosening his collar and -tie, and the call button rang. Vicki hurried to them. The people nearby -were considerately snuffing out their cigarettes and opening air vents. - -“My husband has a heart condition,” Mrs. Bryant said anxiously to -Vicki. “I don’t think he’s having a heart attack, but he--” - -Vicki concealed her alarm and looked at Mr. Bryant who was lying back -weakly in his chair. He was conscious but exhausted, breathing with -some difficulty. His face was pale and sweaty. - -“Uncomfortable--” he muttered. - -“He needs oxygen,” Vicki said. “I’ll get the oxygen bottle, Mrs. -Bryant. Is he in any pain?... No? That’s good. I’ll be right back.” -To the two men standing by rather uselessly, Vicki said, “Thank you, -gentlemen. I am trained to give first aid.” - -The men nodded and resumed their seats. Vicki sped to the storage -compartment, being careful to look calm for the benefit of the other -passengers, and hurried back down the aisle carrying a walk-around -oxygen bottle and a blanket. She paused a moment at the buffet area. - -“Jean, is there a doctor aboard?” - -“Not among my passengers. Who’s sick?” - -“That elderly man. Mr. Bryant. Heart condition.” - -“Want me to notify Captain Jordan for you?” Jean asked. - -“Yes, phone him. I’ll report soon. Please start serving dinners, Jean. -We must keep it pleasant aboard just as usual.” - -Vicki hastened back to the Bryants. She covered the man with the -blanket. - -“Miss Barr, I must tell you”--Mrs. Bryant made an effort to control -her trembling voice and hands--“that my husband is more exhausted than -ill. He had three quite tiring days in Chicago on business, and it’s -been hard on him.” - -Vicki said soothingly, “Certain people need extra oxygen at high -altitudes, where the air is thin. Our cabin air is pressurized, but for -someone who is a cardiac, and for other special needs, we carry extra -oxygen.” - -As she talked, she placed the oxygen bottle on Mr. Bryant’s lap; he was -able to hold it steady. Vicki opened the bottle’s knob, then adjusted -the constant-flow mask snugly over Mr. Bryant’s mouth and nose. - -Almost at once his breathing grew easier. A little color returned to -his face. When he seemed comfortable again, Vicki removed the mask and -closed the knob. Just the same, she was worried. He was still weak, and -he was an elderly person with an impaired heart. - -“Mr. Bryant, Mrs. Bryant, if you wish to have a doctor’s care within -just a few minutes,” Vicki said earnestly, “we can arrange it for you. -The pilot can make an emergency landing. Captain Jordan will radio -ahead to the nearest airport to have a doctor and ambulance waiting to -meet our plane.” - -Mrs. Bryant murmured, “That’s wonderful. What do you think, Marshall?” - -“No. Not necessary. Make myself conspicuous. Inconvenience all these -people.” - -“Not at all, sir,” Vicki said. “Captain Jordan probably will be able to -make up the time.” - -“No. I’m all right. Only a weak spell. Thank you, anyway.” - -Vicki asked respectfully, “Did a doctor give his permission for you to -fly, sir?” - -“The doctor most certainly did _not_--” Mrs. Bryant started, but the -man interrupted. “Fool doctors would keep me in a rocking chair. I have -to do what _I_ think is right.” - -Vicki mentioned briefly the regulation for Federal and all airlines: a -person with a serious heart condition was not supposed to fly unless -he had a doctor’s written permission to do so, on the grounds that the -trip was necessary, and unless he had someone to accompany him who -could nurse him. The airlines relied on cardiacs not to board a plane -without such certification. - -“If we had known in advance, Mr. Bryant,” Vicki said, “we would have -been obliged to keep you off the plane.” - -“Well, you took excellent care of me, young lady. It worked out, didn’t -it?” - -Mrs. Bryant shook her head. “You are so self-willed, Marshall. So -stubborn.” - -Vicki turned to her. “The oxygen I gave your husband is only first aid, -you know. Do _you_ feel a doctor should see him immediately?” - -“Well, I’ve seen him have worse spells than this one--not in the air, -either.” The elderly lady hesitated. “He does seem much better now--” - -Vicki said that it was really up to the captain of the plane to decide -whether to make an emergency landing. She excused herself, went forward -past curious passengers, unlocked the cabin door, and stepped up into -the cockpit. - -In the cabin dozens of black-and-white dials on the instrument panel -glowed, needles flickered, the radar screen flashed. At a signal from -Captain Jordan, the copilot took over the controls. - -“Well, Vicki? How is that man?” - -“He came fairly close to fainting, Captain Jordan. He’s elderly, a -little overweight, and he has a heart condition. However, since he’s -had therapeutic oxygen, he’s not in any distress. And his wife seems -fairly satisfied with the way he looks now.” - -“I’d much rather land than take chances with a passenger’s life.” -Captain Jordan looked at his wrist watch, thinking. “I’ll tell you -what. Observe him for ten minutes and if he shows any sign of relapse -call me. We can come down at Clarkville. In any case, Vicki, we’re -going to have a doctor and an ambulance on hand at New York. We’ll -radio ahead to La Guardia Airport.” - -“Thank you, Captain,” said Vicki. - -“That’s all for now, Vicki. Keep me informed.” - -Vicki returned to the Bryants. Mr. Bryant was sitting up erect now; it -was a relief to see that. She told them of the captain’s decision. - -“I am so grateful!” Mrs. Bryant exclaimed. “I’m sure we won’t need to -make a special stop.” - -Mr. Bryant apparently was not a man to yield a point easily, but he did -say, “Very good of you airlines people. Very good indeed.” - -Vicki brought the Bryants their dinners right away, and both old people -perked up as they ate the hot food. She raced through serving all her -other passengers. Jean cheerfully doubled up on jobs, so that Vicki -finished her in-flight chores on time. - -“Do you know we haven’t sat down once since take-off?” Jean said -breathlessly. - -“Jean, you’ve been an angel on this trip! For a while there I thought -you had four hands.” - -“Save the compliments. We’re coming in for a landing in twenty minutes.” - -Twenty-one minutes later they were down at La Guardia Airport. Vicki -summoned the passenger agent. He gave Mr. Bryant his arm on the way -out of the plane to the waiting ambulance. Vicki escorted Mrs. Bryant, -walking slowly. - -Vicki waited for the Bryants outside the ambulance while the doctor -checked over the elderly man. She hated to leave Jean alone to say -good-by to the other passengers and pick up in the cabin afterward, but -she’d make it up to Jean some other time. The passenger agent had sent -a man to locate the Bryants’ car and chauffeur. He would bring the car -onto the airfield as near to the ambulance as possible. - -The doctor stepped out and said to Vicki: - -“All right, stewardess, he may go home. I think it’s safe for this -gentleman to drive to the city now.” - -He helped Mrs. Bryant down out of the ambulance, then Mr. Bryant. -Their car pulled up at that moment. Captain Jordan came hurrying over, -carrying his flight papers. - -“Miss Barr, are both Bryants all right?” - -“Yes, Captain. Tired but all right.” - -The Bryants thanked him, and he went off. They particularly thanked -Vicki. They climbed into their car, and asked Vicki if she wished to -drive into metropolitan New York with them. - -“It’s kind of you, but I still have some duties here.” - -“Then you must come to lunch,” Mrs. Bryant said. “You’ve been a -wonderful help, and I want a chance to thank you properly.” - -“I was only doing my job,” said Vicki. - -“Come to lunch tomorrow,” Mr. Bryant barked at her. “Can you?” - -Vicki was so startled she stammered, “Y-y-yes, th-thank you.” - -Mrs. Bryant smiled, and told her the address. “At twelve, Miss -Barr?” Then she said an odd thing. “You know, my dear, we have a -granddaughter whom we’ve never seen. Lucy. I hope she’s like you.” - -Vicki must have looked puzzled, because Mrs. Bryant smiled again. -“We’ll talk about that tomorrow. Good-by for now, little Miss Barr.” - - - - -CHAPTER III - -_The Story of Lucy_ - - -Vicki went to the Bryants’ house not knowing quite what to expect. -It was Friday the thirteenth, but since she was not foolish enough -to be superstitious, the date alone did not account for her sense of -something special about to happen. - -“Well, I can expect lunch and conversation,” Vicki thought, and went -up the white marble steps of the Bryants’ house. She was a little -intimidated by its grandeur, and by the butler who admitted her. “My -goodness, this is much too grand for _me_,” Vicki thought. “They must -be awfully rich.” - -The butler said, “Who shall I say is calling?” - -“Miss Victoria Barr.” Vicki tried to stand up taller than she was and -look older. It never worked. - -“Oh, yes, Miss Barr, you are expected.” - -She gave the butler her coat and followed him from the entrance hall, -past a formal high-ceilinged living room, and into a big, sunny -sitting room. It was cheerful in here, with flowered chintzes, -green plants, and several extraordinarily beautiful parakeets in -cages shaped like pagodas and dollhouses. Vicki exclaimed aloud “Oh! -Lovely!”--without meaning to, just as the butler announced her. - -Mrs. Bryant was sitting half hidden in an immense wing chair. She put -aside the needlepoint she was working on and made a point of getting up -to greet her young guest. - -“How nice to see you again, Miss Barr. You were so busy yesterday on -your plane that there was almost no chance to visit with you.” - -“_I_ kept you busy, for one thing,” Mr. Bryant said. “A tiresome old -codger, wasn’t I, young lady?” - -Vicki smiled shyly, and said Mr. and Mrs. Bryant were kind to let her -come. She asked Mr. Bryant how he was feeling. - -“Better, thanks, better. Oh, I’m perfectly all right!” He started to -pace up and down. - -Mrs. Bryant changed the subject. She invited Vicki to sit next to -her on the couch in the winter sunshine, and they chatted about the -Electra. Mr. Bryant joined in with a question or two. He seemed less -forbidding today. Still, Vicki thought, this imposing man would -probably never be easy to get along with. She’d as soon attempt to be -friends with a polar bear--he reminded her of an old, still powerful -bear with his heavy, rolling gait and thatch of yellowish-white hair. - -“Where’s Dorn?” he demanded. “Not here yet?” - -His wife said, “Mr. Dorn telephoned to say he will be a little late. It -was unavoidable, dear.” - -“Humph. Well, I’ll lie down again for a few minutes. Excuse me, -ladies.” He abruptly thumped out of the room. - -Mrs. Bryant waited until he was out of earshot, then smiled at Vicki. - -“When I invited you to lunch yesterday, Miss Barr,” said Mrs. Bryant, -“I thought you would be our only guest. But this morning a young lawyer -who is doing a particularly important piece of work for us telephoned -and asked whether he couldn’t see us about noon today. So he’ll be here -for lunch, too. I’m sure you and I will have our visit, anyway.” - -Vicki was a little disappointed, and offered to leave rather than -intrude. - -“No, indeed!” Mrs. Bryant exclaimed. “I want you to stay. Mr. Dorn is -going to tell us about Lucy--our granddaughter whom we’ve never seen.” -She looked very thoughtful. “Does that seem odd to you?” - -Vicki was not quite sure what to answer. “Unless,” she said, “your -granddaughter has always lived at a great distance from you.” - -“Yes, she has. In every sense. Tell me, Miss Barr, in the course of -your stewardess work are you ever in San Francisco?” - -“I’ll be in and out of San Francisco all the time, now that I’m based -there.” - -“That’s extremely interesting.” But Mrs. Bryant did not say why. “Well. -Shall we look at my parakeets?” - -Vicki walked along with Mrs. Bryant and admired the exquisite birds in -their cages. Her elderly hostess pointed out the birds’ markings in -every tone of blue and rose and green. Yet her mind seemed to be on -something else. - -“I hope you won’t find it tiresome at lunch, Vicki, listening to a -conversation about a girl you know nothing about.” - -“What is Lucy like?” Vicki asked. - -Mrs. Bryant said helplessly, “I don’t know. It _is_ odd, isn’t it? -Our daughter’s daughter, and we don’t even know what she looks like. -Except for an old snapshot. Lucy was ten when it was taken, and she’s -twenty-one now.” - -From a desk drawer Mrs. Bryant took a small, faded snapshot, in a -frame, and handed it to Vicki. Vicki studied it. The little girl’s face -was rather blurred. She could have been any little girl sitting on a -porch step. Her hair was either dark blond or light brown; it was hard -to tell which. - -“I suppose Lucy’s hair might be darker by now,” said Mrs. Bryant, as -Vicki gave her back the snapshot. “Our daughter Eleanor wrote in one -of her rare letters that Lucy had my disposition. They named her Lucy -after me, in spite of--everything. But I must be boring you.” - -“I’m very much interested, Mrs. Bryant.” - -“Well, I _am_ rather keyed up about Mr. Dorn’s visit. So many old -memories come to mind today. The silver rings, for one thing. I hadn’t -thought about them in years. There are only two like them. Lucy has one -and I have the other.” - -Vicki glanced at Mrs. Bryant’s hand. Her hostess noticed. - -“No, I’ve put mine away. I never wear rings of any kind,” Mrs. Bryant -said. “They annoy me. But this pair of silver rings has an interesting -history.” - -They had an identical lacelike, open design. Mrs. Bryant had long ago -given one ring to her daughter Eleanor, and Eleanor in turn had given -the ring to _her_ daughter, young Lucy. - -“Almost all Mr. Bryant and I know about our granddaughter is that she -has the ring. We had a few facts about her schooling and a sketchy -description of her. Eleanor wrote us those things before she died.” -Mrs. Bryant looked down at her tightly clasped hands. “As for the -letters from Lucy’s father--” Mrs. Bryant stared past Vicki, past the -birds. “We never answered certain of those letters and we were wrong. -So terribly wrong!” - -Then the whole grievous story of Lucy came tumbling out. Mrs. Bryant, -in telling Vicki, tried hard not to blame her husband. But Vicki -understood that Marshall Bryant was a man who valued money and -important connections above all else. Mrs. Bryant could not cope with -his domineering ways. - -[Illustration: _Mrs. Bryant handed the faded snapshot to Vicki_] - -The Bryants had planned a brilliant marriage for their only child. They -were bitterly disappointed when Eleanor married against their wishes a -boy who had little money and limited education. They felt, unjustly, -that Jack was a fortune hunter. Marshall Bryant made several attempts -to break up the marriage. When he failed, he disowned his daughter. -He was determined that Jack Rowe should never get hold of the Bryant -money, no matter what the penalty to Eleanor or to any children Eleanor -would have. - -The young couple moved to California “--to get as far away from us as -possible, I suppose,” said Mrs. Bryant, and also because Jack had job -opportunities there. As for Jack’s family, they were scattered over the -United States and were not in touch. - -The young couple made several overtures to the Bryants, especially -after their daughter was born. They named her Lucy after her -grandmother. But the old couple refused any reconciliation. They never -saw their granddaughter. “I wanted to, but Mr. Bryant was adamant. No -one can blame Eleanor and Jack for feeling resentful.” A rupture and -silence of many years ensued. Once Mrs. Bryant wrote to her daughter, -offering aid for small Lucy, but Eleanor never answered. - -When young Lucy’s mother died a few years ago, her father wrote this -news to the grandparents and asked if they wished to attend the -funeral. Marshall Bryant decided that they would not go. Mrs. Bryant -murmured, “It was hard to lose Eleanor without ever seeing her again.” -Jack Rowe had suggested that the Bryants might, at long last, wish to -see their granddaughter. But Marshall Bryant hinted that Rowe’s motive -was a desire to gain their fortune. Young Lucy’s father, as a result, -felt freshly antagonized, and wrote them a bitter letter. Once more the -two families ceased to communicate. - -Recently, within the past year, Marshall Bryant had developed a severe -heart condition. “He’s still active,” said Mrs. Bryant, “but he may not -have long to live. This knowledge has--has modified his personality. -He is more concerned than ever about what will become of his fortune -after he and I pass away. I am afraid he is not a charitable enough man -to leave the bulk of it to institutions for--as he says--strangers to -enjoy. Also, he now feels great remorse for disowning Eleanor, and for -refusing any contact with her daughter.” - -As for herself, Mrs. Bryant said, she had grieved for years about the -family rupture. For a long time she encouraged Marshall Bryant to make -amends for the past. Finally, this past Christmas Day, they decided to -find their granddaughter, Lucy Rowe, and arrange for her to inherit the -Bryant fortune. - -“_If_ Lucy wishes to live with us, we’d be so happy.” - -“I’m so glad,” Vicki said softly, “that you’re trying to find her.” - -“You’re right to say ‘trying,’ because all we definitely know about -her is her last address in San Francisco. That’s the one on Jack Rowe’s -letter five years ago.” For a moment Mrs. Bryant closed her eyes. Then -she said matter-of-factly, “A five-year-old address and an old snapshot -aren’t much to go on, are they? That’s why were relying on Mr. Dorn to -locate Lucy for us.” - -Mrs. Bryant explained that she and her husband were too elderly, -and he too ill, to travel to San Francisco and search for the girl -themselves. Also, Mrs. Bryant said, they hesitated to approach Lucy -directly, either in person or by mail. “After all the antagonism which -my husband--and I, too--showed them, Eleanor and Jack naturally felt -antagonistic toward us. I’m afraid some of that feeling may have been -instilled in Lucy. She might not be glad to see her grandparents.” - -So Marshall Bryant had engaged his law firm to locate young Lucy -and bring her East. He planned to transfer a generous part of the -inheritance to her immediately. The law firm assigned Thurman Dorn, a -young man, to do the traveling and investigating involved in finding -Lucy. Mr. Bryant was pleased with the choice. Though Thurman Dorn was -relatively new in the firm, his uncle, now dead, had for many years -done fine work for Mr. Bryant through the same law firm. - -“My husband and I feel we know young Thurman Dorn,” said Mrs. Bryant. -“Our lawyers have told us that he came from Chicago, his home -town, with the highest recommendation from one of his law school -professors.” She mentioned the name of the law firm, Steele and Wilbur. -Vicki recognized it as a respected company. “Mr. Dorn has persuaded us -to stay entirely in the background and to let him act as intermediary -with Lucy. I do think that’s the most discreet way in such a delicate -situation.” - -_A painful situation for a sick man and his elderly wife_, Vicki -thought. She said, “I do hope Mr. Dorn’s search will be successful in -every way.” - -“Thank you, my dear. Mr. Dorn was in San Francisco three or four weeks -ago, and got his search for Lucy under way. Unfortunately he could not -find her on that trip--she has been away--but perhaps he has some other -leads or news to tell us about today.” - -“Oh! Do you think he’ll bring Lucy with him?” - -Mrs. Bryant smiled shakily. “I’m afraid to hope for so much. Let’s go -find my husband. He’s feeling anxious, too.” - -When Thurman Dorn arrived a few minutes later, he was alone. Vicki -was impressed by his air of professional competence, and by his -personal dignity. He was about twenty-seven, a formal, cool young man, -evidently highly educated, very correct in his manners and attire. -His meticulously tailored gray suit, his British-looking mustache, -the stiff way he stood, reminded Vicki of a fashion plate. Or perhaps -of a stone statue. She wished someone less formal, less unsentimental -were to bridge the gap between young Lucy Rowe and her grandparents. -Well, perhaps it took someone as cool, deliberate, and as obviously -hard-headed as Mr. Dorn to trace Lucy in the first place. Vicki could -see how highly Marshall Bryant valued this young lawyer. - -Mrs. Bryant introduced Vicki and Thurman Dorn. He said “how do you -do” to her with a delightful little bow and smile, and remarked--when -Mrs. Bryant said, “Vicki Barr is a flight stewardess with Federal -Airlines”--that he was an air-travel enthusiast. However, he quickly -turned away, and had little further to say to Vicki during lunch. She -was sure that Mrs. Bryant’s mention of her work did not interest him -and probably never registered with him at all. - -He was busy describing to Mr. Bryant--and to Mrs. Bryant, too, though -secondarily--the progress of the search for Lucy in San Francisco. - -“Now, Mr. Bryant, and Mrs. Bryant, you already know that this search is -not proceeding as easily and quickly as we would wish,” Thurman Dorn -said. “Reaching Miss Lucy takes time and patience. So will effecting a -reconciliation.” - -The elderly couple listened to him, their hopes visibly rising and -falling as he spoke. - -“You know that I made only partial progress when, at your request, I -visited San Francisco for a week, and personally conducted a search for -your granddaughter.” - -“I remember receiving your bills from the St. Clair Hotel,” Mr. Bryant -said dryly. - -Young Dorn accepted this with a deferential smile. “And unfortunately I -had to come back and tell you the disappointing news that by the time I -had located Lucy’s present home and work addresses, she had just gone -off for a trip. For, I believe, a month or more.” - -Mrs. Bryant turned toward Vicki. “At least Mr. Dorn learned that Lucy -has gone traveling with respectable friends, another girl and the -girl’s mother.” - -Mr. Bryant looked up from serving himself seconds from the dish the -maid offered. “Well, sir, it’s about a month now since you’ve been out -there. You say Lucy will be back in San Francisco soon. How soon can -you go out there again, and get on with this job?” - -“Very soon, I hope, sir,” Dorn said. “Although it would be a waste of -my time and your money to wait around San Francisco until Miss Lucy -returns.” - -“Don’t see how a girl who you say is a secretary can afford to stay -away longer than a month,” Marshall Bryant grumbled. “Dorn, are you -certain that this Lucy Rowe is actually our granddaughter?” - -“No, I’m not certain. It’s only a reasonable _presumption_ at this -point, Mr. Bryant. Let me actually see and talk to the girl. I want -to question her--yes, discreetly--about certain particulars of the -Bryant family history, which she would be likely to know. I want to see -whether she has any of your old letters, or photographs of yourselves -or your daughter Eleanor. That brings me to my reason, or one of the -reasons, for asking you to let me come today.” - -“The name Lucy Rowe isn’t so unusual,” Mr. Bryant interrupted. “Might -be more than one girl by that name in a city as large as San Francisco.” - -“Exactly my view, too, sir,” said Mr. Dorn. “You have told me many -details of the family history and shown me documents, but a few -questions occur to me. Also, it would help in proving _this_ Lucy -Rowe’s identity if you could let me really study those documents, and -study any letters in your daughter Eleanor’s handwriting or any family -photographs. If you happen to have any available that I could examine, -say, overnight--or for a few hours this afternoon--” - -“Good idea,” said Marshall Bryant. “Plenty of those things in the safe, -right here in the house. I’ll lend them to you overnight or for a day -or two. Whatever you say.” - -“That will be a help,” said Mr. Dorn. “I’ll return them to you -promptly.” - -One thing puzzled Vicki. Why had no one at the luncheon table mentioned -Jack Rowe, the girl’s father? She murmured her question to Mrs. Bryant. - -“Because Lucy’s father died two years ago in an auto accident,” Mrs. -Bryant answered her. “Lucy did not write and tell us. Lucy has never -written to us, except one or two Christmas letters when she was a -child--which my husband asked me not to answer.” Mrs. Bryant sighed. -“So we had no way of knowing about Jack until Mr. Dorn investigated and -reported to us about three weeks ago. I’m sorry about Jack, if only -because his passing has left Lucy entirely alone in the world.” - -“She has you and her grandfather,” Vicki said. - -“_If_ we can find her, and _if_ she can forget old difficulties. -However”--the elderly woman brightened--“on the basis of what he’s -already learned, Mr. Dorn is hopeful that everything will work out -well.” Then she said, “Oh, Mr. Dorn! Didn’t you say you had some -further word about Lucy?” - -“Yes, Mrs. Bryant. I’ve had a letter from one of her friends whom -I was unable to meet in person. Her friend writes that Lucy is an -accomplished swimmer and horsewoman. You know how Californians go in -for sports and outdoor living. Her friend also wrote my firm--sorry I -forgot to bring the letter--that Miss Lucy is fond of birds and knows -something about them.” - -“She’ll be interested in your parakeets,” Mr. Bryant said to his wife, -“and she’ll enjoy the swimming pool.” - -“Let’s hope so. We old people might be dull company for her. She sounds -like a delightful girl, Mr. Dorn.” - -The lawyer said, “From everything I’ve learned so far, she sounds like -a charming girl, and a girl of considerable character.” - -Marshall Bryant looked gratified, while his wife looked so eager that -Vicki felt almost afraid for her. How every detail which Mr. Dorn was -able to supply increased their desire to meet their granddaughter! How -disappointed they would be if Lucy were not all they wanted her to be, -or if--Heaven forbid--Dorn could not locate their granddaughter after -all. - -As they were rising from the dining table Mrs. Bryant reminded the -lawyer about the silver ring. “If you want another look at it, it’s in -the safe, too.” - -“Thank you, Mrs. Bryant. I _will_ examine it again. It will be -interesting to learn whether Lucy Rowe still has the silver ring which -is twin to yours.” - -“Now, young man, how soon are you going back to San Francisco?” Mr. -Bryant pressed him. “How about this week?” - -The lawyer was inclined to wait until the next week, in order to -be sure that Lucy Rowe was back in San Francisco. He offered to -telegraph her employers and friends there to learn if and when she had -returned. This was reasonable, the Bryants had to agree, but they were -disappointed about the delay. - -“I am sorry about the delay, too,” said the lawyer, “but let us make -haste slowly. Let’s be a little cautious and discreet. There is a large -inheritance involved here, you _are_ well known, and if any false -moves were made, they’d invite a lot of publicity--newspaper stories, -pictures in the paper, and so forth.” - -Mr. Bryant made a gesture of distaste, while Mrs. Bryant pretended to -shudder. There was a moment’s awkwardness. The lawyer turned to Vicki -and said: - -“I understand that you--ah--were of service to Mr. Bryant yesterday -when he was taken ill.” - -“Not at all,” said Vicki. “I’m just sorry Mr. Bryant didn’t feel well -enough to enjoy his flight on the Electra. Mr. Dorn, when you fly out -to the West Coast do you go on the Electra, via Chicago?” - -She said it only to make conversation, thinking someday Dorn might be -one of her passengers. But suddenly his expression changed. She was -surprised at the odd look on his face. Was he thinking of something -else? - -Mrs. Bryant said, “I believe, Mr. Dorn, you told us your mother still -lives in Chicago?” - -“Yes, I sometimes go home week ends to see her. Very occasionally.” - -“Of course. Well--I think my husband is waiting to see you.” - -“Oh, yes. Will you excuse me, Mrs. Bryant? Miss--ah--” He had forgotten -her name. The young lawyer followed Mr. Bryant into the library. - -Vicki felt that it was time to say good-by to her hostess. But Mrs. -Bryant led her back into the room with the parakeets. By now the sun -had moved to the far end of the room, and the birds were asleep. Mrs. -Bryant took Vicki’s hand. - -“I hope all this talk about our granddaughter wasn’t dull for you.” - -“On the contrary, Mrs. Bryant! I couldn’t help thinking ‘Suppose it -were _my_ grandparents whom I’d never seen, who were looking for me--’” - -“You’re sympathetic, Vicki. I wonder--You’re going to be in San -Francisco often?” Vicki nodded. “Then I wonder whether I could ask you -to do me a great favor--but only if it won’t take too much of your -time.” - -Vicki said, and meant it, that if the favor had anything to do with -Lucy, she would be only too happy to give it her free time. - -Mrs. Bryant smiled. “Then I wish very much that you’d see whether _you_ -can learn anything further about our granddaughter. While I have every -confidence in Mr. Dorn and his careful, discreet approach, this delay -is very hard. Even another week or ten days seem such a long time to -wait.” - -“I’ll be in San Francisco day after tomorrow,” Vicki said. - -“Wonderful. If Lucy is back by then, won’t you try to telephone her and -give her my love? All I have is her last address in Sutro Heights in -the suburbs, it’s five years old--I think Mr. Dorn mentioned that she -had moved in with friends in the city, in order to be nearer her place -of employment. I wish I had thought to write down that firm name, but -we are leaving everything, all the details, to Mr. Dorn.” - -“Do you think Mr. Dorn will consider that I’m interfering? I wouldn’t -want to cause any--any complications for him.” - -“I don’t see how you could.” Mrs. Bryant went to her desk for Lucy’s -last address, and copied it for Vicki. “It might be more tactful, -though, not to let Mr. Dorn know that you are taking part.” Vicki -agreed. “And let’s not mention it to my husband, either,” Mrs. Bryant -said with a gleam of mischief. “Here’s the address, my dear. Thank you -very, very much.” - -“Don’t say that yet, Mrs. Bryant. First, let’s see what I can do.” - -She thanked Mrs. Bryant for her hospitality, and said good-by. Mrs. -Bryant walked to the front door with Vicki, and stood looking after her -as she went down the marble steps. She looked so hopeful and yet afraid -to hope that Vicki thought: - -“I’m going to do everything I can to help those two old people.” - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -_A Puzzling Discovery_ - - -“I don’t even want to hear anyone suggest that we go sightseeing around -San Francisco today,” said Jean Cox from the other twin bed, on Monday -morning. “I want to stay right here in our nice hotel room and sleep.” - -“I wasn’t going to suggest sightseeing--not yet, anyway,” said Vicki, -at the mirror. - -“Then why are you up and dressed so early? After those week-end runs we -put in, why aren’t you unconscious, too?” - -On Saturday their crew had flown from New York to Chicago, stayed -overnight in Chicago, and on Sunday had flown on from Chicago to San -Francisco. Now they were to have a day in San Francisco to rest. Vicki -figured she would rest later and look for Lucy Rowe first. She told -Jean her plans. - -“Well”--Jean yawned and stretched under the covers--“all I can say is -that a frail-looking, dreamy-looking little blonde like you has more -stamina than some of us husky people.” - -Vicki grinned. “Is there anything I can do for you before I leave?” - -“Just go away, my love, and let me sleep.” - -They arranged to be in touch later in the day. Vicki softly let herself -out into the hotel corridor and went downstairs to the busy lobby. Part -of the fun of being a flight stewardess was living all over the United -States, and staying at the pleasant hotels where the airline put up -their crews. Along with her breakfast Vicki enjoyed a magnificent view -of San Francisco’s hills. - -Ever since talking with Mrs. Bryant, Vicki had kept Lucy Rowe’s old -address safely in her purse. Now she took it out. At the hotel desk she -asked for directions to Sutro Heights. Vicki made her way there--riding -up and down steep hills--walking down a long wooden stairway from -one street level to another. She climbed past a cliff-top park with -white-painted statues, high above beach and ocean. - -“San Franciscans certainly have their ups and downs,” Vicki thought, -puffing. “But what views!” On three sides she looked down over the -blue Pacific. The air was sea-fresh, cool, springlike. Vicki was so -enchanted that she almost forgot about the address in her purse. - -It led her to a modest, leafy street and an unpretentious cottage. -There were a yard and an attempt at flower beds; children’s toys -littered the porch. When Vicki rang the doorbell, a pleasant young -woman in shirt and jeans came to the door. She looked not much older -than Vicki, or than Lucy’s age, twenty-one. - -“I’m looking for Lucy Rowe,” said Vicki, and introduced herself. She -was careful not to mention the Bryants, not to intrude on the lawyer’s -province. She said she understood that the Rowes lived here, or used -to. “I wonder whether you could tell me what Lucy Rowe’s address is -now?” - -“My goodness, I should be able to! Lucy and I went to high school -together; we’re old neighbors, too. After her mother died my family -bought their house. This house. Come in, Miss Barr. I’m Jill Joseph. -Come in, don’t mind the boys--” - -The living room seemed to be overrun with very small boys and puppies. -Young Mrs. Joseph shooed the whole group outdoors, and she and Vicki -sat down to talk. - -“I haven’t any address for Lucy at the moment,” Mrs. Joseph said, -“because she’s away. Lucy is a darling. Are you a friend of hers?” - -“I’m a friend of a friend of hers,” Vicki said. “An elderly lady who -hasn’t heard from Lucy, or had any news of her, since Eleanor--Mrs. -Rowe died.” - -“Why, that was five years ago!” - -“Would you fill me in?” Vicki asked. - -Jill Joseph nodded. “Five years ago Lucy and I still had another year -to go in high school. Then she lost her mother. This house was quite a -lot of work for Lucy and her father--you know how full the last year -of high school is, and Mr. Rowe worked hard at--” She named a large San -Francisco department store. “So Lucy and her father moved to a small -apartment near here, and we bought their house.” - -“I see. What sort of work did Mr. Rowe do?” - -“For a long time he worked at any job the department store gave him. -The Rowes never had an easy time of it financially.” The neighbor -hesitated. “It was hard on Lucy’s mother; she seemed to be used to more -than the Rowes could afford. A lot of us wondered about Eleanor Rowe. -Not that she ever complained-- - -“Anyway,” the young woman went on briskly, “Lucy’s father finally -worked himself up to be head of the store’s delivery service, I think -it was.” - -“What was Jack Rowe like?” Vicki asked. - -“Nice. The most devoted husband and father you ever saw. He would have -made a good doctor; he was so kind and patient and gentle.” - -_So this was the son-in-law the Bryants had considered unworthy of -their daughter_, Vicki thought. - -“Lucy’s mother was nice, too,” the neighbor said, “though she was -quiet and sort of sad, sometimes. She worried about what would become -of Lucy. Lucy used to try to laugh her out of it.... My goodness, I’m -chattering!” - -“Won’t you tell me more about Lucy?” Vicki said. “I’m not even sure -what she looks like.” - -“Well, she’s taller than you are, and slim--but she’s strong. Good -at all sports, and she knows a lot about naturelore.” _Mr. Dorn had -reported that_, Vicki recalled. “Brown hair, brown eyes, only sometimes -they look hazel,” Mrs. Joseph said. “She--she’s active and friendly. -Isn’t it hard to describe someone you know? The chief thing about Lucy -is that she’s a nice person, and it shows.” - -“Does she miss her mother very much?” Vicki asked. “And her father?” - -“Yes, terribly. Lucy’s such a loyal and warmhearted person. She always -befriends lost dogs, and hungry cats, and people who need her.” - -It was out of lonesomeness and a need to be with people, the neighbor -said, that after her father died in an auto accident two years ago Lucy -moved into downtown San Francisco to live with another girl and the -girl’s mother. Also, Lucy wanted to be nearer her job. After graduation -from high school she had taken an intensive three-months’ business -course, and had been working as a secretary ever since--nearly four -years by now. - -“Can you tell me the name and address of her employer? And of the girl -and her mother?” Vicki asked. - -“Yes, I’ll write them down for you. But you won’t be able to see Mary -and Mrs. Scott. They’ve gone off on a trip. Lucy is away, too.” - -_So Dorn had learned_, Vicki reminded herself. She asked: - -“Do you know when she’ll be back?” - -“She wasn’t sure herself, when she called me up to say good-by. Why -don’t you ask at the women’s hotel where she’s been living? Maybe she -left word. It’s the Hotel Alcott.” - -“The women’s hotel?” Vicki felt confused. “I thought Lucy had been -living with Mary and Mrs. Scott?” - -“Well, she did until recently. I’m not sure how recently. Lucy and -I aren’t in constant touch.” Jill Joseph explained that the Scotts’ -household was a small one, and Lucy had felt she was crowding them. - -Vicki could not remember whether Mr. Dorn had reported where Lucy -lived. She’d had the impression, and perhaps the Bryants did, too, -that Lucy lived with the girl and her mother with whom she was now -traveling. Well, Vicki thought, she’d clear up this point. - -“If I telephone Lucy’s employer,” Vicki asked, “couldn’t they tell me -when she’ll be back?” - -“I think she gave up her job at the Interstate Insurance Company, -though you can ask them.” - -“Gave up her job?” _Dorn had not reported this._ “Why?” - -“Something about a new job. The kids were having a squabble, and I -couldn’t get it straight over the telephone.” - -“You mean Lucy starts on a new job when she comes back from her trip -with the Scotts?” - -“Lucy isn’t traveling with Mary and Mrs. Scott. And I _think_ -traveling is part of her new job.” - -This news did not tally with Mr. Dorn’s report, or more accurately, it -went beyond the lawyer’s report. Well, it was possible Lucy had been -away during the period that Dorn was looking for her, and then had -returned to give up her job and take a new one. Then, too, Jill Joseph -admitted she didn’t have all the facts straight. - -“I’ll inquire at the Hotel Alcott,” Vicki said, “and at the Interstate -Insurance Company.” - -“Try telephoning the Scotts, too. Perhaps they are back now and have -heard from Lucy.” - -Vicki and Jill Joseph chatted a while longer. Vicki gathered that -Lucy’s life was rather bleak. Even though she had friends and one or -two not important beaux, she missed her family and home, and felt -alone. Evenings after work she often kept herself busy taking college -courses, and attending church choir practice. - -“I guess the Reverend Mr. Hall has done more than anyone to help Lucy -feel less alone,” Mrs. Joseph said. “He’s a wonderful man. He knew her -parents, and he’s known Lucy all her life. He used to be in charge of -a church here in Sutro Heights, but he’s been transferred to Russian -Hill. I’ll give you his address, too.” - -A few minutes later Vicki thanked Jill Joseph and said good-by to her. -“You’ve been a great help. More than you know.” - -“Anything I can do for Lucy--well, she needs all the help and love her -friends can give her.” - -How wonderful it was going to be for Lucy, Vicki thought as she -traveled back to the center of town, to discover that her grandparents -cared for her. What a happy change in her life there would be. - -On the way Vicki stopped at a drugstore and called the Scotts from -a telephone booth. Their telephone rang repeatedly without answer. -Vicki then called the Interstate Insurance Company and talked to the -personnel manager. - -“Miss Lucy Rowe?” he repeated. “Just a moment while I look up her -card.” A pause. “Miss Rowe resigned from our employ on January -twenty-second.” - -Vicki scribbled down this date, and noted that it was now Monday, -February sixteenth. A little less than a month ago ... just about -the time Mr. Dorn said she had left San Francisco. Well, then, Dorn -_was_ right. Vicki asked whether the personnel manager could tell her -anything further about Lucy. - -“Well, I can tell you that she’s an excellent secretary, was with us -for over three years, and we were sorry to lose her.” - -“That’s a fine record, isn’t it? Thank you very much, sir.” - -Vicki hung up. She telephoned the Scotts twice again on her way back -to downtown San Francisco. No answer. On a third call a man’s voice -answered. - -“Mary Scott? She and her mother went away on a long trip. This is the -superintendent. I’m in their place fixin’ a leaky pipe.... No, ma’am, I -don’t know when they’ll be home.” - -“Thank you,” Vicki said. Next she tried the Reverend Mr. Hall’s number. -Here she kept getting busy signals. She decided to stop for lunch, then -visit Lucy’s place of residence. - -Arriving at the Hotel Alcott in the early afternoon, she found it to be -a pleasant, friendly, plain sort of place. A few people, mostly women, -were in the lobby. She spoke to the desk clerk. - -“I wonder if you can help me? I’m looking for Miss Lucy Rowe.” - -“Oh, yes, Lucy!” The middle-aged woman behind the desk smiled, but -shook her head. “You won’t find Lucy here, young lady. She checked out.” - -“Can you please tell me when? And where she is now?” - -The woman hesitated. Vicki produced her airline identification card to -introduce herself and explained that she had a message to deliver to -Lucy. The woman seemed satisfied. She opened a ledger. - -“Lucy checked out on--let me see--Saturday, February seventh.” - -That would be--today was Monday, February sixteenth--only nine days -ago. _Yet Mr. Dorn reported that Lucy had left San Francisco a month -ago._ Vicki could not account for the discrepancy. She asked the desk -clerk: - -“I wonder whether Lucy has been out of town--taken any short trips--in -the last month or two?” - -“Yes, recently some of the girls here persuaded her to go off for week -ends with them, to ski, or to hike in the mountains.” - -“Can you tell me,” Vicki asked the desk clerk, “whether Lucy was away -about a month ago?” - -“I’m sorry, but I don’t remember the dates.” - -“Well, will you please tell me one more thing?” Vicki was trying to -figure dates, starting with the fact of Dorn’s visit about a month ago. -“Did Lucy live at the Hotel Alcott a month ago?” - -The woman consulted the ledger again. “Yes. Lucy was with us just -barely a month.” - -It was possible, Vicki thought, that Lucy might not yet have moved to -the Hotel Alcott at the time of Dorn’s visit. - -“If you’re trying to locate Lucy, Miss Barr,” said the clerk, “I think -the best way to do it would be through Mrs. Heath.” - -“Who is Mrs. Heath?” - -“A very nice older woman who is now Lucy’s employer. Mrs. Elizabeth -Heath. A writer. Gray hair, well-dressed, and distinguished-looking. -She stayed with us at the hotel for a while. She was looking for a -secretary-companion, and Lucy turned out to be just the right girl -for the job.” The hotel clerk said this with a certain pride and -satisfaction. “It’s a happy arrangement for both of them, I think.” - -Vicki was surprised, but she felt better. Here was definite and -reassuring news of Lucy. She asked the woman for Mrs. Heath and Lucy’s -address. - -“They haven’t sent us their address yet,” the woman said. “Probably -they’re just traveling around. Mrs. Heath had a car, and as I -understood it, her plan was to travel around California and stay at -inns here and there, and write her memoirs in a leisurely sort of way. -Mrs. Heath _may_ rent a house. It sounds like a lovely job for Lucy. A -lot of the girls here at the Alcott would like to have such a job.” - -“It does sound like a pleasant job,” Vicki agreed, “but how can I find -Lucy, Miss--?” The clerk said her name was Mrs. Stacey. “Hasn’t anyone -here heard from Lucy since she left? Not even a post card?” - -“She’s been gone only a little over a week,” the hotel clerk pointed -out. “She’ll write to her friends here, I’m sure. She may already be in -touch with the minister, Mr. Hall; he’s a great friend of hers.” - -Vicki said she had his address and telephone number and would call him -right away. She thanked Mrs. Stacey for all her kindness. - -When Vicki again telephoned the Reverend Mr. Hall, she was able to -reach him. He was rather chary of giving any information on the -telephone. Vicki explained who she was, and told him a little of why -she was looking for Lucy Rowe. - -“Ah, I see. As a matter of fact, Miss Barr, I myself would like to -know where Lucy is at the moment.” - -The minister’s voice was friendly and direct. Vicki thought she heard -an undertone of worry. - -“Mr. Hall, I’m here at the Hotel Alcott, and they’ve told me Lucy has a -fine job with a Mrs. Heath.” - -“Yes, I know. Everybody is enthusiastic about Lucy’s new job except -myself. I advised her to consider, and make haste slowly, but she--” -Vicki heard voices in the background. “However, I cant go into this on -the telephone.” - -“May I come to see you, Mr. Hall?” Vicki asked. “It’s important for me -to locate Lucy.” - -“Yes, indeed, though today is all filled up.” He suggested that Vicki -telephone him again in a day or two. Vicki promised she would, thanked -him, and hung up. - -Vicki went back to her hotel. She wanted to pack and to rest so that -she would be fit for work: she was scheduled for an eight A.M. Electra -flight the next morning. - -Jean Cox was rested after extra sleep. “What did you find out about -Lucy Rowe?” she asked. - -“Don’t ask me yet. I haven’t any answers--only some new questions.” - - - - -CHAPTER V - -_The Girl in the Portrait_ - - -From San Francisco to Chicago on Tuesday, and back on Wednesday, left -Vicki free by Thursday morning. She at once telephoned the minister. He -said she might come over immediately. - -Vicki found her way to Russian Hill, an area of steep, far-flung -streets crisscrossed with leafy lanes. The church she was seeking was a -handsome modern stone building. The minister’s residence next door, in -contrast, was one of the old wooden houses with lacelike balconies and -ornate cupolas that had survived the San Francisco earthquake and fire. -A housekeeper admitted her and led her into Mr. Hall’s study. - -Vicki’s first impression of the minister was of a pair of -extraordinarily perceptive eyes. He received Vicki simply, without any -ceremony, and made her feel at ease. She presented her credentials, -wishing she could tell the minister about Lucy’s grandparents, and -their wonderful plans for her. - -“I’m glad you have come to me, Miss Barr,” he said. “Are you a little -worried, too, about Lucy?” - -“I don’t know what to think, Mr. Hall. I had been advised by -Lucy’s--ah--friends in New York that she was probably on vacation -traveling with friends. Now I find that isn’t exactly how it is, unless -there’s been some misunderstanding.” - -The minister said that was possible. “Let me speak frankly to you, -Miss Barr. I wasn’t keen about Lucy’s taking this job, at least not so -quickly. I asked her to get a little better acquainted with Mrs. Heath -first, before she went off traveling with her. It’s true Mrs. Heath -showed Lucy unimpeachable references, and she seems to be a substantial -person.” - -“Did you meet Mrs. Heath?” Vicki asked. - -“I very much wanted to,” the minister said, “but unfortunately the lady -was too ill with a virus to see me. We did have a pleasant telephone -conversation. I was left with the impression that she is above -reproach. Still, I’m not satisfied.” He looked out the window where a -lemon tree stood. “You see--” - -The minister said that Lucy had met Mrs. Heath at the women’s hotel, -and liked her from the start. In some ways Mrs. Heath reminded Lucy of -her mother, whom she missed. Within a short time, only about a week, -they were good friends and Mrs. Heath asked Lucy whether she’d like to -be her secretary and traveling companion. Lucy came to Mr. Hall to talk -it over with him. Mrs. Heath’s offer was attractive, a long-term job, -interesting work, a good salary plus all her living costs paid for by -Mrs. Heath, and a chance to travel. Lucy felt confined, living in the -city and working at a routine job, so Mrs. Heath’s plan appealed to her. - -“I pointed out to Lucy that she needn’t be in such a hurry to give up -her job and accept this new one,” said the minister. “But she told me -Mrs. Heath was eager to start work on her book. At any rate, as Lucy -pointed out to me, they did not rush off at once.” - -Lucy gave up her job at the insurance company and for the next two -weeks helped Mrs. Heath prepare for their trip, and did some library -research for her. “I must admit Lucy seemed interested and happy,” said -the minister. In those two weeks Mrs. Heath allowed Lucy plenty of time -to wind up her own affairs in San Francisco. Then, using Mrs. Heath’s -car, or, rather, a car which Mrs. Heath rented for several months, they -started out. - -“When did they start?” Vicki asked. - -“It was a Saturday, I believe the first Saturday in February.” - -Vicki scribbled down this date, with a note. “And did they say where -they were going?” - -“Oh, yes, certainly,” the minister answered. “I don’t wish to give you -the wrong impression about Mrs. Heath,” the minister said to Vicki. “I -only wish Lucy had gone more slowly and made sure that she and Mrs. -Heath really would be compatible over a period of several months’ close -association--and checked a little on Mrs. Heath’s financial ability to -pay all the bills and Lucy’s salary.” - -[Illustration: _“Are you worried, too, about Lucy?” Dr. Hall asked_] - -Their plan, the minister told Vicki, was to head slightly north and -east of Sacramento, into the Mother Lode country. Mrs. Heath had made -an earlier trip through the hill region and had said that she might -possibly rent a house in the area. - -“I received a post card from Lucy,” said Mr. Hall. “Just a moment.” - -The minister picked up a picture post card from his desk and handed it -to Vicki. It was postmarked Placerville, California, February seventh, -at four P.M. Vicki glanced at the desk calendar. February seventh was -the first Saturday in February. - -“Wasn’t this post card mailed the same day that Lucy and Mrs. Heath -started out?” Vicki asked. - -“Yes. Evidently Lucy mailed the post card en route. She says nothing, -actually--‘Beautiful country, beautiful weather. Will write soon.’ But -she hasn’t written since, Miss Barr. Not to me or, so far as I can -learn, to any of her friends. And I don’t know where she is.” - -Vicki felt a sharp misgiving. “Have you--have you planned to take any -steps to get in touch with her, Mr. Hall?” - -He hesitated. “It’s not quite two weeks since Lucy left. I believe they -planned to work on Mrs. Heath’s book, so that possibly Lucy hasn’t had -a chance to write to me. I don’t mean to alarm you, Miss Barr.” - -“But I think _you_ are a little alarmed, Mr. Hall?” - -He thought for a moment. “Now that you pose the question, yes, I am -uneasy about Lucy.” - -“Did a Mr. Dorn ever call you?” - -“Dorn? No.” - -That troubled Vicki. She also wondered what really lay behind Lucy’s -change of jobs. She remarked as much to Mr. Hall. - -“Yes, I feel there is more to know about Lucy’s job situation than we -do know,” he said. He reflected. “Maybe Gravy could tell you something -more.” - -Vicki smiled. “I beg your pardon, but did you say someone’s name is -Gravy?” - -The minister smiled back at her. “Graves. Knowlton Graves. He and his -wife are young people, friends of Lucy’s. She’s the one who dubbed him -Gravy. He’s a painter, and he’s been doing Lucy’s portrait. I think -that because of work on the portrait the Graveses had been seeing Lucy -oftener than anyone else had, just before she left.” - -“Do you think Mr. and Mrs. Graves would be willing to talk to me about -Lucy?” Vicki asked. - -“We’ll see.” Mr. Hall picked up the telephone and dialed a number. He -talked to Knowlton Graves, paving the way for Vicki. “Yes, I think Miss -Barr can come over right away.” Vicki nodded. “What?... Yes, I’ll tell -her. Thanks very much,” and the minister hung up. He turned to Vicki. - -“Gravy wants me to tell you, with due apologies, that he has a heavy -work schedule. If you’re willing to go over to Telegraph Hill for just -a short visit, he’d be very glad to see you.” - -Vicki got to her feet. “Even a few minutes’ talk could be revealing.” - -Mr. Hall wrote down the Graveses’ address, and gave Vicki directions -for getting there. She thanked the minister warmly for all his help and -kindness. He said, just as warmly: - -“I feel you and I are in league for Lucy’s best interests.” He smiled, -and his eyes seemed to look through and through her. “Perhaps you have -more news of Lucy than you were willing to confide in me on a first -visit. Come back and see me again, whether or not you learn any news.” - - * * * * * - -Gravy was a large, noisy young man. He boomed at her that his wife -Maggie was out shopping, he’d made a mess of the studio, and if she was -a friend of Lucy’s how come he’d never met her before? - -Vicki followed him into a workmanlike studio, explaining that she was -only the friend of a friend of their mutual friend. - -“How’s that again?” Gravy boomed at her. He looked at her sternly. -“Interesting planes in your face. Ever sit for a portrait?” - -Vicki perched on a paint-splattered wooden chair and said firmly, “No, -and I’m afraid I’m too busy to. Can we talk about Lucy?” - -“Okay. Gosh, you look serious. There isn’t anything wrong, is there? -About Lucy, I mean.” - -“I don’t _know_ that anything’s wrong,” Vicki said carefully. “It’s -just that I’ve heard confused reports about her, and she’s gone off -traveling with a woman she hardly knows. That wasn’t wise.” - -“My wife feels the same way you do--though I say that Heath woman -sounds all right. Don’t worry.” Gravy moved a pile of unframed canvases -out of the way, and sat down facing Vicki. “Lucy likes that Mrs. Heath. -She was motherly to Lucy, I guess that’s why.” - -Vicki asked whether the Graveses had heard from Lucy. They had not, and -Gravy was untroubled about it. He said blithely: - -“All I want is for Lucy to drop by here one of these days, so I can -finish her portrait. Want to see it?” - -He rummaged through the pile of canvases, pulled out one, and set it on -an easel so Vicki could see it. She took a long, curious look. Allowing -for the painter’s rather abstract style, she could see from Gravy’s -portrait what Lucy Rowe looked like--a girl with big eyes, light-brown -hair, a rather square face which in a feminine version recalled -Marshall Bryant’s. Vicki could also see a little of Lucy’s pleasant -personality from the easy way she had tossed a bulky green wool scarf -around her shoulders, and her friendly half-smile. - -“Lucy looks as if she’s about to speak,” Vicki said. - -“Well, we did talk a lot while we were doing this portrait,” Gravy -said. “She was all excited about the job offer from Mrs. Heath.” - -“Did she ever talk about anyone else?” Vicki asked. “About her parents, -or--or her grandparents?” - -“It’s funny that you should ask that. Sure, she always talked about her -parents. But during the sittings a lot of stuff about her grandparents -came out. Funny she never would mention their name, it was such a -touchy subject with her.” Gravy looked searchingly at Vicki. “I guess -it’s all right to repeat it, it’s not exactly a secret. A confidence, -maybe. Well-- - -“Lucy told Maggie and me she’d always felt no one but her parents -ever really wanted her or cared about her. She just couldn’t believe -her friends care a whole lot about her, or that some day she’ll -find a husband who cares for her and needs her. You know what that -feeling comes out of? From the way her grandparents rejected her and -her parents, all of Lucy’s life. Made them feel humiliated, left -out. Wouldn’t answer their letters. Never even cared to meet their -granddaughter. The three Rowes didn’t have any close relatives. They -sort of huddled together by themselves; then Lucy lost her mother, and -then her father. So now Lucy feels alone, and unwanted. - -“Well! Along came this Mrs. Heath, and she was motherly to Lucy. -Besides, _she_ needed Lucy, _she_ wanted Lucy to be with her--to help -her with the book and to be her traveling companion. She even decided -to go to the hills to please Lucy. Pretty nice of her, hey? You should -have seen how much happier that girl was, all of a sudden! My wife says -that’s why Lucy took the new job almost without hesitating. I tell you, -Lucy’s heart is in that job.” - -Vicki felt puzzled as she listened to all this. How could a lawyer like -Mr. Dorn, a man trained to make investigations, not have unearthed -the fact of Lucy’s job with Mrs. Heath? Except that Mrs. Stacey had -said Lucy had been in and out of San Francisco several times with her -friends, just around the time Mr. Dorn was here.... - -“Mr. Graves, did a man named Dorn get in touch with you?” - -“Dorn? Never heard of him.” - -“Did Lucy mention a Mr. Dorn to you?” - -Gravy shook his head. Well, Vicki thought, Dorn and Lucy must have -just missed each other, and some of her friends must have given him a -garbled or incomplete account of her trip and plans and the respectable -older lady with whom she was traveling. - -“You said Mrs. Heath and Lucy were going to the hills. Can you tell me -where in the hills?” Vicki asked. - -“About a three hours’ drive from San Francisco, in the foothills of -the Sierra Nevada Mountains,” Gravy said. “It’s east of the Great -Valley, in the Mother Lode country with all those little pear-growing -towns like Placerville and Auburn and Grass Valley. It’s west of the -mountains on the way to Donner Pass. Just about where the hills really -start to roll and climb and start turning into mountains. That’s where -Lucy spent some happy vacations with her parents when she was a child.” - -As Gravy talked, Vicki visualized a map of California in her mind and -tried to fix the locale. “Isn’t the Mother Lode country where they -first discovered gold in 1848?” Vicki asked. - -“Right. That was gold-rush country. They’re still mining a little gold -in them thar hills,” Gravy said with a grin. - -Vicki asked him what that stretch of hills was like. - -“It’s high, about fifteen-hundred to two-thousand-feet elevation, -and Lucy talked about the pine trees. There are a few little towns -scattered trough there, and a lot of small two-to five-acre pear farms -and almond farms. Lucy said it was really pretty, kind of quiet and -peaceful, not too many people around.” - -“Isolated?” Vicki suggested. - -“Well”--Gravy thoughtfully rubbed his chin--“I suppose if this Mrs. -Heath wanted to find a real private location to hole up and write her -book, she wouldn’t have too many neighbors to bother her in the Sierra -foothills. Especially if she didn’t stay at inns, if she rented a -house--” - -So Lucy and Mrs. Heath were somewhere in the Sierra foothills, around -the pear-growing towns! Gravy had said that was about three hours’ -driving time from San Francisco. By private plane, Vicki figured, it -would take much less time. If she visited and inquired at the main -villages in the area, she probably would learn something about the two -women. Strangers in a rural area would surely be noticed. - -“That’s what I could do,” Vicki thought. “It’s not much of a trip, and -it shouldn’t be too difficult to look around a bit. I did promise Mrs. -Bryant I’d do my best.” - -She noticed Gravy glance, with embarrassment, toward the large clock on -the wall. - -“Oh, _I’m_ sorry, Mr. Graves,” said Vicki. “Mr. Hall told me I mustn’t -detain you too long.” - -“Gosh, I’m sorry. Guess I told you everything I could about Lucy. Maybe -Maggie could’ve remembered something more--” - -Vicki said she hoped to meet his wife another time, thanked the -painter, and went to the door. - -“If you see Lucy,” said Gravy, letting her out, “tell her one more -sitting will finish up the portrait. So long, now.” - -_If_ she saw Lucy! She wanted to try. - -Vicki found a drugstore, ordered a coke, and took her bid sheet out of -her purse. The bid sheet showed her scheduled flying days and her days -off. - -She had three rest days--today, tomorrow, and Saturday. Her next -assigned flight, with Jean Cox, was not until nine A.M. on Sunday. That -was fine. - -This afternoon she could arrange to rent a private plane and study -maps. Tomorrow, and if necessary Saturday, she could search for Lucy. -That should be enough time. - -Vicki had one misgiving. Suppose Lucy and Mrs. Heath were no longer in -the Placerville region, where Lucy had mailed the post card? Suppose -Mrs. Heath had decided to move on, or--a fleeting suspicion occurred to -Vicki--suppose Mrs. Heath had never intended to settle in that region? -The whole story of the sudden job offer disturbed Vicki as much as it -had the minister. - -“There’s only one way to find out,” Vicki decided, “and that’s to go -look for Lucy Rowe.” - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -_Vicki Searches_ - - -The next morning Vicki went to Novato airport, in Marin County, forty -minutes from San Francisco. Having been out there late yesterday -afternoon, she was briefed for her flight. Placerville, her first stop, -was about a hundred and twenty-five miles away. Joe and Ed Foster, -the men from whom she was renting a Cessna 150, had marked on her air -map the routes, landmarks, and sites of small airports in and near -Placerville and surrounding villages. - -The trim little Cessna 150 was a single-engine, two-place airplane, -with landing lights, wing lights for navigation, and a two-way radio. -Vicki carefully went over the plane, making a line check. It was in A-1 -condition and fully fueled. She climbed in, with a lift up from Joe -Foster. - -“All okay?” he asked. Vicki smiled and nodded. “Now remember, this -plane has a fast rate of climb. Watch it.” - -“I’ll remember.” Yesterday afternoon she had taxied the Cessna around -a little, to see how the plane handled, and had fallen in love with the -instantly responsive aircraft. Vicki said: - -“I’ll bring her back late this afternoon, Mr. Foster.” She would rather -not do night flying in an unfamiliar airplane over country which was -new to her. - -Foster waved. “Happy landings.” - -“Thanks. See you.” - -Vicki closed the door, put her feet on the pedals, cracked the throttle -forward slightly, released the brakes, and pressed the starter button. -The plane went skimming along the airstrip. As the Cessna left the -ground, Vicki felt she was simply floating up into the air. While -she was figuring how rapidly to reach the altitude and air speed she -wanted, the Cessna reached these and almost flew off by itself. - -“Whoa, there!” Vicki exclaimed aloud. This was exhilarating! She put -the nose down a little, leveled off, and turned northeast. - -Once across the comparatively low Coast Range mountains, Vicki looked -down on the Sacramento River flowing through rich farms and cattle -prairie. Vicki bypassed the city of Sacramento, capital of California, -and went sailing along over the Great Valley. Her cockpit was full -of sunshine, and the plane flew quietly, smoothly. She was making -sixty miles an hour. The plane could do eighty or more, but Vicki had -landmarks to watch for. - -Another hour passed. Vicki saw the towns below grow smaller and -farther apart, and the land begin to roll slightly. Blue outlines of -hills appeared on the horizon. Vicki climbed to a higher altitude. -The temperature grew much cooler. Vicki buttoned her jacket. A few -minutes later she saw much higher outlines on the horizon--the immense, -distant peaks of the Sierra Nevadas loomed up like a great wall. Vicki -consulted her air chart, and looked down to locate Placerville. It was -the first of the villages, nestled low on this side of the distant -mountains. - -Vicki found the local airstrip and made a neat landing. A mechanic at -work in the hangar told her it was ten minutes’ walk into town. - -“Or you can hitch a ride, miss.” - -“Thanks, I’ll walk.” She was wary of driving with strangers; and -besides, the countryside of nut and fruit ranches offered a beautiful -walk. - -In the village Vicki inquired first at the small hotel. The owner put -down his newspaper and obligingly looked through the register. It had -just a few guests listed; Lucy and Mrs. Heath were not among them. - -“Did you see _any_ older woman with a young, brown-haired woman?” Vicki -asked the hotel owner. - -“No, miss. Why don’t you ask at the Pines Motel? You can ’phone from -here.” - -Vicki telephoned. The motel had no record, no recall of the two women. -She went to the Placerville restaurants, garage, police office, and -asked. No news. - -Vicki flew on to the next town, Auburn. She talked with friendly -tradesmen and local people at a roadside stand heaped with cherries, -almonds, grapes, walnuts, and apples. No one, not even the motel -keeper or the gas-station owner, had seen the woman and the girl Vicki -described. Neither had Auburn’s police officers. - -In the next town, Marysville, Vicki inquired again, with no results. -In each village--a few of them were almost ghost towns of gold-rush -fame--she got the same story. No one had seen the two women. By -midafternoon Vicki felt badly discouraged. - -“Well, shall I give up?” - -Vicki thought it over. So far she had tried only the villages. The -minister and the painter had mentioned the possibility that Mrs. Heath -might rent a house in the Sierra foothills. “A house off by itself in -the hills--that’s the next thing to look for and ask about.” - -Vicki took the Cessna up again, thinking hard about the best way to -locate such a house. She had been aloft fifteen minutes when she -decided it would be a wise precaution to replenish her gas supply. The -air chart showed a small airport off to the northeast. Vicki hoped she -could buy gas there. She turned, reduced speed, and watched for an -airport. - -Just off the highway, she spotted a meadow with airstrips mowed in the -grass. Three or four planes and cars were parked outside a barn, which -must be the hangar. - -She circled low over the meadow twice, to let the people below know -she wanted to land. Two men in coveralls came out of the hangar. They -motioned to her how to come down, pointing to the windsock atop the -barn. Vicki waggled the plane wings in reply, flew into their air -pattern, and coasted in for a landing. By this time, three other men -wearing coveralls had come out to watch her. They gave Vicki friendly -smiles as she stepped out of the plane. - -“Hello, anything we can do for you?” one asked her. They were all -young men, deeply tanned, with sun squint lines around their eyes, and -immediately interested in Vicki’s Cessna 150. - -“Thanks, I’d like to buy some gas here,” Vicki said. “And maybe you’ll -advise me how to find a place I’m looking for.” - -“Glad to do both,” said one young man. “I’m Wes Clark.” - -He introduced the four others--the two McKee brothers, a redhead called -Red Jones, and the tall man who had spoken first, Jack Whiting. Vicki -told them her name, and said her home was in Fairview, Illinois. - -They all said hello, and invited Vicki to see their airplane. She was -interested in their heavy plane and special equipment, and asked what -they were doing. - -“We’re prospecting from the sky,” Wes Foster said. “We search for ore -buried in the ground. Mostly for mineral pockets. Want to see how we -aerial miners work?” - -“I certainly want to know what that long torpedolike thing tied to the -back of your plane is,” Vicki admitted. - -The McKee brothers said, “That’s ours.” They were electronic experts, -and at work they sat inside the big instrument to watch for the -telltale jump of dial needles, as the “snooper” plane flew over -mountains, lakes, and valleys. The young men explained to Vicki that a -strong radioactive source--such as uranium--showed on the detectors. - -“Do you need maps?” Vicki asked. She was thinking of her own search for -a secluded house in the hills. - -“Sure, we use maps. Whiting here is our aerial photographer. He makes -an aerial survey with a movie camera that’s co-ordinated with the -electronic needles. Then he pieces the photographs together into one -big map, and that gives us and our geologist an over-all picture of the -region we’re exploring.” - -Red Jones, stammering slightly, told Vicki he was the geologist of the -team. She asked if she might see the map he used. - -“We were just looking at it in the hangar. Come on in, Miss Barr.” - -They all went into the hangar where equipment and a large photographic -map were spread out on a table. Jack Whiting and Wes Clark started to -explain the map to Vicki. They said it showed the contours of the dips -and peaks of the rugged terrain around there. The photo-map resembled a -complicated diagram; it was not easy for Vicki to read. - -“Well, are you looking for anything in particular?” Whiting, the aerial -photographer, asked her. - -“Yes. An isolated house,” said Vicki. - -“Hmm. That’s a tall order. There are several houses and buildings off -by themselves, way up in the hills.” - -Wes Clark suggested that they start by locating such houses on the -photo-map. They located several small marks on the map which were -houses. However, Whiting remembered that two of the buildings were -power stations, one a sportsman’s hunting lodge, one a house they knew -to be boarded up. - -“What’s this?” Vicki put her finger on a blurred spot on the photo-map. -It was the size of a pinhead. - -“That’s half a dozen houses and a general store, too small even to be a -village,” the younger McKee brother said. “No post office or anything. -The ranchers around there call the place Pine Top.” - -“No, I don’t mean the cluster of houses,” Vicki insisted, “I mean this -tiny dark spot. Could it be a hidden house?” - -The young man peered at the blur. “Could be,” the aerial photographer -finally said. “Lots of forest and high, winding roads at that point. If -it’s a house, it’s hidden, all right. The camera doesn’t tell _what_ -that blur is, I’m afraid.” - -Vicki looked searchingly at the map. She could not see any other mark -which suggested a private house. Only the one above Pine Top. - -“I think,” she said slowly, “I’ll gamble on it and fly to Pine Top.” - -“Maintain enough altitude,” Wes Clark advised her. “You can get gas -from someone at Pine Top, if necessary.” - -“Gas!” Vicki remembered. “I need some right now, if you can spare it.” - -The airfield had a commercial, self-service gas pump. Wes Clark said -with a grin, “Our advice is free, but you have to pay for the gas.” - -“I’m glad to have both,” said Vicki. - -The young men helped her to refuel her plane, and watched her climb in. -Wes Clark looked at his wrist watch and said: - -“It’s pretty late in the afternoon to head for Pine Top. I wouldn’t try -it for the first time at dusk, if I were you.” - -They were right. To explore half-mountainous terrain, by air, in fading -light would be foolhardy. Besides, she was growing tired, and there was -still the return flight to San Francisco to make. - -“All right, I’ll try for Pine Top tomorrow,” she said. She smiled and -waved at the five young men. - -“Thanks a lot for everything. I hope to see you all again sometime.” - -“See you,” they repeated. “Get home safely. Happy landings.” - - * * * * * - -That night Vicki dreamed of Pine Top and of a dark, fantastic house -clinging to a wooded mountainside. Those troubled pictures were the -reflection of her worry about Lucy. - -Actually, when she was wide awake on Saturday noon, and looking down -from the Cessna 150 in the bright sky, Pine Top turned out to be a -cheerful place. There wasn’t much of Pine Top, just a few houses -clustered together in the refreshing green of forests and hilly grazing -lands. - -She looked down and circled, losing altitude, searching for an area to -land. The one level place she could see was a back road--a wide, empty, -dirt road. Vicki came down bumpily, then staked down the plane at the -side of the road, and hiked toward the houses. - -No one was in sight, only a yellow hound-dog. The general store -seemed the likeliest place to make inquiries. Going in, Vicki found -it deserted. She looked around at the shelves, counters, boxes, and -barrels piled with provisions for living deep in the country. She -noticed a bell on the counter, rang it, then waited. - -Presently a man and woman came in, carrying baskets of garden produce. -They said good morning to Vicki, and looked at her curiously. - -“Was that you flying around here a while ago?” the man asked. Vicki -smiled and nodded. - -“Well! What’re you doing in these parts, young lady?” - -“We don’t often see strangers,” the woman put in. She said their names -were Carl and Angie Potter. “My, that’s a handsome jacket you’re -wearing.” - -“Thank you,” said Vicki. “I wonder if you’d give me some advice?” The -couple were eager to help. “I wonder if you’ve seen an elderly lady and -a brown-haired girl about my age with her?” - -“Why, sure enough, we have,” the man said. Vicki’s hopes leaped up. -“They came here in a car about two weeks ago.” - -“The lady’s name is Mrs. Elizabeth Heath,” the woman said importantly. -“I saw her name on an identification tag tied on her suitcase--I -noticed it when I carried some of the groceries out to her car. I can’t -figure out whether the girl is her daughter or niece or exactly what. -They bought a whole carload of groceries from us, same day they got -here, and went on up to the old Glidden place.” - -“The house up in the hills?” Vicki asked. - -“Uh-huh. Nobody’s seen hide nor hair of them since,” said the man. -“Bill Jenkins from the telephone company strung up a wire to their -house, so we know Mrs. Heath has the phone working again. But except -for phoning me to bring more groceries, she hasn’t called up nobody -here.” - -The woman sniffed. “That Mrs. Heath was uppity when she bought her -groceries from us. The girl seemed real nice, though.” - -“It’s the girl I want to see.” Vicki felt a great sense of relief at -actually having located Mrs. Heath and Lucy. “How far is the Glidden -place from here?” she asked. - -“Oh, about twenty minutes up an awfully curvy, narrow piece of road. We -could drive you up there.” - -They all piled into the couple’s jalopy. The narrow road up to the -house climbed and wound. “On a wet day,” said Mr. Potter, “anyone who -drives on this road’ll break his neck.” - -At the top of the road the land leveled off, and they reached a high -stone wall. Behind it, Vicki could see only treetops and the second -floor of a house. The Potters said the wall completely enclosed the -Glidden place. - -Mr. Potter stopped the car before a large wooden door in the wall. -“We’ll have to honk,” he said. When there was no answer, he tried the -door. “Locked,” he said. - -Angie Potter raised her voice. “Oh, Mrs. Heath! Mrs. Hea-ea-eath!” -Still no answer. “Maybe nobody’s home.” - -Vicki said, “The upstairs windows are open, and the curtains are open, -too. Someone’s probably at home.” - -Mr. Potter honked, Mrs. Potter called, Vicki knocked on the wooden door -in the wall. They made so much noise that a flock of birds swooped out -of a nearby tree, and flew away. - -“Not very neighborly,” Mrs. Potter grumbled. - -Vicki felt discomfited. Granted that Mrs. Heath wanted an isolated -place in which to write her book; still, did the two women have to -isolate themselves so rigidly? - -“Well, we might as well go,” said Mrs. Potter. - -They made a cautious descent down the narrow, steep road. The Potters -drove Vicki back to the spot where she had parked the plane. They would -not hear of accepting the payment she offered, and said good-by. - -She waited until the Potters drove safely off the back road. Then she -got into the Cessna, taxied as far as the road permitted, and took off. -In the air she figured out a route which would take her clear of the -jutting hillside, yet bring her over the house. - -Within sight of the wall and the house, the fast plane rolled a little -when Vicki overcontrolled it to fly more slowly. First she followed the -wall, to get her bearings in relation to the house and road, and to -look for a possible place to land. - -She was surprised to see that the property covered quite a bit of -acreage. The far end of it was hilly woods, but this led into a long, -fairly level stretch of meadow which would afford a landing area. The -meadow led up to the house. - -Before she knew it, Vicki had flown over the house, which was not very -large. She had to circle around and fly back for a better look. The -house was rather rustic and long and low. It was not far from the road -behind the wall. A garden surrounded it in front and on both sides. - -But the most interesting thing she saw below was two women working -in the garden on the sunny south side of the house. One woman was -gray-haired. The other figure was a girl’s, with brown hair; she had -thrown around her shoulders a bulky green woolen scarf like the scarf -in the portrait. - -“Lucy!” Vicki thought in excitement. “There’s Lucy Rowe! I’ve found -her.” - -In the instant that Vicki flew over them, they looked up at the -plane which had now flown past twice. Vicki thought, “Won’t they be -astonished when I land inside their wall!” - -She headed over the meadow, thinking about wind direction and landing -speeds. Then she remembered to glance at her wrist watch--and was -alarmed at the time. There simply wasn’t time today to land and talk to -Lucy and Mrs. Heath. Her free time had nearly run out. - -Vicki was obliged to fly past the meadow, beyond the wooded hillside, -and out over Pine Top country in the direction of the coast and San -Francisco. She was exceedingly disappointed. - -“Well, I’ll have ample time off next week,” Vicki consoled herself. -“I’ll come back.” - - - - -CHAPTER VII - -_Which Lucy?_ - - -“Vicki, there’s a Miss L. Rowe aboard!” Jean said excitedly. “I just -discovered it when I had to check tickets and passengers’ names!” - -Vicki stopped her preparations for lunch and stepped outside the buffet -into the aisle. “Where, Jean? Where is she?” - -“’Way up forward. You can’t see her from here. A stunning girl. Brown -suit, brown hair.” - -“I can’t stop and go up there now.” Vicki craned to see down the length -of the Electra cabin. “Has she a squarish face?” - -“I’m not sure.” Some of the passengers noticed their excitement. The -two stewardesses stepped back into the privacy of the buffet. “Vic, -could she be _your_ Lucy Rowe?” - -“Hmm. It’s possible--” - -Today was Tuesday. She had seen Lucy Rowe from the air on Saturday, -in California. Since then Vicki had flown to Chicago, had a rest day -in Chicago on Monday, and now was flying from Chicago to New York. -The Electra had taken off from Chicago half an hour ago, at noon. With -Jean she had greeted the boarding passengers but hadn’t seen anyone she -could have imagined to be Lucy Rowe. Still, with sixty-eight passengers -enplaning, she might not have noticed every face. - -“Yes, it’s possible she’s my Lucy Rowe,” said Vicki. “I’m surprised, of -course. Lucy must have left Pine Top rather suddenly--or at any rate, -awfully soon after I was there. It seems like a strange coincidence.” - -“One point,” Jean said. “Her ticket reads ‘Miss L. Rowe.’ It _doesn’t_ -read Lucy. Her first name might be Lillian, for all we know.” - -“I’ll go forward and speak to her first chance I get,” said Vicki. Not -that Gravy’s abstract portrait provided a sure means of identifying the -girl, by any means. “Did she come on from California?” - -“Her ticket doesn’t say, it just reads Chicago as point of origination. -But she could have started from California, and changed planes in -Chicago. That could involve two separate tickets.” - -“That’s right. So her ticket doesn’t tell us anything. Gosh, I’m -intrigued! It _could_ very well be the right girl. Well, back to the -coffeemaker.” - -Captain Tom Jordan had been delayed several minutes in take-off and -had notified the stewardesses he intended to make up the time during -flight. That meant Vicki and Jean had even less than the usual two -hours in which to take care of the needs of sixty-eight persons, and -set up and serve sixty-eight hot luncheons. The stewardesses hadn’t a -minute to spare. Vicki’s one chance to see Miss L. Rowe was when she -brought her a lunch tray. - -[Illustration] - -“Are you enjoying the flight, Miss Rowe?” - -“Yes, it’s very smooth and pleasant.” - -The girl glanced up as she spoke. She was in her early twenties and -did rather resemble the girl in Gravy’s vague portrait, except that -her hair was dark brown. Vicki had expected from the portrait that it -would be light brown. As for the squarish face, Vicki could not decide -whether Gravy had exaggerated its shape. Her large eyes and wide mouth -resembled the portrait. Did this girl look like a topnotch secretary? -She was trimly dressed, well groomed, and well made up. Did she look -like an outdoors girl? That was harder to guess. - -Vicki looked to see whether Miss L. Rowe wore the Bryant family’s -silver ring; but she wore no rings at all. This, too, proved nothing. -Most women wore little or no jewelry while traveling. Vicki longed to -ask Miss Rowe her first name, but she had no right, no excuse, no time -to do so. She smiled at the girl and went on with her tasks. - -The trouble started shortly before they were due to land. The captain’s -buzzer sounded on the stewardesses’ call board, and Vicki--wanting -another glance at Miss L. Rowe--went forward to the cockpit, unlocking -and then closing the steel door behind her. - -In the bright light of the cockpit she saw that the faces of the two -pilots and the navigator were strained but calm. Chuck Smith, the young -navigator, had his jacket off and sleeves rolled up, and there were -grease stains on his shirt and arms. - -Captain Jordan said: “Vicki, we’re having a little trouble. We -discovered the nose wheel has not retracted properly.” Vicki knew it -was not uncommon for nose wheels to get stuck like this. - -“We’ve tried everything we can to repair it, but no luck,” Captain -Jordan went on. “I’ve decided to make our scheduled landing, anyway. -I think the shock of landing will jolt the wheel down into place. We -have tricycle landing gear, so that this landing won’t be too risky. In -fact, I expect it to be a success. However, _if_ it doesn’t work, we’d -better be prepared.” - -Vicki was trained for emergencies. Her heart pounded but she listened -calmly to the pilot. - -“I want you and Jean to inform the passengers of our situation, and to -use emergency landing procedures. Just in case.” - -“Yes, sir. How soon?” - -“Start right away. You have about twenty minutes to prepare.” - -“Yes, Captain Jordan.” Twenty minutes was ample time. - -Back in the cabin she found Jean and repeated the pilot’s message. Then -each stewardess went to her half of the cabin and explained quietly -to the passengers. Vicki stressed that the landing very probably -would be a success, but because of the risk they must be prepared. -The passengers took the announcement as calmly as it was made. Vicki -realized that these sixty-eight people looked to her and Jean for -leadership; they must keep cool and move fast and accurately. - -First, they saw to it that every passenger had his seat belt fastened -tightly, that all seats were in upright position, and that no one -was smoking. Then Vicki selected four men who told her they had had -military or aviation experience. Vicki quickly showed them how to -operate the lounge-door exit, window exits, ropes, and evacuation -slides when the plane landed. She and Jean were responsible for opening -the main-entrance door and the buffet-service door. Jean, meanwhile, -selected three passengers, showed them how to operate the three window -exits, and seated them there. Next, the stewardesses briefed the -passengers on locations of all the exits. They showed the passengers -how to brace their feet and arms, how to press their heads against -the seat in front of them in order to avoid being thrown forward and -getting bloody noses. The stewardesses quickly distributed pillows and -blankets for extra protection. - -Jean showed the woman with the one baby aboard how to lock the baby in -her arms. Some of the men passengers removed parcels from the overhead -luggage racks and stowed them in the luggage and coat closets. - -“Will you please remove all sharp objects,” Vicki said, walking along -the plane aisle. “Please remove your glasses, all pens and pencils, -brooches, belts with buckles, any sharp objects--” since these things -could stab. “Will the men please loosen their ties.” Then she hurried -to check the fire extinguishers, first-aid kit, all emergency equipment. - -Sooner than Vicki expected, they were flying in over New York City. -The captain’s buzzer sounded. He said, “We’re cleared and coming down -any minute now.” Jean sat down in the forward cabin adjacent to the -main-entrance door, Vicki sat down in an aisle seat across from the -buffet-service door. They strapped themselves in. - -Soaring down above the length of La Guardia Airport, everything below -looked as usual as on any other winter afternoon--except that two -emergency trucks for extinguishing fire came racing after them on -the ground. Vicki said a little prayer. She spoke confidently to the -passengers near her. - -Dropping--dropping--now Vicki could see the faces of the men on the -field as the Electra flew low past them. They stopped working to watch, -and to help if necessary. Then the plane gave a terrific jolt, a jar -which Vicki felt to the roots of her teeth. Men and women swayed and -rolled in their seats, the baby cried, as the Electra touched ground. -The plane shuddered all over and rolled on to a stop. Safe! No one -thrown--nothing broken nor on fire--The nose wheel must have come down -exactly as Captain Jordan planned. - -“Praise be!” Vicki exclaimed. She unstrapped and jumped to her feet. - -She and Jean ran to reassure the children and the elderly among their -passengers. Everyone was shaken up, profoundly sobered, but relieved -and grateful. The men were inclined to joke now that the danger was -over. The two stewardesses made certain, and Captain Jordan came out to -make certain, that each passenger was all right. Not one person showed -panic or caused any trouble. Captain Jordan praised the stewardesses -for their share in maintaining high morale. - -The cabin was littered with passengers’ garments, handbags, eyeglasses, -and pens. For several minutes Jean and Vicki were busy picking these -up. Everyone helped them. Or almost everyone--Vicki noticed that Miss -L. Rowe, like a few others, did not bother to help anyone but herself. - -Something glistened on the plane’s carpet. Vicki picked it up: it was -a gold charm off a woman’s bracelet, inscribed “Dorothy.” She held it -high and asked: “Does anyone own a charm marked ‘Dorothy’?” Several -women shook their heads. Vicki hastily consulted the manifest with its -list of names. No woman passenger aboard had the name “Dorothy” or the -initial “D.” - -“Does anyone own this gold charm?” Vicki asked, carrying it -conspicuously all through the cabin. It was a valuable piece of -jewelry. No one claimed it. She knew it was unlikely that the charm had -been left on the plane from a previous flight, since the cleaning crews -at terminals did a thorough job. The owner was aboard this very minute. -Why didn’t Dorothy--whoever she was--claim it? - -The passengers began leaving the plane, the stewardesses managing an -orderly evacuation. There went Miss L. Rowe! Vicki was seized by an -irresistible curiosity to see whether the Bryants or Mr. Dorn would -meet the girl. With a promise to Jean Cox and the passenger agent -to come back, Vicki went down the plane stairs after Miss Rowe. She -followed her at a short distance across the airfield, into the crowded -terminal building, and out again at the front portico to the taxi -stand. Vicki watched Miss L. Rowe get directly into a taxi by herself, -without looking around to see whether anyone was waiting to meet her. -Apparently she didn’t expect to be met. - -“Well, I guess she isn’t the right L. Rowe,” Vicki thought. “If she -were, the Bryants would at least have sent their car and chauffeur for -her. Or is her arrival a surprise? Even if it were, Mr. Dorn probably -would be on hand to escort her to the Bryants’ house,” Vicki reasoned. -“Wrong girl. That’s that. Just a coincidence of names and brown hair.” - -In all likelihood the Bryants’ granddaughter--the girl with the brown -hair and green scarf which tallied with the portrait--was still at the -hill house near Pine Top. - -Vicki still had the gold charm clutched in her hand. The “Lost and -Found” desk was only a few steps away. She went over and turned the -charm in. It was odd, she thought, that no one on the plane had claimed -it. - -On her return to the Electra, she joined Jean in completing the final, -routine picking up in the cabin and putting equipment back into place. -After handing in their reports to the Flight Stewardess Supervisor, -Vicki and Jean went to the stewardesses’ sleeping lounge to have a nap -and tidy up. Now that the emergency was met and past, they admitted -they felt tired. - -“We were lucky,” Jean murmured from the other cot. - -“Luck and skill and a well-engineered plane,” Vicki answered. - -She lay there on the cot thinking about the landing preparations, the -unclaimed charm, and Miss L. Rowe. Her thoughts drifted on to the -Bryants. Suddenly she sat up, took a few coins from her purse, and -walked next door to the stewardesses’ lounge. - -“Where you going?” Jean called after her sleepily. - -“I’m going to telephone Mrs. Bryant.” - -She wanted to tell Lucy’s grandmother that although she had not yet -been able to deliver her message, she had, to the best of her belief, -located Lucy and actually seen her from the air. - -A secretary answered. The Bryants were not at home. She evidently knew -from Mrs. Bryant who Vicki was. Vicki decided not to relay her news of -Lucy secondhand and asked the secretary for an appointment. Vicki said -she expected to be in New York again, with free time, next Sunday and -Monday. - -“I’m sure that Mrs. Bryant would be delighted to see you at lunch or -tea,” said the secretary. “I’ve put you down for tea at four on Sunday, -Miss Barr.” - -“Thank you, that’s perfect. Until Sunday, then.” - - * * * * * - -Between that memorable Tuesday and the following Sunday, the first -of March, Vicki flew three more Electra flights between New York and -Chicago, with two days off in Chicago between flights. On one rest day -her mother took the local train from Fairview up to Chicago, and they -spent a happy day together. - -On her other rest day, Vicki stayed at her Chicago hotel. Resting, she -tried to plan exactly what she was going to tell Lucy’s grandmother -when she visited the Bryants’ house on Sunday. What disturbed Vicki was -the fact that she had learned some things about Lucy which Mr. Dorn, in -San Francisco a month or so earlier, had not learned and possibly could -have learned. Allowing that Mr. Dorn had missed meeting Lucy, as she -herself had, and allowing that her own visit came a month later, still, -either she or Mr. Dorn could be mistaken. And Vicki did not want to -give Mrs. Bryant any wrong information, or raise any false hopes. - -“I’m going to ask Mrs. Bryant the exact dates when Mr. Dorn was in San -Francisco,” Vicki thought. “Because _if_ he was there during the time -Lucy became involved with Mrs. Heath, it’s strange he didn’t find out -about that. Unless”--an odd idea struck her--“Mrs. Heath dodged Mr. -Dorn’s inquiries and managed to keep him from learning of Lucy’s new -job? Mrs. Heath avoided meeting the minister, didn’t she? She managed -things so that a good friend like Gravy never met her, didn’t she? Hmm.” - -Reviewing the few facts she had learned about Lucy’s new job, Vicki had -to admit they were sketchy and elusive. It even occurred to her, in a -wave of skepticism, that the girl she had seen from the air _might_ not -necessarily be Lucy Rowe. A green scarf and light-brown hair were not -conclusive proof. - -“Oh, it’s likely that girl _is_ Lucy Rowe,” Vicki thought, impatient -with herself. “Why don’t I be sensible and see, on Sunday, what Mr. -Dorn has learned in the meantime? Maybe what he’s discovered by then -and what I’ve discovered will tally, after all.” - -She daydreamed about Sunday, and the pleasure she hoped it would give -Mrs. Bryant to hear her news of Lucy. - - * * * * * - -The minute Vicki entered the Bryant house on Sunday afternoon she -sensed the excitement there. The whole household had changed its -mood: every lamp and chandelier in every room was alight, bouquets of -fresh-cut flowers bloomed everywhere, dance music came from a radio. -The house seemed young! - -Mr. and Mrs. Bryant, when Vicki entered the room with the parakeets, -looked as if they had waked up from a long sleep, refreshed and happy. -They both were beaming. Mr. Bryant had a flower in his buttonhole, and -Mrs. Bryant was as flushed as a girl in her rustling taffeta dress. -Vicki had never seen them in such festive spirits. Around the tea -service were trays of tiny, fancy sandwiches and cakes, ready for a -party. Vicki, trying not to look inquisitive, said good afternoon. - -“Vicki, how nice to see you!” Mrs. Bryant took her hand and drew her -into the room. “You’re right on time. Our other guests are coming at -five, but I especially wanted you here early. You’ll see why.” - -“I’m so glad to see you again,” said Vicki. “I hope you’re both well.” - -“We’re feeling exceedingly well,” said Mr. Bryant. “Mrs. Bryant has a -surprise which she thinks you’ll enjoy.” - -“Now, Marshall, you mustn’t spoil my surprise. First I want to ask -Vicki where she’s been flying recently, and all about the fascinating -people on her plane--” - -“I think I hear her coming downstairs,” Marshall Bryant interrupted. - -Mrs. Bryant looked flustered. Vicki, to help her, said her last few -trips were probably not as special as Mrs. Bryant’s surprise. The -elderly lady smiled at her delightedly. - -“Well, my dear, it _is_ a most wonderful surprise for Mr. Bryant and -me. Just wait--one more moment, now--” Vicki heard someone’s light, -quick footsteps. “Vicki, Mr. Dorn has found our granddaughter. Ah, here -she is!” - -A slender dark-haired girl, taller than Vicki, came into the room. She -was the Miss L. Rowe who had been on Vicki’s plane. She lightly kissed -both elderly people, and smiled politely when Mrs. Bryant said: - -“Lucy, this is Vicki Barr who is about your age. She’s the one who was -so helpful to your grandfather on our airplane trip.” - -“How do you do, Miss Barr?” If the girl recognized her, she gave not -the slightest sign. - -“I remember you on my plane earlier this week,” Vicki said pleasantly. -She started to say how excited she’d been on finding a Miss L. Rowe -aboard, but caught herself just in time. Mrs. Bryant _had_ requested -her not to mention her own search to anyone. It was likely that Mrs. -Bryant had not told even Lucy this secret. Then Vicki noticed that Lucy -Rowe was staring at her blankly, as if she had never seen the flight -stewardess before. - -“You remember, Miss Rowe,” Vicki said, “the day we nearly had to make -an emergency landing.” - -Lucy Rowe gave her a forced smile and turned away. Vicki was astonished. - -“Why, Lucy,” her grandmother said, “you didn’t tell us about any -difficulty in landing!” - -“It was nothing. I didn’t want to alarm you,” the girl said. “May I -have a cup of that nice, hot tea? I’m not used to your cold weather in -New York--but I expect I’ll love it here. Who else is coming today? I’m -so eager to be presented to your friends.... No, I won’t mind a bit -that they’re all older people.” - -Lucy chattered on. Although Mrs. Bryant was eager for the two girls to -be friendly, it seemed to Vicki that Lucy avoided conversing with her. -Particularly it seemed that Lucy did not want last Tuesday’s flight -mentioned again. Evidently it embarrassed her in some way. - -“I wonder why?” Vicki thought. She would not be so tactless as to raise -the subject again, of course. “But why does Lucy Rowe act as if she’s -never seen me before?” - -Vicki felt embarrassed and disappointed. She’d anticipated a lively, -warmhearted, approachable girl--from the several descriptions of -Lucy Rowe--not someone so very charming and sophisticated. Lucy was -affectionate toward the Bryants, and they were already devoted to their -new-found granddaughter. Vicki saw the lacelike silver ring that Lucy -wore. She recognized it as the Bryant family’s ring, no doubt about -that. Vicki said, hoping to prompt her to talk: - -“What a lovely and unusual ring you’re wearing, Miss Rowe.” - -“Thank you.” Lucy held out her hand for Vicki to inspect the ring, and -said, “I value this ring more than I can tell you, because it’s a -family heirloom. Mother gave it to me, and I’ve worn it constantly ever -since she died. It hasn’t ever been off my finger, not even once.” - -Mrs. Bryant murmured appreciatively, even Marshall Bryant looked -touched. But Vicki was thinking, “_You didn’t wear the silver ring last -Tuesday on my flight. I looked, I made sure--_” - -Why was Lucy lying? A lie about the ring--an evasion about having been -on Vicki’s plane--what else would she lie about? Vicki was puzzled and -troubled. She managed to conceal it, for if something was amiss here, -she must not arouse the girl’s suspicions. She needed to gain more -information. - -“I think it’s wonderful that Mr. Dorn found your granddaughter so -soon,” Vicki said to Mrs. Bryant, hoping she would talk. - -“Yes, Mr. Dorn found her on his second trip to San Francisco,” Mrs. -Bryant said, looking warmly at Lucy. “He flew out there just last week -on Friday, and by the following Sunday--exactly a week ago today, I -remember it was Washington’s Birthday, February twenty-second--he wired -us that he had found our young lady.” - -“_Last Sunday_,” Vicki thought. “_And I saw the girl I took to be Lucy -at Pine Top last Saturday._” - -Lucy said, with a little laugh, “I was the most surprised girl in the -world when Mr. Dorn appeared and told me that my grandparents wanted -me. And the happiest girl.” - -Marshall Bryant lighted a fresh cigar and gave a grunt of approval. -“Dorn is a good man.” - -Vicki thought, “_Have I made a mistake and traced the wrong Lucy? I -don’t see how. Yet surely Mr. Dorn, who’s a lawyer, and who has time -and money to work with, didn’t make any mistake?_” - -“Of course we wanted to meet our granddaughter instantly, the very next -day after Mr. Dorn’s telegram,” Mrs. Bryant said with a smile. “He flew -back to New York and came to tell us--Lucy, darling, you can’t imagine -how absurdly disappointed your grandfather and I were when Mr. Dorn -told us that you needed a little time to settle your affairs in San -Francisco, and would fly east by yourself.” - -“I could hardly wait, too,” Lucy said. “I practically ran, in San -Francisco, doing all my good-bys and chores. Even so, the fastest I -could get here to you was Thursday.” - -“_Thursday!_” Vicki nearly exclaimed aloud. “_Why, this Miss L. Rowe -was on my plane on Tuesday. She left La Guardia Airport, alone, at -three o’clock Tuesday afternoon--I saw her--but she didn’t meet her -grandparents until Thursday! Where was she during that interval?_” - -Lucy leaned toward her grandparents. “And when Mr. Dorn met me at La -Guardia Airport on Thursday afternoon I was terribly nervous about -meeting you! He had to talk quietly to me for about half an hour before -I’d even get in the car.” - -Another lie, Vicki thought angrily. Or had this girl returned to the -airport two afternoons later and pretended to Mr. Dorn that she had -just got off the plane? So this was why, Vicki realized, Lucy Rowe did -not want any mention of her having been on the New York-bound plane on -_Tuesday_ afternoon. Vicki said guardedly: - -“New York is a wonderful place but so is your city, Miss Rowe. I’m just -getting to know San Francisco on occasional visits. It’s a fascinating -place. In what part of the city did you live?” - -“For a while I lived on Telegraph Hill, wonderful views from there. -Then three other girls and I took a beach house one summer. It was fun, -but such a lot of commuting to my job.” - -No mention of the women’s hotel, Hotel Alcott. No mention of sharing an -apartment with Mary Scott and her mother. That did not tally with what -Vicki had learned. Lucy had answered readily, even glibly. Vicki tried -another tack. - -“Some of the best views in New York,” she said, “are from high up in -the office buildings. Is that true in San Francisco? Was it so on your -job?” - -Lucy looked amused. “I worked so hard at Whitney Decorators that there -wasn’t much time to admire the views.” - -“Poor darling,” said her grandmother. - -“Oh, no, it was a perfectly nice job with nice people,” Lucy said. “But -I was awfully happy to give it up and come to you.” - -No mention of working for the Interstate Insurance Company. Was the -interior-decorator job a fact or another lie? If a fact, _when_ had -Lucy worked for a decorator? And why didn’t she mention her job with -Mrs. Heath? Lucy made it sound as if she had been employed in a San -Francisco office building at the time when Mr. Dorn had found her a -week ago. Vicki knew she had resigned from Interstate about a month -earlier, and had gone to Pine Top a couple of weeks later. Why all -these lies? If this girl was actually Lucy, she was trading on the love -of her grandparents. Or if she was an impostor, she must be very clever -to have fooled Mr. Dorn. - -Vicki said to her, “I’m not sure, but I _think_ that I met an -acquaintance of yours while I was in San Francisco. Jill--I can’t -remember her last name--” Vicki pretended. - -“Was it Jill Baker?” said Lucy. “Such a nice girl.” - -Vicki nodded and did not press the point. - -Not Jill Baker--that name was Jill Joseph. Unless Baker had been Jill’s -name before her marriage? Vicki decided to check the next time she was -in San Francisco. She noticed that Lucy did not mention her old friend -Jill’s living in her family’s former house, nor their having been in -school together--in fact, nothing about Jill. Didn’t this girl know -Jill Joseph? Lucy again chattered along, changing the subject. Or was -the omission of no importance? - -Just then Thurman Dorn came in. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - -_A Game of Wits_ - - -For a moment Vicki wished she had never gotten mixed up in the search -for Lucy Rowe. The lawyer looked so cold, so professional, that her own -small efforts to find Lucy shrank to absurdity. How impertinent she -would appear if Mrs. Bryant happened to tell about Vicki’s search--how -difficult it would be to justify to the lawyer her doubts about _this_ -girl. - -Vicki glanced beseechingly toward the grandmother. Very, very slightly, -Mrs. Bryant shook her head. Did that mean she was not going to reveal -their secret? Vicki hoped so. She glanced away just in time to hear and -answer Mr. Dorn’s “How do you do?” - -“Careful, now,” Vicki warned herself. “Don’t say or ask anything which -could alert Lucy that I suspect her. And I mustn’t intrude on Mr. -Dorn’s territory, particularly since Mr. Bryant has praised him so -highly.” - -The lawyer seated himself at Marshall Bryant’s right. He was a -perfectly correct and formal figure as he accepted a cup of tea from -Lucy. She made a little fuss over the young lawyer, and her grandmother -teased her about it. - -“Well, just think of what Mr. Dorn has done for me!” Lucy answered, -laughing. “He’s the one who found me, and I shall always be grateful -to him.” She shook her head, remembering. “Last Sunday, this stranger -came to me asking to see my family letters and my silver ring. Asking -me to identify myself. At first I didn’t know whether to take Mr. Dorn -seriously.” - -Vicki longed to know if they had met at Pine Top, but she could not -afford to ask questions. - -Thurman Dorn smiled a little. “I can tell you now, Miss Lucy, that -a month earlier I was exasperated at not finding you. And your -grandparents”--he turned toward them deferentially--“were exasperated -with _me_. It’s a good thing for all of us that you came back to San -Francisco from your vacation. If you hadn’t met me in the lobby of the -St. Clair Hotel last Sunday, I believe I would have sent out some sort -of alarm for you.” - -So they had met last Sunday in San Francisco, Vicki noted. That meant -Lucy had come in from Pine Top. Reasonable enough. But why did Lucy -give Dorn and the Bryants the impression that her tour with Mrs. Heath -was a “vacation”? Vicki wanted to see whether Lucy would mention, in -the course of conversation, Mrs. Heath or the Reverend Mr. Hall or -Knowlton Graves. - -Curiously, she did not mention them and Mr. Dorn did not, either. -He did talk in detail about his methods of search and the fine -co-operation he had received from the San Francisco Post Office and -Police Department. Mr. Dorn named persons and places involved in his -search--Whitney Decorators, Lucy’s old Telegraph Hill residential -address (where he couldn’t find her), a Dr. Alice James who was Lucy’s -and Lucy’s mother’s physician. Vicki had not unearthed any of these in -the course of her own search in and around San Francisco. Not one of -them! This was nightmarish! - -“_Then who is the girl I traced to Pine Top?_” Vicki thought again, in -utter bewilderment. “_Is this girl the same girl I saw? No, she isn’t. -This girl’s hair is very dark brown, sable brown, and that girl’s was -almost dark blond._” - -Yet, Vicki thought, in tracing Lucy Rowe herself, she had received -straightforward answers from Jill Joseph, Mrs. Stacey at the Hotel -Alcott, Mr. Hall, Gravy. _They_ obviously were not lying because all -their accounts of Lucy Rowe tallied and dovetailed. Vicki could only -think: - -“_Either Mr. Dorn has been misled by this girl who is lying, or--less -likely--the lawyer’s lying. Or--more likely--I’ve made some glaring -error._” - -In fairness to all concerned, she could do only one thing: check back -on the facts in San Francisco, this coming week. She must try to keep -an open mind. Even so, she felt uneasy about this avowed Lucy and her -several lies and evasions. She was startled out of her thoughts when -the girl said: - -“Mr. Dorn, Miss Barr met a friend of mine in San Francisco. Isn’t that -a coincidence?” - -“Small world,” he said casually, though he paid attention to Vicki for -the first time since he had come in. “Are you in San Francisco often, -Miss Barr?” - -Vicki noticed that Mrs. Bryant had grown tense. Evading Dorn’s -question, she simply said: - -“I’m in San Francisco only when my airline sends me there. It isn’t too -often.” - -“Oh, yes, I remember now,” said Dorn. “You’re a stewardess on--?” - -“Federal Airlines,” said Vicki. - -Mr. Dorn nodded and lost interest, and started to talk to Marshall -Bryant about something else. Vicki half waited for Lucy to ask her a -question about Jill Baker or make some further remark about Vicki’s -being in San Francisco. But Lucy, too, dropped the subject. - -Mr. Bryant, Mr. Dorn, and Lucy went into the next room to discuss some -legal papers. Mrs. Bryant came over to Vicki. - -“Will you accompany me upstairs, my dear? I want to--ah--show you -something of interest.” - -A pretext? So that they could talk together privately? Vicki wondered -whether the elderly lady shared her doubts as to whether this girl was -actually the Bryants’ granddaughter. - -She did not. Indeed, she told Vicki how happy she was “that Mr. Dorn -has found Eleanor’s daughter,” and what a fine girl she considered her -to be. “I can see something of Eleanor in her, in little ways.” - -“In what ways?” Vicki asked. “Does she look like her mother?” - -“N-no, Lucy doesn’t really resemble Eleanor--or Jack Rowe, either. But -then I never resembled _my_ parents! No, she reminds me of Eleanor in -a certain dignity and reserve which she has, and in--oh--maybe I’m -imagining it, but in little mannerisms-- - -“And Lucy knows so much about our family history,” Mrs. Bryant went -on. “It’s gratifying to me, naturally, that she takes such a great -interest in the family. It--In fact, it’s--” The lady hesitated. “I -almost wonder, considering her youth and the family’s separation, how -it’s possible for her to have learned so much family history. In such -detail, too.” - -Vicki waited for Mrs. Bryant to think further about her doubt, to pay -attention to this danger signal. But the elderly lady smiled and said: - -“Lucy’s family loyalty accounts for her remarkable knowledge, of -course.” - -Vicki said nothing, but she did not necessarily agree. The Marshall -Bryant family was a prominent one; from time to time newspapers and -magazines mentioned their activities and printed photographs; Mr. -Bryant’s career was listed in _Who’s Who_. What was there to prevent a -clever, unscrupulous girl from going to the public library in any big -city, looking up these facts, and memorizing them? - -A question occurred to Vicki: How had this girl, _if_ she was an -impostor, discovered that Thurman Dorn was seeking the young heiress -to a fortune? She could have found out in a number of ways--something -overheard, a newspaper notice inquiring about Lucy Rowe, even a word -dropped by Lucy herself. And how had this girl sidetracked Mr. Dorn -from finding the true Lucy? Was it more than a coincidence that Dorn -had been unable to find Lucy on his first trip to San Francisco? Was it -more than a coincidence that another girl named Lucy Rowe had gone away -on a job to a lonely place like Pine Top? Vicki shivered. - -Mrs. Bryant was saying, “I couldn’t be happier, and I couldn’t be more -grateful to Thurman Dorn. He’s done a wonderful thing in reuniting the -three of us.” The lady said hastily, “I appreciate the interest _you_ -took in this matter, Vicki. I hope you didn’t put yourself to any -trouble.” - -“Nothing worth mentioning, at least not now, Mrs. Bryant.” How and what -could she tell of her own search under the circumstances? - -“My husband says Mr. Dorn located Lucy comparatively quickly, after so -many years of silence.” - -Vicki remembered the questions she wanted to ask. “Mrs. Bryant, about -Mr. Dorn’s search--do you happen to recall the exact dates of his -first trip to San Francisco?” - -“I remember every detail of the search for our granddaughter. Mr. Dorn -said he was in San Francisco his first trip from January tenth to -twenty-third. His second trip was February twentieth to twenty-second.” -Vicki imprinted these dates on her memory. “Don’t you think Mr. Dorn -was quick to find Lucy on his second trip? Apparently his efforts on -the first trip paid off.” - -“Yes, indeed,” Vicki said, trying to keep the doubt out of her voice. -“Mrs. Bryant, you--you haven’t told anyone that you wanted me to try to -get in touch with Lucy?” - -“Oh, no, indeed!” Mrs. Bryant laughed. “Wouldn’t you and I look -foolish, now that Lucy is here? I was foolish ever to make such a -request of you, I’m afraid. Why don’t we simply forget our little -secret?” - -Vicki smiled, but she had no intention of dropping her search, not -after meeting that dark-haired girl today. - -“Vicki, as a matter of sentiment, this morning I took the other silver -ring out of the safe here in the house to show you. Come in here with -me, won’t you?” - -Vicki followed Lucy’s grandmother into an old-fashioned bedroom. From -a bureau drawer she took a silver ring, exactly like the one the -dark-haired girl wore. - -“You see, Vicki? It _is_ unusual. There isn’t another ring like it -anywhere except Lucy’s. A jeweler made just the two from his own -original design, and then destroyed the pattern. Mr. Bryant had them -made when Eleanor was born.” - -“It’s lovely, like filigree or lace,” Vicki said. - -Mrs. Bryant said she would return the ring to the safe, and suggested -they go downstairs. - -Mr. Bryant and Mr. Dorn had finished their business, and Lucy had -disappeared in order to powder her nose. It was five o’clock. Other -guests were beginning to arrive. Although the Bryants urged her to -stay, Vicki asked to be excused. She had experienced quite enough for -one afternoon. - -She returned to the apartment which she shared with several other -Federal Airlines stewardesses. Jean Cox was at home, writing letters -to her family. She said Charmion Wilson and Dot Crowley had just come -in from their Texas run, and were asleep in the front bedroom. Tessa -and Celia were working aloft somewhere along the Atlantic seaboard. The -stewardesses’ housekeeper, Mrs. Duff, was out visiting friends. - -Vicki was glad that the apartment, so often full of guests and parties, -was quiet this Sunday. She wanted to be alone for a little while, -to write down the names, dates, and addresses she had learned this -afternoon at the Bryants’, and to plan her next steps. - - * * * * * - -It was the following Wednesday, March fourth, before Vicki’s scheduled -New York-Chicago-San Francisco flight landed her in San Francisco -again. She had fumed at the delay but now she had three days--Thursday, -Friday, Saturday--off. “And I’m going to make good use of them!” - -She wanted tremendously to fly at once to Pine Top, but it would be -foolish to go unprepared, with spotty information. Her first step, -obviously, must be to check on the statements she had heard Lucy and -Mr. Dorn make on Sunday. - -Vicki decided to make full use of the telephone. In her hotel room she -collected paper, pencils, the telephone directory, her list of names -and addresses, which Dorn and Lucy had mentioned in accounting for -Lucy’s recent past. Then Vicki sat down at the telephone. - -First she called up Jill Joseph, out in Sutro Heights. When Jill -answered, Vicki could hear in the background a babble of children’s -voices and dogs barking. She and Vicki exchanged hellos, and then Vicki -asked: - -“Have you heard from Lucy?” - -“No, I haven’t,” Jill Joseph answered. “It’s beginning to worry me. -Have you?” - -Vicki hesitated. “I’m still trying to get news of her. Tell me -again--is her hair light brown or dark brown?” - -“Light brown. Lucy calls it dirty blond.” - -The alleged Lucy Rowe at the Bryants’ house had dark, sable-brown hair. - -“Would Lucy color her hair, do you think?” Vicki asked. - -“I can’t imagine why she would, its natural color is pretty. She never -_has_ tinted it.” - -Vicki said she had an even stranger question, and asked Jill Joseph -what her maiden name had been. - -“Rossiter. Why, for goodness’ sake?” - -“Do you know--or does Lucy know--anyone named Jill Baker?” Vicki asked. - -“Never heard of Jill Baker. Vicki, all these questions--is something -wrong?” - -Again Vicki hesitated. “There may be. I’m trying to find out. One more -question--did you ever hear from a Mr. Dorn?” Jill had not. “Or from a -girl, or anyone else, inquiring about Lucy?” - -“No,” said Jill Joseph. “You’re the only one.” Well, that proved -nothing. Mr. Dorn’s line of investigation need not have included an -old friend whom Lucy now saw only occasionally. “Vicki? If something’s -wrong, why don’t you report it to the police?” - -“Because I’m not positive anything _is_ wrong. Besides, there’s a -delicate situation here.” Vicki was not at liberty to mention the -Bryants and their dislike of publicity; if the police stepped in, the -newspapers would get wind of the story. Vicki said, “I really don’t -think it’s necessary to go to the police. Don’t worry.” - -“Well, I am worried. Let me know as soon as you have any news of Lucy, -will you, please?” - -Vicki promised, said good-by, and hung up. - -Would the Scotts be home from their trip by now? According to Jill -Joseph, Lucy had lived with Mary Scott and Mrs. Scott. Dorn and Lucy -in New York had never mentioned them. Why? Vicki tried the Scotts’ -telephone number, which Jill Joseph had given her earlier. - -A woman’s voice answered. Vicki introduced herself, and explained that -she was trying to locate Lucy Rowe. - -“This is Mrs. Scott,” the voice said. “I don’t see why you should have -any trouble in locating Lucy, Miss Barr. She has an excellent job with -a Mrs. Heath.... Well, no, Mary and I haven’t heard from her.... No, -Lucy was _not_ traveling with us, not at any time.” - -But Mr. Dorn had told the Bryants that day at luncheon that Lucy was -traveling with another girl and the girl’s mother. Had the lawyer lied? -Such a minor point to lie about. Or had he honestly misunderstood -Lucy’s trip with Mrs. Heath to be a trip with the Scotts? There was no -way of knowing. Vicki set aside this question of traveling and tried -another. - -“Mrs. Scott, did Lucy _live_ with you and your daughter?” - -“Yes, she shared our apartment for several months. Then, last January, -she moved to the Hotel Alcott for women.” - -Last Sunday, when Vicki asked Lucy Rowe where she’d lived in San -Francisco, the girl had not mentioned the Scotts and the Hotel Alcott. -Instead, she’d talked of living on Telegraph Hill and, one summer, -sharing a beach house with three other girls. - -“Mrs. Scott,” Vicki asked, “can you give me Lucy’s former address on -Telegraph Hill?” - -“Why, Lucy _never_ lived on Telegraph Hill, to the best of my -knowledge.” No wonder Mr. Dorn had said he couldn’t find Lucy there. - -“Did she share a beach house one summer with three other girls?” Vicki -asked. - -“If she did, Lucy never mentioned it to us. And it isn’t like her to be -secretive. I think you must have some wrong information, Miss Barr.” - -“I guess I have.” Unless the alleged Lucy’s story of the beach house -and living on Telegraph Hill was an out-and-out falsehood. Or unless -she was _another_ Lucy Rowe? - -“Mrs. Scott, Lucy Rowe isn’t an uncommon name. The Lucy Rowe I’m -looking for is the daughter of Eleanor Bryant Rowe and Jack Rowe, both -of them deceased.” - -“Yes, that’s right. That’s the Lucy we know--the Lucy who stayed with -us.” - -Then the presumed granddaughter in New York _was_ lying. Vicki sighed. -“I’m sorry to have troubled you, Mrs. Scott.” - -“Not at all. Any more questions?... Good-by, then, Miss Barr.” - -Well, in fairness to Mr. Dorn, _he_ had not mentioned the beach house -and Telegraph Hill. The lie was the girl’s. - -Vicki consulted her list of names and addresses. She was feeling -rather grim about these lies. She decided to check with Whitney -Decorators, where the presumed Lucy had said she had been employed. - -There was no Whitney Decorators listed in the regular telephone -directory, nor in the Classified Advertisements telephone book. Vicki -called a professional association of decorators. They had no knowledge -of a firm or person named Whitney. Next, Vicki called Information. She -waited while the operator looked up the name. - -“We have no record of any firm by that name. However, there are several -persons named Whitney listed in your regular directory, if you care to -call them.” - -Vicki did that. Not one of them was a decorator nor even in any allied -field. Not one of them had ever heard of a Lucy Rowe. - -So that was that. An outright lie! Vicki tried to recall whether Mr. -Dorn had been party to this lie. No, as she remembered the talk last -Sunday, only Lucy had mentioned Whitney Decorators. - -“I suppose,” Vicki thought, “that seeing her silver ring and family -letters convinced Mr. Dorn that he had found the right Lucy. How in the -world did she come by the ring and other family things, if she’s an -impostor? It doesn’t seem possible! Unless she stole them from the true -Lucy?” - -That was perfectly possible--though Vicki had no way of proving it, as -yet. - -Dr. Alice James.... Let’s see, it was _Dorn_ who last Sunday had -brought up this physician’s name. Vicki remembered how he had made -rather a point of telling that Dr. James had been both Lucy’s and -Lucy’s mother’s physician. - -Vicki had difficulty in locating an address and telephone number for -Dr. Alice James, in San Francisco or in any of its suburbs. She used -the same methods as in her search for Whitney Decorators, with the same -result: there was no record of any Dr. Alice James. No such person -existed. - -Lucy in New York had lied again. _And on this point, Mr. Dorn had lied._ - -Up to now Vicki had more or less dismissed her doubts about why Dorn’s -findings did not tally with hers, by taking the blame for any error -upon herself. But now she was brought up short. Mr. Dorn _was_ guilty -of a lie about the search for Lucy Rowe! - -It struck her as odd that, so far as she had checked today, he had lied -only about this _one_ point--about the nonexistent Dr. Alice James. On -what other points involving Dorn could she check? - -“Well, Mr. Dorn said he met Lucy last Sunday in the lobby of the St. -Clair Hotel,” Vicki recalled, “and Mr. Bryant, that first day at lunch, -mentioned Dorn’s being at the St. Clair Hotel. I assume Dorn stayed -there on his second visit last week, too. Let’s see what a check turns -up on that.” - -She tried calling the St. Clair Hotel, but the desk would not release -any information over the telephone. Vicki powdered her nose, put on -her hat and gloves, and went over to the hotel. - -She was obliged to see the hotel manager, prove who she was, and state -her business (as far as she discreetly could) before she could persuade -him to have an assistant look up back records. The assistant, a Mr. -Craig, finally told her: - -“Mr. Thurman Dorn stayed at this hotel from January twelfth through -January twenty-first, and overnight on February twenty-first.” - -But these dates did not fully tally with Mrs. Bryant’s statement! -According to her, Dorn was in San Francisco, and presumably at this -hotel, January tenth to twenty-third, and February twentieth to -twenty-second. Two days were unaccounted for at the beginning of his -January trip, and two days were unaccounted for at the end of his -January trip. Also, two days were unaccounted for on his February trip. -Where had Dorn been? At another San Francisco hotel? Not likely, no -point to it. At Pine Top? But in January, Lucy and Mrs. Heath had not -yet left San Francisco for Pine Top, so Dorn would have had no reason -to be there. And in February--on Sunday, February twenty-second--Dorn -and Lucy had said they met in this hotel lobby. - -Where had Mr. Dorn been on those unaccounted-for days, and what had he -been doing? Since he flew from coast to coast, traveling had not eaten -up those several extra days. Unless he had made a stopover somewhere en -route, and not come directly from New York to San Francisco? But that -was sheer speculation. - -Vicki walked back toward her own hotel, wondering. A total of six days -unaccounted for! A great deal could happen in six days. Especially -during the course of an intensive search--That brought another -question to mind. Why had neither the presumed Lucy _nor Mr. Dorn_ -ever mentioned Mrs. Heath or Graves, the painter, or the Reverend Mr. -Hall? Lucy Rowe was closely associated with these three people, yet the -Bryants had never been informed of their existence. - -“Even if Lucy in New York hadn’t wanted Mr. Dorn to know about these -three people,” Vicki thought, “Dorn could have found about them on his -own, just as I did.” - -Her mistrust of Dorn grew. Either the lawyer had made an inadequate, -misleading investigation--or he had discovered the existence of Mrs. -Heath, Gravy, Mr. Hall, but was not telling the Bryants about them for -some reason. The reason was sadly obvious. Dorn--Dorn and the alleged -Lucy together--did not want to give the Bryants the names and addresses -of three persons who could help the grandparents find the true Lucy. - -“Yet that may not be true at all. I’m only speculating,” Vicki reminded -herself. “Before I can believe anything, or say anything to the -Bryants, I must get proof--more facts.” - -Even more urgent than proof was the need--assuming the Lucy in New York -to be an impostor--to find the true Lucy Rowe. Was she the girl seen -at Pine Top? If not, who was that light-brown-haired girl? “I promised -myself to fly back to Pine Top,” Vicki thought. “It seems the time is -now.” - -Returning to her hotel room, she picked up the telephone, called Novato -Airport, and reserved the Cessna 150 for tomorrow. Perhaps she would -discover something of real importance back there in the hills. - - - - -CHAPTER IX - -_Secrets at Midnight_ - - -Timing was important. Vicki had figured her flight from San Francisco -in the Cessna 150 to bring her in over Pine Top just about dusk. With -nightfall, and the story she planned to tell, she hoped to _have_ to -stay overnight at the hidden house. She hoped to give Mrs. Heath no -choice, no chance decently to send her away. During the night there -should be time and privacy to talk with Lucy, or whoever the girl -really was--provided Mrs. Heath did not intrude on them. - -It was a bold plan, not foolproof by any means. Vicki had sense enough -to be scared. - -High up in the hills, Vicki left the few houses of Pine Top behind. -She headed the plane higher over the wooded mountainside, flew over -the woods and wall at the extreme end of the Glidden place. Then she -cut her speed as she came soaring out above the meadow. This was the -landing site inside the walled grounds which she had chosen last time. - -Vicki could not see either woman anywhere down there on the shadowy -grounds, but lights were on in the house. Someone was at home. Landing -on the meadow near the rear of the house, she made the plane’s -perfectly tuned engine as noisy as she could, so the women would hear -her. - -The kitchen door flew open. A girl came out, running toward the plane. -An older woman followed more slowly. Vicki already was opening the -engine hood and had assumed an anxious expression. - -“What do you mean by landing on our grounds?” the woman called out. - -“I was forced down--I beg your pardon--” Vicki called back. “I’m -having engine trouble--” - -The girl reached her side. “Are you all right?” - -In one swift glance in the half-light, Vicki took in the girl’s -light-brown hair and open, friendly gaze. She was very like the girl -in Gravy’s portrait, rather tall and athletic as Jill Joseph had said. -What’s more, she wore the Bryant silver ring! “I’ve found her,” Vicki -thought, but she hid her exultation. - -“Yes, thanks, I’m all right,” she answered. - -“You can’t stay here,” the woman said, coming up. “This is really -annoying! Surely you weren’t forced to land right in our laps!” - -“I’m sorry,” Vicki said again. “I’ll try to repair the engine and take -off in a few minutes. Although in this fading light it’s hard”--she -looked in the engine--“to see where the trouble is.” - -She glanced up to study the elusive Mrs. Elizabeth Heath. The woman did -have quite an air of authority, of poise. She was well-dressed and held -her gray head high. Beside her, Lucy seemed very young and unsure of -herself. - -“Can I help you?” the girl asked Vicki. She _was_ a warmhearted girl, -as Jill had said. “Not that I know about plane engines--” - -“I don’t know an awful lot about them myself,” Vicki said pointedly. - -“Then how do you expect to make the repair?” Mrs. Heath said in -exasperation. “I think you had better call up a garage--you may use my -telephone--or an airport, and have them come and get you out of here.” - -The girl said, “I’m afraid there isn’t a garage within miles of here, -Mrs. Heath. And no airport.” - -Mrs. Heath fumed while Vicki poked in the engine. Vicki straightened up. - -“This engine is rough from carburetor trouble. Or there may be a little -water in the engine. Whatever it is, I don’t want to fly at night with -a rough engine and be forced down in the dark.” - -There was a silence. Then Mrs. Heath said, “No, I suppose you can’t be -expected to take such a risk.” - -Lucy asked, “Can’t she possibly stay here overnight, Mrs. Heath?” - -“Well, I don’t wish to appear harsh, but I really hadn’t counted on -having a guest. We were planning to do some work this evening, you -know.” - -Vicki apologized for disturbing them, and said that if they could -possibly put her up she wouldn’t be a nuisance. “Of course I’d want to -reimburse you, and I’d leave early in the morning,” Vicki pleaded. - -“But really--” Mrs. Heath protested. - -“Perhaps someone in Pine Top could take you in,” Lucy said. “I could--I -mean, we could,” Lucy corrected herself, “drive her down to Pine Top -and ask around.” - -“No, no,” Mrs. Heath said hastily. “We’ve steered clear of our -inquisitive neighbors so far. Besides, I shouldn’t care to drive down -that mountain road at night.” In a friendlier tone she said, “You may -have the extra bedroom. I’m Mrs. Heath, and this is my young friend, -Lucy Rowe.” - -“How do you do?” Vicki said and gave her name. “I’ve flown in from San -Francisco. My home is in Illinois. I’ve been in San Francisco just for -a short stay.” - -“I’m from San Francisco,” Lucy said eagerly, “and a little homesick for -it.” - -Mrs. Heath interrupted, saying they had better go in the house and see -about dinner. She led the way around through the side garden and, via a -side door, into the large, long living room of the country house. Mrs. -Heath was being an amiable if resigned hostess. She asked Lucy to take -their guest up to the extra room and see that she would be comfortable. - -“But please come right down, Lucy,” said Mrs. Heath. Didn’t she want -Lucy to talk alone with a stranger? “I’m sure that we’re all hungry for -dinner.” - -Upstairs, Lucy led Vicki to a small, rear bedroom. The large front -bedroom adjoining was Mrs. Heath’s, with its door closed. Across from -Mrs. Heath’s room was Lucy’s smaller front room, with its door open. A -short hall connected all three bedrooms and the bathroom. Vicki noted -the layout, planning where it would be safest to talk with Lucy late -tonight. - -“Here are fresh towels,” Lucy said, bringing them into Vicki’s room, -“and I’ll lend you a housecoat and slippers.” - -Vicki seized the moment of privacy. - -“Miss Rowe--Lucy--” - -“Yes, please call me Lucy.” - -“Lucy, do you know of a Mr. Dorn? Thurman Dorn?” - -“Why, no, I’ve never heard of him. Should I? Perhaps Mrs. Heath would -know him.” - -“Please don’t mention his name to Mrs. Heath,” Vicki said. “Please! -I’ve brought you an extremely important message, but Mrs. Heath mustn’t -know. That’s why I landed the plane here--” - -“You what--?” The girl was startled. - -“Girls!” Mrs. Heath called. “What’s taking you so long up there?” - -“We’ll be down in a minute,” Lucy called back, and looked searchingly -at Vicki. “What message? From whom?” - -Vicki hesitated. She did not want to upset Lucy visibly in front of -Mrs. Heath. - -“It’s not something I can tell you quickly or--or simply,” Vicki said. -She also would rather obtain proofs of Lucy’s identity before revealing -too much. “Can we talk after Mrs. Heath has gone to bed?” - -“I don’t understand why we need to be secretive. Mrs. Heath is my -friend--” - -“Lucy, I don’t blame you for wondering about me. But your old friend, -the Reverend Mr. Hall, knows me and in a way he sent me to you.” - -“Mr. Hall! How do you know I know Mr. Hall? I don’t understand this at -all!” - -“There isn’t anything difficult to understand,” Vicki reassured her. -“I’m looking for a girl named Lucy Rowe, that’s all. Her parents were -Jack and Eleanor Rowe.” Vicki was careful not to mention the Bryant -name--not to give away any leads. “According to the minister, that’s -you, isn’t it?” - -“Why are you looking for this girl?” - -“For a confidential reason. A happy, wonderful reason.” - -Lucy did not or could not believe this. - -“But I’ve come to you as a friend,” Vicki said. “Mr. Hall can vouch for -me--and honestly, I’m bringing you the most wonderful news--” - -Lucy swallowed hard. “Of course, if _he_ vouches for you--But at least -tell me, who sent you?” - -Vicki put her hand on Lucy’s, and touched the silver ring. “Your -grandmother sent me.” - -The girl stiffened, distrustful again. “I have no grandmother. I don’t -know what you’re talking about.” She was pale and trying not to cry. - -“If you’re not the granddaughter, where did you get your silver ring?” - -Lucy took a deep quivering breath. She admitted she was Marshall and -Lucy Bryant’s long-unwanted granddaughter. Vicki noted that Lucy, not -herself, was the first to bring up the Bryant name. - -“If you want proof of who I am, Vicki, I have proof. Right here in the -house with me. Letters, photographs, this ring. My mother gave it to me -when I was a child. There are only two rings like these in existence.” - -There were _supposed_ to be only two such rings, Vicki thought. She had -seen three rings--one which Mrs. Bryant had taken from her trinket box, -one on the hand of Lucy in New York, one on the hand of the Lucy here -beside her. - -One of the two Lucys was an impostor. The Lucy in New York also -possessed letters and documents to prove her identity. Those things -could be forged, a ring could be copied. Which girl was the true Lucy? -Vicki believed her to be this friendly light-brown-haired girl, the -girl of the portrait, the girl whom Mr. Hall, Jill Joseph, the clerk at -the Hotel Alcott had reported to be with Mrs. Heath--the girl whom Mr. -Dorn easily could have traced, if he had wanted to. - -Mrs. Heath called again. The girls started downstairs together. Vicki -whispered, “Not a word to Mrs. Heath about this,” and Lucy nodded. She -was still shaken. - -The lady announced with some impatience that she was keeping dinner -hot in the warming oven. Would Lucy make the salad and coffee, while -she herself set the table? Lucy hurried into the kitchen. Vicki went -into the kitchen, too, to help. In low voices they arranged to meet at -midnight to talk further. Lucy thought the guest bedroom would be the -safest place. Mrs. Heath would have no reason to enter Vicki’s room, -even if the light were on. - -“You two girls,” said Mrs. Heath, coming into the kitchen, “seem to -have a great deal to say to each other.” - -Lucy murmured an apology for their delay, and hurried to finish making -the salad. Vicki helped Mrs. Heath bring the food to the dining table, -in an area just off the living room. Then the three of them sat down. - -Dinner was rather strained. Vicki’s hostess seemed to expect the -intruder to account for herself. Vicki talked about her flight -stewardess job with Federal Airlines, and her enthusiasm for the -sport of private flying. Lucy listened with interest; Mrs. Heath was -thoughtful. - -“About two weeks ago,” the lady said, “a small plane flew back and -forth over our house and meadow. It upset me--it seemed so deliberate. -Was that you, by any chance?” - -Vicki did not dare glance at Lucy. “It must have been someone else, -Mrs. Heath. I was quite lost this afternoon, that’s how I got here.” -She disliked telling an untruth, but she was not sure enough of Mrs. -Heath’s friendship for Lucy to reveal anything of importance. - -Mrs. Heath talked about her book of memoirs “--though I’m afraid we -haven’t actually done much on it, have we, Lucy? I’m still in the -planning stage.” Then Mrs. Heath mentioned a plan for her and Lucy to -go abroad. - -“I don’t really want to go,” Lucy said uncomfortably. “Not very much.” - -“It’s only perhaps,” said her employer. Lucy looked down at her plate -and kept still. - -Mrs. Heath changed the subject to the countryside around here. They had -many lovely trees and birds to enjoy, without ever leaving their own -grounds. Mrs. Heath remarked that Lucy particularly liked birds. Vicki -started to say something about Mrs. Bryant’s collection of parakeets, -then caught herself just in time. - -During the evening Mrs. Heath and Lucy did not work on the book after -all. They chatted with their guest and watched television for a while. -Vicki borrowed a flashlight and went outdoors to make sure that the -plane was safely staked down and the wheels chocked. At nine o’clock -Mrs. Heath announced it was bedtime. - -“We’re early birds in the country. Good night, Vicki. Rest well.” - -The girls wished her good night and started to go upstairs. - -“Lucy!” Mrs. Heath called her back. “Help me lock up down here.” - -Was she trying to keep her and Lucy apart? Vicki wondered. Did Mrs. -Heath suspect something? That was hard to tell. In any case, Mrs. -Heath was keeping a close watch. She and Lucy would have to be careful -tonight. - -From nine until midnight was a long stretch. Vicki changed into the -borrowed night clothes and put out her light. She heard Lucy go to -bed and, at last, Mrs. Heath. She rested but was afraid to sleep lest -she and Lucy both sleep straight through the night. The house was -absolutely quiet. The night grew chilly. - -On the stroke of midnight, by the luminous figures on her wrist watch, -her door opened soundlessly and someone slipped in. Vicki was surprised -at how hard her heart beat. She waited until the figure stepped into -the moonlight, until she saw Lucy’s face, then whispered: - -“Wait. I’ll get out of bed.” - -“Don’t turn on the light, not yet.” - -Both girls perched on the edge of the bed, wrapped in robes and -sweaters. They were able to see each other’s faces clearly in the -moonlight. Lucy said softly that Mrs. Heath was asleep on the other -side of the wall. - -“She’s a sound sleeper.” - -“I hope so!” - -“I don’t see why you mistrust Mrs. Heath, she’s almost like a mother -to me,” Lucy said warmly. “Well, never mind that--I’m dying to know -what my grandparents want! What are they like? Is my grandfather still -awfully stern?” - -“In some ways he is,” Vicki said. “But he’s not so formidable, and -Mrs. Bryant is lovely. Both of them want to know their granddaughter -and--well, make up for--” She realized she was saying too much too -soon. “Lucy, first I must have more proof of who you are. Not that I -question your word, but--” - -Lucy nodded. “That’s all right. Though I can’t imagine why anyone would -have any doubts at all about knowing I’m Lucy Rowe.” - -Vicki kept silent about the other Lucy Rowe in New York, established in -the Bryants’ house. She could discuss that difficult situation later. -Lucy was digging into the pockets of her robe. - -“Here, Vicki, I want you to see these.” She handed Vicki a few worn -documents. “I’ll just turn on this little bedside lamp, and tilt the -shade.” She did so. “The letter on top is--well, read it, Vicki.” - -Vicki unfolded the letter, so old it was tearing at the creases. The -ink had faded and the note paper was losing its tint. This letter was -authentic, all right. It was addressed “Dearest Eleanor,” and was -signed “Mother.” It proposed a family reconciliation and offered aid -for small Lucy. Vicki glanced up inquiringly. Lucy said: - -“Mother never accepted Grandmother’s offer. I guess she never even -answered this letter. We all had such strained feelings about--about my -father. He was a darling. Here’s a snapshot of him.” - -Lucy handed Vicki a thin bundle of old snapshots and photographs. One -was of her parents taken at a picnic. One was of Mr. and Mrs. Bryant, -very formal, taken years before. One was a print of the same snapshot -of Lucy as a little girl, seated on the porch steps, which Mrs. Bryant -had shown Vicki earlier. These pictures, too, impressed Vicki as being -authentic, not clever forgeries. - -“I’d have more photographs and letters to show you,” Lucy said, “except -that Mrs. Heath insisted on putting them away for safekeeping. She -wanted me to give her _all_ the letters and photographs for her to put -away--she even urged me to let her put away this silver ring.” - -“She did!” Vicki exclaimed, then remembered to lower her voice. “Where -did she put your things?” - -“They’re locked in her room somewhere, along with her own valuables, -and she keeps her door locked, too. She says it’s safer that way in the -country.” - -“Is that really necessary?” - -“Well, you see, I do want to please her. So I gave her _most_ of my -letters and photos to put away, but I just have to keep a few things -with me all the time. I’ve done that ever since my parents died, I -suppose it’s awfully sentimental. And of course the silver ring. I -couldn’t bear to part with it, even though Mrs. Heath predicts that -I’ll lose it gardening, or something.” - -“I don’t think you’ll lose your ring,” Vicki said dryly. “I think it’s -strange that Mrs. Heath made such a point of putting away your very -personal things.” - -“No, it isn’t. She locked away all her own things, too. And she says -any time I want my things, I only need to ask her.” - -“We-ell--Ssh! Do I hear her moving around?” - -“Oh, my! Sometimes she knocks on my door when she doesn’t feel well--” - -Both girls listened. Lucy put out the lamp, and moonlight poured -into the room again. On the other side of the wall Mrs. Heath _was_ -stirring. They held their breaths. They heard bedsprings creak, then -quiet. Lucy let out a sigh of relief. - -“I guess she just turned over in her sleep.” - -Nevertheless, they kept perfectly still for a few minutes, and left the -lamp off. Lucy ventured to speak again, softly, eagerly. - -“You still haven’t told me the message from my grandparents, Vicki.” - -“I’ve told you most of it, or you’ve guessed it. They want to give -you all the advantages and good things which they feel you, as their -granddaughter, are entitled to.” - -Lucy murmured, “That’s wonderful,” then asked what made them change -their minds, after so many years? Vicki explained how Mr. Bryant’s -severe heart attack had made him stop and take moral stock of his life. -She added that Lucy’s grandmother had for a long time grieved about the -family separation. - -“Now they want you to come live with them, Lucy, or near them, if you -wish.” - -The eagerness drained out of Lucy’s voice. “They don’t really want me.” - -“Lucy, they _do_ want you! Very much!” - -“But I can’t decently leave Mrs. Heath now. If you had brought me this -news a few weeks ago, it would have been wonderful--it would have -transformed my life! But it’s impossible now. I’ve promised to stay -with her--she needs me.” - -“Why did Mrs. Heath talk at dinner about going abroad?” Vicki asked. -“Have you also promised to go out of the country with her?” - -“It’s just a vague plan Mrs. Heath has had ever since I met her. I -don’t know exactly what she has in mind.” - -Vicki asked whether they would go soon. - -“I suppose it might be soon. Mrs. Heath does things on the spur of the -moment.” - -Vicki found this a troubling prospect. If Lucy went abroad and stayed a -long time, she might never be reunited with her grandparents. Even if -she remained abroad a short time the separation was risky; the Bryants -were elderly people, Mr. Bryant had a heart ailment. However, on this -point Lucy was stubborn. Vicki saw that she felt really committed to -her job with Mrs. Heath. - -“Lucy, do you ever,” Vicki said tentatively, “wonder about your -employer? Don’t you ever have any doubts about her and her plans?” - -“How did you guess that?” Lucy exclaimed. Then she seemed confused. “I -shouldn’t really have said that. Mrs. Heath is kind to me, and this is -a pleasant job. But to tell you the truth, some things _do_ strike me -as strange. Especially now that I have a chance to talk about it--I -mean, now that you make me think about it.” - -“What things?” - -Lucy gave a sigh of relief. “All right, I’ll tell you, though maybe I’m -being disloyal.” - -Ever since they had come to Pine Top, Lucy said, Mrs. Heath had not -actually written anything, though the book was their reason for being -here. Mrs. Heath had not given Lucy any dictation beyond a few letters, -mail orders, to San Francisco stores. As for the mail, what there was -of it, Mrs. Heath handled it herself and never let Lucy touch outgoing -or incoming letters. - -“But surely you could mail a letter if you wanted to,” Vicki said. -“When you go down to Pine Top or drive into the nearest sizable town.” - -“But we haven’t left these premises since we first got here,” Lucy -said. “We’ve stayed right here for--let’s see--a month now.” - -“What! Why, for goodness’ sake?” - -“Oh, Mrs. Heath says she’s thinking out her book, she’s concentrating -and doesn’t want to be distracted. Besides, she hasn’t been feeling -very well.” - -“But _you_ could leave this place for a few hours, surely, just for a -change of scene,” Vicki said. - -“Mrs. Heath wants me with her. We’re busy enough. We keep house and -cook--we brought a big supply of food in the car, and Mrs. Heath phones -Mr. Potter when we need more. She tells him to leave it at the wall -door, and she leaves payment for him in our mailbox. Mrs. Heath doesn’t -like being bothered with deliveries. And, well, there’s the garden to -take care of, we read, we chat. It sounds pretty dull, doesn’t it?” -Lucy said uncertainly. She seemed to be reconsidering their routine. -“Mrs. Heath has kept me busy doing some rather pointless research for -her.” - -“Hmm.” It was extraordinary, Vicki thought, that for a month Lucy had -not seen nor talked with anyone except Mrs. Heath. “Don’t you get -restless or lonesome?” - -“Yes, I do! I wanted to call up a couple of my friends in San -Francisco, but Mrs. Heath discouraged me from doing so. She won’t -even let me answer the telephone, though it seldom rings. It’s in her -bedroom, and she keeps her bedroom door locked.” - -“But why locked?” - -“Because of the valuables she keeps in there, she says.” Again Lucy -seemed to reconsider. “It _is_ odd, isn’t it?” - -“Lucy, I want to say something which I hope won’t offend you. I know -that you’re fond of Mrs. Heath--you’ve mistakenly made her almost a -substitute for your own mother. Well, like her or not, it sounds to me -as if Mrs. Heath is keeping you a prisoner here.” - -Lucy remained silent and motionless. The moonlight had shifted, the -room was darker now, so that Vicki could not read her expression. At -last Lucy said: - -“That’s a harsh thing for you to say. But--but I’ve once or twice -thought the same thing. A prisoner.” - -“You _could_ leave, you know.” - -“It’s not so simple, Vicki. I haven’t any money.” - -Mrs. Heath did not pay her a salary on a weekly basis. That would not -make much sense here in these hills. She promised to pay Lucy’s salary -in a lump sum later on. Mrs. Heath had given her a sum in advance, when -Lucy first took the job with her. But the girl had spent it on clothes -and paid some old bills. “And Mrs. Heath persuaded me to bank what was -left.” - -“You could leave if you wanted to,” Vicki pointed out. “Even without -money. There are always people who’ll help you, and organizations -who’ll help, if you seriously need help in an emergency.” - -“Well, I don’t feel I have the right to leave. I promised to stay with -her for a certain length of time. It’s more than a business obligation, -Vicki. She cares more for me than my grandparents ever did. And Mrs. -Heath needs me. She depends on me.” - -But Vicki had seen that Mrs. Heath was neither ill nor dependent. In -fact, she was a vigorous woman with a decided will. True, the employer -had to be considered, but Lucy needed to consider her own welfare, as -well. Vicki suspected Mrs. Heath of playing upon Lucy’s sympathies, and -her lonesomeness for her family. - -“Lucy, how did you happen to strike up such a close acquaintance with -Mrs. Heath in the first place?” - -“Well, it was rather sudden,” Lucy admitted. At the women’s hotel, -Lucy said, the residents easily became acquainted in the lobby, in -the dining room, in the television lounge. She and Mrs. Heath had -liked each other from the start. She felt complimented when Mrs. Heath -decided almost at once that Lucy was exactly the girl she had been -looking for, to be her secretary-companion. In offering the job, Mrs. -Heath showed Lucy unassailable credentials and identification. - -“She comes from Chicago,” Lucy said. “I think she has friends in New -York, too. I overheard her phoning once when she had given me an -all-morning gardening chore. I ran out of seeds and then the spade -handle broke and I came up to her room to tell her about it, only her -door was locked. I heard her, though. She was having trouble getting -her number. She was trying very especially to reach someone in New -York. I guess you think I’m awful to be an eavesdropper, Vicki.” - -“Not at all, under these strange circumstances. What did you hear?” - -“Well, it was a person-to-person call, but I don’t know _whom_ she was -calling. All I heard was the New York telephone number. I guess it’s -a business place, because she kept asking for an extension number. I -remember the number because it’s an easy one and it’s like one I called -a lot when I was a secretary at Interstate Insurance. It’s--” - -“Wait.” Vicki turned on the bedside lamp, took a slip of paper from her -purse, and wrote down the New York number. It was not familiar to her. - -“I’m going to keep this number, Lucy.” - -“What are you going to do with it?” - -“I don’t know at the moment. Don’t worry. I won’t do anything to -embarrass you or get you in trouble. I think you’re already in trouble, -being here in this isolated house almost as a prisoner. Why, Lucy, -you’re being held here incommunicado! Don’t you realize that?” - -“But I--Mrs. Heath is so nice to me.” - -“Nice! Yes, on the surface, in little things. You’re letting your -sympathies blind you to the facts. I’m a great deal more suspicious of -this woman and these living arrangements than you are. Listen to me, -Lucy! I think you’d better get out of here. Fast. This is an unhealthy -situation for you. I wish you’d fly out of here with me tomorrow -morning.” - -Lucy hesitated. “It’s so sudden. I need time to think, though what -you’re saying is true--I need to think about my grandparents, too. I -hardly know how I feel about them.” - -She was leaving the question open. Vicki was dissatisfied with that. -Once she herself had left this hidden house, she might not be able -to gain entrance and see Lucy again, and she would not be able to -communicate with Lucy by telephone or letter. This was their only -chance, tonight, to set up some arrangement to help Lucy leave. To -escape, actually--because Mrs. Heath would not want to let the girl go. - -Vicki thought hard. If she came back here to get Lucy, she’d better not -use a plane and alert Mrs. Heath a second time. She’d better use a car, -which she could rent, and which she could park out of sight and sound -down the road from the house. Lucy could meet her there. They’d need a -signal for the day and hour. If only she could use the telephone! Well, -she could, in a way. - -“Lucy, do you know the telephone number in this house?” - -“Yes, I got it from the telephone company man when he hooked up the -phone here for us. It’s--” Vicki wrote it down. - -“Lucy, I’m going to come back here secretly and get you. I’ll be -waiting in a car at the first sharp curve at the top of the road. It -will be noon. All you’ll have to do is slip away and run down the road. -Don’t take any luggage with you, not even a coat or purse, nothing to -arouse Mrs. Heath’s suspicion. Do you understand?” - -“Yes, but--You’re really going to do all this for me? You honestly -think I’m not safe here?” - -“Lucy, pay attention! I’ll be waiting at noon.” - -“What day?” The girl sounded frightened. - -“I don’t know the day yet, but on that morning I’ll send you a signal -by telephone. I know you can’t receive a phone call, but here’s a way. -The telephone will ring, Mrs. Heath will answer it, and I’ll say--” - -Vicki stopped. No, she would be driving from San Francisco to Pine Top -that morning. Someone else would have to make that call. The minister? -Yes, she could rely on Mr. Hall to do it. Vicki resumed: - -“Mr. Hall, not I, will telephone on that morning. Early, before his -church service, if it’s a Sunday. Mrs. Heath will answer and he’ll say -it’s the telephone company making a test call, and hang up. Then he’ll -call again, right away. You’ll hear the phone ring a second time, but -when Mrs. Heath answers, he’ll hang up without speaking. As if it were -an error.” - -“And Mrs. Heath will be annoyed enough to mention the two phone calls -to me. I’ll be listening every morning for the phone to ring. To ring -twice.” - -“Good girl.” Vicki sighed. “I’d much rather you’d fly out of here with -me in the morning. It would be surer and safer.” - -“I--I can’t.” - -“Well, the morning you hear the telephone signal, you’re to meet me at -noon. Promise, Lucy?” - -The girl took a deep breath. “Promise. But I’m scared.” - -“I’ll come back as soon as I can.” - -They whispered good night and Lucy crept back to her room. - - - - -CHAPTER X - -_The Signal_ - - -Vicki’s departure the next morning did not go well. For one thing, -Mrs. Heath was suspicious when Vicki “repaired” the plane engine. “So -easily?” she said--and Vicki wondered how much the woman guessed. For -another thing, Lucy was fearful again this morning when Vicki hinted, -“It’s such a fine, clear day. Just come for a little flight, Lucy.” One -look at Lucy’s face showed she longed to leave. - -Mrs. Heath said quickly to Lucy, “I’m not feeling well again this -morning. Please don’t leave me alone.” - -Lucy looked at the older woman almost guiltily. “Maybe someday I’ll -take a ride with you, Vicki,” was the most the girl would say. - -Her employer sighed. “You girls probably think me very strict, but I’d -like to remind you that I’m half ill, I have important work to do. You -know very well, my dear,” she said to Lucy, “that I need you.” - -The woman played on the girl’s pity, and Vicki saw that Lucy had not -the heart to walk out openly. Also, as Lucy herself had pleaded last -night, she obviously needed more time to think. There was nothing now -Vicki could do except thank them both and climb into the plane. - -Just before she slammed the door, Vicki called: - -“I should be back in the San Francisco area by noon. Noon.” - -Lucy nodded. She and Mrs. Heath walked a safe distance away from the -plane, waving to her. In minutes Vicki took off. - -From the air, the hidden house quickly sank out of sight. Oddly enough, -she reached Novato Airport, outside San Francisco, precisely at noon. - - * * * * * - -Who was Mrs. Heath? This was what Vicki wanted to learn now. Who was -this woman who had coincidentally appeared at the Hotel Alcott and out -of the blue offered Lucy a job? Why was she detaining Lucy? - -And who was the “Lucy Rowe” in New York? The girl who had flown -into New York on Vicki’s plane, yet had not _then_ worn the silver -ring? Suddenly Vicki remembered an incident of that flight with its -near-emergency landing--the lost gold charm inscribed Dorothy! It had -fallen off someone’s bracelet or out of someone’s purse or pocket. Yet -when the stewardess tried to return the valuable trinket, no one had -claimed it. Why not? Did Dorothy not wish to identify herself? - -Suppose, Vicki thought in a flash of insight, that the alleged Miss -L. Rowe on that flight was actually Miss Dorothy “Somebody.” In that -case she wouldn’t dare claim the inscribed charm--it would publicly -reveal her to be an impostor. And by now Vicki was convinced that the -dark-haired “Lucy” at the Bryants’ house was in fact an impostor. - -“Or am I only guessing about the charm?” Well, she could think of ways -to find out when she was again in New York. This afternoon she had -other points to check. - -That telephone number in New York which Lucy said Mrs. Heath had -called--apparently a business place--who was at the other end? Vicki -tried a bold plan. She asked on her hotel phone for that New York -number herself. - -She heard the connection go through, heard the San Francisco operator -say, “San Francisco calling,” and give the New York operator the -number, then a telephone ringing three thousand miles away--ringing as -clearly as if it were next door. A crisp, businesslike voice answered. -“Two-three-four-five. Good afternoon.” - -Vicki was disappointed. She had hoped that whoever answered would say -the firm name--if there were a firm name in this case. - -“Hello?” said the voice in her ear. - -“Hello,” Vicki replied, and swallowed nervously. “This is Mrs. Heath -calling.” There, the step was taken! - -[Illustration: _The hidden house quickly sank out of sight_] - -“Oh, yes, Mrs. Heath. One moment, please, and I’ll ring Mr. Dorn.” - -Mr. Dorn! He and Mrs. Heath were linked! She’d never suspected -it--Thurman Dorn’s voice came on. - -“Hello, Mother,” he said. - -Vicki nearly dropped the telephone. She was careful not to answer, not -to make a sound. - -“Mother? Is anything wrong? Whatever are you doing in San Francisco?” A -pause. “Hello? Mother? Hello!” - -Vicki held her breath. She hoped Dorn would think something had gone -wrong with their telephone connection. He repeated his hellos, then -buzzed his receptionist, and demanded, “What’s happened to my San -Francisco call, Sally?” - -“You’re still connected, Mr. Dorn.” - -Now his voice sounded angry. “Mother? Is that you? Hello?” - -Dorn hung up, and Vicki hung up, too. Whew! Her heart was banging away -over the discovery. - -In the next instant Vicki realized that by pretending to be Mrs. Heath, -she had put herself in a dangerous position. Even more, she had put -Lucy in danger! For Thurman Dorn could easily check by calling Mrs. -Heath. Then, when she informed him that Vicki Barr had flown in as an -uninvited guest at the hidden house, and that Lucy had half wanted to -leave with her, Dorn would know Vicki Barr was on their trail. And Lucy -might really disappear. - -“Oh, what have I done!” Vicki groaned. - -But it _was_ done now, and no use fretting about it. She had gained an -immensely valuable piece of information, but at a high price. She had -known all along that the search for Lucy was risky. One thing stood out -urgently--now that she had probably aroused Dorn’s suspicions, she must -get Lucy out of that hidden house and away from Mrs. Heath as soon as -possible. Tomorrow, or next day at the latest. Time was of the essence. -She and Lucy would need time, too, to reach the Bryants and some -degree of safety. But she was scheduled for a Federal flight day after -tomorrow, Sunday. Time! - -Vicki at once telephoned the Federal Airlines office at San Francisco’s -International Airport, and asked for her Flight Stewardess Supervisor. -But Miss Middleton was in a conference which would last the rest of -the afternoon, and no one else was authorized to change Vicki’s flight -schedule. - -“Please tell Miss Middleton,” Vicki said into the phone, “I’ll come in -to see her tomorrow, at eight in the morning.” A day lost, and no help -for it. A day for Dorn to use-- - -Mother and son! Mr. Dorn, the lawyer assigned to find Lucy, and Mrs. -Heath, the employer who took Lucy away with her to the hills--they were -in collusion! - -“The next thing is to prove it,” Vicki realized. “Mr. and Mrs. Bryant -are so delighted with their bogus granddaughter that they might never -accept the true Lucy without proof.” - -Proof. Facts, which were matters of record. She remembered that Dorn -stayed at the St. Clair Hotel from January twelfth to twenty-first, -and on February twenty-first, during his first and second visits to -“search” for Lucy. Vicki called up the hotel, asked for the man who had -advised her before, and inquired: - -“Can you tell me, please, whether a Mrs. Elizabeth Heath was at the St. -Clair Hotel around the middle of January? And again in February, around -Washington’s Birthday?” - -She waited, then was told: - -“Yes, Mrs. Heath registered here last January twelfth and stayed two -days.” - -“Did she leave a forwarding address?” - -“Yes, Mrs. Heath moved from here to the Hotel Alcott.” - -“Was she accompanied by a Mr. Thurman Dorn when she checked in?” - -“We have no record of that.... You’re welcome, Miss Barr.” - -They’d arrived together in San Francisco, and had been discreet enough -to register separately. Mr. Dorn must have gained some information -quickly about Lucy. For two days later Mrs. Heath had moved into the -Hotel Alcott where Lucy had just moved in, too. And Mrs. Heath had lost -no time in striking up an acquaintance with Lucy, offered her a job, -lured her away from San Francisco where anyone could find her, hid her -out in the hills. The next move, Vicki saw plainly, was to lure Lucy -into going abroad. A very smooth way to make Lucy disappear, so that -they could put their own confederate into the Bryants’ house to inherit -the Bryant fortune! - -And Mr. Dorn? While his mother was busy getting Lucy out of the way, -what had he been doing? Finding a suitable hide-out house, arranging to -rent a car? So Mr. Dorn’s “report” to the Bryants that Lucy was on a -trip, was traveling with friends, was a prearranged lie! The same lies -as the glib ones the false Lucy told. - -“Never mind reconstructing the details of their scheme,” Vicki told -herself. “I haven’t time now. The urgent thing is to go get Lucy.” - -She glanced out the window. It was dusk. She could not do much more -today beyond setting up the signal. - -By telephone she reached the minister’s residence but only the -secretary was in. Another conference and delay! Vicki made an -appointment to see Mr. Hall, or at least talk with him on the -telephone, early the next morning after she’d seen her supervisor. She -would know by then how much time she had to rescue Lucy. - -She made one further telephone call, to a car rental agency. On a -gamble, she reserved a car for either tomorrow or Sunday morning, -depending on what free time Federal Airlines allowed her. It was about -a three-hour drive to Pine Top--if she made an early enough start and -drove fast, she could keep the noon rendezvous. - -Vicki sat down to think over Lucy’s dangerous situation--and her own. -She wanted very much to report what she had found to the police, -and leave the responsibility for rescuing the girl to them. But she -recalled Lucy’s fear that her grandparents did not really want her. -Bringing Lucy to them via the police might turn her grandparents -against her. - -Vicki sighed. “I’d better get Lucy out of that hidden house before Mrs. -Heath and Mr. Dorn think up any new plans for her.” - - * * * * * - -Early the next day, Saturday morning, rain poured down. An all-day -March rain, from the Weather Bureau prediction. In the hotel room -Vicki turned the radio on and heard that small aircraft were ordered -grounded, most big commercial airliners continued to fly on schedule, -and for drivers road conditions were fair. - -“Fair is good enough to drive to Pine Top,” Vicki decided. “Providing -I can get there by noon--first, providing I can get extra time off to -allow for any delays or unexpected developments.” For she might not get -back from Pine Top today--she might miss her scheduled nine A.M. flight -tomorrow. - -She bundled up and went to take the bus out to International Airport. -San Francisco was wrapped in fog; it made halos of street lamps and -shadows of people. Vicki barely found the bus which appeared to be -floating. It crawled at a maddeningly slow pace the thirteen miles out -to International Airport. - -“I’ll never be able to reach Pine Top by noon,” Vicki mourned. “Not in -this fog. Why, just going to the car rental place and then driving out -of San Francisco could take an hour.” She’d have to go tomorrow--unless -tomorrow she found herself in uniform aboard the Electra. - -In the fog she groped her way to the Federal Airlines building, using -the Hangar One entrance. It was a quarter to eight. Miss Middleton -was already in her office. For the first time in her career as a -stewardess, Vicki asked to be excused from making a scheduled flight. -Miss Middleton, on learning that Vicki had urgent personal business, -granted her a leave of absence of three days, to be made up later. - -“Provided,” said the supervisor, “I can find a stewardess to take your -place. I’ll phone you at your hotel some time after noon today.” - -That settled it. No trip to Pine Top today. - -Vicki went to one of the telephone booths in the corridor. She called -the car rental agency and said she would want a car tomorrow, not -today. Then, though it was early to disturb him, Vicki called the -minister. He was at breakfast, and very glad and relieved to hear from -her. - -“Have you found Lucy, Miss Vicki?” - -“Yes, I have.” - -“Good, good! Where is she?” - -“At a place called Pine Top, and it isn’t good at all, Mr. Hall. I’m -going to get her out of there--tomorrow, I _hope_--But, in order to -rescue Lucy, I’ll need your help here in San Francisco.” - -“Anything you say, Miss Vicki. Your tone of voice alarms me. Do you -want to come to see me and talk it over?” - -They discussed meeting. But since Vicki had to be back at her hotel -by noon, they decided they might as well talk fully on the telephone. -Vicki dropped more coins into the telephone box at the operator’s -request. - -“Well, Mr. Hall, Lucy is in serious trouble.” Vicki described the -situation with Mrs. Heath. - -“I don’t understand why this Mrs. Heath wants to detain the girl,” said -the minister. “It _is_ detention. But why? Can you tell me why?” - -His voice sounded so concerned that Vicki could almost see the -minister’s face, his quiet expression and perceptive eyes. Why should -she not confide in him? He was Lucy’s good and old friend. - -“Yes, I’ll tell you why, Mr. Hall,” Vicki said into the telephone. -“It’s a long story, it goes back to Lucy’s grandparents--” - -“Her grandparents! Her only surviving grandparents are the Marshall -Bryants, in New York.” - -“Yes. They want Lucy at last, you see. But a terrible thing has -happened because of the inheritance.” Vicki told the minister the whole -story of the Bryants, Thurman Dorn, and the false Lucy. Then she told -him of her own search which had led her to Lucy and Mrs. Heath and the -truth. - -“I am appalled,” the minister said, after she had finished. “Why not go -to the police at once?” - -“Because it could ruin Lucy’s first meeting with her grandparents.” -Vicki explained Lucy’s nervousness about meeting the Bryants, after -years of being ostracized. She mentioned their abhorrence of publicity. - -“Yes, I see,” the minister said reluctantly. “What alternative is -there? What do you plan to do, Miss Vicki?” - -She told him of her plan to return to Pine Top. She told Mr. Hall of -the telephone signal Lucy was listening for, and described exactly what -he must do, and gave him the telephone number of the hidden house. - -“I’ll call you tomorrow, Mr. Hall, just before I start out by car for -Pine Top. It’s a three-hour drive, so I’ll call you early. You’re to -signal by telephone at, say, nine A.M. That will give Lucy three hours’ -notice.” - -“Of course I’ll do it. But, Miss Vicki! Isn’t it dangerous for you, and -for Lucy, too, to attempt this escape?” - -She replied that Mrs. Heath might not be watching Lucy so closely in -broad daylight. On the big grounds of the Glidden place, among its many -trees and bushes, Lucy with her outdoors chores could quite naturally -“wander” out of sight. - -“If the plan doesn’t work”--Vicki caught her breath at the chance--“if -anything goes wrong, Mr. Hall, then you’d better call the police.” - -“How will I know your plan hasn’t succeeded?” - -“When I drive back to San Francisco bringing Lucy, I’ll call you. That -should be about three or three thirty. Four, at the latest. I’ll call -you then. Or if there’s trouble at any point, I’ll try to phone you.” - -“And if I don’t hear from you by four tomorrow I’m to call the police?” - -“Yes, Mr. Hall. Thank you very, very much.” - -“I don’t like it,” he said. “It’s dangerous--” - -“I don’t like it much myself. But it’s the best we can do.” - -They left it at that, and said good-by until the next day. Vicki felt -grateful that she had someone like Mr. Hall to rely on. - -In the fog Vicki found the airport’s bus stop. She rode back slowly -over blurred roads and bridges. When she got off the bus in downtown -San Francisco, the pavement seemed bottomless under her feet. She -reached her hotel, glad to be indoors where there were lights. Though -it was nowhere near noon, Vicki settled down in her room to wait for -the Flight Supervisor’s call. - -Waiting, the day seemed the longest of her life. Vicki did everything -she could think of to pass the time. She read, she sewed a little, sent -down for a sandwich, visited with a stewardess next door, read some -more. At four o’clock the telephone rang. It was the Flight Stewardess -Supervisor to notify Vicki that her request for extra time off was -granted. - -Vicki went downstairs to the lobby about five o’clock. The stewardesses -of several airlines who stayed at this hotel had a favorite corner, -where they looked for one another and exchanged flying news. This -afternoon two girls in Trans-USA’s gray uniform were sitting there, -having hot tea. Vicki knew them slightly; they were Peggy Bennett and -Nancy Notaro. - -“Hello, you look as if you’ve just come in from a flight,” Vicki -greeted them. - -“And such a flight! Grueling,” said Peggy. “Come sit down, -Vicki.” She said they had flown by jet nonstop from New York, a -five-and-a-half-hour run, starting at one thirty New York time that -afternoon. - -“The most demanding passengers you ever saw,” Nancy said, as Vicki -joined them. “I admit that they were interesting people. But one young -man nearly drove Peg and me out of our minds. A lawyer, I think.” - -“He was awfully anxious to get here,” Peggy said to excuse him. “Our -Boeing 707 didn’t go fast enough to suit Mr. Dorn.” - -Vicki froze. “Did you say Dorn? Do you remember his first name?” - -“I think it was Thurman,” said Nancy. “Why, Vicki, what’s the matter? -Aren’t you feeling well?” - -“N-no, I’m not. Was anyone traveling with Mr. Dorn?” - -“He was alone. Vicki, you’ve turned white! Here, have some of this -tea--” - -“I think I’d better go to my room,” Vicki said, and excused herself. - -Upstairs in her room she did some rapid figuring. Yesterday afternoon -she had guardedly telephoned Dorn’s office in New York, giving her name -as Mrs. Heath and then keeping silent. Today Dorn had taken the fastest -plane he could board to San Francisco. His action could mean only one -thing: - -His suspicions were aroused by her telephone call. He probably -telephoned his mother right back, learned _she_ had not just called -him--and learned about Vicki Barr’s surprise visit to the hidden house -the night before. Mrs. Heath would have told him how Vicki Barr struck -up a sympathetic acquaintance with Lucy. The woman had been disturbed -about that; Dorn would be disturbed, too. Further, Mrs. Heath had -probably told him that Vicki Barr had flown back to San Francisco -earlier on the day of the faked telephone call. - -So Dorn knew now that Vicki Barr was checking up on him and Mrs. Heath. -He was certain enough of it to take the first plane to San Francisco, -to come here and circumvent her. This was what Vicki had feared, and it -had come true. - -“What will Dorn do next?” Vicki wondered. “Steady, now. I mustn’t -panic. Well, he’ll go to Pine Top, and take Mrs. Heath and Lucy out of -there. Take them some place where I can’t find them again. This time -Lucy will really disappear. And then Thurman Dorn will deal with me.” - -She shivered. “_Stop it_,” she scolded herself. “I must try to think -clearly.” - -How soon, how fast, could Dorn reach Pine Top? The city was still -wrapped in fog; so were its outlying highways, the radio reported. That -meant Dorn could not fly or drive to Pine Top today, not with night -closing in. He’d probably start out for Pine Top first thing tomorrow -morning, weather permitting--just as she herself planned to do. - -“Suppose I encounter Dorn on the highway while I’m driving to Pine -Top?” She would have to disguise herself a little, and drive a closed -car. “Or suppose he goes to Pine Top in a private plane--he’d arrive -before I do. Will that ruin Lucy’s getaway, our getaway?” - -At least she had one small advantage. She already had a car reserved. -Dorn would encounter some delay in renting a car, or renting a private -plane and the services of a pilot, since these were much in demand and -often sold out in advance. Probably he would be able to hunt around and -rent _something_, but it would take him extra time. Time! - -When she went to bed, Vicki noticed that the fog had turned into a -driving rain. - -She rose very early Sunday morning. It was still raining hard. The -radio predicted an all-day downpour and reported that roads were washed -out in several localities. Motorists were advised to cancel their plans -and stay off the highways. - -“Oh, how awful!” Vicki thought. “Another day lost! Well, I’ll go to -Pine Top tomorrow--I hope.” - -She immediately made two telephone calls. One was to Mr. Hall, asking -him to call Pine Top tomorrow instead of today. The other was to the -car rental agency, changing her reservation to the next day. Then Vicki -ventured out in the rain to attend church. She lived through the rest -of that Sunday somehow. - -Monday morning she again was up early. The weather was clear. She -dressed quietly, without waking Jean Cox, tied a scarf over her head to -conceal her light hair, and took along a bulky coat and dark glasses. -These things were to make her less recognizable in case she met Dorn -anywhere along the way. She took a scarf, sunglasses, and sweater -for Lucy. Although she was too worried to feel hungry, she fortified -herself with breakfast at one of the few restaurants open that early. -Here she purchased sandwiches, and had the thermos bottle she had -brought along filled with coffee. Now she and Lucy need not stop for -lunch, lose precious time, make themselves visible in case Dorn was out -looking for them. - -That is, _if_ she herself could reach the appointed place in the -road without mishap, _if_ Lucy could keep the rendezvous, _if_ they -actually could make their getaway. - -Before she reached the car rental agency, Vicki put on the coat and -dark glasses. - -A sedan was driven out for her, with its gas tank filled to capacity. -Vicki signed the necessary papers, paid a deposit, and then went to a -telephone booth. She called the minister. - -“I’m leaving now, Mr. Hall. Getting an early start. You’ll -phone--signal--around nine?” - -“Yes, at nine. I’ll be listening for your telephone call this afternoon -to learn that you and Lucy are safe. Good luck, Miss Vicki.” - -“Thanks, Mr. Hall. I’ll need it.” - -Out on the highway traffic was light, and she made good time. Vicki -kept watch in the rear-vision mirror to see if any car was following -her, but so far, so good. Of course Dorn could be heading for Pine Top -on any of several alternate roads. - -The drive seemed a long one. It helped that she had twice flown over -this Mother Lode country; the small towns and rivers were familiar -landmarks and guides. But the car was slow compared to a plane, -particularly when the land grew rolling and then hilly. - -At twenty minutes before noon she was driving through Pine Top, and -there still was no sign of a car or a private plane coming in from the -same direction as she was. Vicki headed the car up the steep, winding -hill which led to the hidden house. - -She drove to the first sharp curve at the top of the road, found an -area of trees a little off the road to provide some concealment for the -car, and backed into it. Vicki turned off the ignition and waited. The -birds were singing. The sun shone down on the empty road. - -“What if Lucy doesn’t come?” Vicki thought. “What if she loses her -nerve and doesn’t try? Or tries but can’t get out? The wooden door in -the wall is kept locked--but surely somewhere she could find a place to -climb over the wall.” - -The minutes dragged. - -“Or suppose she and Mrs. Heath have already left? Mrs. Heath had a -rented car. Dorn could have phoned them to leave at once.” If only she -could go close enough to the house to see and hear what was going on! -Was Dorn there? Was Mrs. Heath keeping an extra close watch on Lucy? - -Vicki got out of the car to stretch her legs. She wanted badly to -venture around the bend in the road to see whether Lucy was coming--it -was a minute or two until noon. But she stayed in the little enclosure -of trees, half out of sight. - -She heard a car coming up the hill. Vicki stepped behind her own -car just as a black sedan whizzed by--the man driving was its only -occupant. He had red hair. Thank goodness it wasn’t Dorn. - -Suddenly a figure came running around the bend, hair flying. It was -Lucy! - -“Here I am!” Vicki hissed. - -“Hurry! Where’s the car?” Lucy gasped. “Get in!” - -They got in, slammed the doors, Vicki turned on the ignition, and tore -out of her hiding place. They streaked down the steep road. - -“Are you all right, Lucy? Is anyone else at the house?” - -“No. A man is coming this morning--driving--he phoned Saturday night -and Sunday morning. Mrs. Heath had me pack our suitcases this morning. -Hurry, Vicki! Mrs. Heath is probably looking for me by now, and she has -a car!” - -They sped through Pine Top and onto the open highway. Vicki saw a car -coming--any car coming might be Dorn. She kept on going, at the top -speed allowed. - -“Lucy, there’s a scarf and sunglasses on the seat. Put them on, cover -up your face and hair all you can. How’d you get out?” - -“I pretended to be gardening near the wall, climbed a tree, dropped -onto the top of the wall, and scrambled down on the outside.” Lucy gave -a shaky laugh. “I tore my stockings. I must be a sight. I didn’t bring -even a purse or sweater or anything with me. Nothing except my family -documents in the pocket of my dress.” - -“That’s all that matters.” The silver ring was on Lucy’s hand. - -“Mr. Hall phoned twice, around nine,” Lucy said. “Mrs. Heath got -awfully annoyed at the ‘telephone company testing.’ She complained to -me--but I’d heard the phone signal, anyway.” Lucy let out a long sigh -of relief. “Where are we going?” - -“Back to San Francisco. To catch a plane to New York.” - -“Think we’ll make it to San Francisco safely?” - -“We have a fast car, a good chance. Sit back and try to relax, Lucy.” - -They rode for many miles in silence. Both girls were tense. After a -while Vicki asked Lucy to open up the sandwiches and coffee. They had a -hard time swallowing any food, and lapsed into silence again. Then Lucy -said: - -“If and when we get to New York, do you plan to take me to my -grandparents?” - -“Yes, we’ll go directly to the Bryants’.” - -Lucy seemed fearful. - -Vicki reproved her. “Besides, unless you want to go to the police, it’s -the only place where either of us will be safe.” - -Vicki omitted saying: “Provided we can reach the Bryants before Dorn -does.” She did not want to frighten Lucy further. And Lucy was already -nervous enough about facing her grandparents. - - - - -CHAPTER XI - -_Escape_ - - -At a gas station Vicki slowed down, looking around cautiously for any -car which might be Dorn’s before she stopped. No sign of Dorn--yet. -Vicki bought gas and did not linger. Out on the highway she picked up -speed and said to Lucy: - -“Now, listen to me. Mrs. Heath and her son are trying to keep you away -from the Bryants and your rightful inheritance. They want the Bryant -wealth for themselves.” - -“But how could they? I don’t understand--who is Mrs. Heath’s son?” - -“He’s Dorn, a lawyer your grandparents hired to find you--that was -when Mrs. Heath was luring you out to the hills. Then when you were -practically a prisoner, Dorn brought a girl he said was Lucy Rowe to -your grandparents--” - -“But I’m Lucy Rowe!” - -“--and they’ve accepted her on his word and ‘evidence’ and because -of the silver ring she wears.” Lucy gasped. “Their next step is to -persuade you to go abroad and stay there. Now, this other girl, who’s -in collusion with Dorn and Mrs. Heath, is living in your grandparents’ -house and pretending to be you.” - -Lucy burst into tears. “That’s terrible. Are you sure, Vicki? How do -you know?” - -“I met the girl at the Bryants’ house, that’s how I know. And I only -hope,” Vicki said tensely, “that Dorn and Mrs. Heath don’t stop us from -ever reaching New York.” - -Lucy said, crying, “Even so, please let’s not go to the police. Not -even to report them. I don’t want my grandparents to hear about me -first from the police. I want to meet them in a--a happy way--” - -“You shall. Don’t cry any more, Lucy. Don’t look so afraid. I think -Dorn and Mrs. Heath’s main intent now is to reach the Bryants first -with their story, before you and I do. They probably won’t waste time -trying to stop us.” Vicki did not entirely believe this, but Lucy could -not stand much more strain. - -They were approaching the outskirts of San Francisco. Vicki stopped at -a public telephone booth and called the minister. It was a little past -three o’clock in the afternoon. - -“Miss Vicki!” he said. “What a relief to hear from you! Are you all -right? Is Lucy with you?” - -“Yes, Mr. Hall. Here she is.” Vicki handed Lucy the receiver, -whispering, “Be quick.” She moved away, but heard Lucy say: - -“Oh, Mr. Hall, if only I’d listened to you!” - -Lucy talked to him for a minute or two, then gave the phone back to -Vicki. - -“I’m going to try to get us on a plane to New York this afternoon,” -Vicki said to him. “I think Federal Airlines will find room aboard for -us. Please don’t worry, Mr. Hall. Thank you for everything. We’ll keep -in touch with you.” - -Vicki next called Federal’s reservations desk. As one of their -stewardesses, she could fly free on vacation and, in addition, she -could get a pass when she had the mileage coming to her. Luckily -she had it now. Vicki pleaded for a seat for herself and one for -her friend, Lucy Rowe. Since Vicki insisted this was an emergency, -Reservations agreed to accept her check for Lucy’s fare and told her -to go out to International Airport and wait. If, at the last minute, a -flight had two seats still unpurchased or had two cancellations, she -and Lucy were welcome to them. - -First they returned the rented car, then traveled by taxi to the -airport. In the rotunda Vicki and Lucy made themselves as inconspicuous -as they could around a corner--Dorn and Mrs. Heath might walk through -the terminal at any time! The two girls waited out one flight after -another. Passenger traffic was heavy; not a single Federal flight had -space for them. - -Vicki began to worry, and to grow tired and hungry. Lucy was drooping. -Vicki went again and again to the reservations desk, reminding them, -begging for seats. The evening wore on. By now, Dorn and Mrs. Heath had -had ample time to drive from Pine Top to San Francisco and, as they -themselves were doing, try to get space on a flight. Who was going to -win this grim race? Finally, at ten thirty Reservations cleared Vicki -and Lucy to go aboard a Federal DC-7 air coach. It wasn’t as fast a -plane as the Electra, but at least it flew a direct transcontinental -route. They would have to change planes at Chicago. - -The two stewardesses were acquaintances of Vicki’s, and they were -surprised to see her come aboard. Noticing how tired she and Lucy were, -they brought them sandwiches and hot coffee once they were aloft, and -then blankets. The two girls were too exhausted to say or think another -single thing. They fell asleep and slept through the quiet night flight. - -Next thing Vicki knew, a stewardess was shaking her. “Wake up, Vic. -We’re coming in at Chicago in five minutes.” - -Vicki awakened Lucy. It was half dark and cold as they left the plane, -two bedraggled figures, and boarded another plane. Take-off time was -seven A.M. The girls slept again. At ten thirty A.M., New York time, -they landed at Idlewild Airport. A Federal crew car gave them a ride -into Manhattan. Vicki asked to be let off at the apartment she shared -with several other stewardess friends. It was just as well that no one -but their housekeeper, Mrs. Duff, was at home. - - - - -CHAPTER XII - -_The Silver Rings_ - - -“I can’t meet my grandparents for the first time looking like this,” -Lucy said. “I know it’s important for us to get to them before Mr. Dorn -does, but it’s important for me to look nice, too.” - -“Don’t worry,” Vicki said, “I’ll lend you some clothes. You go shower -and change now. I will, too, but first I must make some telephone -calls.” - -She telephoned La Guardia Airport and asked for the “Lost and Found” -Desk. - -“Hello, this is the Federal Airlines stewardess,” Vicki said into the -telephone, “who turned in a gold charm, inscribed Dorothy. One of my -passengers lost it. Can you tell me whether anyone has ever claimed it?” - -“It’s still here,” the clerk told her. “No one has even inquired about -it, so far as I know.” - -That confirmed her suspicion--the owner was _afraid_ to come for it. -The reason why might prove interesting. - -Next, she telephoned the Bryants’ house. Mrs. Bryant was surprised -and pleased to hear from her. Vicki asked whether she could come over -to see them, and added that she’d like to bring a friend to meet them. -“Soon, please? It’s important.” - -“We’d be delighted to see you and your friend,” said Mrs. Bryant, “but -it can’t be this morning. We’re expecting guests for lunch at twelve -thirty. Why don’t you and your friend come at two?” - -“At two,” Vicki repeated. She longed to ask whether the luncheon guests -would include Mr. Dorn, or whether the Bryants had heard from Dorn -yesterday or today. But she couldn’t very well ask. “We’ll be there at -two. Thank you very much, Mrs. Bryant.” - -Lucy had come in, wearing a bathrobe, and heard Vicki make the -appointment. She looked woebegone, still lost. Vicki had to encourage -her. - -“Yes, I know my grandparents want me,” Lucy said excitedly, “but the -other ‘Lucy’--Is she more attractive than I am?” - -“Not nearly as likable,” Vicki said to soothe her. - -“I can’t help feeling nervous, though, especially since you’ve told me -what Mr. Dorn’s been up to,” Lucy said. - -“Come on. Let’s find you some clothes that will fit you and be -becoming.” - -Vicki borrowed from her own and Jean’s wardrobes. She made herself -presentable, then Mrs. Duff gave them a quick lunch. As they ate, the -girls debated whether Lucy still had, in certain ways, the hardest part -of her ordeal to struggle through. - -On the way over to the Bryants’, Lucy was silent and preoccupied. She -wore the silver ring, and had the family documents in her purse. When -she saw the mansion her grandparents lived in, she hesitated. Vicki -took her hand and escorted her up the marble steps. - -“I’ll never fit in here,” Lucy whispered, as they followed the butler -toward the room with the parakeets. - -“Yes, you will,” Vicki whispered back. “Wait and see.” - -Mr. and Mrs. Bryant were waiting for them. Vicki’s heart sank when she -saw that ‘Lucy’--the false Lucy--was with them. She had wanted so much -to talk to them alone! Mrs. Bryant rose and came forward to greet the -two girls. - -“How nice to see you, Vicki. And I’m so glad you’ve brought your -friend. I asked our Lucy to stay and meet her.” - -The true Lucy stared at the impostor. There was no real resemblance -between them, except that both were brown-haired, around the same age, -and either Lucy might have once been the little girl in the snapshot. -The true Lucy must have seen the silver ring on the other Lucy’s hand, -for she thrust her hand in her pocket to hide her own silver ring. -Vicki took her friend’s arm, to give her courage. - -As Mr. Bryant and the sophisticated-looking girl rose from the sofa, -Vicki said, “This is my friend from San Francisco, Lucy Rowe.” It took -all her courage to come right out and say that. She watched the false -Lucy closely. - -“Lucy Rowe!” Mrs. Bryant exclaimed, and a look of wonder crossed her -face. - -“What a coincidence,” the other girl said, after a pause. “How do you -do, Miss Rowe?” - -Lucy was unable to speak. She looked into Mrs. Bryant’s face with her -feelings naked in her eyes. Marshall Bryant said: - -“Quite a coincidence, eh, Miss Vicki? Two girls with the same name. -Well, well. Let’s all sit down, anyway.” He sat down heavily. “I ate -too much lunch.” - -Lucy stared at her grandfather. She stayed as close as she could to -Vicki, her hand still in her pocket. - -“How odd that we’ve never met,” the false Lucy said smoothly to the -true Lucy. “I’m from San Francisco, too, you know.” - -“It--it _is_ quite a coincidence, isn’t it?” Mrs. Bryant said shakily. - -Vicki drew a deep breath and said what sooner or later had to be said. -“It’s more than a coincidence, Mrs. Bryant. This young woman is--is -your granddaughter, and I can--” - -“That’s preposterous!” the false Lucy exclaimed. She was furious. “_I_ -am the Bryants’ granddaughter, and I resent--” - -“--and I can prove it,” Vicki went on evenly. “There has been a -terrible mistake here. If one can call it a mistake.” - -Marshall Bryant snorted. “Young lady, you’re having a pipe dream. -Thurman Dorn is a good man, a good lawyer. He doesn’t make mistakes. Do -you think I’d hire an incompetent man?” - -Vicki was shaking all over. “It isn’t simply a mistake, Mr. Bryant. -Forgive me for contradicting you, but Mr. Dorn has deliberately brought -you the wrong girl.” - -“Rot!” the big man said, and the false Lucy drew herself up in scorn. -Only Mrs. Bryant, her hands trembling so badly that she had to clasp -them, said to the newcomer: - -“Tell me, my dear. Do you believe yourself to be our granddaughter?” - -Slowly Lucy drew her hand out of her pocket and extended it. “Here is -the ring you gave my mother. And here are photographs of us all--and a -letter you wrote my mother--” - -The false Lucy laughed. No one took the things Lucy offered. She -stood there abashed. The false Lucy cried, “Why, Grandpa, they’re -fakes--forgeries, that’s all.” Mrs. Bryant glanced back and forth -between the two Lucys, bewildered and hurt. Finally she reached out and -took the photographs and letters, and examined them. - -“Marshall,” she said, “I did write this letter to Eleanor.” He made a -gesture of disbelief. Mrs. Bryant turned to the newcomer. “Where did -you get this letter?” - -“Mother gave it to me. Just as she gave me this ring.” - -“I also have my mother’s ring.” The false Lucy indignantly held up her -hand with the silver ring. She was still assured, but her face had -turned a sickly white. - -Marshall Bryant exploded. “Someone here is lying! If you think I’ll set -aside the detailed proof of my lawyer, and reject this lovely young -woman we’re so fond of--if you expect me to take the word of a girl -I’ve never seen or heard of before--Why, it _is_ preposterous! Vicki, -where in the world did you find this girl, and what in the world are -you thinking of?” - -Vicki said as bravely as she could, “Mr. Bryant, I have _proof_ that -she is your granddaughter, if you’ll only listen to me.” - -“I think we’d better listen, Marshall,” said Mrs. Bryant. -“I--er--before Mr. Dorn had found Lucy, I requested our young -friend--since she sometimes flies in and out of San Francisco--to see -whether she could learn anything about our granddaughter.” - -“You did!” Marshall Bryant turned to Vicki. “And you actually -investigated? But you’re not a trained investigator.” - -“Just the same, please listen to what I found out,” Vicki pleaded. - -The butler came in to say that Mr. Thurman Dorn was at the door, and -asked whether the Bryants would see him. - -“We certainly will see him!” Mr. Bryant said. “Right away! Lucky for us -he’s here.” - -Mrs. Bryant murmured that this seemed to be their day for coincidences. -Vicki said, “This is no coincidence, either, Mrs. Bryant. Mr. Dorn has -just flown in from San Francisco where he was yesterday--intending to -stop me from bringing Lucy to you.” - -Marshall Bryant stared at her as if she were out of her mind, and the -false Lucy smiled pityingly. - -They waited for Dorn. Lucy said to Vicki, very low, “This is scarcely -the reception I’d dreamed of.” - -Dorn came in. His suit was rumpled, as if he had slept in it all night. -However, he was as self-possessed as ever, and gave Vicki and her Lucy -a look of utter contempt. - -“I see these two fakers beat me here,” he said. “Good afternoon, Mrs. -Bryant, Lucy. How are you, sir? May I impose on your hospitality and -ask for some hot coffee? I’ve just flown to San Francisco and back on -your behalf. I flew all last night on a wretchedly slow coach plane, a -long, roundabout Dallas-Memphis local,” he said disgustedly. “The only -plane I could get on last night without a reservation--” - -He sank into a chair. Vicki and Lucy exchanged glances. Getting here -before Dorn hadn’t done them much good. Marshall Bryant spoke to him -sympathetically while Mrs. Bryant ordered the coffee. - -Vicki decided to attack Dorn before he could attack her. - -“Mr. Dorn, I’ve found out how your mother, Mrs. Heath, lured Lucy out -of San Francisco--” - -“Your mother?” said Mr. Bryant in surprise. - -“--and kept Lucy virtually a prisoner in--” - -“Stop lying!” Dorn ordered. “You’re a ridiculous little amateur -detective who’s been meddling--” - -“--prisoner in a lonely house near the Sierra Nevadas, until I got -her out of there yesterday! And that’s where you were yesterday, Mr. -Dorn--in Pine Top!” - -Dorn’s eyes narrowed. The false Lucy kept perfectly still. The lawyer -retorted: - -“Miss Barr, you evidently are stupid and irresponsible. Perhaps this -girl with you is, too. Dreaming up some fantastic tale! Prisoner!” He -turned to Mr. Bryant. “What has she told you?” - -Mrs. Bryant answered. “They showed us another silver ring, and these -photographs and letters.” - -Dorn smiled dryly. “Documents can be forged, or stolen. A silver ring -can be copied, too, by a clever jeweler.” He turned to the true Lucy -and thundered at her, “How did you manage to steal and forge these -things?” - -As Lucy drew back in fright, Vicki said: - -“Any stealing and forging that was done, _you_ did. From the Bryants’ -safe here in their house. You borrowed their family documents and the -ring--to ‘study.’ You said--” - -Both Bryants were listening to her now. Vicki turned to them. - -“There’s a minister in San Francisco, a Mr. Hall, who’s known Jack and -Eleanor Rowe, and Lucy, ever since Lucy was born. Would you take _his_ -word?” - -Mrs. Bryant gasped. “What else did you find out? Mr. Dorn, why did you -never mention the minister to us?” - -“Because there is no such person in their family history,” he said -boldly. “Lucy”--he turned toward the false Lucy--“did you ever know a -minister named Hall?” - -“No, our minister’s name was Dr. John Sands.” - -“Ah, you see!” Marshall Bryant said with satisfaction. “I shall get in -touch with Dr. Sands.” - -“I wish, Grandpa,” said the false Lucy, “that Dr. Sands was still -alive. He’d tell you the truth.” - -The true Lucy said suddenly, “Ask Mr. Hall. I’ll give you his address -and telephone number.” - -Marshall Bryant eyed her distrustfully, but his wife said, “You haven’t -answered my question, Vicki. What else did you find out?” - -Dorn tried to prevent Vicki from speaking. He heaped her with scorn and -flatly denied all allegations--but Mrs. Bryant insisted. - -Vicki started to enumerate her points: the so-called Lucy had not -worked for Whitney Decorators because no such firm had ever existed. -Her alleged doctor, Dr. Alice James, did not exist. The addresses where -she’d said she lived did not exist. - -“Lies, lies!” Dorn said to Mr. Bryant. “I visited every one of those -persons and places myself. You have my word for it.” - -Marshall Bryant nodded. Vicki said to him: - -“Mr. Dorn is the one who’s lying. You have _only_ his word for these -things, and he and his mother and this girl he misrepresents to be your -granddaughter--they’re all in collusion together.” - -“I’ll take you to court for libel, Vicki Barr!” Dorn fairly shouted. - -She ignored that, and appealed to the Bryants. “Send an impartial -investigator to San Francisco, or go yourselves. You’ll find out from -the Interstate Insurance Company that _that’s_ where Lucy worked, ever -since she got out of school. Talk to Mr. Hall. Talk to Jill Joseph who -lives in Lucy’s old house in Sutro Heights--she and her parents, the -Rossiters, knew Lucy’s parents--” - -“Ridiculous,” said Dorn, with a little laugh. “Perhaps this other -girl’s name actually is Lucy Rowe--though I doubt it--but even if it -is, that does not make her your granddaughter and your heir. Can’t you -see how easy it is for an unscrupulous girl to claim to be your kin -whom you’ve never seen? A crude attempt, I must say.” - -Vicki saw that she was getting nowhere. The more points she raised, the -more Dorn, with a lawyer’s great verbal skill, twisted and bypassed -them. He managed to make Vicki’s statements appear implausible. He -enumerated proofs of his own correctness. Lucy, sitting beside her, was -numb with misery. - -Vicki looked at the false Lucy and had an inspiration. She addressed -her directly, sharply: - -“See here, Dorothy, I know a good deal about you--” - -The false Lucy started. - -“Yes, I know it was you who lost the gold charm inscribed Dorothy on my -plane that day. I know you came here from Chicago, not San Francisco--” - -“I didn’t--” - -“Her name isn’t Dorothy,” Dorn broke in. - -“--and I know,” Vicki kept on, “that you arrived _two days earlier_ -than you pretended to the Bryants. Where were you those two days?” - -“Lies,” Dorn said. “She--” - -Mrs. Bryant turned to the agitated girl. “Two days earlier? Is this -true?” - -“Don’t you know,” Vicki kept at the girl, “that impersonating another -person is a crime and you can go to jail for it?” - -“I’m not--I didn’t--” the fake Lucy stammered. - -“You’d better tell the truth,” Marshall Bryant warned her. - -The false Lucy burst into tears. “He talked me into doing it,” she -cried. “Thurman said as soon as we were married, my name would be Dorn -and no one would ever know of this impersonation. Calling myself Lucy -Rowe was just for a little while--” - -Marshall Bryant in his anger was having difficulty in breathing. Vicki -feared he might suffer another heart attack. “Just for a little while,” -he repeated heavily. “While you tricked us into believing that you were -our granddaughter, eh? I suppose you planned to keep up the pretense -and call yourself Lucy indefinitely. Only now you’ve lost your nerve!” - -“Thurman never told me that there was a real Lucy Rowe; he never told -me I’d be cheating someone,” the other girl asserted, weeping. “Don’t -blame me! He and his mother told me that Lucy was dead, only you didn’t -know it, and that we might as well have the inheritance for ourselves -instead of letting some stupid charities have it. Thurman and Mrs. -Heath are to blame, not me.” Dorn tried to break in, but the girl went -on half hysterically. “They said that with my dramatic school training -and being a quick study, I could easily play Lucy’s part--” - -“You’re telling half-truths,” Dorn said. “You never objected to -becoming rich, did you?” - -“Keep quiet, both of you,” Marshall Bryant ordered. The old man turned -toward Vicki. “What’s this about Dorn’s mother?” - -“Yes, didn’t you once tell us,” Mrs. Bryant asked the young lawyer, -“that your mother in Chicago was widowed and had remarried? What is -your mother’s name?” Dorn tugged hard at his mustache and refused to -answer. “Mr. Dorn,” Mrs. Bryant reminded him, “we can find out from -your law firm.” - -Dorn muttered, “Her name is Heath. Elizabeth Heath. She’s a widow for -the second time; she’s alone except for me.” - -“So you thought you’d provide for your mother, yourself, and your -fiancée at my expense,” Marshall Bryant said bitterly. “No wonder you -were in such a hurry to have me sign over a parcel of stocks and bonds -to Lucy--Dorothy--whatever her name is.” The girl gave her name, very -low: Dorothy Clinton. “Well, I’ll rescind that immediately!” - -“About Mrs. Heath,” Mrs. Bryant said. “She actually kept this -girl, our--our granddaughter”--it was hard for her to reverse her -thinking--“out of sight?” - -“Yes, on a pretense of a job,” Vicki answered. “Not only that! They -also planned to get her to go abroad and maybe never return.” - -The Bryants both caught their breaths. Mr. Bryant got up and pulled at -the wall cord to summon the butler. “I’m going to call the police,” he -said. - -“Wait just a minute, sir,” Dorn said. “You still have no final proof of -who this girl is.” - -“I have proof!” the true Lucy spoke up. “I have some proof with me and -much more if I can get my things back from Mrs. Heath. Besides, I’m -sure Mr. Hall and some of my San Francisco friends and old teachers -will come East to vouch for me. They’ve known me all my life, and known -my mother and father, too.” - -“All right, all right,” the elderly man said, and passed his hand over -his eyes. No one except Vicki noticed the butler waiting at the door. -Mrs. Bryant stared dazedly at Dorn. - -“Maybe you’d better start your explanations with the very beginning of -this rotten scheme,” Marshall Bryant said. “You’re going to have to -explain to us--and the police--sooner or later.” - -Dorn put his head in his hands. “Very well, I will.” Then he said, “I -have some papers in my brief case in the hall, sir”--Dorn stood up--“if -you’ll permit me to get them.” - -Suddenly he seized the false Lucy by the hand, and they ran out of the -room. The butler was so stunned by surprise that he was motionless. So -was everyone for a few seconds--until Vicki sprang to her feet. “Don’t -let them get away!” She and the butler ran after them. She saw Dorn and -the girl racing down the marble steps and along the street. - -Vicki and the Bryants’ man tore after them. They were heading toward a -taxicab waiting at the curb a few houses up. Vicki saw a gray-haired -woman in the taxi who looked familiar. Mrs. Heath! - -“Driver!” Vicki called out. “Don’t take those people! They’re -criminals!” - -“Catch that man!” the butler shouted. - -The taxi driver jumped out and caught Dorn. He struggled to tear free, -while Dorothy screamed at the butler to let her go. Vicki reached Mrs. -Heath just as the woman tried to slip away. Out of nowhere a policeman -appeared on the run. - -“What’s all the shouting about?” he demanded. “What’s the matter here?” - -From the top of his house steps Marshall Bryant told them all to come -into the house. “Pay the driver his fare,” he directed the butler, “so -he can go.” The policeman herded the rest of them into the house, with -Dorothy screaming now at Dorn. Vicki walked in beside Mrs. Heath who -looked as if she, too, had slept in her clothes last night. Mrs. Heath -scornfully would not even glance in Vicki’s direction. - -They all sat down in the room with the parakeets, where Mrs. Bryant and -Lucy waited together. Marshall Bryant explained the situation briefly -to the policeman, who said: - -“You’d better phone the precinct for a couple of detectives, Mr. -Bryant. This is out of my jurisdiction. I’ll stay until they get here, -though.” - -Mr. Bryant instructed the butler to telephone. Then he said to Dorn: -“Talk!” - -[Illustration] - -Thurman Dorn sat crumpled in a chair, head bent. He plucked at his -fingers as he almost inaudibly told the whole story. - -[Illustration] - -He had always had to struggle along and economize, he said, and he felt -that as an educated man he was entitled to more than a small-salaried -job. His mother and his fiancée, too, were ambitious and resentful of -“scrimping along.” They felt they were entitled to wealth just as much -as people like the Bryants. Thurman Dorn was determined to get rich as -quickly as possible. His attitude was “Once you have a great deal of -money, people won’t care or dare ask how you acquired it.” - -When the Bryants engaged him to search for their granddaughter and -heir whom they had never seen, Dorn calculated this was his main -chance. The Bryant fortune was so big that he was willing to risk -committing a crime. He believed that his cleverness and knowledge of -the law would protect him. And he believed he had evolved a foolproof -scheme: to present his fiancée to the Bryants as their unknown -granddaughter, then marry her and through her gain the Bryant fortune. -He flew to Chicago and talked his mother and Dorothy into the scheme. - -First, though, Dorn had to learn whether Lucy Rowe could be gotten out -of the way. He and Mrs. Heath went on to San Francisco in mid-January -and learned--something the Bryants did not then know--that Jack Rowe -had died two years earlier. This left Lucy alone in the world, and -suited Dora’s scheme perfectly. Dorn also learned that Lucy was working -as a secretary at Interstate, had moved several times in the past few -years, and had just moved into the women’s hotel. - -The next step was for Mrs. Heath to move to the Hotel Alcott, strike -up an acquaintance with Lucy, and offer her a job out of town or -“traveling.” At the same time, Mrs. Heath learned a great deal more -about Lucy and passed the information along to Dorn. Meanwhile, Dorn -located a well-hidden house in the back country and rented it and a car -for Mrs. Heath. - -Then Dorn flew alone to Chicago, where for two days he coached Dorothy -in the role of Lucy. To do this, he used the information gained -by Mrs. Heath, and by himself in talking with the Bryants. Dorothy -memorized certain facts of Lucy’s life and acted out a personality -designed to please the Bryants. Dorn carefully supplied her with a -story about Lucy’s recent past. He promised Dorothy further advice on -the role of Lucy. - -Dorn then flew on to New York, and reported to the Bryants that he -could not yet find their granddaughter who was away on a month’s trip. -He was allowing his mother time to get Lucy out of San Francisco and -into hiding. He also borrowed from the Bryants, from the safe in their -house, family letters and photographs and Mrs. Bryant’s silver ring, -ostensibly to “study” them. - -Actually Dorn in the next hour had the photographs and letters -photostated, and he mailed them to Dorothy in Chicago to study for -developing her role. The same day he took the silver ring to a jeweler -and had it sketched to be copied. Within a few days the third silver -ring was ready and he mailed it to Dorothy. Meantime, Dorn had promptly -returned all the originals to the Bryants. - -The rest of their scheme was to persuade Lucy to leave the United -States and stay abroad. - -Unfortunately for them, Vicki had observed the false Miss L. Rowe -on her Chicago-New York flight. By that time Dorothy had devised a -make-up and hair style which helped her to resemble, superficially, -the faces in the Bryant family photographs. Dorn, who had never taken -Vicki seriously and did not bother to remember with what airline she -was a stewardess, never told Dorothy to stay off Federal Airlines. On -Dorothy’s part, it was a piece of carelessness that on that flight -she had worn, and lost, the gold charm inscribed with her own name. -Arriving in New York on a Tuesday, Dorothy went to a hotel, and on that -day and Wednesday, she and Dorn held a final, thorough rehearsal of her -role. On Thursday, Dorn brought her to the Bryants, saying, “Here is -your granddaughter who has just flown in from San Francisco.” Dorothy -had acted her role so convincingly that the Bryants did not doubt this -charming girl was truly their granddaughter. - -“That’s all,” Dorn finished. His voice sounded hollow. “My second trip -to San Francisco was just for show, so that I could come back and say -‘I’ve found your granddaughter.’” - -“Lies from start to finish,” Marshall Bryant said angrily. “I’ll see -that the three of you pay for this! What a fool you’ve been, Dorn! You -threw aside a promising career with Steele and Wilbur--one of the most -reputable law firms in the country. When your employers hear about the -vicious scheme--” - -Two men quietly came into the room. - -“We’re precinct detectives,” one of them said, and they showed their -identification. “We’ve been standing in the hall and heard the whole -thing.” - -“Can you arrest these three swindlers at once?” Marshall Bryant -demanded. “For what they’ve done to my wife and me and to an innocent -girl?” - -“Yes, sir,” said the detective. “You are under arrest, Dorn, and so are -you two women, on a conspiracy charge.” - -“I know my rights,” Dorn asserted. “I’m a lawyer, and you can’t--” - -“I can,” said the detective. “Let me quote the law to you, Mr. Dorn. -The unlawful acts you three persons planned to commit, and in part did -commit, are fraud, misrepresentation, and obtaining money or property -under false pretenses.” - -“I object, I vehemently object!” Dorn said. “We may have planned it, -but we haven’t actually obtained the inheritance.” - -“That’s beside the point,” the detective said. “Quote: ‘Persons -agreeing together to commit a crime can be prosecuted for _conspiracy_. -In a conspiracy it does not matter whether the unlawful act agreed upon -is carried out or not.’ You’re under arrest for conspiracy. Get up. All -three of you.” - -Dorn shrugged and said no more. He, Mrs. Heath, and Dorothy stood up. -The false Lucy pulled the silver ring off her finger and bitterly threw -it at Dorn. - -Marshall Bryant said, “You’re being arrested for conspiracy, but I’m -going to bring action against you in the courts for a whole lot more. -For fraud and misrepresentation, and for detention of Lucy.” - -“They’ll draw heavy sentences,” the detective said. “All right, get -going.” - -When they were gone, the Bryants and Lucy and Vicki were unable to -speak for a few minutes. They looked at one another. - -“Miserable business,” Marshall Bryant growled. - -Mrs. Bryant went to sit next to Lucy, and put her arm around her. “My -child, you don’t have to be afraid any more.” - -“Nor alone any more?” Lucy asked timidly. - -“Nor alone any more,” the grandmother answered. “Will she, Marshall? We -shall make up to you for all the hard things you’ve been through. Tell -me, my dear, did your mother have a pet name for you?” - -“Yes, it was Lucinda,” Lucy said. “Sometimes Lucinda Belle, just for -fun.” - -“That used to be your grandfather’s special name for _me_” Mrs. Bryant -said, and both the old people smiled at Lucy. - -Mrs. Bryant leaned forward to touch Vicki’s hand. “Vicki, how can we -ever thank you?” she said. “You and Lucy and all of us must always be -friends.” - -Vicki smiled as she looked at Lucy’s happy face. “I think we will be,” -she said. - - - - -Transcriber’s Note: - -The 1960 copyright date on this book was not renewed so is now in the -public domain in the United States of America. - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Silver Ring Mystery, by Helen Wells - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SILVER RING MYSTERY *** - -***** This file should be named 53448-0.txt or 53448-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/3/4/4/53448/ - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, MFR and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, -and may not be used if you charge for the eBooks, unless you receive -specific permission. If you do not charge anything for copies of this -eBook, complying with the rules is very easy. You may use this eBook -for nearly any purpose such as creation of derivative works, reports, -performances and research. They may be modified and printed and given -away--you may do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks -not protected by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the -trademark license, especially commercial redistribution. - -START: FULL LICENSE - -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK - -To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full -Project Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at -www.gutenberg.org/license. - -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works - -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or -destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your -possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a -Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound -by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the -person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph -1.E.8. - -1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this -agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the -Foundation" or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection -of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual -works in the collection are in the public domain in the United -States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the -United States and you are located in the United States, we do not -claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing, -displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as -all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope -that you will support the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting -free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm -works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the -Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with the work. You can easily -comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the -same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg-tm License when -you share it without charge with others. - -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are -in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, -check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this -agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, -distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any -other Project Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no -representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any -country outside the United States. - -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other -immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear -prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work -on which the phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, -performed, viewed, copied or distributed: - - This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and - most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no - restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it - under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this - eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the - United States, you'll have to check the laws of the country where you - are located before using this ebook. - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is -derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not -contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the -copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in -the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are -redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply -either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or -obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg-tm -trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any -additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms -will be linked to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works -posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the -beginning of this work. - -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. - -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License. - -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including -any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access -to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format -other than "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official -version posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site -(www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense -to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means -of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original "Plain -Vanilla ASCII" or other form. Any alternate format must include the -full Project Gutenberg-tm License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -provided that - -* You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed - to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he has - agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid - within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are - legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty - payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in - Section 4, "Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg - Literary Archive Foundation." - -* You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all - copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue - all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg-tm - works. - -* You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of - any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of - receipt of the work. - -* You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work or group of works on different terms than -are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing -from both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and The -Project Gutenberg Trademark LLC, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm -trademark. Contact the Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. - -1.F. - -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project -Gutenberg-tm collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may -contain "Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate -or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other -intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or -other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or -cannot be read by your equipment. - -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. - -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium -with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you -with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in -lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person -or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second -opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If -the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing -without further opportunities to fix the problem. - -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO -OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT -LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of -damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement -violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the -agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or -limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or -unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the -remaining provisions. - -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in -accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the -production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, -including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of -the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this -or any Project Gutenberg-tm work, (b) alteration, modification, or -additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any -Defect you cause. - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm - -Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of -computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It -exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations -from people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future -generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see -Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at -www.gutenberg.org - - - -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by -U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's principal office is in Fairbanks, Alaska, with the -mailing address: PO Box 750175, Fairbanks, AK 99775, but its -volunteers and employees are scattered throughout numerous -locations. Its business office is located at 809 North 1500 West, Salt -Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up to -date contact information can be found at the Foundation's web site and -official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact - -For additional contact information: - - Dr. Gregory B. Newby - Chief Executive and Director - gbnewby@pglaf.org - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide -spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND -DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular -state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To -donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. - -Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project -Gutenberg-tm concept of a library of electronic works that could be -freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and -distributed Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of -volunteer support. - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in -the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not -necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper -edition. - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search -facility: www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. - diff --git a/old/53448-0.zip b/old/53448-0.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 6a092f2..0000000 --- a/old/53448-0.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/53448-h.zip b/old/53448-h.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 5674121..0000000 --- a/old/53448-h.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/53448-h/53448-h.htm b/old/53448-h/53448-h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index 37b27df..0000000 --- a/old/53448-h/53448-h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,7290 +0,0 @@ -<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" - "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> -<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> - <head> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=utf-8" /> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Style-Type" content="text/css" /> - <title> - The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Silver Ring Mystery, by Helen Wells - </title> - <link rel="coverpage" href="images/cover.jpg" /> - <style type="text/css"> - body {margin: 0 10%;} - .chapter, .section {page-break-before: always;} - h1,h2 {text-align: center; clear: both;} - h2.contents {line-height: 2em; font-size: 1.5em;} - h2 {line-height: 1.6em; font-size: 2em;} - h2 span {font-size: .6em;} - p {margin-top: 1em; text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 1em; text-indent: 1em;} - em {font-style: italic;} - - /* General */ - .noi {text-indent: 0;} - .center {text-align: center; text-indent: 0;} - .smcap {font-variant: small-caps;} - .smcap2 {font-size: .6em;} - .mt3 {margin-top: 3em;} - - /* Table */ - table {margin: auto; border-collapse: collapse;} - th {font-size: .8em;} - td {padding: .2em;} - .tdl {text-align: left;} - .tdr {text-align: right; padding-right: 1em;} - .tdr2 {text-align: right; padding-left: 1em;} - - /* Notes */ - ul.nobullet {list-style: none; text-align: left;} - li {margin-bottom: .5em;} - - /* Horizontal rules */ - hr {width: 60%; margin: 2em 20%; clear: both;} - hr.tb {width: 20%; margin: 2em 40% 2em 40%;} - hr.divider {width: 65%; margin: 4em 17.5%;} - hr.divider2 {width: 45%; margin: 4em 27.5%;} - - /* Page numbers */ - .pagenum {position: absolute; right: 2%; text-indent: 0em; - text-align: right; font-size: x-small; - font-weight: normal; font-variant: normal; font-style: normal; - letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; - color: #999; border-top: 1px solid; border-bottom: 1px solid; - background-color: inherit; padding: .01em .4em;} - - /* Images */ - img {max-width: 100%; width: 100%; height: auto;} - .figcenter {clear: both; margin: 2em auto; text-align: center; max-width: 100%;} - .width700 {width: 700px;} - .width500 {width: 500px;} - .width400 {width: 400px;} - .caption {margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; line-height: 1.5em;} - - /* Block center */ - .block-center-container {text-align: center; margin: 0;} - .block-center {display: inline-block; min-width: 10em; text-align: left;} - - @media handheld { - body {margin: .5em; padding: 0; width: 98%;} - h2 {line-height: 1em; margin-top: 0; padding-top: 0;} - p {margin-top: .1em; text-align: justify; margin-bottom: .1em; text-indent: 1em;} - hr.divider, hr.divider2 {border-width: 0; margin: 0;} - img {max-width: 100%; width: auto; height: auto;} - table {width: 96%; margin: 0 2%;} - .tn {width: 80%; margin: 0 10%; background: #dcdcdc; padding: 1em;} - a {color: inherit; text-decoration: inherit;} - .hidehand {display: none; visibility: hidden;} - } - </style> - </head> -<body> - - -<pre> - -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Silver Ring Mystery, by Helen Wells - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: The Silver Ring Mystery - The Vicki Barr Flight Stewardess Series #13 - -Author: Helen Wells - -Release Date: November 4, 2016 [EBook #53448] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SILVER RING MYSTERY *** - - - - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, MFR and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<hr class="divider" /> -<h1>The Silver Ring Mystery</h1> -<hr class="divider2" /> - - -<div class="hidehand"> -<div class="figcenter width500"> -<img src="images/cover.jpg" width="500" height="759" alt="Cover" /> -</div></div> - - -<div class="section"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<p class="center"><i>The</i> <span class="smcap">Cherry Ames</span> <i>Stories</i></p> -</div> - -<div class="block-center-container"> -<div class="block-center"> -<ul class="nobullet"> -<li>Cherry Ames, Student Nurse</li> -<li>Cherry Ames, Senior Nurse</li> -<li>Cherry Ames, Army Nurse</li> -<li>Cherry Ames, Chief Nurse</li> -<li>Cherry Ames, Flight Nurse</li> -<li>Cherry Ames, Veterans’ Nurse</li> -<li>Cherry Ames, Private Duty Nurse</li> -<li>Cherry Ames, Visiting Nurse</li> -<li>Cherry Ames, Cruise Nurse</li> -<li>Cherry Ames at Spencer</li> -<li>Cherry Ames, Night Supervisor</li> -<li>Cherry Ames, Mountaineer Nurse</li> -<li>Cherry Ames, Clinic Nurse</li> -<li>Cherry Ames, Dude Ranch Nurse</li> -<li>Cherry Ames, Rest Home Nurse</li> -<li>Cherry Ames, Country Doctor’s Nurse</li> -<li>Cherry Ames, Boarding School Nurse</li> -<li>Cherry Ames, Department Store Nurse</li> -<li>Cherry Ames, Camp Nurse</li> -<li>Cherry Ames at Hilton Hospital</li> -</ul> -</div></div> - - - - -<div class="section"> -<hr class="divider2" /> -<p class="center"><i>The</i> <span class="smcap">Vicki Barr</span> <i>Flight Stewardess Series</i></p> -</div> - -<div class="block-center-container"> -<div class="block-center"> -<ul class="nobullet"> -<li>Silver Wings for Vicki</li> -<li>Vicki Finds the Answer</li> -<li>The Hidden Valley Mystery</li> -<li>The Secret of Magnolia Manor</li> -<li>The Clue of the Broken Blossom</li> -<li>Behind the White Veil</li> -<li>The Mystery at Hartwood House</li> -<li>Peril Over the Airport</li> -<li>The Mystery of the Vanishing Lady</li> -<li>The Search for the Missing Twin</li> -<li>The Ghost at the Waterfall</li> -<li>The Clue of the Gold Coin</li> -<li>The Silver Ring Mystery</li> -</ul> -</div></div> - - - -<div class="section"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<div class="figcenter width400"> -<img src="images/frontispiece.jpg" width="400" height="580" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><em>“And of course I kept the ring,” Lucy said softly</em></div> -</div></div> - - - -<div class="section"> -<hr class="divider" /> - -<div class="figcenter width400"> -<img src="images/title.jpg" width="400" height="576" alt="Title page" /> -</div> - -<hr class="divider2" /> - -<p class="center">THE VICKI BARR FLIGHT STEWARDESS SERIES</p> - -<p class="center"><em>THE SILVER<br /> -RING MYSTERY</em></p> - -<p class="center">BY HELEN WELLS</p> - -<p class="center"><i>GROSSET & DUNLAP</i><br /> -PUBLISHERS<br /> -<i>New York</i></p> -</div> - - -<div class="section"> -<hr class="divider2" /> -<p class="center">© BY GROSSET & DUNLAP, INC., 1960</p> - -<p class="center"><i>All Rights Reserved</i></p> - -<p class="center mt3">PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA</p> -</div> - - -<div class="section"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<div class="figcenter width400"> -<div class="block-center-container"> -<div class="block-center"> -<p class="noi"><em>The author acknowledges with thanks -the generous co-operation of the Eastern -Region Stewardess Division of American -Airlines and Miss Mary Cody and Miss -Joan McGuckin, Supervisors of Stewardesses, -for the information given in the -preparation of this book.</em></p> -</div></div></div> -</div> - - -<div class="section"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<h2 class="contents"><a name="contents" id="contents"></a>CONTENTS</h2> -</div> - -<table summary="Contents"> -<tr> -<th class="tdr">CHAPTER</th> -<th> </th> -<th class="tdr2">PAGE</th> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">I</td> -<td class="tdl smcap">Aboard the Electra</td> -<td class="tdr2"><a href="#i">1</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">II</td> -<td class="tdl smcap">Vicki Meets the Bryants</td> -<td class="tdr2"><a href="#ii">10</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">III</td> -<td class="tdl smcap">The Story of Lucy</td> -<td class="tdr2"><a href="#iii">20</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">IV</td> -<td class="tdl smcap">A Puzzling Discovery</td> -<td class="tdr2"><a href="#iv">38</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">V</td> -<td class="tdl smcap">The Girl in the Portrait</td> -<td class="tdr2"><a href="#v">50</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">VI</td> -<td class="tdl smcap">Vicki Searches</td> -<td class="tdr2"><a href="#vi">63</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">VII</td> -<td class="tdl smcap">Which Lucy?</td> -<td class="tdr2"><a href="#vii">76</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">VIII</td> -<td class="tdl smcap">A Game of Wits</td> -<td class="tdr2"><a href="#viii">95</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">IX</td> -<td class="tdl smcap">Secrets at Midnight</td> -<td class="tdr2"><a href="#ix">112</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">X</td> -<td class="tdl smcap">The Signal</td> -<td class="tdr2"><a href="#x">134</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">XI</td> -<td class="tdl smcap">Escape</td> -<td class="tdr2"><a href="#xi">155</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">XII</td> -<td class="tdl smcap">The Silver Rings</td> -<td class="tdr2"><a href="#xii">159</a></td> -</tr> -</table> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_1" id="Page_1">1</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="i" id="i"></a><span>CHAPTER I</span><br /> -<em>Aboard the Electra</em></h2> - - -<p class="noi"><span class="smcap">“That’s why,” Vicki explained to her family</span>, -“the Electra is so challenging. Mary Carter -warned us stewardesses, while she was retraining -us for the Electra, that this beauty flies so fast -there’s hardly time to get all our jobs done.”</p> - -<p>“You mean it’s a hard assignment, don’t you?” -said Ginny. She was fourteen, and Vicki’s younger -sister.</p> - -<p>Their mother, Betty Barr, said, “I’m sure if I -had your job on a jet-prop—Or is it a jet? Which -is it, Lewis?”</p> - -<p>Professor Barr looked amused. “You know perfectly -well. The all-jet without propellers,” he -said, “the Boeing 707, is used more for long hauls—nonstop -coast to coast, or across oceans. The -Electra 188, with jet engines <em>and</em> propellers, is -used mainly for intercity travel. I trust I have the -facts correct, Victoria.”</p> - -<p>He smiled at Vicki who looked so much like<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2" id="Page_2">2</a></span> -him—fair hair, light-blue eyes, the thoughtful -Barr gaze—that it was a family joke.</p> - -<p>“Well, anyhow,” said Vicki’s mother, “if <em>I</em> had -to get sixty-eight passengers safely on, off, and -fed, in two hours—Whew!”</p> - -<p>“Fortunately I’m not going to have to do everything -all by myself,” Vicki answered. “Jean Cox -and I will work the New York-Chicago-San -Francisco run together on the Electra.”</p> - -<p>They were having a leisurely early lunch at -home, at The Castle, before Vicki started out for -Chicago. It was Thursday, February twelfth, Lincoln’s -Birthday, an appropriate day to be in Lincoln’s -state, Illinois. The holiday explained why -Mr. Barr was not teaching at nearby State University -that day. The holiday did <em>not</em> account -for Vicki’s presence at home. As a flight stewardess, -she often worked on holidays.</p> - -<p>Vicki popped in and out of The Castle between -assignments, whenever she could. That wasn’t often. -Perhaps now that Federal Airlines was transferring -her to the Electra and one of its transcontinental -runs, she might be lucky enough to see -her family more often.</p> - -<p>Her mother was wondering about the same -thing. “Will your being based in San Francisco -mean that we won’t see much of you?”</p> - -<p>Vicki went over her schedule again with her -family. She and Jean Cox would fly regularly with -the same crew on the New York-Chicago-San -Francisco run, and return flight. They would have<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3">3</a></span> -at least an overnight stop in Chicago, and some -rest days in New York and San Francisco, “mostly -in San Francisco where our plane will be serviced.” -Also, since passenger traffic was sometimes -heavier in the East, Vicki and Jean would occasionally -fly the New York-Chicago and Chicago-New -York “turn-around” run. The fast cruising -speed of the Electra—up to five hundred miles -per hour—made these schedules possible.</p> - -<p>“Anyway, I’ll be in and out of Chicago,” Vicki -told her family. “If I haven’t time to run down to -Fairview to see you, maybe you’ll drive up to -Chicago to see me?”</p> - -<p>“I’ll come up,” her mother promised. “Now if -you don’t start for Chicago, young lady, the -Electra may take off for New York without you.”</p> - -<p>“Heaven forbid! I’ve been studying, practicing, -and dreaming jet-props!” So had her stewardess -friends, so had pilots and navigators—all of them -had been training intensively for the new aircraft -at Federal Airlines’ schools in New York and -Texas. “I wouldn’t miss today for anything!”</p> - -<p>Her family drove Vicki to the Fairview station -in plenty of time for the noon train to Chicago. -Freckles, their spaniel, sensed Vicki’s excitement -and ran around the platform so wildly that for -safety they had to lock him in the car.</p> - -<p>“Do you think, dear,” Mrs. Barr asked Vicki, -“that you’ll meet any especially interesting people -on this new plane?”</p> - -<p>“I wouldn’t be a bit surprised.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_4" id="Page_4">4</a></span> -They could hear the train coming. In another -minute it pounded in alongside the platform. -Vicki’s mother and sister hugged her. “Good luck! -See you soon!” Mr. Barr picked up her overnight -kit, helped her aboard the train, and found her a -seat. He bent over to kiss her.</p> - -<p>“You look mighty little to be flying coast to -coast, Victoria.”</p> - -<p>“I feel like an eagle in the sky—you know, the -words of the spiritual? Dad! The train’s starting -to move!”</p> - -<p>He got off, and then her family was waving to -her, and the train slid quickly out of the station. -She was on her way.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>By three o’clock Vicki was in Chicago, and a -little before four she reached Midway Airport. -That allowed comfortably for an hour’s preflight -ground duties before departure time at five <span class="smcap2">P.M.</span> -In the stewardesses’ lounge, Vicki changed into -her blue uniform and cap, then picked up her -topcoat, purse, and overnight kit. She walked over -to the operations area where she initialed the crew -check-in sheet, wrote in the time, and noticed that -Jean Cox had signed in five minutes ago.</p> - -<p>Vicki found Captain Jordan in the busy meteorologist’s -room. Jean was there, too.</p> - -<p>“Good afternoon, Captain Jordan—Jean. Reporting -in for our very first Electra flight!”</p> - -<p>The pilot, a graying, solidly built man in blue -uniform, smiled at her and Jean grinned. Jean Cox<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">5</a></span> -looked like a good-natured imp, with her cropped -brown hair and twinkling eyes. Vicki knew that -her fellow stewardess, despite the elfish grin, was -absolutely reliable—just as their million-mile -Captain Tom Jordan was a rock of strength. He -told his two stewardesses:</p> - -<p>“Dan McGovern will be our copilot, and Chuck -Smith our navigator. Good men, both of them. I -expect the five of us will work together fine as a -unit. Now, then—”</p> - -<p>Captain Jordan gave Vicki and Jean the flight -plan and briefed them on the route and the flight -conditions for this trip. Vicki knew that the passengers -who asked questions about the flight -might include anyone from a businessman who -flew his own private plane to an aviation engineer, -so she listened carefully. The pilot planned to fly -above the day’s overcast, at an altitude of around -22,000 feet. “Our cruising speed will be about 400 -to 420 miles per hour,” he said.</p> - -<p>Captain Jordan then handed Vicki and Jean the -Stewardess Briefing Book, which they quickly -read and initialed. He answered a couple of questions -for them, discussed the ETA—estimated -time of arrival—and said, “See you aboard.”</p> - -<p>“Aye, aye, sir,” said Jean, for both of them.</p> - -<p>The two girls hurried back to the stewardesses’ -lounge. There they prepared the necessary report -forms for the trip.</p> - -<p>“Do I look all right, Vic?” Jean asked.</p> - -<p>They both checked their appearance—a stewardess<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">6</a></span> -had to be perfectly groomed and turned -out—before leaving the operations area of the -building.</p> - -<p>They hurried down a flight of stairs into Hangar -One. In the vast high shed, Captain Jordan had -two men in blue uniform with him. The five of -them met beside a DC-7 which a repair crew was -tuning up. The engines roared; Captain Jordan -had to shout.</p> - -<p>“Miss Vicki Barr, Miss Jean Cox, this is our first -officer, Dan McGovern—”</p> - -<p>The girls shook hands with their copilot, who -was a large, quiet, serious-looking man.</p> - -<p>“—and our navigator, Chuck Smith.”</p> - -<p>Chuck Smith was young, small, and wiry, -with an ingratiating grin.</p> - -<p>“See you aboard,” they all said.</p> - -<p>The two stewardesses went outdoors onto the -windy airfield. A little distance away their immense -silver Electra stood waiting for them. The -plane was 104 feet long with a 99-foot wing span. -Its sheer size took their breath away.</p> - -<p>Vicki and Jean had forty minutes’ work to do -before the passengers came aboard. They had -many things to check—it would be just too bad -if, once aloft, they discovered there was not -enough water for making coffee, or found the ventilation -or heating system wasn’t functioning perfectly. -Hurrying up and down the long cabin -aisle, they took pride in their handsome Electra. -Wide reclining chairs were upholstered in blue, in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">7</a></span> -beige, and a few in pumpkin color; the silver-beige -walls and curtains and coral-colored carpet -harmonized. Vicki took special satisfaction in the -semicircular observation lounge with its wide windows -in the rear of the plane.</p> - -<p>While Jean checked their service kit, all emergency -equipment, cabin and lavatory lights, seat -belts, and a dozen or more other items, Vicki was -busy in the buffet area amidship. The two tall, -wide, metal buffets, facing each other, held drawers -and compartments for everything she and Jean -would need to store, heat, and serve sixty-eight -dinners, and to brew gallons of fresh coffee. Vicki -found it a big job to check every item. Next, the -caterer brought aboard precooked dinners on individual -trays, water, bags of coffee, and Vicki -checked all items off on her report form. She -called through the open service door to the commissary -men on the ground:</p> - -<p>“We’re short one dinner.” She saw the fueling -crew hosing kerosene for the plane’s four jet engines -into the storage tanks inside the wings. Daylight -was fading; the first of their passengers were -gathering behind the wire gate, looking on.</p> - -<p>Captain Jordan came aboard and went into the -cockpit. In a minute or two his copilot and navigator -followed. The cockpit door stood open until -departure time; Vicki could see the complex instrument -panel, and the three airmen at work with -their air maps and weather charts. She turned on -the music—a little early, but they all were keyed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">8</a></span> -up about this flight, and it helped to have lilting -music fill the cabin.</p> - -<p>Twenty minutes later Vicki and Jean were -breathless but ready. They repowdered their -faces, and smiled expectantly at each other. Jean -said:</p> - -<p>“I must say you look poised and calm.”</p> - -<p>“Calm? Who, me? Well, here’s wishing us good -luck.”</p> - -<p>Jean said a fervent amen, and then pressed -down on the switch which released a folding staircase -from the plane to the ground. Slowly the -stairs for the passengers’ use dropped down into -place. Then Jean took up her post just inside the -main entrance door, to greet their passengers. -Vicki stood smiling in the aft cabin to greet them -and assist them in getting seated.</p> - -<p>Mothers with babies and small children straggled -aboard first. Vicki directed them to window -seats in the quieter locations.</p> - -<p>“Miss, will you be able to heat my baby’s bottle?” -one mother asked her.</p> - -<p>“Yes, I’ll be glad to.”</p> - -<p>Vicki turned to a young couple who looked like -honeymooners. Their faces shone, and the girl -wore flowers. “Welcome aboard,” Vicki said to -them, and nearly added, “Congratulations.” She -suggested the forward cabin compartment which -was smaller and more private.</p> - -<p>Most of the passengers, many of them businessmen -with brief cases, found seats by themselves<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">9</a></span> -in the large main cabin and, beyond the buffet -area, in the aft cabin. For several minutes the wide -aisle swarmed with people.</p> - -<p>“Please be seated,” Vicki said to them as they -passed her, “and then I’ll hang up your coats.”</p> - -<p>A white-haired, well-dressed couple came very -slowly down the aisle. They must be in their mid-sixties, -Vicki thought. The elderly woman looked -pleasant, but the heavy-set man was scowling and -grumbling about something. He had a look of authority, -of command.</p> - -<p>Vicki went forward to help them. “Good afternoon. -Would you like to sit here?”</p> - -<p>The man nodded curtly. He helped his wife -into the window seat, then placed her hatbox -up on the luggage rack.</p> - -<p>“If you don’t mind, sir,” said Vicki, “may I put -that hatbox in the closet? It might bounce off the -rack during flight, and the sharp corners might -hurt somebody.”</p> - -<p>The elderly man sat down as if he had not -heard her. Then he remarked, “The hatbox can -stay where it is.”</p> - -<p>Vicki gulped, and said with her sweetest smile, -“Yes, of course, if you prefer.” The man’s wife -half smiled at her as if to say, “You mustn’t mind.”</p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">10</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="ii" id="ii"></a><span>CHAPTER II</span><br /> -<em>Vicki Meets the Bryants</em></h2> - - -<p class="noi"><span class="smcap">All the passengers were aboard now. Jean</span> -had closed the main cabin door.</p> - -<p>Captain Jordan flashed on the “No Smoking—Fasten -Seat Belts” sign. Vicki went up and down -the aisle checking to see that passengers had fastened -their seat belts. The airplane began to vibrate. -She made her welcoming announcement -over the plane’s public-address system, adding, -“Captain Jordan will keep you informed of flight -data en route.” Then both stewardesses found -seats—the observation lounge was the only vacant -place—and strapped in for the take-off.</p> - -<p>Suddenly the Electra was taxiing and in instants -they were racing past the end of the runway. -Even more suddenly—no wail, no warm-up -of the engines—zoom! Whoosh! Up they went!</p> - -<p>Jean and Vicki were so amazed that they stared -at each other. “Jet engines!” they exclaimed. -“Look at our rate of climb! And steep—almost -straight up!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">11</a></span> -The plane tore into the sky. The “No Smoking—Fasten -Seat Belts” sign went off. Here in the -cabin there were music, air at a comfortable temperature -and pressure, newspapers, magazines, -and pillows which Vicki and Jean distributed. -The captain’s call button sounded on the board in -the buffet area, and he spoke over the plane’s communications -system to the two hostesses.</p> - -<p>“Everybody comfortable?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, Captain,” said Vicki.</p> - -<p>“You can tell our passengers we reached our -cruising altitude within five minutes after take-off. -Anyone especially interesting aboard?”</p> - -<p>“We’ll tell you soon, sir,” said Vicki.</p> - -<p>The passengers were interested in the Electra -and asked questions. With sixty-eight aboard, -Vicki and Jean could not stop to visit. But they -chatted with the passengers while they set up at -each seat the tray tables for dinner and spread -linen tablecloths. The white-haired couple, Vicki -learned, were Mr. and Mrs. Marshall Bryant. The -lady told her this; the elderly man had fallen -asleep, as if overtired. One genial man was a movie -star, perennially young, even though he had five -children. Several passengers recognized him, -judging by their interested glances. He asked Vicki -several stiff technical questions about the jet-propelled -Electra.</p> - -<p>From across the aisle a woman touched Vicki’s -sleeve. “My two youngsters are getting hungry, -I’m afraid. Could you please—?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">12</a></span> -“Yes, indeed, we’ll serve dinner soon. And we -always serve the children first.”</p> - -<p>Vicki made her way along the slightly swaying -plane toward the buffet area. She was waylaid by -only three passengers on the way. One man -wanted to know if there was a razor aboard which -he could borrow. There was. A woman asked -Vicki how to adjust the individual air vents and -reading lights. And a determined-looking man -announced to the stewardess that he was a vegetarian.</p> - -<p>“Y-yes, sir,” said Vicki, and made her smiling -way to the sky kitchen. Once inside the closed accordion -curtains, Vicki lost her smile and her face -became as desperate as Jean’s, in her struggle with -several oven drawers full of turkey dinners.</p> - -<p>“Hi,” Jean greeted her. “Better put your smock -on, like me. I’m scared we’ll still be serving dinners -ten minutes after landing in New York.”</p> - -<p>“We’ll do fine,” Vicki said without believing it, -and started to make coffee.</p> - -<p>“Parsley, parsley, where’s the parsley?” Jean -muttered. “Somewhere in this overgrown filing -cabinet—oh, yes, here.”</p> - -<p>“Can we spare extra rolls for some hungry -kids?” Vicki peered in the roll warmer. “Yes, we -can.”</p> - -<p>She collected nine rolls on a tray, one for each -of the children aboard. On her way back to the -buffet area with her empty tray, Vicki noticed -that something was wrong in the Bryants’ area.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">13</a></span> -Two men passengers were standing over Mr. -Bryant, one loosening his collar and tie, and the -call button rang. Vicki hurried to them. The people -nearby were considerately snuffing out their -cigarettes and opening air vents.</p> - -<p>“My husband has a heart condition,” Mrs. -Bryant said anxiously to Vicki. “I don’t think he’s -having a heart attack, but he—”</p> - -<p>Vicki concealed her alarm and looked at Mr. -Bryant who was lying back weakly in his chair. -He was conscious but exhausted, breathing with -some difficulty. His face was pale and sweaty.</p> - -<p>“Uncomfortable—” he muttered.</p> - -<p>“He needs oxygen,” Vicki said. “I’ll get the oxygen -bottle, Mrs. Bryant. Is he in any pain?... -No? That’s good. I’ll be right back.” To the two -men standing by rather uselessly, Vicki said, -“Thank you, gentlemen. I am trained to give first -aid.”</p> - -<p>The men nodded and resumed their seats. Vicki -sped to the storage compartment, being careful to -look calm for the benefit of the other passengers, -and hurried back down the aisle carrying a walk-around -oxygen bottle and a blanket. She paused a -moment at the buffet area.</p> - -<p>“Jean, is there a doctor aboard?”</p> - -<p>“Not among my passengers. Who’s sick?”</p> - -<p>“That elderly man. Mr. Bryant. Heart condition.”</p> - -<p>“Want me to notify Captain Jordan for you?” -Jean asked.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">14</a></span> -“Yes, phone him. I’ll report soon. Please start -serving dinners, Jean. We must keep it pleasant -aboard just as usual.”</p> - -<p>Vicki hastened back to the Bryants. She covered -the man with the blanket.</p> - -<p>“Miss Barr, I must tell you”—Mrs. Bryant -made an effort to control her trembling voice and -hands—“that my husband is more exhausted -than ill. He had three quite tiring days in Chicago -on business, and it’s been hard on him.”</p> - -<p>Vicki said soothingly, “Certain people need extra -oxygen at high altitudes, where the air is thin. -Our cabin air is pressurized, but for someone who -is a cardiac, and for other special needs, we carry -extra oxygen.”</p> - -<p>As she talked, she placed the oxygen bottle on -Mr. Bryant’s lap; he was able to hold it steady. -Vicki opened the bottle’s knob, then adjusted the -constant-flow mask snugly over Mr. Bryant’s -mouth and nose.</p> - -<p>Almost at once his breathing grew easier. A -little color returned to his face. When he seemed -comfortable again, Vicki removed the mask and -closed the knob. Just the same, she was worried. -He was still weak, and he was an elderly person -with an impaired heart.</p> - -<p>“Mr. Bryant, Mrs. Bryant, if you wish to have -a doctor’s care within just a few minutes,” Vicki -said earnestly, “we can arrange it for you. The -pilot can make an emergency landing. Captain -Jordan will radio ahead to the nearest airport to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">15</a></span> -have a doctor and ambulance waiting to meet our -plane.”</p> - -<p>Mrs. Bryant murmured, “That’s wonderful. -What do you think, Marshall?”</p> - -<p>“No. Not necessary. Make myself conspicuous. -Inconvenience all these people.”</p> - -<p>“Not at all, sir,” Vicki said. “Captain Jordan -probably will be able to make up the time.”</p> - -<p>“No. I’m all right. Only a weak spell. Thank -you, anyway.”</p> - -<p>Vicki asked respectfully, “Did a doctor give his -permission for you to fly, sir?”</p> - -<p>“The doctor most certainly did <em>not</em>—” Mrs. Bryant -started, but the man interrupted. “Fool doctors -would keep me in a rocking chair. I have to -do what <em>I</em> think is right.”</p> - -<p>Vicki mentioned briefly the regulation for Federal -and all airlines: a person with a serious heart -condition was not supposed to fly unless he had -a doctor’s written permission to do so, on the -grounds that the trip was necessary, and unless he -had someone to accompany him who could nurse -him. The airlines relied on cardiacs not to board a -plane without such certification.</p> - -<p>“If we had known in advance, Mr. Bryant,” Vicki -said, “we would have been obliged to keep you -off the plane.”</p> - -<p>“Well, you took excellent care of me, young lady. -It worked out, didn’t it?”</p> - -<p>Mrs. Bryant shook her head. “You are so self-willed, -Marshall. So stubborn.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">16</a></span> -Vicki turned to her. “The oxygen I gave your -husband is only first aid, you know. Do <em>you</em> feel a -doctor should see him immediately?”</p> - -<p>“Well, I’ve seen him have worse spells than this -one—not in the air, either.” The elderly lady hesitated. -“He does seem much better now—”</p> - -<p>Vicki said that it was really up to the captain of -the plane to decide whether to make an emergency -landing. She excused herself, went forward -past curious passengers, unlocked the cabin door, -and stepped up into the cockpit.</p> - -<p>In the cabin dozens of black-and-white dials on -the instrument panel glowed, needles flickered, -the radar screen flashed. At a signal from Captain -Jordan, the copilot took over the controls.</p> - -<p>“Well, Vicki? How is that man?”</p> - -<p>“He came fairly close to fainting, Captain Jordan. -He’s elderly, a little overweight, and he has a -heart condition. However, since he’s had therapeutic -oxygen, he’s not in any distress. And his -wife seems fairly satisfied with the way he looks -now.”</p> - -<p>“I’d much rather land than take chances with a -passenger’s life.” Captain Jordan looked at his -wrist watch, thinking. “I’ll tell you what. Observe -him for ten minutes and if he shows any sign of -relapse call me. We can come down at Clarkville. -In any case, Vicki, we’re going to have a doctor -and an ambulance on hand at New York. We’ll -radio ahead to La Guardia Airport.”</p> - -<p>“Thank you, Captain,” said Vicki.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">17</a></span> -“That’s all for now, Vicki. Keep me informed.”</p> - -<p>Vicki returned to the Bryants. Mr. Bryant was -sitting up erect now; it was a relief to see that. -She told them of the captain’s decision.</p> - -<p>“I am so grateful!” Mrs. Bryant exclaimed. “I’m -sure we won’t need to make a special stop.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Bryant apparently was not a man to yield -a point easily, but he did say, “Very good of you -airlines people. Very good indeed.”</p> - -<p>Vicki brought the Bryants their dinners right -away, and both old people perked up as they ate -the hot food. She raced through serving all her -other passengers. Jean cheerfully doubled up on -jobs, so that Vicki finished her in-flight chores on -time.</p> - -<p>“Do you know we haven’t sat down once since -take-off?” Jean said breathlessly.</p> - -<p>“Jean, you’ve been an angel on this trip! For a -while there I thought you had four hands.”</p> - -<p>“Save the compliments. We’re coming in for a -landing in twenty minutes.”</p> - -<p>Twenty-one minutes later they were down at -La Guardia Airport. Vicki summoned the passenger -agent. He gave Mr. Bryant his arm on the way -out of the plane to the waiting ambulance. Vicki -escorted Mrs. Bryant, walking slowly.</p> - -<p>Vicki waited for the Bryants outside the ambulance -while the doctor checked over the elderly -man. She hated to leave Jean alone to say good-by -to the other passengers and pick up in the cabin -afterward, but she’d make it up to Jean some other<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">18</a></span> -time. The passenger agent had sent a man to locate -the Bryants’ car and chauffeur. He would -bring the car onto the airfield as near to the ambulance -as possible.</p> - -<p>The doctor stepped out and said to Vicki:</p> - -<p>“All right, stewardess, he may go home. I think -it’s safe for this gentleman to drive to the city -now.”</p> - -<p>He helped Mrs. Bryant down out of the ambulance, -then Mr. Bryant. Their car pulled up at that -moment. Captain Jordan came hurrying over, carrying -his flight papers.</p> - -<p>“Miss Barr, are both Bryants all right?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, Captain. Tired but all right.”</p> - -<p>The Bryants thanked him, and he went off. -They particularly thanked Vicki. They climbed -into their car, and asked Vicki if she wished to -drive into metropolitan New York with them.</p> - -<p>“It’s kind of you, but I still have some duties -here.”</p> - -<p>“Then you must come to lunch,” Mrs. Bryant -said. “You’ve been a wonderful help, and I want -a chance to thank you properly.”</p> - -<p>“I was only doing my job,” said Vicki.</p> - -<p>“Come to lunch tomorrow,” Mr. Bryant barked -at her. “Can you?”</p> - -<p>Vicki was so startled she stammered, “Y-y-yes, -th-thank you.”</p> - -<p>Mrs. Bryant smiled, and told her the address. -“At twelve, Miss Barr?” Then she said an odd -thing. “You know, my dear, we have a granddaughter<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">19</a></span> -whom we’ve never seen. Lucy. I hope -she’s like you.”</p> - -<p>Vicki must have looked puzzled, because Mrs. -Bryant smiled again. “We’ll talk about that tomorrow. -Good-by for now, little Miss Barr.”</p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">20</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="iii" id="iii"></a><span>CHAPTER III</span> -<br /><em>The Story of Lucy</em></h2> - - -<p class="noi"><span class="smcap">Vicki went to the Bryants’ house not knowing</span> -quite what to expect. It was Friday the thirteenth, -but since she was not foolish enough to be superstitious, -the date alone did not account for her -sense of something special about to happen.</p> - -<p>“Well, I can expect lunch and conversation,” -Vicki thought, and went up the white marble -steps of the Bryants’ house. She was a little intimidated -by its grandeur, and by the butler who -admitted her. “My goodness, this is much too -grand for <em>me</em>,” Vicki thought. “They must be awfully -rich.”</p> - -<p>The butler said, “Who shall I say is calling?”</p> - -<p>“Miss Victoria Barr.” Vicki tried to stand up -taller than she was and look older. It never -worked.</p> - -<p>“Oh, yes, Miss Barr, you are expected.”</p> - -<p>She gave the butler her coat and followed him -from the entrance hall, past a formal high-ceilinged -living room, and into a big, sunny sitting<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">21</a></span> -room. It was cheerful in here, with flowered -chintzes, green plants, and several extraordinarily -beautiful parakeets in cages shaped like pagodas -and dollhouses. Vicki exclaimed aloud “Oh! -Lovely!”—without meaning to, just as the butler -announced her.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Bryant was sitting half hidden in an immense -wing chair. She put aside the needlepoint -she was working on and made a point of getting -up to greet her young guest.</p> - -<p>“How nice to see you again, Miss Barr. You -were so busy yesterday on your plane that there -was almost no chance to visit with you.”</p> - -<p>“<em>I</em> kept you busy, for one thing,” Mr. Bryant -said. “A tiresome old codger, wasn’t I, young -lady?”</p> - -<p>Vicki smiled shyly, and said Mr. and Mrs. Bryant -were kind to let her come. She asked Mr. Bryant -how he was feeling.</p> - -<p>“Better, thanks, better. Oh, I’m perfectly all -right!” He started to pace up and down.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Bryant changed the subject. She invited -Vicki to sit next to her on the couch in the winter -sunshine, and they chatted about the Electra. Mr. -Bryant joined in with a question or two. He -seemed less forbidding today. Still, Vicki thought, -this imposing man would probably never be easy -to get along with. She’d as soon attempt to be -friends with a polar bear—he reminded her of an -old, still powerful bear with his heavy, rolling gait -and thatch of yellowish-white hair.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">22</a></span> -“Where’s Dorn?” he demanded. “Not here yet?”</p> - -<p>His wife said, “Mr. Dorn telephoned to say he -will be a little late. It was unavoidable, dear.”</p> - -<p>“Humph. Well, I’ll lie down again for a few minutes. -Excuse me, ladies.” He abruptly thumped -out of the room.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Bryant waited until he was out of earshot, -then smiled at Vicki.</p> - -<p>“When I invited you to lunch yesterday, Miss -Barr,” said Mrs. Bryant, “I thought you would be -our only guest. But this morning a young lawyer -who is doing a particularly important piece of -work for us telephoned and asked whether he -couldn’t see us about noon today. So he’ll be here -for lunch, too. I’m sure you and I will have our -visit, anyway.”</p> - -<p>Vicki was a little disappointed, and offered to -leave rather than intrude.</p> - -<p>“No, indeed!” Mrs. Bryant exclaimed. “I want -you to stay. Mr. Dorn is going to tell us about -Lucy—our granddaughter whom we’ve never -seen.” She looked very thoughtful. “Does that -seem odd to you?”</p> - -<p>Vicki was not quite sure what to answer. “Unless,” -she said, “your granddaughter has always -lived at a great distance from you.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, she has. In every sense. Tell me, Miss Barr, -in the course of your stewardess work are you ever -in San Francisco?”</p> - -<p>“I’ll be in and out of San Francisco all the time, -now that I’m based there.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">23</a></span> -“That’s extremely interesting.” But Mrs. Bryant -did not say why. “Well. Shall we look at my parakeets?”</p> - -<p>Vicki walked along with Mrs. Bryant and admired -the exquisite birds in their cages. Her elderly -hostess pointed out the birds’ markings in -every tone of blue and rose and green. Yet her -mind seemed to be on something else.</p> - -<p>“I hope you won’t find it tiresome at lunch, -Vicki, listening to a conversation about a girl you -know nothing about.”</p> - -<p>“What is Lucy like?” Vicki asked.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Bryant said helplessly, “I don’t know. It -<em>is</em> odd, isn’t it? Our daughter’s daughter, and we -don’t even know what she looks like. Except for -an old snapshot. Lucy was ten when it was taken, -and she’s twenty-one now.”</p> - -<p>From a desk drawer Mrs. Bryant took a small, -faded snapshot, in a frame, and handed it to Vicki. -Vicki studied it. The little girl’s face was rather -blurred. She could have been any little girl sitting -on a porch step. Her hair was either dark blond -or light brown; it was hard to tell which.</p> - -<p>“I suppose Lucy’s hair might be darker by -now,” said Mrs. Bryant, as Vicki gave her back the -snapshot. “Our daughter Eleanor wrote in one of -her rare letters that Lucy had my disposition. -They named her Lucy after me, in spite of—everything. -But I must be boring you.”</p> - -<p>“I’m very much interested, Mrs. Bryant.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I <em>am</em> rather keyed up about Mr. Dorn’s<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">24</a></span> -visit. So many old memories come to mind today. -The silver rings, for one thing. I hadn’t thought -about them in years. There are only two like them. -Lucy has one and I have the other.”</p> - -<p>Vicki glanced at Mrs. Bryant’s hand. Her hostess -noticed.</p> - -<p>“No, I’ve put mine away. I never wear rings of -any kind,” Mrs. Bryant said. “They annoy me. But -this pair of silver rings has an interesting history.”</p> - -<p>They had an identical lacelike, open design. -Mrs. Bryant had long ago given one ring to her -daughter Eleanor, and Eleanor in turn had given -the ring to <em>her</em> daughter, young Lucy.</p> - -<p>“Almost all Mr. Bryant and I know about our -granddaughter is that she has the ring. We had -a few facts about her schooling and a sketchy description -of her. Eleanor wrote us those things before -she died.” Mrs. Bryant looked down at her -tightly clasped hands. “As for the letters from -Lucy’s father—” Mrs. Bryant stared past Vicki, -past the birds. “We never answered certain of -those letters and we were wrong. So terribly -wrong!”</p> - -<p>Then the whole grievous story of Lucy came -tumbling out. Mrs. Bryant, in telling Vicki, tried -hard not to blame her husband. But Vicki understood -that Marshall Bryant was a man who valued -money and important connections above all else. -Mrs. Bryant could not cope with his domineering -ways.</p> - -<div class="figcenter width400"> -<a name="page25" id="page25"></a> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">25</a></span> -<img src="images/i-025.jpg" width="400" height="583" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><em>Mrs. Bryant handed the faded snapshot to Vicki</em></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">26</a></span> -The Bryants had planned a brilliant marriage -for their only child. They were bitterly disappointed -when Eleanor married against their -wishes a boy who had little money and limited -education. They felt, unjustly, that Jack was a fortune -hunter. Marshall Bryant made several attempts -to break up the marriage. When he failed, -he disowned his daughter. He was determined -that Jack Rowe should never get hold of the Bryant -money, no matter what the penalty to Eleanor -or to any children Eleanor would have.</p> - -<p>The young couple moved to California “—to get -as far away from us as possible, I suppose,” said -Mrs. Bryant, and also because Jack had job opportunities -there. As for Jack’s family, they were -scattered over the United States and were not in -touch.</p> - -<p>The young couple made several overtures to the -Bryants, especially after their daughter was born. -They named her Lucy after her grandmother. But -the old couple refused any reconciliation. They -never saw their granddaughter. “I wanted to, but -Mr. Bryant was adamant. No one can blame Eleanor -and Jack for feeling resentful.” A rupture and -silence of many years ensued. Once Mrs. Bryant -wrote to her daughter, offering aid for small Lucy, -but Eleanor never answered.</p> - -<p>When young Lucy’s mother died a few years -ago, her father wrote this news to the grandparents -and asked if they wished to attend the funeral. -Marshall Bryant decided that they would<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">27</a></span> -not go. Mrs. Bryant murmured, “It was hard to -lose Eleanor without ever seeing her again.” Jack -Rowe had suggested that the Bryants might, at -long last, wish to see their granddaughter. But -Marshall Bryant hinted that Rowe’s motive was -a desire to gain their fortune. Young Lucy’s father, -as a result, felt freshly antagonized, and wrote -them a bitter letter. Once more the two families -ceased to communicate.</p> - -<p>Recently, within the past year, Marshall Bryant -had developed a severe heart condition. “He’s still -active,” said Mrs. Bryant, “but he may not have -long to live. This knowledge has—has modified -his personality. He is more concerned than ever -about what will become of his fortune after he and -I pass away. I am afraid he is not a charitable -enough man to leave the bulk of it to institutions -for—as he says—strangers to enjoy. Also, he now -feels great remorse for disowning Eleanor, and for -refusing any contact with her daughter.”</p> - -<p>As for herself, Mrs. Bryant said, she had grieved -for years about the family rupture. For a long time -she encouraged Marshall Bryant to make amends -for the past. Finally, this past Christmas Day, they -decided to find their granddaughter, Lucy Rowe, -and arrange for her to inherit the Bryant fortune.</p> - -<p>“<em>If</em> Lucy wishes to live with us, we’d be so -happy.”</p> - -<p>“I’m so glad,” Vicki said softly, “that you’re trying -to find her.”</p> - -<p>“You’re right to say ‘trying,’ because all we definitely<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">28</a></span> -know about her is her last address in San -Francisco. That’s the one on Jack Rowe’s letter -five years ago.” For a moment Mrs. Bryant closed -her eyes. Then she said matter-of-factly, “A five-year-old -address and an old snapshot aren’t much -to go on, are they? That’s why were relying on -Mr. Dorn to locate Lucy for us.”</p> - -<p>Mrs. Bryant explained that she and her husband -were too elderly, and he too ill, to travel to -San Francisco and search for the girl themselves. -Also, Mrs. Bryant said, they hesitated to approach -Lucy directly, either in person or by mail. “After -all the antagonism which my husband—and I, too—showed -them, Eleanor and Jack naturally felt -antagonistic toward us. I’m afraid some of that -feeling may have been instilled in Lucy. She might -not be glad to see her grandparents.”</p> - -<p>So Marshall Bryant had engaged his law firm to -locate young Lucy and bring her East. He planned -to transfer a generous part of the inheritance to -her immediately. The law firm assigned Thurman -Dorn, a young man, to do the traveling and investigating -involved in finding Lucy. Mr. Bryant was -pleased with the choice. Though Thurman Dorn -was relatively new in the firm, his uncle, now -dead, had for many years done fine work for Mr. -Bryant through the same law firm.</p> - -<p>“My husband and I feel we know young Thurman -Dorn,” said Mrs. Bryant. “Our lawyers have -told us that he came from Chicago, his home town, -with the highest recommendation from one of his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">29</a></span> -law school professors.” She mentioned the name of -the law firm, Steele and Wilbur. Vicki recognized -it as a respected company. “Mr. Dorn has persuaded -us to stay entirely in the background and -to let him act as intermediary with Lucy. I do -think that’s the most discreet way in such a delicate -situation.”</p> - -<p><em>A painful situation for a sick man and his elderly -wife</em>, Vicki thought. She said, “I do hope Mr. -Dorn’s search will be successful in every way.”</p> - -<p>“Thank you, my dear. Mr. Dorn was in San -Francisco three or four weeks ago, and got his -search for Lucy under way. Unfortunately he -could not find her on that trip—she has been away—but -perhaps he has some other leads or news -to tell us about today.”</p> - -<p>“Oh! Do you think he’ll bring Lucy with him?”</p> - -<p>Mrs. Bryant smiled shakily. “I’m afraid to hope -for so much. Let’s go find my husband. He’s feeling -anxious, too.”</p> - -<p>When Thurman Dorn arrived a few minutes -later, he was alone. Vicki was impressed by his -air of professional competence, and by his personal -dignity. He was about twenty-seven, a formal, -cool young man, evidently highly educated, -very correct in his manners and attire. His meticulously -tailored gray suit, his British-looking mustache, -the stiff way he stood, reminded Vicki of a -fashion plate. Or perhaps of a stone statue. She -wished someone less formal, less unsentimental -were to bridge the gap between young Lucy Rowe<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">30</a></span> -and her grandparents. Well, perhaps it took someone -as cool, deliberate, and as obviously hard-headed -as Mr. Dorn to trace Lucy in the first -place. Vicki could see how highly Marshall Bryant -valued this young lawyer.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Bryant introduced Vicki and Thurman -Dorn. He said “how do you do” to her with a delightful -little bow and smile, and remarked—when -Mrs. Bryant said, “Vicki Barr is a flight -stewardess with Federal Airlines”—that he was -an air-travel enthusiast. However, he quickly -turned away, and had little further to say to Vicki -during lunch. She was sure that Mrs. Bryant’s -mention of her work did not interest him and -probably never registered with him at all.</p> - -<p>He was busy describing to Mr. Bryant—and to -Mrs. Bryant, too, though secondarily—the progress -of the search for Lucy in San Francisco.</p> - -<p>“Now, Mr. Bryant, and Mrs. Bryant, you already -know that this search is not proceeding as -easily and quickly as we would wish,” Thurman -Dorn said. “Reaching Miss Lucy takes time and -patience. So will effecting a reconciliation.”</p> - -<p>The elderly couple listened to him, their hopes -visibly rising and falling as he spoke.</p> - -<p>“You know that I made only partial progress -when, at your request, I visited San Francisco for -a week, and personally conducted a search for -your granddaughter.”</p> - -<p>“I remember receiving your bills from the St. -Clair Hotel,” Mr. Bryant said dryly.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">31</a></span> -Young Dorn accepted this with a deferential -smile. “And unfortunately I had to come back and -tell you the disappointing news that by the time -I had located Lucy’s present home and work addresses, -she had just gone off for a trip. For, I believe, -a month or more.”</p> - -<p>Mrs. Bryant turned toward Vicki. “At least Mr. -Dorn learned that Lucy has gone traveling with -respectable friends, another girl and the girl’s -mother.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Bryant looked up from serving himself seconds -from the dish the maid offered. “Well, sir, -it’s about a month now since you’ve been out -there. You say Lucy will be back in San Francisco -soon. How soon can you go out there again, and -get on with this job?”</p> - -<p>“Very soon, I hope, sir,” Dorn said. “Although it -would be a waste of my time and your money to -wait around San Francisco until Miss Lucy returns.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t see how a girl who you say is a secretary -can afford to stay away longer than a month,” Marshall -Bryant grumbled. “Dorn, are you certain that -this Lucy Rowe is actually our granddaughter?”</p> - -<p>“No, I’m not certain. It’s only a reasonable <em>presumption</em> -at this point, Mr. Bryant. Let me actually -see and talk to the girl. I want to question -her—yes, discreetly—about certain particulars of -the Bryant family history, which she would be -likely to know. I want to see whether she has any -of your old letters, or photographs of yourselves<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">32</a></span> -or your daughter Eleanor. That brings me to my -reason, or one of the reasons, for asking you to let -me come today.”</p> - -<p>“The name Lucy Rowe isn’t so unusual,” Mr. -Bryant interrupted. “Might be more than one girl -by that name in a city as large as San Francisco.”</p> - -<p>“Exactly my view, too, sir,” said Mr. Dorn. “You -have told me many details of the family history -and shown me documents, but a few questions occur -to me. Also, it would help in proving <em>this</em> Lucy -Rowe’s identity if you could let me really study -those documents, and study any letters in your -daughter Eleanor’s handwriting or any family -photographs. If you happen to have any available -that I could examine, say, overnight—or for a few -hours this afternoon—”</p> - -<p>“Good idea,” said Marshall Bryant. “Plenty of -those things in the safe, right here in the house. -I’ll lend them to you overnight or for a day or two. -Whatever you say.”</p> - -<p>“That will be a help,” said Mr. Dorn. “I’ll return -them to you promptly.”</p> - -<p>One thing puzzled Vicki. Why had no one at the -luncheon table mentioned Jack Rowe, the girl’s -father? She murmured her question to Mrs. Bryant.</p> - -<p>“Because Lucy’s father died two years ago in -an auto accident,” Mrs. Bryant answered her. -“Lucy did not write and tell us. Lucy has never -written to us, except one or two Christmas letters -when she was a child—which my husband asked<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">33</a></span> -me not to answer.” Mrs. Bryant sighed. “So we -had no way of knowing about Jack until Mr. Dorn -investigated and reported to us about three -weeks ago. I’m sorry about Jack, if only because -his passing has left Lucy entirely alone in the -world.”</p> - -<p>“She has you and her grandfather,” Vicki said.</p> - -<p>“<em>If</em> we can find her, and <em>if</em> she can forget old -difficulties. However”—the elderly woman brightened—“on -the basis of what he’s already learned, -Mr. Dorn is hopeful that everything will work out -well.” Then she said, “Oh, Mr. Dorn! Didn’t you -say you had some further word about Lucy?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, Mrs. Bryant. I’ve had a letter from one of -her friends whom I was unable to meet in person. -Her friend writes that Lucy is an accomplished -swimmer and horsewoman. You know how Californians -go in for sports and outdoor living. Her -friend also wrote my firm—sorry I forgot to bring -the letter—that Miss Lucy is fond of birds and -knows something about them.”</p> - -<p>“She’ll be interested in your parakeets,” Mr. -Bryant said to his wife, “and she’ll enjoy the swimming -pool.”</p> - -<p>“Let’s hope so. We old people might be dull -company for her. She sounds like a delightful girl, -Mr. Dorn.”</p> - -<p>The lawyer said, “From everything I’ve learned -so far, she sounds like a charming girl, and a girl -of considerable character.”</p> - -<p>Marshall Bryant looked gratified, while his wife<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">34</a></span> -looked so eager that Vicki felt almost afraid for -her. How every detail which Mr. Dorn was able -to supply increased their desire to meet their -granddaughter! How disappointed they would -be if Lucy were not all they wanted her to be, or -if—Heaven forbid—Dorn could not locate their -granddaughter after all.</p> - -<p>As they were rising from the dining table Mrs. -Bryant reminded the lawyer about the silver ring. -“If you want another look at it, it’s in the safe, too.”</p> - -<p>“Thank you, Mrs. Bryant. I <em>will</em> examine it -again. It will be interesting to learn whether Lucy -Rowe still has the silver ring which is twin to -yours.”</p> - -<p>“Now, young man, how soon are you going back -to San Francisco?” Mr. Bryant pressed him. “How -about this week?”</p> - -<p>The lawyer was inclined to wait until the next -week, in order to be sure that Lucy Rowe was -back in San Francisco. He offered to telegraph her -employers and friends there to learn if and when -she had returned. This was reasonable, the Bryants -had to agree, but they were disappointed -about the delay.</p> - -<p>“I am sorry about the delay, too,” said the lawyer, -“but let us make haste slowly. Let’s be a little -cautious and discreet. There is a large inheritance -involved here, you <em>are</em> well known, and if any false -moves were made, they’d invite a lot of publicity—newspaper -stories, pictures in the paper, and so -forth.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">35</a></span> -Mr. Bryant made a gesture of distaste, while -Mrs. Bryant pretended to shudder. There was a -moment’s awkwardness. The lawyer turned to -Vicki and said:</p> - -<p>“I understand that you—ah—were of service to -Mr. Bryant yesterday when he was taken ill.”</p> - -<p>“Not at all,” said Vicki. “I’m just sorry Mr. Bryant -didn’t feel well enough to enjoy his flight on -the Electra. Mr. Dorn, when you fly out to the -West Coast do you go on the Electra, via Chicago?”</p> - -<p>She said it only to make conversation, thinking -someday Dorn might be one of her passengers. -But suddenly his expression changed. She was -surprised at the odd look on his face. Was he -thinking of something else?</p> - -<p>Mrs. Bryant said, “I believe, Mr. Dorn, you told -us your mother still lives in Chicago?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, I sometimes go home week ends to see -her. Very occasionally.”</p> - -<p>“Of course. Well—I think my husband is waiting -to see you.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, yes. Will you excuse me, Mrs. Bryant? -Miss—ah—” He had forgotten her name. The -young lawyer followed Mr. Bryant into the library.</p> - -<p>Vicki felt that it was time to say good-by to her -hostess. But Mrs. Bryant led her back into the -room with the parakeets. By now the sun had -moved to the far end of the room, and the birds -were asleep. Mrs. Bryant took Vicki’s hand.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">36</a></span> -“I hope all this talk about our granddaughter -wasn’t dull for you.”</p> - -<p>“On the contrary, Mrs. Bryant! I couldn’t help -thinking ‘Suppose it were <em>my</em> grandparents whom -I’d never seen, who were looking for me—’”</p> - -<p>“You’re sympathetic, Vicki. I wonder—You’re -going to be in San Francisco often?” Vicki nodded. -“Then I wonder whether I could ask you to do me -a great favor—but only if it won’t take too much -of your time.”</p> - -<p>Vicki said, and meant it, that if the favor had -anything to do with Lucy, she would be only too -happy to give it her free time.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Bryant smiled. “Then I wish very much -that you’d see whether <em>you</em> can learn anything -further about our granddaughter. While I have -every confidence in Mr. Dorn and his careful, -discreet approach, this delay is very hard. Even -another week or ten days seem such a long time -to wait.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll be in San Francisco day after tomorrow,” -Vicki said.</p> - -<p>“Wonderful. If Lucy is back by then, won’t you -try to telephone her and give her my love? All I -have is her last address in Sutro Heights in the -suburbs, it’s five years old—I think Mr. Dorn mentioned -that she had moved in with friends in the -city, in order to be nearer her place of employment. -I wish I had thought to write down that -firm name, but we are leaving everything, all the -details, to Mr. Dorn.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">37</a></span> -“Do you think Mr. Dorn will consider that I’m -interfering? I wouldn’t want to cause any—any -complications for him.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t see how you could.” Mrs. Bryant went -to her desk for Lucy’s last address, and copied it -for Vicki. “It might be more tactful, though, not -to let Mr. Dorn know that you are taking part.” -Vicki agreed. “And let’s not mention it to my husband, -either,” Mrs. Bryant said with a gleam of -mischief. “Here’s the address, my dear. Thank you -very, very much.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t say that yet, Mrs. Bryant. First, let’s see -what I can do.”</p> - -<p>She thanked Mrs. Bryant for her hospitality, -and said good-by. Mrs. Bryant walked to the front -door with Vicki, and stood looking after her as she -went down the marble steps. She looked so hopeful -and yet afraid to hope that Vicki thought:</p> - -<p>“I’m going to do everything I can to help those -two old people.”</p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">38</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="iv" id="iv"></a><span>CHAPTER IV</span> -<br /><em>A Puzzling Discovery</em></h2> - - -<p class="noi"><span class="smcap">“I don’t even want to hear anyone suggest that</span> -we go sightseeing around San Francisco today,” -said Jean Cox from the other twin bed, on Monday -morning. “I want to stay right here in our nice -hotel room and sleep.”</p> - -<p>“I wasn’t going to suggest sightseeing—not yet, -anyway,” said Vicki, at the mirror.</p> - -<p>“Then why are you up and dressed so early? -After those week-end runs we put in, why aren’t -you unconscious, too?”</p> - -<p>On Saturday their crew had flown from New -York to Chicago, stayed overnight in Chicago, and -on Sunday had flown on from Chicago to San -Francisco. Now they were to have a day in San -Francisco to rest. Vicki figured she would rest -later and look for Lucy Rowe first. She told Jean -her plans.</p> - -<p>“Well”—Jean yawned and stretched under the -covers—“all I can say is that a frail-looking,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">39</a></span> -dreamy-looking little blonde like you has more -stamina than some of us husky people.”</p> - -<p>Vicki grinned. “Is there anything I can do for -you before I leave?”</p> - -<p>“Just go away, my love, and let me sleep.”</p> - -<p>They arranged to be in touch later in the day. -Vicki softly let herself out into the hotel corridor -and went downstairs to the busy lobby. Part of -the fun of being a flight stewardess was living all -over the United States, and staying at the pleasant -hotels where the airline put up their crews. Along -with her breakfast Vicki enjoyed a magnificent -view of San Francisco’s hills.</p> - -<p>Ever since talking with Mrs. Bryant, Vicki had -kept Lucy Rowe’s old address safely in her purse. -Now she took it out. At the hotel desk she asked -for directions to Sutro Heights. Vicki made her -way there—riding up and down steep hills—walking -down a long wooden stairway from one -street level to another. She climbed past a cliff-top -park with white-painted statues, high above -beach and ocean.</p> - -<p>“San Franciscans certainly have their ups and -downs,” Vicki thought, puffing. “But what views!” -On three sides she looked down over the blue Pacific. -The air was sea-fresh, cool, springlike. Vicki -was so enchanted that she almost forgot about the -address in her purse.</p> - -<p>It led her to a modest, leafy street and an unpretentious -cottage. There were a yard and an attempt -at flower beds; children’s toys littered the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">40</a></span> -porch. When Vicki rang the doorbell, a pleasant -young woman in shirt and jeans came to the door. -She looked not much older than Vicki, or than -Lucy’s age, twenty-one.</p> - -<p>“I’m looking for Lucy Rowe,” said Vicki, and -introduced herself. She was careful not to mention -the Bryants, not to intrude on the lawyer’s province. -She said she understood that the Rowes -lived here, or used to. “I wonder whether you -could tell me what Lucy Rowe’s address is now?”</p> - -<p>“My goodness, I should be able to! Lucy and -I went to high school together; we’re old neighbors, -too. After her mother died my family -bought their house. This house. Come in, Miss -Barr. I’m Jill Joseph. Come in, don’t mind the -boys—”</p> - -<p>The living room seemed to be overrun with very -small boys and puppies. Young Mrs. Joseph -shooed the whole group outdoors, and she and -Vicki sat down to talk.</p> - -<p>“I haven’t any address for Lucy at the moment,” -Mrs. Joseph said, “because she’s away. Lucy is a -darling. Are you a friend of hers?”</p> - -<p>“I’m a friend of a friend of hers,” Vicki said. “An -elderly lady who hasn’t heard from Lucy, or had -any news of her, since Eleanor—Mrs. Rowe died.”</p> - -<p>“Why, that was five years ago!”</p> - -<p>“Would you fill me in?” Vicki asked.</p> - -<p>Jill Joseph nodded. “Five years ago Lucy and -I still had another year to go in high school. Then -she lost her mother. This house was quite a lot of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">41</a></span> -work for Lucy and her father—you know how full -the last year of high school is, and Mr. Rowe -worked hard at—” She named a large San Francisco -department store. “So Lucy and her father -moved to a small apartment near here, and we -bought their house.”</p> - -<p>“I see. What sort of work did Mr. Rowe do?”</p> - -<p>“For a long time he worked at any job the department -store gave him. The Rowes never had -an easy time of it financially.” The neighbor hesitated. -“It was hard on Lucy’s mother; she seemed -to be used to more than the Rowes could afford. A -lot of us wondered about Eleanor Rowe. Not that -she ever complained—</p> - -<p>“Anyway,” the young woman went on briskly, -“Lucy’s father finally worked himself up to be -head of the store’s delivery service, I think it was.”</p> - -<p>“What was Jack Rowe like?” Vicki asked.</p> - -<p>“Nice. The most devoted husband and father -you ever saw. He would have made a good doctor; -he was so kind and patient and gentle.”</p> - -<p><em>So this was the son-in-law the Bryants had -considered unworthy of their daughter</em>, Vicki -thought.</p> - -<p>“Lucy’s mother was nice, too,” the neighbor -said, “though she was quiet and sort of sad, sometimes. -She worried about what would become of -Lucy. Lucy used to try to laugh her out of it.... -My goodness, I’m chattering!”</p> - -<p>“Won’t you tell me more about Lucy?” Vicki -said. “I’m not even sure what she looks like.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">42</a></span> -“Well, she’s taller than you are, and slim—but -she’s strong. Good at all sports, and she knows a -lot about naturelore.” <em>Mr. Dorn had reported -that</em>, Vicki recalled. “Brown hair, brown eyes, -only sometimes they look hazel,” Mrs. Joseph said. -“She—she’s active and friendly. Isn’t it hard to -describe someone you know? The chief thing -about Lucy is that she’s a nice person, and it -shows.”</p> - -<p>“Does she miss her mother very much?” Vicki -asked. “And her father?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, terribly. Lucy’s such a loyal and warmhearted -person. She always befriends lost dogs, -and hungry cats, and people who need her.”</p> - -<p>It was out of lonesomeness and a need to be -with people, the neighbor said, that after her father -died in an auto accident two years ago Lucy -moved into downtown San Francisco to live with -another girl and the girl’s mother. Also, Lucy -wanted to be nearer her job. After graduation -from high school she had taken an intensive three-months’ -business course, and had been working as -a secretary ever since—nearly four years by now.</p> - -<p>“Can you tell me the name and address of her -employer? And of the girl and her mother?” Vicki -asked.</p> - -<p>“Yes, I’ll write them down for you. But you -won’t be able to see Mary and Mrs. Scott. They’ve -gone off on a trip. Lucy is away, too.”</p> - -<p><em>So Dorn had learned</em>, Vicki reminded herself. -She asked:</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">43</a></span> -“Do you know when she’ll be back?”</p> - -<p>“She wasn’t sure herself, when she called me -up to say good-by. Why don’t you ask at the women’s -hotel where she’s been living? Maybe she left -word. It’s the Hotel Alcott.”</p> - -<p>“The women’s hotel?” Vicki felt confused. “I -thought Lucy had been living with Mary and Mrs. -Scott?”</p> - -<p>“Well, she did until recently. I’m not sure how -recently. Lucy and I aren’t in constant touch.” Jill -Joseph explained that the Scotts’ household was a -small one, and Lucy had felt she was crowding -them.</p> - -<p>Vicki could not remember whether Mr. Dorn -had reported where Lucy lived. She’d had the -impression, and perhaps the Bryants did, too, that -Lucy lived with the girl and her mother with -whom she was now traveling. Well, Vicki thought, -she’d clear up this point.</p> - -<p>“If I telephone Lucy’s employer,” Vicki asked, -“couldn’t they tell me when she’ll be back?”</p> - -<p>“I think she gave up her job at the Interstate -Insurance Company, though you can ask them.”</p> - -<p>“Gave up her job?” <em>Dorn had not reported this.</em> -“Why?”</p> - -<p>“Something about a new job. The kids were having -a squabble, and I couldn’t get it straight over -the telephone.”</p> - -<p>“You mean Lucy starts on a new job when she -comes back from her trip with the Scotts?”</p> - -<p>“Lucy isn’t traveling with Mary and Mrs. Scott.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">44</a></span> -And I <em>think</em> traveling is part of her new job.”</p> - -<p>This news did not tally with Mr. Dorn’s report, -or more accurately, it went beyond the lawyer’s -report. Well, it was possible Lucy had been away -during the period that Dorn was looking for her, -and then had returned to give up her job and take -a new one. Then, too, Jill Joseph admitted she -didn’t have all the facts straight.</p> - -<p>“I’ll inquire at the Hotel Alcott,” Vicki said, -“and at the Interstate Insurance Company.”</p> - -<p>“Try telephoning the Scotts, too. Perhaps they -are back now and have heard from Lucy.”</p> - -<p>Vicki and Jill Joseph chatted a while longer. -Vicki gathered that Lucy’s life was rather bleak. -Even though she had friends and one or two not -important beaux, she missed her family and home, -and felt alone. Evenings after work she often kept -herself busy taking college courses, and attending -church choir practice.</p> - -<p>“I guess the Reverend Mr. Hall has done more -than anyone to help Lucy feel less alone,” Mrs. -Joseph said. “He’s a wonderful man. He knew her -parents, and he’s known Lucy all her life. He used -to be in charge of a church here in Sutro Heights, -but he’s been transferred to Russian Hill. I’ll give -you his address, too.”</p> - -<p>A few minutes later Vicki thanked Jill Joseph -and said good-by to her. “You’ve been a great -help. More than you know.”</p> - -<p>“Anything I can do for Lucy—well, she needs -all the help and love her friends can give her.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">45</a></span> -How wonderful it was going to be for Lucy, -Vicki thought as she traveled back to the center -of town, to discover that her grandparents cared -for her. What a happy change in her life there -would be.</p> - -<p>On the way Vicki stopped at a drugstore and -called the Scotts from a telephone booth. Their -telephone rang repeatedly without answer. Vicki -then called the Interstate Insurance Company -and talked to the personnel manager.</p> - -<p>“Miss Lucy Rowe?” he repeated. “Just a moment -while I look up her card.” A pause. “Miss -Rowe resigned from our employ on January -twenty-second.”</p> - -<p>Vicki scribbled down this date, and noted that -it was now Monday, February sixteenth. A little -less than a month ago ... just about the time -Mr. Dorn said she had left San Francisco. Well, -then, Dorn <em>was</em> right. Vicki asked whether the -personnel manager could tell her anything further -about Lucy.</p> - -<p>“Well, I can tell you that she’s an excellent secretary, -was with us for over three years, and we -were sorry to lose her.”</p> - -<p>“That’s a fine record, isn’t it? Thank you very -much, sir.”</p> - -<p>Vicki hung up. She telephoned the Scotts twice -again on her way back to downtown San Francisco. -No answer. On a third call a man’s voice -answered.</p> - -<p>“Mary Scott? She and her mother went away on<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">46</a></span> -a long trip. This is the superintendent. I’m in their -place fixin’ a leaky pipe.... No, ma’am, I don’t -know when they’ll be home.”</p> - -<p>“Thank you,” Vicki said. Next she tried the Reverend -Mr. Hall’s number. Here she kept getting -busy signals. She decided to stop for lunch, then -visit Lucy’s place of residence.</p> - -<p>Arriving at the Hotel Alcott in the early afternoon, -she found it to be a pleasant, friendly, plain -sort of place. A few people, mostly women, were -in the lobby. She spoke to the desk clerk.</p> - -<p>“I wonder if you can help me? I’m looking for -Miss Lucy Rowe.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, yes, Lucy!” The middle-aged woman behind -the desk smiled, but shook her head. “You -won’t find Lucy here, young lady. She checked -out.”</p> - -<p>“Can you please tell me when? And where she -is now?”</p> - -<p>The woman hesitated. Vicki produced her airline -identification card to introduce herself and -explained that she had a message to deliver to -Lucy. The woman seemed satisfied. She opened a -ledger.</p> - -<p>“Lucy checked out on—let me see—Saturday, -February seventh.”</p> - -<p>That would be—today was Monday, February -sixteenth—only nine days ago. <em>Yet Mr. Dorn reported -that Lucy had left San Francisco a month -ago.</em> Vicki could not account for the discrepancy. -She asked the desk clerk:</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">47</a></span> -“I wonder whether Lucy has been out of town—taken -any short trips—in the last month or -two?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, recently some of the girls here persuaded -her to go off for week ends with them, to ski, or -to hike in the mountains.”</p> - -<p>“Can you tell me,” Vicki asked the desk clerk, -“whether Lucy was away about a month ago?”</p> - -<p>“I’m sorry, but I don’t remember the dates.”</p> - -<p>“Well, will you please tell me one more thing?” -Vicki was trying to figure dates, starting with the -fact of Dorn’s visit about a month ago. “Did Lucy -live at the Hotel Alcott a month ago?”</p> - -<p>The woman consulted the ledger again. “Yes. -Lucy was with us just barely a month.”</p> - -<p>It was possible, Vicki thought, that Lucy might -not yet have moved to the Hotel Alcott at the time -of Dorn’s visit.</p> - -<p>“If you’re trying to locate Lucy, Miss Barr,” said -the clerk, “I think the best way to do it would be -through Mrs. Heath.”</p> - -<p>“Who is Mrs. Heath?”</p> - -<p>“A very nice older woman who is now Lucy’s -employer. Mrs. Elizabeth Heath. A writer. Gray -hair, well-dressed, and distinguished-looking. She -stayed with us at the hotel for a while. She was -looking for a secretary-companion, and Lucy -turned out to be just the right girl for the job.” The -hotel clerk said this with a certain pride and satisfaction. -“It’s a happy arrangement for both of -them, I think.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">48</a></span> -Vicki was surprised, but she felt better. Here -was definite and reassuring news of Lucy. She -asked the woman for Mrs. Heath and Lucy’s address.</p> - -<p>“They haven’t sent us their address yet,” the -woman said. “Probably they’re just traveling -around. Mrs. Heath had a car, and as I understood -it, her plan was to travel around California and -stay at inns here and there, and write her memoirs -in a leisurely sort of way. Mrs. Heath <em>may</em> rent a -house. It sounds like a lovely job for Lucy. A lot -of the girls here at the Alcott would like to have -such a job.”</p> - -<p>“It does sound like a pleasant job,” Vicki -agreed, “but how can I find Lucy, Miss—?” The -clerk said her name was Mrs. Stacey. “Hasn’t anyone -here heard from Lucy since she left? Not -even a post card?”</p> - -<p>“She’s been gone only a little over a week,” the -hotel clerk pointed out. “She’ll write to her friends -here, I’m sure. She may already be in touch with -the minister, Mr. Hall; he’s a great friend of hers.”</p> - -<p>Vicki said she had his address and telephone -number and would call him right away. She -thanked Mrs. Stacey for all her kindness.</p> - -<p>When Vicki again telephoned the Reverend Mr. -Hall, she was able to reach him. He was rather -chary of giving any information on the telephone. -Vicki explained who she was, and told him a little -of why she was looking for Lucy Rowe.</p> - -<p>“Ah, I see. As a matter of fact, Miss Barr, I myself<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">49</a></span> -would like to know where Lucy is at the moment.”</p> - -<p>The minister’s voice was friendly and direct. -Vicki thought she heard an undertone of worry.</p> - -<p>“Mr. Hall, I’m here at the Hotel Alcott, and -they’ve told me Lucy has a fine job with a Mrs. -Heath.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, I know. Everybody is enthusiastic about -Lucy’s new job except myself. I advised her to -consider, and make haste slowly, but she—” -Vicki heard voices in the background. “However, -I cant go into this on the telephone.”</p> - -<p>“May I come to see you, Mr. Hall?” Vicki asked. -“It’s important for me to locate Lucy.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, indeed, though today is all filled up.” He -suggested that Vicki telephone him again in a day -or two. Vicki promised she would, thanked him, -and hung up.</p> - -<p>Vicki went back to her hotel. She wanted to -pack and to rest so that she would be fit for work: -she was scheduled for an eight <span class="smcap2">A.M.</span> Electra flight -the next morning.</p> - -<p>Jean Cox was rested after extra sleep. “What -did you find out about Lucy Rowe?” she asked.</p> - -<p>“Don’t ask me yet. I haven’t any answers—only -some new questions.”</p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">50</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="v" id="v"></a><span>CHAPTER V</span> -<br /><em>The Girl in the Portrait</em></h2> - - -<p class="noi"><span class="smcap">From San Francisco to Chicago on Tuesday, and</span> -back on Wednesday, left Vicki free by Thursday -morning. She at once telephoned the minister. He -said she might come over immediately.</p> - -<p>Vicki found her way to Russian Hill, an area of -steep, far-flung streets crisscrossed with leafy -lanes. The church she was seeking was a handsome -modern stone building. The minister’s residence -next door, in contrast, was one of the old -wooden houses with lacelike balconies and ornate -cupolas that had survived the San Francisco -earthquake and fire. A housekeeper admitted her -and led her into Mr. Hall’s study.</p> - -<p>Vicki’s first impression of the minister was of a -pair of extraordinarily perceptive eyes. He received -Vicki simply, without any ceremony, and -made her feel at ease. She presented her credentials, -wishing she could tell the minister about -Lucy’s grandparents, and their wonderful plans -for her.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">51</a></span> -“I’m glad you have come to me, Miss Barr,” he -said. “Are you a little worried, too, about Lucy?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know what to think, Mr. Hall. I had -been advised by Lucy’s—ah—friends in New -York that she was probably on vacation traveling -with friends. Now I find that isn’t exactly how it -is, unless there’s been some misunderstanding.”</p> - -<p>The minister said that was possible. “Let me -speak frankly to you, Miss Barr. I wasn’t keen -about Lucy’s taking this job, at least not so -quickly. I asked her to get a little better acquainted -with Mrs. Heath first, before she went -off traveling with her. It’s true Mrs. Heath showed -Lucy unimpeachable references, and she seems -to be a substantial person.”</p> - -<p>“Did you meet Mrs. Heath?” Vicki asked.</p> - -<p>“I very much wanted to,” the minister said, -“but unfortunately the lady was too ill with a virus -to see me. We did have a pleasant telephone conversation. -I was left with the impression that she -is above reproach. Still, I’m not satisfied.” He -looked out the window where a lemon tree -stood. “You see—”</p> - -<p>The minister said that Lucy had met Mrs. -Heath at the women’s hotel, and liked her from -the start. In some ways Mrs. Heath reminded -Lucy of her mother, whom she missed. Within a -short time, only about a week, they were good -friends and Mrs. Heath asked Lucy whether she’d -like to be her secretary and traveling companion. -Lucy came to Mr. Hall to talk it over with him.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">52</a></span> -Mrs. Heath’s offer was attractive, a long-term job, -interesting work, a good salary plus all her living -costs paid for by Mrs. Heath, and a chance to -travel. Lucy felt confined, living in the city and -working at a routine job, so Mrs. Heath’s plan appealed -to her.</p> - -<p>“I pointed out to Lucy that she needn’t be in -such a hurry to give up her job and accept this -new one,” said the minister. “But she told me Mrs. -Heath was eager to start work on her book. At -any rate, as Lucy pointed out to me, they did not -rush off at once.”</p> - -<p>Lucy gave up her job at the insurance company -and for the next two weeks helped Mrs. Heath -prepare for their trip, and did some library research -for her. “I must admit Lucy seemed interested -and happy,” said the minister. In those two -weeks Mrs. Heath allowed Lucy plenty of time -to wind up her own affairs in San Francisco. Then, -using Mrs. Heath’s car, or, rather, a car which -Mrs. Heath rented for several months, they -started out.</p> - -<p>“When did they start?” Vicki asked.</p> - -<p>“It was a Saturday, I believe the first Saturday -in February.”</p> - -<p>Vicki scribbled down this date, with a note. -“And did they say where they were going?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, yes, certainly,” the minister answered. “I -don’t wish to give you the wrong impression about -Mrs. Heath,” the minister said to Vicki. “I only -wish Lucy had gone more slowly and made sure<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">53</a><br /><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">54</a></span> -that she and Mrs. Heath really would be compatible -over a period of several months’ close association—and -checked a little on Mrs. Heath’s financial -ability to pay all the bills and Lucy’s salary.”</p> - -<div class="figcenter width400"> -<a name="page53" id="page53"></a> -<img src="images/i-053.jpg" width="400" height="645" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><em>“Are you worried, too, about Lucy?” Dr. Hall asked</em></div> -</div> - -<p>Their plan, the minister told Vicki, was to head -slightly north and east of Sacramento, into the -Mother Lode country. Mrs. Heath had made -an earlier trip through the hill region and had -said that she might possibly rent a house in the -area.</p> - -<p>“I received a post card from Lucy,” said Mr. -Hall. “Just a moment.”</p> - -<p>The minister picked up a picture post card -from his desk and handed it to Vicki. It was postmarked -Placerville, California, February seventh, -at four <span class="smcap2">P.M.</span> Vicki glanced at the desk calendar. -February seventh was the first Saturday in February.</p> - -<p>“Wasn’t this post card mailed the same day that -Lucy and Mrs. Heath started out?” Vicki asked.</p> - -<p>“Yes. Evidently Lucy mailed the post card -en route. She says nothing, actually—‘Beautiful -country, beautiful weather. Will write soon.’ But -she hasn’t written since, Miss Barr. Not to me or, -so far as I can learn, to any of her friends. And I -don’t know where she is.”</p> - -<p>Vicki felt a sharp misgiving. “Have you—have -you planned to take any steps to get in touch with -her, Mr. Hall?”</p> - -<p>He hesitated. “It’s not quite two weeks since -Lucy left. I believe they planned to work on Mrs.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">55</a></span> -Heath’s book, so that possibly Lucy hasn’t had a -chance to write to me. I don’t mean to alarm you, -Miss Barr.”</p> - -<p>“But I think <em>you</em> are a little alarmed, Mr. Hall?”</p> - -<p>He thought for a moment. “Now that you pose -the question, yes, I am uneasy about Lucy.”</p> - -<p>“Did a Mr. Dorn ever call you?”</p> - -<p>“Dorn? No.”</p> - -<p>That troubled Vicki. She also wondered what -really lay behind Lucy’s change of jobs. She remarked -as much to Mr. Hall.</p> - -<p>“Yes, I feel there is more to know about Lucy’s -job situation than we do know,” he said. He reflected. -“Maybe Gravy could tell you something -more.”</p> - -<p>Vicki smiled. “I beg your pardon, but did you -say someone’s name is Gravy?”</p> - -<p>The minister smiled back at her. “Graves. -Knowlton Graves. He and his wife are young people, -friends of Lucy’s. She’s the one who dubbed -him Gravy. He’s a painter, and he’s been doing -Lucy’s portrait. I think that because of work on -the portrait the Graveses had been seeing Lucy -oftener than anyone else had, just before she left.”</p> - -<p>“Do you think Mr. and Mrs. Graves would be -willing to talk to me about Lucy?” Vicki asked.</p> - -<p>“We’ll see.” Mr. Hall picked up the telephone -and dialed a number. He talked to Knowlton -Graves, paving the way for Vicki. “Yes, I think -Miss Barr can come over right away.” Vicki -nodded. “What?... Yes, I’ll tell her. Thanks<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">56</a></span> -very much,” and the minister hung up. He turned -to Vicki.</p> - -<p>“Gravy wants me to tell you, with due apologies, -that he has a heavy work schedule. If you’re -willing to go over to Telegraph Hill for just a short -visit, he’d be very glad to see you.”</p> - -<p>Vicki got to her feet. “Even a few minutes’ talk -could be revealing.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Hall wrote down the Graveses’ address, -and gave Vicki directions for getting there. She -thanked the minister warmly for all his help and -kindness. He said, just as warmly:</p> - -<p>“I feel you and I are in league for Lucy’s best -interests.” He smiled, and his eyes seemed to look -through and through her. “Perhaps you have more -news of Lucy than you were willing to confide in -me on a first visit. Come back and see me again, -whether or not you learn any news.”</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Gravy was a large, noisy young man. He -boomed at her that his wife Maggie was out shopping, -he’d made a mess of the studio, and if she -was a friend of Lucy’s how come he’d never met -her before?</p> - -<p>Vicki followed him into a workmanlike studio, -explaining that she was only the friend of a friend -of their mutual friend.</p> - -<p>“How’s that again?” Gravy boomed at her. He -looked at her sternly. “Interesting planes in your -face. Ever sit for a portrait?”</p> - -<p>Vicki perched on a paint-splattered wooden<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">57</a></span> -chair and said firmly, “No, and I’m afraid I’m too -busy to. Can we talk about Lucy?”</p> - -<p>“Okay. Gosh, you look serious. There isn’t anything -wrong, is there? About Lucy, I mean.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t <em>know</em> that anything’s wrong,” Vicki -said carefully. “It’s just that I’ve heard confused -reports about her, and she’s gone off traveling with -a woman she hardly knows. That wasn’t wise.”</p> - -<p>“My wife feels the same way you do—though -I say that Heath woman sounds all right. Don’t -worry.” Gravy moved a pile of unframed canvases -out of the way, and sat down facing Vicki. -“Lucy likes that Mrs. Heath. She was motherly to -Lucy, I guess that’s why.”</p> - -<p>Vicki asked whether the Graveses had heard -from Lucy. They had not, and Gravy was untroubled -about it. He said blithely:</p> - -<p>“All I want is for Lucy to drop by here one of -these days, so I can finish her portrait. Want to -see it?”</p> - -<p>He rummaged through the pile of canvases, -pulled out one, and set it on an easel so Vicki -could see it. She took a long, curious look. Allowing -for the painter’s rather abstract style, she -could see from Gravy’s portrait what Lucy Rowe -looked like—a girl with big eyes, light-brown hair, -a rather square face which in a feminine version -recalled Marshall Bryant’s. Vicki could also see a -little of Lucy’s pleasant personality from the easy -way she had tossed a bulky green wool scarf -around her shoulders, and her friendly half-smile.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">58</a></span> -“Lucy looks as if she’s about to speak,” Vicki -said.</p> - -<p>“Well, we did talk a lot while we were doing -this portrait,” Gravy said. “She was all excited -about the job offer from Mrs. Heath.”</p> - -<p>“Did she ever talk about anyone else?” Vicki -asked. “About her parents, or—or her grandparents?”</p> - -<p>“It’s funny that you should ask that. Sure, she -always talked about her parents. But during the -sittings a lot of stuff about her grandparents came -out. Funny she never would mention their name, -it was such a touchy subject with her.” Gravy -looked searchingly at Vicki. “I guess it’s all right -to repeat it, it’s not exactly a secret. A confidence, -maybe. Well—</p> - -<p>“Lucy told Maggie and me she’d always felt no -one but her parents ever really wanted her or -cared about her. She just couldn’t believe her -friends care a whole lot about her, or that some -day she’ll find a husband who cares for her and -needs her. You know what that feeling comes out -of? From the way her grandparents rejected her -and her parents, all of Lucy’s life. Made them feel -humiliated, left out. Wouldn’t answer their letters. -Never even cared to meet their granddaughter. -The three Rowes didn’t have any close relatives. -They sort of huddled together by themselves; -then Lucy lost her mother, and then her father. -So now Lucy feels alone, and unwanted.</p> - -<p>“Well! Along came this Mrs. Heath, and she<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">59</a></span> -was motherly to Lucy. Besides, <em>she</em> needed Lucy, -<em>she</em> wanted Lucy to be with her—to help her with -the book and to be her traveling companion. She -even decided to go to the hills to please Lucy. -Pretty nice of her, hey? You should have seen how -much happier that girl was, all of a sudden! My -wife says that’s why Lucy took the new job almost -without hesitating. I tell you, Lucy’s heart is in -that job.”</p> - -<p>Vicki felt puzzled as she listened to all this. How -could a lawyer like Mr. Dorn, a man trained to -make investigations, not have unearthed the fact -of Lucy’s job with Mrs. Heath? Except that Mrs. -Stacey had said Lucy had been in and out of San -Francisco several times with her friends, just -around the time Mr. Dorn was here....</p> - -<p>“Mr. Graves, did a man named Dorn get in -touch with you?”</p> - -<p>“Dorn? Never heard of him.”</p> - -<p>“Did Lucy mention a Mr. Dorn to you?”</p> - -<p>Gravy shook his head. Well, Vicki thought, -Dorn and Lucy must have just missed each -other, and some of her friends must have given -him a garbled or incomplete account of her trip -and plans and the respectable older lady with -whom she was traveling.</p> - -<p>“You said Mrs. Heath and Lucy were going to -the hills. Can you tell me where in the hills?” -Vicki asked.</p> - -<p>“About a three hours’ drive from San Francisco, -in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains,”<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">60</a></span> -Gravy said. “It’s east of the Great Valley, in the -Mother Lode country with all those little pear-growing -towns like Placerville and Auburn and -Grass Valley. It’s west of the mountains on the -way to Donner Pass. Just about where the hills -really start to roll and climb and start turning into -mountains. That’s where Lucy spent some happy -vacations with her parents when she was a child.”</p> - -<p>As Gravy talked, Vicki visualized a map of California -in her mind and tried to fix the locale. “Isn’t -the Mother Lode country where they first discovered -gold in 1848?” Vicki asked.</p> - -<p>“Right. That was gold-rush country. They’re -still mining a little gold in them thar hills,” Gravy -said with a grin.</p> - -<p>Vicki asked him what that stretch of hills was -like.</p> - -<p>“It’s high, about fifteen-hundred to two-thousand-feet -elevation, and Lucy talked about the -pine trees. There are a few little towns scattered -trough there, and a lot of small two-to five-acre -pear farms and almond farms. Lucy said it was -really pretty, kind of quiet and peaceful, not too -many people around.”</p> - -<p>“Isolated?” Vicki suggested.</p> - -<p>“Well”—Gravy thoughtfully rubbed his chin—“I -suppose if this Mrs. Heath wanted to find a -real private location to hole up and write her -book, she wouldn’t have too many neighbors to -bother her in the Sierra foothills. Especially if she -didn’t stay at inns, if she rented a house—”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">61</a></span> -So Lucy and Mrs. Heath were somewhere in the -Sierra foothills, around the pear-growing towns! -Gravy had said that was about three hours’ driving -time from San Francisco. By private plane, -Vicki figured, it would take much less time. If she -visited and inquired at the main villages in the -area, she probably would learn something about -the two women. Strangers in a rural area would -surely be noticed.</p> - -<p>“That’s what I could do,” Vicki thought. “It’s -not much of a trip, and it shouldn’t be too difficult -to look around a bit. I did promise Mrs. Bryant -I’d do my best.”</p> - -<p>She noticed Gravy glance, with embarrassment, -toward the large clock on the wall.</p> - -<p>“Oh, <em>I’m</em> sorry, Mr. Graves,” said Vicki. “Mr. -Hall told me I mustn’t detain you too long.”</p> - -<p>“Gosh, I’m sorry. Guess I told you everything -I could about Lucy. Maybe Maggie could’ve remembered -something more—”</p> - -<p>Vicki said she hoped to meet his wife another -time, thanked the painter, and went to the door.</p> - -<p>“If you see Lucy,” said Gravy, letting her out, -“tell her one more sitting will finish up the portrait. -So long, now.”</p> - -<p><em>If</em> she saw Lucy! She wanted to try.</p> - -<p>Vicki found a drugstore, ordered a coke, and -took her bid sheet out of her purse. The bid sheet -showed her scheduled flying days and her days -off.</p> - -<p>She had three rest days—today, tomorrow, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">62</a></span> -Saturday. Her next assigned flight, with Jean Cox, -was not until nine <span class="smcap2">A.M.</span> on Sunday. That was fine.</p> - -<p>This afternoon she could arrange to rent a private -plane and study maps. Tomorrow, and if necessary -Saturday, she could search for Lucy. That -should be enough time.</p> - -<p>Vicki had one misgiving. Suppose Lucy and -Mrs. Heath were no longer in the Placerville region, -where Lucy had mailed the post card? Suppose -Mrs. Heath had decided to move on, or—a -fleeting suspicion occurred to Vicki—suppose -Mrs. Heath had never intended to settle in that -region? The whole story of the sudden job offer -disturbed Vicki as much as it had the minister.</p> - -<p>“There’s only one way to find out,” Vicki decided, -“and that’s to go look for Lucy Rowe.”</p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">63</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="vi" id="vi"></a><span>CHAPTER VI</span> -<br /><em>Vicki Searches</em></h2> - - -<p class="noi"><span class="smcap">The next morning Vicki went to Novato airport,</span> -in Marin County, forty minutes from San -Francisco. Having been out there late yesterday -afternoon, she was briefed for her flight. Placerville, -her first stop, was about a hundred and -twenty-five miles away. Joe and Ed Foster, the -men from whom she was renting a Cessna 150, -had marked on her air map the routes, landmarks, -and sites of small airports in and near Placerville -and surrounding villages.</p> - -<p>The trim little Cessna 150 was a single-engine, -two-place airplane, with landing lights, wing -lights for navigation, and a two-way radio. Vicki -carefully went over the plane, making a line -check. It was in A-1 condition and fully fueled. -She climbed in, with a lift up from Joe Foster.</p> - -<p>“All okay?” he asked. Vicki smiled and nodded. -“Now remember, this plane has a fast rate of -climb. Watch it.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll remember.” Yesterday afternoon she had<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">64</a></span> -taxied the Cessna around a little, to see how the -plane handled, and had fallen in love with the instantly -responsive aircraft. Vicki said:</p> - -<p>“I’ll bring her back late this afternoon, Mr. Foster.” -She would rather not do night flying in an -unfamiliar airplane over country which was new -to her.</p> - -<p>Foster waved. “Happy landings.”</p> - -<p>“Thanks. See you.”</p> - -<p>Vicki closed the door, put her feet on the pedals, -cracked the throttle forward slightly, released -the brakes, and pressed the starter button. The -plane went skimming along the airstrip. As the -Cessna left the ground, Vicki felt she was simply -floating up into the air. While she was figuring -how rapidly to reach the altitude and air speed -she wanted, the Cessna reached these and almost -flew off by itself.</p> - -<p>“Whoa, there!” Vicki exclaimed aloud. This was -exhilarating! She put the nose down a little, leveled -off, and turned northeast.</p> - -<p>Once across the comparatively low Coast Range -mountains, Vicki looked down on the Sacramento -River flowing through rich farms and cattle prairie. -Vicki bypassed the city of Sacramento, capital -of California, and went sailing along over the -Great Valley. Her cockpit was full of sunshine, -and the plane flew quietly, smoothly. She was -making sixty miles an hour. The plane could do -eighty or more, but Vicki had landmarks to watch -for.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">65</a></span> -Another hour passed. Vicki saw the towns below -grow smaller and farther apart, and the land -begin to roll slightly. Blue outlines of hills appeared -on the horizon. Vicki climbed to a higher -altitude. The temperature grew much cooler. -Vicki buttoned her jacket. A few minutes later she -saw much higher outlines on the horizon—the immense, -distant peaks of the Sierra Nevadas loomed -up like a great wall. Vicki consulted her air chart, -and looked down to locate Placerville. It was the -first of the villages, nestled low on this side of the -distant mountains.</p> - -<p>Vicki found the local airstrip and made a neat -landing. A mechanic at work in the hangar told -her it was ten minutes’ walk into town.</p> - -<p>“Or you can hitch a ride, miss.”</p> - -<p>“Thanks, I’ll walk.” She was wary of driving -with strangers; and besides, the countryside of -nut and fruit ranches offered a beautiful walk.</p> - -<p>In the village Vicki inquired first at the small -hotel. The owner put down his newspaper and -obligingly looked through the register. It had just -a few guests listed; Lucy and Mrs. Heath were -not among them.</p> - -<p>“Did you see <em>any</em> older woman with a young, -brown-haired woman?” Vicki asked the hotel -owner.</p> - -<p>“No, miss. Why don’t you ask at the Pines Motel? -You can ’phone from here.”</p> - -<p>Vicki telephoned. The motel had no record, no -recall of the two women. She went to the Placerville<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">66</a></span> -restaurants, garage, police office, and asked. -No news.</p> - -<p>Vicki flew on to the next town, Auburn. She -talked with friendly tradesmen and local people -at a roadside stand heaped with cherries, almonds, -grapes, walnuts, and apples. No one, not -even the motel keeper or the gas-station owner, -had seen the woman and the girl Vicki described. -Neither had Auburn’s police officers.</p> - -<p>In the next town, Marysville, Vicki inquired -again, with no results. In each village—a few of -them were almost ghost towns of gold-rush fame—she -got the same story. No one had seen the -two women. By midafternoon Vicki felt badly discouraged.</p> - -<p>“Well, shall I give up?”</p> - -<p>Vicki thought it over. So far she had tried only -the villages. The minister and the painter had -mentioned the possibility that Mrs. Heath might -rent a house in the Sierra foothills. “A house off -by itself in the hills—that’s the next thing to look -for and ask about.”</p> - -<p>Vicki took the Cessna up again, thinking hard -about the best way to locate such a house. She -had been aloft fifteen minutes when she decided -it would be a wise precaution to replenish her gas -supply. The air chart showed a small airport off -to the northeast. Vicki hoped she could buy gas -there. She turned, reduced speed, and watched -for an airport.</p> - -<p>Just off the highway, she spotted a meadow<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">67</a></span> -with airstrips mowed in the grass. Three or four -planes and cars were parked outside a barn, which -must be the hangar.</p> - -<p>She circled low over the meadow twice, to let -the people below know she wanted to land. Two -men in coveralls came out of the hangar. They motioned -to her how to come down, pointing to the -windsock atop the barn. Vicki waggled the plane -wings in reply, flew into their air pattern, and -coasted in for a landing. By this time, three other -men wearing coveralls had come out to watch her. -They gave Vicki friendly smiles as she stepped out -of the plane.</p> - -<p>“Hello, anything we can do for you?” one asked -her. They were all young men, deeply tanned, -with sun squint lines around their eyes, and immediately -interested in Vicki’s Cessna 150.</p> - -<p>“Thanks, I’d like to buy some gas here,” Vicki -said. “And maybe you’ll advise me how to find a -place I’m looking for.”</p> - -<p>“Glad to do both,” said one young man. “I’m -Wes Clark.”</p> - -<p>He introduced the four others—the two McKee -brothers, a redhead called Red Jones, and the tall -man who had spoken first, Jack Whiting. Vicki -told them her name, and said her home was in -Fairview, Illinois.</p> - -<p>They all said hello, and invited Vicki to see -their airplane. She was interested in their heavy -plane and special equipment, and asked what they -were doing.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">68</a></span> -“We’re prospecting from the sky,” Wes Foster -said. “We search for ore buried in the ground. -Mostly for mineral pockets. Want to see how we -aerial miners work?”</p> - -<p>“I certainly want to know what that long torpedolike -thing tied to the back of your plane is,” -Vicki admitted.</p> - -<p>The McKee brothers said, “That’s ours.” They -were electronic experts, and at work they sat inside -the big instrument to watch for the telltale -jump of dial needles, as the “snooper” plane flew -over mountains, lakes, and valleys. The young -men explained to Vicki that a strong radioactive -source—such as uranium—showed on the detectors.</p> - -<p>“Do you need maps?” Vicki asked. She was -thinking of her own search for a secluded house -in the hills.</p> - -<p>“Sure, we use maps. Whiting here is our aerial -photographer. He makes an aerial survey with a -movie camera that’s co-ordinated with the electronic -needles. Then he pieces the photographs -together into one big map, and that gives us and -our geologist an over-all picture of the region -we’re exploring.”</p> - -<p>Red Jones, stammering slightly, told Vicki he -was the geologist of the team. She asked if she -might see the map he used.</p> - -<p>“We were just looking at it in the hangar. Come -on in, Miss Barr.”</p> - -<p>They all went into the hangar where equipment<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">69</a></span> -and a large photographic map were spread out on -a table. Jack Whiting and Wes Clark started to -explain the map to Vicki. They said it showed the -contours of the dips and peaks of the rugged terrain -around there. The photo-map resembled a -complicated diagram; it was not easy for Vicki -to read.</p> - -<p>“Well, are you looking for anything in particular?” -Whiting, the aerial photographer, asked her.</p> - -<p>“Yes. An isolated house,” said Vicki.</p> - -<p>“Hmm. That’s a tall order. There are several -houses and buildings off by themselves, way up -in the hills.”</p> - -<p>Wes Clark suggested that they start by locating -such houses on the photo-map. They located several -small marks on the map which were houses. -However, Whiting remembered that two of the -buildings were power stations, one a sportsman’s -hunting lodge, one a house they knew to be -boarded up.</p> - -<p>“What’s this?” Vicki put her finger on a blurred -spot on the photo-map. It was the size of a pinhead.</p> - -<p>“That’s half a dozen houses and a general store, -too small even to be a village,” the younger -McKee brother said. “No post office or anything. -The ranchers around there call the place Pine -Top.”</p> - -<p>“No, I don’t mean the cluster of houses,” Vicki -insisted, “I mean this tiny dark spot. Could it be -a hidden house?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">70</a></span> -The young man peered at the blur. “Could be,” -the aerial photographer finally said. “Lots of forest -and high, winding roads at that point. If it’s -a house, it’s hidden, all right. The camera doesn’t -tell <em>what</em> that blur is, I’m afraid.”</p> - -<p>Vicki looked searchingly at the map. She could -not see any other mark which suggested a private -house. Only the one above Pine Top.</p> - -<p>“I think,” she said slowly, “I’ll gamble on it and -fly to Pine Top.”</p> - -<p>“Maintain enough altitude,” Wes Clark advised -her. “You can get gas from someone at Pine Top, -if necessary.”</p> - -<p>“Gas!” Vicki remembered. “I need some right -now, if you can spare it.”</p> - -<p>The airfield had a commercial, self-service gas -pump. Wes Clark said with a grin, “Our advice is -free, but you have to pay for the gas.”</p> - -<p>“I’m glad to have both,” said Vicki.</p> - -<p>The young men helped her to refuel her plane, -and watched her climb in. Wes Clark looked at -his wrist watch and said:</p> - -<p>“It’s pretty late in the afternoon to head for Pine -Top. I wouldn’t try it for the first time at dusk, if -I were you.”</p> - -<p>They were right. To explore half-mountainous -terrain, by air, in fading light would be foolhardy. -Besides, she was growing tired, and there was still -the return flight to San Francisco to make.</p> - -<p>“All right, I’ll try for Pine Top tomorrow,” she -said. She smiled and waved at the five young men.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">71</a></span> -“Thanks a lot for everything. I hope to see you -all again sometime.”</p> - -<p>“See you,” they repeated. “Get home safely. -Happy landings.”</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>That night Vicki dreamed of Pine Top and of -a dark, fantastic house clinging to a wooded -mountainside. Those troubled pictures were the -reflection of her worry about Lucy.</p> - -<p>Actually, when she was wide awake on Saturday -noon, and looking down from the Cessna 150 -in the bright sky, Pine Top turned out to be a -cheerful place. There wasn’t much of Pine Top, -just a few houses clustered together in the refreshing -green of forests and hilly grazing lands.</p> - -<p>She looked down and circled, losing altitude, -searching for an area to land. The one level place -she could see was a back road—a wide, empty, -dirt road. Vicki came down bumpily, then staked -down the plane at the side of the road, and hiked -toward the houses.</p> - -<p>No one was in sight, only a yellow hound-dog. -The general store seemed the likeliest place to -make inquiries. Going in, Vicki found it deserted. -She looked around at the shelves, counters, boxes, -and barrels piled with provisions for living deep -in the country. She noticed a bell on the counter, -rang it, then waited.</p> - -<p>Presently a man and woman came in, carrying -baskets of garden produce. They said good morning -to Vicki, and looked at her curiously.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">72</a></span> -“Was that you flying around here a while ago?” -the man asked. Vicki smiled and nodded.</p> - -<p>“Well! What’re you doing in these parts, young -lady?”</p> - -<p>“We don’t often see strangers,” the woman put -in. She said their names were Carl and Angie Potter. -“My, that’s a handsome jacket you’re wearing.”</p> - -<p>“Thank you,” said Vicki. “I wonder if you’d -give me some advice?” The couple were eager to -help. “I wonder if you’ve seen an elderly lady and -a brown-haired girl about my age with her?”</p> - -<p>“Why, sure enough, we have,” the man said. -Vicki’s hopes leaped up. “They came here in a car -about two weeks ago.”</p> - -<p>“The lady’s name is Mrs. Elizabeth Heath,” the -woman said importantly. “I saw her name on an -identification tag tied on her suitcase—I noticed -it when I carried some of the groceries out to her -car. I can’t figure out whether the girl is her -daughter or niece or exactly what. They bought -a whole carload of groceries from us, same day -they got here, and went on up to the old Glidden -place.”</p> - -<p>“The house up in the hills?” Vicki asked.</p> - -<p>“Uh-huh. Nobody’s seen hide nor hair of them -since,” said the man. “Bill Jenkins from the telephone -company strung up a wire to their house, -so we know Mrs. Heath has the phone working -again. But except for phoning me to bring more -groceries, she hasn’t called up nobody here.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">73</a></span> -The woman sniffed. “That Mrs. Heath was uppity -when she bought her groceries from us. The -girl seemed real nice, though.”</p> - -<p>“It’s the girl I want to see.” Vicki felt a great -sense of relief at actually having located Mrs. -Heath and Lucy. “How far is the Glidden place -from here?” she asked.</p> - -<p>“Oh, about twenty minutes up an awfully curvy, -narrow piece of road. We could drive you up -there.”</p> - -<p>They all piled into the couple’s jalopy. The narrow -road up to the house climbed and wound. -“On a wet day,” said Mr. Potter, “anyone who -drives on this road’ll break his neck.”</p> - -<p>At the top of the road the land leveled off, and -they reached a high stone wall. Behind it, Vicki -could see only treetops and the second floor of a -house. The Potters said the wall completely enclosed -the Glidden place.</p> - -<p>Mr. Potter stopped the car before a large -wooden door in the wall. “We’ll have to honk,” -he said. When there was no answer, he tried the -door. “Locked,” he said.</p> - -<p>Angie Potter raised her voice. “Oh, Mrs. Heath! -Mrs. Hea-ea-eath!” Still no answer. “Maybe nobody’s -home.”</p> - -<p>Vicki said, “The upstairs windows are open, and -the curtains are open, too. Someone’s probably at -home.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Potter honked, Mrs. Potter called, Vicki -knocked on the wooden door in the wall. They<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">74</a></span> -made so much noise that a flock of birds swooped -out of a nearby tree, and flew away.</p> - -<p>“Not very neighborly,” Mrs. Potter grumbled.</p> - -<p>Vicki felt discomfited. Granted that Mrs. Heath -wanted an isolated place in which to write her -book; still, did the two women have to isolate -themselves so rigidly?</p> - -<p>“Well, we might as well go,” said Mrs. Potter.</p> - -<p>They made a cautious descent down the narrow, -steep road. The Potters drove Vicki back to -the spot where she had parked the plane. They -would not hear of accepting the payment she offered, -and said good-by.</p> - -<p>She waited until the Potters drove safely off the -back road. Then she got into the Cessna, taxied as -far as the road permitted, and took off. In the air -she figured out a route which would take her clear -of the jutting hillside, yet bring her over the -house.</p> - -<p>Within sight of the wall and the house, the fast -plane rolled a little when Vicki overcontrolled it -to fly more slowly. First she followed the wall, -to get her bearings in relation to the house and -road, and to look for a possible place to land.</p> - -<p>She was surprised to see that the property covered -quite a bit of acreage. The far end of it was -hilly woods, but this led into a long, fairly level -stretch of meadow which would afford a landing -area. The meadow led up to the house.</p> - -<p>Before she knew it, Vicki had flown over the -house, which was not very large. She had to circle<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">75</a></span> -around and fly back for a better look. The house -was rather rustic and long and low. It was not far -from the road behind the wall. A garden surrounded -it in front and on both sides.</p> - -<p>But the most interesting thing she saw below -was two women working in the garden on the -sunny south side of the house. One woman was -gray-haired. The other figure was a girl’s, with -brown hair; she had thrown around her shoulders -a bulky green woolen scarf like the scarf in -the portrait.</p> - -<p>“Lucy!” Vicki thought in excitement. “There’s -Lucy Rowe! I’ve found her.”</p> - -<p>In the instant that Vicki flew over them, they -looked up at the plane which had now flown past -twice. Vicki thought, “Won’t they be astonished -when I land inside their wall!”</p> - -<p>She headed over the meadow, thinking about -wind direction and landing speeds. Then she remembered -to glance at her wrist watch—and was -alarmed at the time. There simply wasn’t time -today to land and talk to Lucy and Mrs. Heath. -Her free time had nearly run out.</p> - -<p>Vicki was obliged to fly past the meadow, beyond -the wooded hillside, and out over Pine Top -country in the direction of the coast and San -Francisco. She was exceedingly disappointed.</p> - -<p>“Well, I’ll have ample time off next week,” -Vicki consoled herself. “I’ll come back.”</p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">76</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="vii" id="vii"></a><span>CHAPTER VII</span> -<br /><em>Which Lucy?</em></h2> - - -<p class="noi"><span class="smcap">“Vicki, there’s a Miss L. Rowe aboard!” Jean</span> -said excitedly. “I just discovered it when I had to -check tickets and passengers’ names!”</p> - -<p>Vicki stopped her preparations for lunch and -stepped outside the buffet into the aisle. “Where, -Jean? Where is she?”</p> - -<p>“’Way up forward. You can’t see her from here. -A stunning girl. Brown suit, brown hair.”</p> - -<p>“I can’t stop and go up there now.” Vicki -craned to see down the length of the Electra -cabin. “Has she a squarish face?”</p> - -<p>“I’m not sure.” Some of the passengers noticed -their excitement. The two stewardesses stepped -back into the privacy of the buffet. “Vic, could -she be <em>your</em> Lucy Rowe?”</p> - -<p>“Hmm. It’s possible—”</p> - -<p>Today was Tuesday. She had seen Lucy Rowe -from the air on Saturday, in California. Since then -Vicki had flown to Chicago, had a rest day in -Chicago on Monday, and now was flying from<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">77</a></span> -Chicago to New York. The Electra had taken off -from Chicago half an hour ago, at noon. With -Jean she had greeted the boarding passengers but -hadn’t seen anyone she could have imagined to -be Lucy Rowe. Still, with sixty-eight passengers -enplaning, she might not have noticed every face.</p> - -<p>“Yes, it’s possible she’s my Lucy Rowe,” said -Vicki. “I’m surprised, of course. Lucy must have -left Pine Top rather suddenly—or at any rate, -awfully soon after I was there. It seems like a -strange coincidence.”</p> - -<p>“One point,” Jean said. “Her ticket reads ‘Miss -L. Rowe.’ It <em>doesn’t</em> read Lucy. Her first name -might be Lillian, for all we know.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll go forward and speak to her first chance I -get,” said Vicki. Not that Gravy’s abstract portrait -provided a sure means of identifying the girl, by -any means. “Did she come on from California?”</p> - -<p>“Her ticket doesn’t say, it just reads Chicago -as point of origination. But she could have started -from California, and changed planes in Chicago. -That could involve two separate tickets.”</p> - -<p>“That’s right. So her ticket doesn’t tell us anything. -Gosh, I’m intrigued! It <em>could</em> very well be -the right girl. Well, back to the coffeemaker.”</p> - -<p>Captain Tom Jordan had been delayed several -minutes in take-off and had notified the stewardesses -he intended to make up the time during -flight. That meant Vicki and Jean had even less -than the usual two hours in which to take care of -the needs of sixty-eight persons, and set up and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">78</a></span> -serve sixty-eight hot luncheons. The stewardesses -hadn’t a minute to spare. Vicki’s one chance to see -Miss L. Rowe was when she brought her a lunch -tray.</p> - -<div class="figcenter width400"> -<a name="page78" id="page78"></a> -<img src="images/i-078.jpg" width="400" height="408" alt="Are you enjoying the flight, Miss Rowe?" /> -</div> - -<p>“Are you enjoying the flight, Miss Rowe?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, it’s very smooth and pleasant.”</p> - -<p>The girl glanced up as she spoke. She was in -her early twenties and did rather resemble the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">79</a></span> -girl in Gravy’s vague portrait, except that her -hair was dark brown. Vicki had expected from -the portrait that it would be light brown. As for -the squarish face, Vicki could not decide whether -Gravy had exaggerated its shape. Her large eyes -and wide mouth resembled the portrait. Did this -girl look like a topnotch secretary? She was trimly -dressed, well groomed, and well made up. Did she -look like an outdoors girl? That was harder to -guess.</p> - -<p>Vicki looked to see whether Miss L. Rowe wore -the Bryant family’s silver ring; but she wore no -rings at all. This, too, proved nothing. Most -women wore little or no jewelry while traveling. -Vicki longed to ask Miss Rowe her first name, but -she had no right, no excuse, no time to do so. She -smiled at the girl and went on with her tasks.</p> - -<p>The trouble started shortly before they were -due to land. The captain’s buzzer sounded on the -stewardesses’ call board, and Vicki—wanting another -glance at Miss L. Rowe—went forward to -the cockpit, unlocking and then closing the steel -door behind her.</p> - -<p>In the bright light of the cockpit she saw that -the faces of the two pilots and the navigator were -strained but calm. Chuck Smith, the young navigator, -had his jacket off and sleeves rolled up, and -there were grease stains on his shirt and arms.</p> - -<p>Captain Jordan said: “Vicki, we’re having a -little trouble. We discovered the nose wheel has -not retracted properly.” Vicki knew it was not uncommon<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">80</a></span> -for nose wheels to get stuck like this.</p> - -<p>“We’ve tried everything we can to repair it, but -no luck,” Captain Jordan went on. “I’ve decided -to make our scheduled landing, anyway. I think -the shock of landing will jolt the wheel down into -place. We have tricycle landing gear, so that this -landing won’t be too risky. In fact, I expect it to be -a success. However, <em>if</em> it doesn’t work, we’d better -be prepared.”</p> - -<p>Vicki was trained for emergencies. Her heart -pounded but she listened calmly to the pilot.</p> - -<p>“I want you and Jean to inform the passengers -of our situation, and to use emergency landing -procedures. Just in case.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir. How soon?”</p> - -<p>“Start right away. You have about twenty minutes -to prepare.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, Captain Jordan.” Twenty minutes was -ample time.</p> - -<p>Back in the cabin she found Jean and repeated -the pilot’s message. Then each stewardess went -to her half of the cabin and explained quietly to -the passengers. Vicki stressed that the landing -very probably would be a success, but because of -the risk they must be prepared. The passengers -took the announcement as calmly as it was made. -Vicki realized that these sixty-eight people looked -to her and Jean for leadership; they must keep -cool and move fast and accurately.</p> - -<p>First, they saw to it that every passenger had -his seat belt fastened tightly, that all seats were in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">81</a></span> -upright position, and that no one was smoking. -Then Vicki selected four men who told her they -had had military or aviation experience. Vicki -quickly showed them how to operate the lounge-door -exit, window exits, ropes, and evacuation -slides when the plane landed. She and Jean were -responsible for opening the main-entrance door -and the buffet-service door. Jean, meanwhile, selected -three passengers, showed them how to operate -the three window exits, and seated them there. -Next, the stewardesses briefed the passengers on -locations of all the exits. They showed the passengers -how to brace their feet and arms, how to -press their heads against the seat in front of them -in order to avoid being thrown forward and getting -bloody noses. The stewardesses quickly distributed -pillows and blankets for extra protection.</p> - -<p>Jean showed the woman with the one baby -aboard how to lock the baby in her arms. Some -of the men passengers removed parcels from the -overhead luggage racks and stowed them in the -luggage and coat closets.</p> - -<p>“Will you please remove all sharp objects,” -Vicki said, walking along the plane aisle. “Please -remove your glasses, all pens and pencils, -brooches, belts with buckles, any sharp objects—” -since these things could stab. “Will the men please -loosen their ties.” Then she hurried to check the -fire extinguishers, first-aid kit, all emergency -equipment.</p> - -<p>Sooner than Vicki expected, they were flying<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">82</a></span> -in over New York City. The captain’s buzzer -sounded. He said, “We’re cleared and coming -down any minute now.” Jean sat down in the -forward cabin adjacent to the main-entrance -door, Vicki sat down in an aisle seat across from -the buffet-service door. They strapped themselves -in.</p> - -<p>Soaring down above the length of La Guardia -Airport, everything below looked as usual as on -any other winter afternoon—except that two -emergency trucks for extinguishing fire came racing -after them on the ground. Vicki said a little -prayer. She spoke confidently to the passengers -near her.</p> - -<p>Dropping—dropping—now Vicki could see the -faces of the men on the field as the Electra flew -low past them. They stopped working to watch, -and to help if necessary. Then the plane gave a -terrific jolt, a jar which Vicki felt to the roots of -her teeth. Men and women swayed and rolled -in their seats, the baby cried, as the Electra -touched ground. The plane shuddered all over -and rolled on to a stop. Safe! No one thrown—nothing -broken nor on fire—The nose wheel must -have come down exactly as Captain Jordan -planned.</p> - -<p>“Praise be!” Vicki exclaimed. She unstrapped -and jumped to her feet.</p> - -<p>She and Jean ran to reassure the children and -the elderly among their passengers. Everyone was -shaken up, profoundly sobered, but relieved and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">83</a></span> -grateful. The men were inclined to joke now that -the danger was over. The two stewardesses made -certain, and Captain Jordan came out to make -certain, that each passenger was all right. Not one -person showed panic or caused any trouble. Captain -Jordan praised the stewardesses for their -share in maintaining high morale.</p> - -<p>The cabin was littered with passengers’ garments, -handbags, eyeglasses, and pens. For several -minutes Jean and Vicki were busy picking -these up. Everyone helped them. Or almost everyone—Vicki -noticed that Miss L. Rowe, like a few -others, did not bother to help anyone but herself.</p> - -<p>Something glistened on the plane’s carpet. -Vicki picked it up: it was a gold charm off a -woman’s bracelet, inscribed “Dorothy.” She held -it high and asked: “Does anyone own a charm -marked ‘Dorothy’?” Several women shook their -heads. Vicki hastily consulted the manifest with -its list of names. No woman passenger aboard had -the name “Dorothy” or the initial “D.”</p> - -<p>“Does anyone own this gold charm?” Vicki -asked, carrying it conspicuously all through the -cabin. It was a valuable piece of jewelry. No one -claimed it. She knew it was unlikely that the -charm had been left on the plane from a previous -flight, since the cleaning crews at terminals did a -thorough job. The owner was aboard this very -minute. Why didn’t Dorothy—whoever she was—claim -it?</p> - -<p>The passengers began leaving the plane, the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">84</a></span> -stewardesses managing an orderly evacuation. -There went Miss L. Rowe! Vicki was seized by -an irresistible curiosity to see whether the -Bryants or Mr. Dorn would meet the girl. With -a promise to Jean Cox and the passenger agent to -come back, Vicki went down the plane stairs after -Miss Rowe. She followed her at a short distance -across the airfield, into the crowded terminal -building, and out again at the front portico to the -taxi stand. Vicki watched Miss L. Rowe get directly -into a taxi by herself, without looking -around to see whether anyone was waiting to -meet her. Apparently she didn’t expect to be met.</p> - -<p>“Well, I guess she isn’t the right L. Rowe,” Vicki -thought. “If she were, the Bryants would at least -have sent their car and chauffeur for her. Or is -her arrival a surprise? Even if it were, Mr. Dorn -probably would be on hand to escort her to the -Bryants’ house,” Vicki reasoned. “Wrong girl. -That’s that. Just a coincidence of names and brown -hair.”</p> - -<p>In all likelihood the Bryants’ granddaughter—the -girl with the brown hair and green scarf -which tallied with the portrait—was still at the -hill house near Pine Top.</p> - -<p>Vicki still had the gold charm clutched in her -hand. The “Lost and Found” desk was only a few -steps away. She went over and turned the charm -in. It was odd, she thought, that no one on the -plane had claimed it.</p> - -<p>On her return to the Electra, she joined Jean<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">85</a></span> -in completing the final, routine picking up in the -cabin and putting equipment back into place. -After handing in their reports to the Flight Stewardess -Supervisor, Vicki and Jean went to the -stewardesses’ sleeping lounge to have a nap and -tidy up. Now that the emergency was met and -past, they admitted they felt tired.</p> - -<p>“We were lucky,” Jean murmured from the -other cot.</p> - -<p>“Luck and skill and a well-engineered plane,” -Vicki answered.</p> - -<p>She lay there on the cot thinking about the -landing preparations, the unclaimed charm, and -Miss L. Rowe. Her thoughts drifted on to the -Bryants. Suddenly she sat up, took a few coins -from her purse, and walked next door to the -stewardesses’ lounge.</p> - -<p>“Where you going?” Jean called after her -sleepily.</p> - -<p>“I’m going to telephone Mrs. Bryant.”</p> - -<p>She wanted to tell Lucy’s grandmother that although -she had not yet been able to deliver her -message, she had, to the best of her belief, located -Lucy and actually seen her from the air.</p> - -<p>A secretary answered. The Bryants were not at -home. She evidently knew from Mrs. Bryant who -Vicki was. Vicki decided not to relay her news of -Lucy secondhand and asked the secretary for an -appointment. Vicki said she expected to be in -New York again, with free time, next Sunday and -Monday.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">86</a></span> -“I’m sure that Mrs. Bryant would be delighted -to see you at lunch or tea,” said the secretary. -“I’ve put you down for tea at four on Sunday, -Miss Barr.”</p> - -<p>“Thank you, that’s perfect. Until Sunday, then.”</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Between that memorable Tuesday and the following -Sunday, the first of March, Vicki flew three -more Electra flights between New York and Chicago, -with two days off in Chicago between -flights. On one rest day her mother took the local -train from Fairview up to Chicago, and they spent -a happy day together.</p> - -<p>On her other rest day, Vicki stayed at her Chicago -hotel. Resting, she tried to plan exactly -what she was going to tell Lucy’s grandmother -when she visited the Bryants’ house on Sunday. -What disturbed Vicki was the fact that she had -learned some things about Lucy which Mr. Dorn, -in San Francisco a month or so earlier, had not -learned and possibly could have learned. Allowing -that Mr. Dorn had missed meeting Lucy, as -she herself had, and allowing that her own visit -came a month later, still, either she or Mr. Dorn -could be mistaken. And Vicki did not want to -give Mrs. Bryant any wrong information, or raise -any false hopes.</p> - -<p>“I’m going to ask Mrs. Bryant the exact dates -when Mr. Dorn was in San Francisco,” Vicki -thought. “Because <em>if</em> he was there during the -time Lucy became involved with Mrs. Heath, it’s<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">87</a></span> -strange he didn’t find out about that. Unless”—an -odd idea struck her—“Mrs. Heath dodged -Mr. Dorn’s inquiries and managed to keep him -from learning of Lucy’s new job? Mrs. Heath -avoided meeting the minister, didn’t she? She -managed things so that a good friend like Gravy -never met her, didn’t she? Hmm.”</p> - -<p>Reviewing the few facts she had learned about -Lucy’s new job, Vicki had to admit they were -sketchy and elusive. It even occurred to her, in a -wave of skepticism, that the girl she had seen -from the air <em>might</em> not necessarily be Lucy Rowe. -A green scarf and light-brown hair were not conclusive -proof.</p> - -<p>“Oh, it’s likely that girl <em>is</em> Lucy Rowe,” Vicki -thought, impatient with herself. “Why don’t I be -sensible and see, on Sunday, what Mr. Dorn has -learned in the meantime? Maybe what he’s discovered -by then and what I’ve discovered will -tally, after all.”</p> - -<p>She daydreamed about Sunday, and the pleasure -she hoped it would give Mrs. Bryant to hear -her news of Lucy.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The minute Vicki entered the Bryant house on -Sunday afternoon she sensed the excitement there. -The whole household had changed its mood: -every lamp and chandelier in every room was -alight, bouquets of fresh-cut flowers bloomed -everywhere, dance music came from a radio. The -house seemed young!</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">88</a></span> -Mr. and Mrs. Bryant, when Vicki entered the -room with the parakeets, looked as if they had -waked up from a long sleep, refreshed and happy. -They both were beaming. Mr. Bryant had a flower -in his buttonhole, and Mrs. Bryant was as flushed -as a girl in her rustling taffeta dress. Vicki had -never seen them in such festive spirits. Around -the tea service were trays of tiny, fancy sandwiches -and cakes, ready for a party. Vicki, trying -not to look inquisitive, said good afternoon.</p> - -<p>“Vicki, how nice to see you!” Mrs. Bryant took -her hand and drew her into the room. “You’re -right on time. Our other guests are coming at -five, but I especially wanted you here early. You’ll -see why.”</p> - -<p>“I’m so glad to see you again,” said Vicki. “I -hope you’re both well.”</p> - -<p>“We’re feeling exceedingly well,” said Mr. -Bryant. “Mrs. Bryant has a surprise which she -thinks you’ll enjoy.”</p> - -<p>“Now, Marshall, you mustn’t spoil my surprise. -First I want to ask Vicki where she’s been flying -recently, and all about the fascinating people on -her plane—”</p> - -<p>“I think I hear her coming downstairs,” Marshall -Bryant interrupted.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Bryant looked flustered. Vicki, to help her, -said her last few trips were probably not as special -as Mrs. Bryant’s surprise. The elderly lady -smiled at her delightedly.</p> - -<p>“Well, my dear, it <em>is</em> a most wonderful surprise<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">89</a></span> -for Mr. Bryant and me. Just wait—one more -moment, now—” Vicki heard someone’s light, -quick footsteps. “Vicki, Mr. Dorn has found our -granddaughter. Ah, here she is!”</p> - -<p>A slender dark-haired girl, taller than Vicki, -came into the room. She was the Miss L. Rowe -who had been on Vicki’s plane. She lightly kissed -both elderly people, and smiled politely when -Mrs. Bryant said:</p> - -<p>“Lucy, this is Vicki Barr who is about your age. -She’s the one who was so helpful to your grandfather -on our airplane trip.”</p> - -<p>“How do you do, Miss Barr?” If the girl recognized -her, she gave not the slightest sign.</p> - -<p>“I remember you on my plane earlier this -week,” Vicki said pleasantly. She started to say -how excited she’d been on finding a Miss L. Rowe -aboard, but caught herself just in time. Mrs. -Bryant <em>had</em> requested her not to mention her own -search to anyone. It was likely that Mrs. Bryant -had not told even Lucy this secret. Then Vicki -noticed that Lucy Rowe was staring at her -blankly, as if she had never seen the flight stewardess -before.</p> - -<p>“You remember, Miss Rowe,” Vicki said, “the -day we nearly had to make an emergency landing.”</p> - -<p>Lucy Rowe gave her a forced smile and turned -away. Vicki was astonished.</p> - -<p>“Why, Lucy,” her grandmother said, “you -didn’t tell us about any difficulty in landing!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">90</a></span> -“It was nothing. I didn’t want to alarm you,” -the girl said. “May I have a cup of that nice, hot -tea? I’m not used to your cold weather in New -York—but I expect I’ll love it here. Who else is -coming today? I’m so eager to be presented to -your friends.... No, I won’t mind a bit that -they’re all older people.”</p> - -<p>Lucy chattered on. Although Mrs. Bryant was -eager for the two girls to be friendly, it seemed to -Vicki that Lucy avoided conversing with her. -Particularly it seemed that Lucy did not want -last Tuesday’s flight mentioned again. Evidently -it embarrassed her in some way.</p> - -<p>“I wonder why?” Vicki thought. She would not -be so tactless as to raise the subject again, of -course. “But why does Lucy Rowe act as if she’s -never seen me before?”</p> - -<p>Vicki felt embarrassed and disappointed. She’d -anticipated a lively, warmhearted, approachable -girl—from the several descriptions of Lucy Rowe—not -someone so very charming and sophisticated. -Lucy was affectionate toward the Bryants, -and they were already devoted to their new-found -granddaughter. Vicki saw the lacelike silver ring -that Lucy wore. She recognized it as the Bryant -family’s ring, no doubt about that. Vicki said, -hoping to prompt her to talk:</p> - -<p>“What a lovely and unusual ring you’re wearing, -Miss Rowe.”</p> - -<p>“Thank you.” Lucy held out her hand for Vicki -to inspect the ring, and said, “I value this ring<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">91</a></span> -more than I can tell you, because it’s a family -heirloom. Mother gave it to me, and I’ve worn it -constantly ever since she died. It hasn’t ever been -off my finger, not even once.”</p> - -<p>Mrs. Bryant murmured appreciatively, even -Marshall Bryant looked touched. But Vicki was -thinking, “<em>You didn’t wear the silver ring last -Tuesday on my flight. I looked, I made sure—</em>”</p> - -<p>Why was Lucy lying? A lie about the ring—an -evasion about having been on Vicki’s plane—what -else would she lie about? Vicki was puzzled -and troubled. She managed to conceal it, for if -something was amiss here, she must not arouse -the girl’s suspicions. She needed to gain more information.</p> - -<p>“I think it’s wonderful that Mr. Dorn found -your granddaughter so soon,” Vicki said to Mrs. -Bryant, hoping she would talk.</p> - -<p>“Yes, Mr. Dorn found her on his second trip to -San Francisco,” Mrs. Bryant said, looking warmly -at Lucy. “He flew out there just last week on Friday, -and by the following Sunday—exactly a -week ago today, I remember it was Washington’s -Birthday, February twenty-second—he wired us -that he had found our young lady.”</p> - -<p>“<em>Last Sunday</em>,” Vicki thought. “<em>And I saw the -girl I took to be Lucy at Pine Top last Saturday.</em>”</p> - -<p>Lucy said, with a little laugh, “I was the most -surprised girl in the world when Mr. Dorn appeared -and told me that my grandparents wanted -me. And the happiest girl.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">92</a></span> -Marshall Bryant lighted a fresh cigar and gave -a grunt of approval. “Dorn is a good man.”</p> - -<p>Vicki thought, “<em>Have I made a mistake and -traced the wrong Lucy? I don’t see how. Yet -surely Mr. Dorn, who’s a lawyer, and who has -time and money to work with, didn’t make any -mistake?</em>”</p> - -<p>“Of course we wanted to meet our granddaughter -instantly, the very next day after Mr. Dorn’s -telegram,” Mrs. Bryant said with a smile. “He -flew back to New York and came to tell us—Lucy, -darling, you can’t imagine how absurdly disappointed -your grandfather and I were when Mr. -Dorn told us that you needed a little time to settle -your affairs in San Francisco, and would fly east -by yourself.”</p> - -<p>“I could hardly wait, too,” Lucy said. “I practically -ran, in San Francisco, doing all my good-bys -and chores. Even so, the fastest I could get -here to you was Thursday.”</p> - -<p>“<em>Thursday!</em>” Vicki nearly exclaimed aloud. -“<em>Why, this Miss L. Rowe was on my plane on -Tuesday. She left La Guardia Airport, alone, at -three o’clock Tuesday afternoon—I saw her—but -she didn’t meet her grandparents until Thursday! -Where was she during that interval?</em>”</p> - -<p>Lucy leaned toward her grandparents. “And -when Mr. Dorn met me at La Guardia Airport on -Thursday afternoon I was terribly nervous about -meeting you! He had to talk quietly to me for -about half an hour before I’d even get in the car.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">93</a></span> -Another lie, Vicki thought angrily. Or had this -girl returned to the airport two afternoons later -and pretended to Mr. Dorn that she had just got -off the plane? So this was why, Vicki realized, -Lucy Rowe did not want any mention of her -having been on the New York-bound plane on -<em>Tuesday</em> afternoon. Vicki said guardedly:</p> - -<p>“New York is a wonderful place but so is your -city, Miss Rowe. I’m just getting to know San -Francisco on occasional visits. It’s a fascinating -place. In what part of the city did you live?”</p> - -<p>“For a while I lived on Telegraph Hill, wonderful -views from there. Then three other girls and I -took a beach house one summer. It was fun, but -such a lot of commuting to my job.”</p> - -<p>No mention of the women’s hotel, Hotel Alcott. -No mention of sharing an apartment with Mary -Scott and her mother. That did not tally with -what Vicki had learned. Lucy had answered -readily, even glibly. Vicki tried another tack.</p> - -<p>“Some of the best views in New York,” she said, -“are from high up in the office buildings. Is that -true in San Francisco? Was it so on your job?”</p> - -<p>Lucy looked amused. “I worked so hard at -Whitney Decorators that there wasn’t much time -to admire the views.”</p> - -<p>“Poor darling,” said her grandmother.</p> - -<p>“Oh, no, it was a perfectly nice job with nice -people,” Lucy said. “But I was awfully happy to -give it up and come to you.”</p> - -<p>No mention of working for the Interstate Insurance<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">94</a></span> -Company. Was the interior-decorator job -a fact or another lie? If a fact, <em>when</em> had Lucy -worked for a decorator? And why didn’t she mention -her job with Mrs. Heath? Lucy made it sound -as if she had been employed in a San Francisco -office building at the time when Mr. Dorn had -found her a week ago. Vicki knew she had resigned -from Interstate about a month earlier, and had -gone to Pine Top a couple of weeks later. Why all -these lies? If this girl was actually Lucy, she was -trading on the love of her grandparents. Or if she -was an impostor, she must be very clever to have -fooled Mr. Dorn.</p> - -<p>Vicki said to her, “I’m not sure, but I <em>think</em> that -I met an acquaintance of yours while I was in -San Francisco. Jill—I can’t remember her last -name—” Vicki pretended.</p> - -<p>“Was it Jill Baker?” said Lucy. “Such a nice -girl.”</p> - -<p>Vicki nodded and did not press the point.</p> - -<p>Not Jill Baker—that name was Jill Joseph. Unless -Baker had been Jill’s name before her marriage? -Vicki decided to check the next time she -was in San Francisco. She noticed that Lucy did -not mention her old friend Jill’s living in her family’s -former house, nor their having been in school -together—in fact, nothing about Jill. Didn’t this -girl know Jill Joseph? Lucy again chattered along, -changing the subject. Or was the omission of no -importance?</p> - -<p>Just then Thurman Dorn came in.</p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">95</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="viii" id="viii"></a><span>CHAPTER VIII</span> -<br /><em>A Game of Wits</em></h2> - - -<p class="noi"><span class="smcap">For a moment Vicki wished she had never gotten</span> -mixed up in the search for Lucy Rowe. The -lawyer looked so cold, so professional, that her -own small efforts to find Lucy shrank to absurdity. -How impertinent she would appear if Mrs. -Bryant happened to tell about Vicki’s search—how -difficult it would be to justify to the lawyer -her doubts about <em>this</em> girl.</p> - -<p>Vicki glanced beseechingly toward the grandmother. -Very, very slightly, Mrs. Bryant shook -her head. Did that mean she was not going to reveal -their secret? Vicki hoped so. She glanced -away just in time to hear and answer Mr. Dorn’s -“How do you do?”</p> - -<p>“Careful, now,” Vicki warned herself. “Don’t -say or ask anything which could alert Lucy that -I suspect her. And I mustn’t intrude on Mr. Dorn’s -territory, particularly since Mr. Bryant has praised -him so highly.”</p> - -<p>The lawyer seated himself at Marshall Bryant’s<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">96</a></span> -right. He was a perfectly correct and formal figure -as he accepted a cup of tea from Lucy. She made -a little fuss over the young lawyer, and her grandmother -teased her about it.</p> - -<p>“Well, just think of what Mr. Dorn has done for -me!” Lucy answered, laughing. “He’s the one who -found me, and I shall always be grateful to him.” -She shook her head, remembering. “Last Sunday, -this stranger came to me asking to see my family -letters and my silver ring. Asking me to identify -myself. At first I didn’t know whether to take -Mr. Dorn seriously.”</p> - -<p>Vicki longed to know if they had met at Pine -Top, but she could not afford to ask questions.</p> - -<p>Thurman Dorn smiled a little. “I can tell you -now, Miss Lucy, that a month earlier I was exasperated -at not finding you. And your grandparents”—he -turned toward them deferentially—“were -exasperated with <em>me</em>. It’s a good thing for -all of us that you came back to San Francisco from -your vacation. If you hadn’t met me in the lobby -of the St. Clair Hotel last Sunday, I believe I -would have sent out some sort of alarm for you.”</p> - -<p>So they had met last Sunday in San Francisco, -Vicki noted. That meant Lucy had come in from -Pine Top. Reasonable enough. But why did Lucy -give Dorn and the Bryants the impression that -her tour with Mrs. Heath was a “vacation”? Vicki -wanted to see whether Lucy would mention, in -the course of conversation, Mrs. Heath or the -Reverend Mr. Hall or Knowlton Graves.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">97</a></span> -Curiously, she did not mention them and Mr. -Dorn did not, either. He did talk in detail about -his methods of search and the fine co-operation he -had received from the San Francisco Post Office -and Police Department. Mr. Dorn named persons -and places involved in his search—Whitney Decorators, -Lucy’s old Telegraph Hill residential address -(where he couldn’t find her), a Dr. Alice -James who was Lucy’s and Lucy’s mother’s physician. -Vicki had not unearthed any of these in -the course of her own search in and around San -Francisco. Not one of them! This was nightmarish!</p> - -<p>“<em>Then who is the girl I traced to Pine Top?</em>” -Vicki thought again, in utter bewilderment. “<em>Is -this girl the same girl I saw? No, she isn’t. This -girl’s hair is very dark brown, sable brown, and -that girl’s was almost dark blond.</em>”</p> - -<p>Yet, Vicki thought, in tracing Lucy Rowe herself, -she had received straightforward answers -from Jill Joseph, Mrs. Stacey at the Hotel Alcott, -Mr. Hall, Gravy. <em>They</em> obviously were not lying -because all their accounts of Lucy Rowe tallied -and dovetailed. Vicki could only think:</p> - -<p>“<em>Either Mr. Dorn has been misled by this girl -who is lying, or—less likely—the lawyer’s lying. -Or—more likely—I’ve made some glaring error.</em>”</p> - -<p>In fairness to all concerned, she could do only -one thing: check back on the facts in San Francisco, -this coming week. She must try to keep an -open mind. Even so, she felt uneasy about this<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">98</a></span> -avowed Lucy and her several lies and evasions. -She was startled out of her thoughts when the -girl said:</p> - -<p>“Mr. Dorn, Miss Barr met a friend of mine in -San Francisco. Isn’t that a coincidence?”</p> - -<p>“Small world,” he said casually, though he paid -attention to Vicki for the first time since he had -come in. “Are you in San Francisco often, Miss -Barr?”</p> - -<p>Vicki noticed that Mrs. Bryant had grown tense. -Evading Dorn’s question, she simply said:</p> - -<p>“I’m in San Francisco only when my airline -sends me there. It isn’t too often.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, yes, I remember now,” said Dorn. “You’re -a stewardess on—?”</p> - -<p>“Federal Airlines,” said Vicki.</p> - -<p>Mr. Dorn nodded and lost interest, and started -to talk to Marshall Bryant about something else. -Vicki half waited for Lucy to ask her a question -about Jill Baker or make some further remark -about Vicki’s being in San Francisco. But Lucy, -too, dropped the subject.</p> - -<p>Mr. Bryant, Mr. Dorn, and Lucy went into the -next room to discuss some legal papers. Mrs. -Bryant came over to Vicki.</p> - -<p>“Will you accompany me upstairs, my dear? -I want to—ah—show you something of interest.”</p> - -<p>A pretext? So that they could talk together -privately? Vicki wondered whether the elderly -lady shared her doubts as to whether this girl -was actually the Bryants’ granddaughter.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">99</a></span> -She did not. Indeed, she told Vicki how happy -she was “that Mr. Dorn has found Eleanor’s -daughter,” and what a fine girl she considered -her to be. “I can see something of Eleanor in her, -in little ways.”</p> - -<p>“In what ways?” Vicki asked. “Does she look -like her mother?”</p> - -<p>“N-no, Lucy doesn’t really resemble Eleanor—or -Jack Rowe, either. But then I never resembled -<em>my</em> parents! No, she reminds me of Eleanor -in a certain dignity and reserve which she has, -and in—oh—maybe I’m imagining it, but in little -mannerisms—</p> - -<p>“And Lucy knows so much about our family -history,” Mrs. Bryant went on. “It’s gratifying to -me, naturally, that she takes such a great interest -in the family. It—In fact, it’s—” The lady hesitated. -“I almost wonder, considering her youth -and the family’s separation, how it’s possible for -her to have learned so much family history. In -such detail, too.”</p> - -<p>Vicki waited for Mrs. Bryant to think further -about her doubt, to pay attention to this danger -signal. But the elderly lady smiled and said:</p> - -<p>“Lucy’s family loyalty accounts for her remarkable -knowledge, of course.”</p> - -<p>Vicki said nothing, but she did not necessarily -agree. The Marshall Bryant family was a prominent -one; from time to time newspapers and magazines -mentioned their activities and printed -photographs; Mr. Bryant’s career was listed in -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">100</a></span> -<em>Who’s Who</em>. What was there to prevent a clever, -unscrupulous girl from going to the public library -in any big city, looking up these facts, and memorizing -them?</p> - -<p>A question occurred to Vicki: How had this -girl, <em>if</em> she was an impostor, discovered that -Thurman Dorn was seeking the young heiress to a -fortune? She could have found out in a number -of ways—something overheard, a newspaper notice -inquiring about Lucy Rowe, even a word -dropped by Lucy herself. And how had this girl -sidetracked Mr. Dorn from finding the true Lucy? -Was it more than a coincidence that Dorn had -been unable to find Lucy on his first trip to San -Francisco? Was it more than a coincidence that -another girl named Lucy Rowe had gone away on -a job to a lonely place like Pine Top? Vicki shivered.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Bryant was saying, “I couldn’t be happier, -and I couldn’t be more grateful to Thurman Dorn. -He’s done a wonderful thing in reuniting the -three of us.” The lady said hastily, “I appreciate -the interest <em>you</em> took in this matter, Vicki. I hope -you didn’t put yourself to any trouble.”</p> - -<p>“Nothing worth mentioning, at least not now, -Mrs. Bryant.” How and what could she tell of her -own search under the circumstances?</p> - -<p>“My husband says Mr. Dorn located Lucy comparatively -quickly, after so many years of silence.”</p> - -<p>Vicki remembered the questions she wanted to -ask. “Mrs. Bryant, about Mr. Dorn’s search—do<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">101</a></span> -you happen to recall the exact dates of his first -trip to San Francisco?”</p> - -<p>“I remember every detail of the search for our -granddaughter. Mr. Dorn said he was in San -Francisco his first trip from January tenth to -twenty-third. His second trip was February twentieth -to twenty-second.” Vicki imprinted these -dates on her memory. “Don’t you think Mr. Dorn -was quick to find Lucy on his second trip? Apparently -his efforts on the first trip paid off.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, indeed,” Vicki said, trying to keep the -doubt out of her voice. “Mrs. Bryant, you—you -haven’t told anyone that you wanted me to try to -get in touch with Lucy?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, no, indeed!” Mrs. Bryant laughed. -“Wouldn’t you and I look foolish, now that Lucy -is here? I was foolish ever to make such a request -of you, I’m afraid. Why don’t we simply forget -our little secret?”</p> - -<p>Vicki smiled, but she had no intention of dropping -her search, not after meeting that dark-haired -girl today.</p> - -<p>“Vicki, as a matter of sentiment, this morning I -took the other silver ring out of the safe here in -the house to show you. Come in here with me, -won’t you?”</p> - -<p>Vicki followed Lucy’s grandmother into an old-fashioned -bedroom. From a bureau drawer she -took a silver ring, exactly like the one the dark-haired -girl wore.</p> - -<p>“You see, Vicki? It <em>is</em> unusual. There isn’t another<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">102</a></span> -ring like it anywhere except Lucy’s. A jeweler -made just the two from his own original design, -and then destroyed the pattern. Mr. Bryant -had them made when Eleanor was born.”</p> - -<p>“It’s lovely, like filigree or lace,” Vicki said.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Bryant said she would return the ring to -the safe, and suggested they go downstairs.</p> - -<p>Mr. Bryant and Mr. Dorn had finished their -business, and Lucy had disappeared in order to -powder her nose. It was five o’clock. Other guests -were beginning to arrive. Although the Bryants -urged her to stay, Vicki asked to be excused. She -had experienced quite enough for one afternoon.</p> - -<p>She returned to the apartment which she -shared with several other Federal Airlines stewardesses. -Jean Cox was at home, writing letters -to her family. She said Charmion Wilson and Dot -Crowley had just come in from their Texas run, -and were asleep in the front bedroom. Tessa and -Celia were working aloft somewhere along the -Atlantic seaboard. The stewardesses’ housekeeper, -Mrs. Duff, was out visiting friends.</p> - -<p>Vicki was glad that the apartment, so often full -of guests and parties, was quiet this Sunday. She -wanted to be alone for a little while, to write down -the names, dates, and addresses she had learned -this afternoon at the Bryants’, and to plan her -next steps.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>It was the following Wednesday, March fourth, -before Vicki’s scheduled New York-Chicago-San<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">103</a></span> -Francisco flight landed her in San Francisco -again. She had fumed at the delay but now she -had three days—Thursday, Friday, Saturday—off. -“And I’m going to make good use of them!”</p> - -<p>She wanted tremendously to fly at once to Pine -Top, but it would be foolish to go unprepared, -with spotty information. Her first step, obviously, -must be to check on the statements she had heard -Lucy and Mr. Dorn make on Sunday.</p> - -<p>Vicki decided to make full use of the telephone. -In her hotel room she collected paper, pencils, -the telephone directory, her list of names and addresses, -which Dorn and Lucy had mentioned in -accounting for Lucy’s recent past. Then Vicki sat -down at the telephone.</p> - -<p>First she called up Jill Joseph, out in Sutro -Heights. When Jill answered, Vicki could hear in -the background a babble of children’s voices and -dogs barking. She and Vicki exchanged hellos, -and then Vicki asked:</p> - -<p>“Have you heard from Lucy?”</p> - -<p>“No, I haven’t,” Jill Joseph answered. “It’s beginning -to worry me. Have you?”</p> - -<p>Vicki hesitated. “I’m still trying to get news of -her. Tell me again—is her hair light brown or -dark brown?”</p> - -<p>“Light brown. Lucy calls it dirty blond.”</p> - -<p>The alleged Lucy Rowe at the Bryants’ house -had dark, sable-brown hair.</p> - -<p>“Would Lucy color her hair, do you think?” -Vicki asked.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">104</a></span> -“I can’t imagine why she would, its natural -color is pretty. She never <em>has</em> tinted it.”</p> - -<p>Vicki said she had an even stranger question, -and asked Jill Joseph what her maiden name had -been.</p> - -<p>“Rossiter. Why, for goodness’ sake?”</p> - -<p>“Do you know—or does Lucy know—anyone -named Jill Baker?” Vicki asked.</p> - -<p>“Never heard of Jill Baker. Vicki, all these -questions—is something wrong?”</p> - -<p>Again Vicki hesitated. “There may be. I’m trying -to find out. One more question—did you ever -hear from a Mr. Dorn?” Jill had not. “Or from a -girl, or anyone else, inquiring about Lucy?”</p> - -<p>“No,” said Jill Joseph. “You’re the only one.” -Well, that proved nothing. Mr. Dorn’s line of investigation -need not have included an old friend -whom Lucy now saw only occasionally. “Vicki? If -something’s wrong, why don’t you report it to the -police?”</p> - -<p>“Because I’m not positive anything <em>is</em> wrong. -Besides, there’s a delicate situation here.” Vicki -was not at liberty to mention the Bryants and their -dislike of publicity; if the police stepped in, the -newspapers would get wind of the story. Vicki -said, “I really don’t think it’s necessary to go to -the police. Don’t worry.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I am worried. Let me know as soon as -you have any news of Lucy, will you, please?”</p> - -<p>Vicki promised, said good-by, and hung up.</p> - -<p>Would the Scotts be home from their trip by<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">105</a></span> -now? According to Jill Joseph, Lucy had lived -with Mary Scott and Mrs. Scott. Dorn and Lucy -in New York had never mentioned them. Why? -Vicki tried the Scotts’ telephone number, which -Jill Joseph had given her earlier.</p> - -<p>A woman’s voice answered. Vicki introduced -herself, and explained that she was trying to locate -Lucy Rowe.</p> - -<p>“This is Mrs. Scott,” the voice said. “I don’t see -why you should have any trouble in locating Lucy, -Miss Barr. She has an excellent job with a Mrs. -Heath.... Well, no, Mary and I haven’t heard -from her.... No, Lucy was <em>not</em> traveling with -us, not at any time.”</p> - -<p>But Mr. Dorn had told the Bryants that day at -luncheon that Lucy was traveling with another -girl and the girl’s mother. Had the lawyer lied? -Such a minor point to lie about. Or had he honestly -misunderstood Lucy’s trip with Mrs. Heath -to be a trip with the Scotts? There was no way of -knowing. Vicki set aside this question of traveling -and tried another.</p> - -<p>“Mrs. Scott, did Lucy <em>live</em> with you and your -daughter?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, she shared our apartment for several -months. Then, last January, she moved to the -Hotel Alcott for women.”</p> - -<p>Last Sunday, when Vicki asked Lucy Rowe -where she’d lived in San Francisco, the girl had -not mentioned the Scotts and the Hotel Alcott. -Instead, she’d talked of living on Telegraph Hill<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">106</a></span> -and, one summer, sharing a beach house with -three other girls.</p> - -<p>“Mrs. Scott,” Vicki asked, “can you give me -Lucy’s former address on Telegraph Hill?”</p> - -<p>“Why, Lucy <em>never</em> lived on Telegraph Hill, to -the best of my knowledge.” No wonder Mr. Dorn -had said he couldn’t find Lucy there.</p> - -<p>“Did she share a beach house one summer with -three other girls?” Vicki asked.</p> - -<p>“If she did, Lucy never mentioned it to us. And -it isn’t like her to be secretive. I think you must -have some wrong information, Miss Barr.”</p> - -<p>“I guess I have.” Unless the alleged Lucy’s story -of the beach house and living on Telegraph Hill -was an out-and-out falsehood. Or unless she was -<em>another</em> Lucy Rowe?</p> - -<p>“Mrs. Scott, Lucy Rowe isn’t an uncommon -name. The Lucy Rowe I’m looking for is the -daughter of Eleanor Bryant Rowe and Jack Rowe, -both of them deceased.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, that’s right. That’s the Lucy we know—the -Lucy who stayed with us.”</p> - -<p>Then the presumed granddaughter in New -York <em>was</em> lying. Vicki sighed. “I’m sorry to have -troubled you, Mrs. Scott.”</p> - -<p>“Not at all. Any more questions?... Good-by, -then, Miss Barr.”</p> - -<p>Well, in fairness to Mr. Dorn, <em>he</em> had not mentioned -the beach house and Telegraph Hill. The -lie was the girl’s.</p> - -<p>Vicki consulted her list of names and addresses.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">107</a></span> -She was feeling rather grim about these lies. She -decided to check with Whitney Decorators, -where the presumed Lucy had said she had been -employed.</p> - -<p>There was no Whitney Decorators listed in the -regular telephone directory, nor in the Classified -Advertisements telephone book. Vicki called a -professional association of decorators. They had -no knowledge of a firm or person named Whitney. -Next, Vicki called Information. She waited while -the operator looked up the name.</p> - -<p>“We have no record of any firm by that name. -However, there are several persons named Whitney -listed in your regular directory, if you care to -call them.”</p> - -<p>Vicki did that. Not one of them was a decorator -nor even in any allied field. Not one of them had -ever heard of a Lucy Rowe.</p> - -<p>So that was that. An outright lie! Vicki tried -to recall whether Mr. Dorn had been party to this -lie. No, as she remembered the talk last Sunday, -only Lucy had mentioned Whitney Decorators.</p> - -<p>“I suppose,” Vicki thought, “that seeing her -silver ring and family letters convinced Mr. Dorn -that he had found the right Lucy. How in the -world did she come by the ring and other family -things, if she’s an impostor? It doesn’t seem possible! -Unless she stole them from the true Lucy?”</p> - -<p>That was perfectly possible—though Vicki had -no way of proving it, as yet.</p> - -<p>Dr. Alice James.... Let’s see, it was <em>Dorn</em><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">108</a></span> -who last Sunday had brought up this physician’s -name. Vicki remembered how he had made rather -a point of telling that Dr. James had been both -Lucy’s and Lucy’s mother’s physician.</p> - -<p>Vicki had difficulty in locating an address and -telephone number for Dr. Alice James, in San -Francisco or in any of its suburbs. She used the -same methods as in her search for Whitney Decorators, -with the same result: there was no record -of any Dr. Alice James. No such person existed.</p> - -<p>Lucy in New York had lied again. <em>And on this -point, Mr. Dorn had lied.</em></p> - -<p>Up to now Vicki had more or less dismissed her -doubts about why Dorn’s findings did not tally -with hers, by taking the blame for any error upon -herself. But now she was brought up short. Mr. -Dorn <em>was</em> guilty of a lie about the search for Lucy -Rowe!</p> - -<p>It struck her as odd that, so far as she had -checked today, he had lied only about this <em>one</em> -point—about the nonexistent Dr. Alice James. On -what other points involving Dorn could she check?</p> - -<p>“Well, Mr. Dorn said he met Lucy last Sunday -in the lobby of the St. Clair Hotel,” Vicki recalled, -“and Mr. Bryant, that first day at lunch, -mentioned Dorn’s being at the St. Clair Hotel. I -assume Dorn stayed there on his second visit last -week, too. Let’s see what a check turns up on -that.”</p> - -<p>She tried calling the St. Clair Hotel, but the -desk would not release any information over the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">109</a></span> -telephone. Vicki powdered her nose, put on her -hat and gloves, and went over to the hotel.</p> - -<p>She was obliged to see the hotel manager, prove -who she was, and state her business (as far as she -discreetly could) before she could persuade him -to have an assistant look up back records. The -assistant, a Mr. Craig, finally told her:</p> - -<p>“Mr. Thurman Dorn stayed at this hotel from -January twelfth through January twenty-first, and -overnight on February twenty-first.”</p> - -<p>But these dates did not fully tally with Mrs. -Bryant’s statement! According to her, Dorn was -in San Francisco, and presumably at this hotel, -January tenth to twenty-third, and February -twentieth to twenty-second. Two days were unaccounted -for at the beginning of his January trip, -and two days were unaccounted for at the end of -his January trip. Also, two days were unaccounted -for on his February trip. Where had Dorn been? -At another San Francisco hotel? Not likely, no -point to it. At Pine Top? But in January, Lucy -and Mrs. Heath had not yet left San Francisco for -Pine Top, so Dorn would have had no reason to -be there. And in February—on Sunday, February -twenty-second—Dorn and Lucy had said they -met in this hotel lobby.</p> - -<p>Where had Mr. Dorn been on those unaccounted-for -days, and what had he been doing? -Since he flew from coast to coast, traveling had -not eaten up those several extra days. Unless he -had made a stopover somewhere en route, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">110</a></span> -not come directly from New York to San Francisco? -But that was sheer speculation.</p> - -<p>Vicki walked back toward her own hotel, wondering. -A total of six days unaccounted for! A -great deal could happen in six days. Especially -during the course of an intensive search—That -brought another question to mind. Why had -neither the presumed Lucy <em>nor Mr. Dorn</em> ever -mentioned Mrs. Heath or Graves, the painter, or -the Reverend Mr. Hall? Lucy Rowe was closely -associated with these three people, yet the Bryants -had never been informed of their existence.</p> - -<p>“Even if Lucy in New York hadn’t wanted Mr. -Dorn to know about these three people,” Vicki -thought, “Dorn could have found about them on -his own, just as I did.”</p> - -<p>Her mistrust of Dorn grew. Either the lawyer -had made an inadequate, misleading investigation—or -he had discovered the existence of Mrs. -Heath, Gravy, Mr. Hall, but was not telling the -Bryants about them for some reason. The reason -was sadly obvious. Dorn—Dorn and the alleged -Lucy together—did not want to give the Bryants -the names and addresses of three persons who -could help the grandparents find the true Lucy.</p> - -<p>“Yet that may not be true at all. I’m only speculating,” -Vicki reminded herself. “Before I can believe -anything, or say anything to the Bryants, I -must get proof—more facts.”</p> - -<p>Even more urgent than proof was the need—assuming -the Lucy in New York to be an impostor—to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">111</a></span> -find the true Lucy Rowe. Was she the girl -seen at Pine Top? If not, who was that light-brown-haired -girl? “I promised myself to fly back -to Pine Top,” Vicki thought. “It seems the time -is now.”</p> - -<p>Returning to her hotel room, she picked up the -telephone, called Novato Airport, and reserved -the Cessna 150 for tomorrow. Perhaps she would -discover something of real importance back there -in the hills.</p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">112</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="ix" id="ix"></a><span>CHAPTER IX</span> -<br /><em>Secrets at Midnight</em></h2> - - -<p class="noi"><span class="smcap">Timing was important. Vicki had figured her</span> -flight from San Francisco in the Cessna 150 to -bring her in over Pine Top just about dusk. With -nightfall, and the story she planned to tell, she -hoped to <em>have</em> to stay overnight at the hidden -house. She hoped to give Mrs. Heath no choice, -no chance decently to send her away. During the -night there should be time and privacy to talk -with Lucy, or whoever the girl really was—provided -Mrs. Heath did not intrude on them.</p> - -<p>It was a bold plan, not foolproof by any means. -Vicki had sense enough to be scared.</p> - -<p>High up in the hills, Vicki left the few houses -of Pine Top behind. She headed the plane higher -over the wooded mountainside, flew over the -woods and wall at the extreme end of the Glidden -place. Then she cut her speed as she came soaring -out above the meadow. This was the landing site -inside the walled grounds which she had chosen -last time.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">113</a></span> -Vicki could not see either woman anywhere -down there on the shadowy grounds, but lights -were on in the house. Someone was at home. Landing -on the meadow near the rear of the house, she -made the plane’s perfectly tuned engine as noisy -as she could, so the women would hear her.</p> - -<p>The kitchen door flew open. A girl came out, -running toward the plane. An older woman followed -more slowly. Vicki already was opening the -engine hood and had assumed an anxious expression.</p> - -<p>“What do you mean by landing on our -grounds?” the woman called out.</p> - -<p>“I was forced down—I beg your pardon—” -Vicki called back. “I’m having engine trouble—”</p> - -<p>The girl reached her side. “Are you all right?”</p> - -<p>In one swift glance in the half-light, Vicki took -in the girl’s light-brown hair and open, friendly -gaze. She was very like the girl in Gravy’s portrait, -rather tall and athletic as Jill Joseph had said. -What’s more, she wore the Bryant silver ring! -“I’ve found her,” Vicki thought, but she hid her -exultation.</p> - -<p>“Yes, thanks, I’m all right,” she answered.</p> - -<p>“You can’t stay here,” the woman said, coming -up. “This is really annoying! Surely you weren’t -forced to land right in our laps!”</p> - -<p>“I’m sorry,” Vicki said again. “I’ll try to repair -the engine and take off in a few minutes. Although -in this fading light it’s hard”—she looked -in the engine—“to see where the trouble is.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">114</a></span> -She glanced up to study the elusive Mrs. Elizabeth -Heath. The woman did have quite an air of -authority, of poise. She was well-dressed and held -her gray head high. Beside her, Lucy seemed -very young and unsure of herself.</p> - -<p>“Can I help you?” the girl asked Vicki. She <em>was</em> -a warmhearted girl, as Jill had said. “Not that I -know about plane engines—”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know an awful lot about them myself,” -Vicki said pointedly.</p> - -<p>“Then how do you expect to make the repair?” -Mrs. Heath said in exasperation. “I think you -had better call up a garage—you may use my -telephone—or an airport, and have them come -and get you out of here.”</p> - -<p>The girl said, “I’m afraid there isn’t a garage -within miles of here, Mrs. Heath. And no airport.”</p> - -<p>Mrs. Heath fumed while Vicki poked in the engine. -Vicki straightened up.</p> - -<p>“This engine is rough from carburetor trouble. -Or there may be a little water in the engine. Whatever -it is, I don’t want to fly at night with a rough -engine and be forced down in the dark.”</p> - -<p>There was a silence. Then Mrs. Heath said, -“No, I suppose you can’t be expected to take such -a risk.”</p> - -<p>Lucy asked, “Can’t she possibly stay here overnight, -Mrs. Heath?”</p> - -<p>“Well, I don’t wish to appear harsh, but I really -hadn’t counted on having a guest. We were planning -to do some work this evening, you know.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">115</a></span> -Vicki apologized for disturbing them, and -said that if they could possibly put her up she -wouldn’t be a nuisance. “Of course I’d want to -reimburse you, and I’d leave early in the morning,” -Vicki pleaded.</p> - -<p>“But really—” Mrs. Heath protested.</p> - -<p>“Perhaps someone in Pine Top could take you -in,” Lucy said. “I could—I mean, we could,” Lucy -corrected herself, “drive her down to Pine Top -and ask around.”</p> - -<p>“No, no,” Mrs. Heath said hastily. “We’ve -steered clear of our inquisitive neighbors so far. -Besides, I shouldn’t care to drive down that mountain -road at night.” In a friendlier tone she said, -“You may have the extra bedroom. I’m Mrs. -Heath, and this is my young friend, Lucy Rowe.”</p> - -<p>“How do you do?” Vicki said and gave her -name. “I’ve flown in from San Francisco. My home -is in Illinois. I’ve been in San Francisco just for -a short stay.”</p> - -<p>“I’m from San Francisco,” Lucy said eagerly, -“and a little homesick for it.”</p> - -<p>Mrs. Heath interrupted, saying they had better -go in the house and see about dinner. She led the -way around through the side garden and, via a -side door, into the large, long living room of the -country house. Mrs. Heath was being an amiable -if resigned hostess. She asked Lucy to take their -guest up to the extra room and see that she would -be comfortable.</p> - -<p>“But please come right down, Lucy,” said Mrs.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">116</a></span> -Heath. Didn’t she want Lucy to talk alone with a -stranger? “I’m sure that we’re all hungry for dinner.”</p> - -<p>Upstairs, Lucy led Vicki to a small, rear bedroom. -The large front bedroom adjoining was -Mrs. Heath’s, with its door closed. Across from -Mrs. Heath’s room was Lucy’s smaller front room, -with its door open. A short hall connected all three -bedrooms and the bathroom. Vicki noted the layout, -planning where it would be safest to talk with -Lucy late tonight.</p> - -<p>“Here are fresh towels,” Lucy said, bringing -them into Vicki’s room, “and I’ll lend you a housecoat -and slippers.”</p> - -<p>Vicki seized the moment of privacy.</p> - -<p>“Miss Rowe—Lucy—”</p> - -<p>“Yes, please call me Lucy.”</p> - -<p>“Lucy, do you know of a Mr. Dorn? Thurman -Dorn?”</p> - -<p>“Why, no, I’ve never heard of him. Should I? -Perhaps Mrs. Heath would know him.”</p> - -<p>“Please don’t mention his name to Mrs. Heath,” -Vicki said. “Please! I’ve brought you an extremely -important message, but Mrs. Heath mustn’t know. -That’s why I landed the plane here—”</p> - -<p>“You what—?” The girl was startled.</p> - -<p>“Girls!” Mrs. Heath called. “What’s taking you -so long up there?”</p> - -<p>“We’ll be down in a minute,” Lucy called back, -and looked searchingly at Vicki. “What message? -From whom?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">117</a></span> -Vicki hesitated. She did not want to upset Lucy -visibly in front of Mrs. Heath.</p> - -<p>“It’s not something I can tell you quickly or—or -simply,” Vicki said. She also would rather obtain -proofs of Lucy’s identity before revealing too -much. “Can we talk after Mrs. Heath has gone to -bed?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t understand why we need to be secretive. -Mrs. Heath is my friend—”</p> - -<p>“Lucy, I don’t blame you for wondering about -me. But your old friend, the Reverend Mr. Hall, -knows me and in a way he sent me to you.”</p> - -<p>“Mr. Hall! How do you know I know Mr. Hall? -I don’t understand this at all!”</p> - -<p>“There isn’t anything difficult to understand,” -Vicki reassured her. “I’m looking for a girl named -Lucy Rowe, that’s all. Her parents were Jack and -Eleanor Rowe.” Vicki was careful not to mention -the Bryant name—not to give away any leads. -“According to the minister, that’s you, isn’t it?”</p> - -<p>“Why are you looking for this girl?”</p> - -<p>“For a confidential reason. A happy, wonderful -reason.”</p> - -<p>Lucy did not or could not believe this.</p> - -<p>“But I’ve come to you as a friend,” Vicki said. -“Mr. Hall can vouch for me—and honestly, I’m -bringing you the most wonderful news—”</p> - -<p>Lucy swallowed hard. “Of course, if <em>he</em> vouches -for you—But at least tell me, who sent you?”</p> - -<p>Vicki put her hand on Lucy’s, and touched the -silver ring. “Your grandmother sent me.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">118</a></span> -The girl stiffened, distrustful again. “I have no -grandmother. I don’t know what you’re talking -about.” She was pale and trying not to cry.</p> - -<p>“If you’re not the granddaughter, where did you -get your silver ring?”</p> - -<p>Lucy took a deep quivering breath. She admitted -she was Marshall and Lucy Bryant’s long-unwanted -granddaughter. Vicki noted that Lucy, -not herself, was the first to bring up the Bryant -name.</p> - -<p>“If you want proof of who I am, Vicki, I have -proof. Right here in the house with me. Letters, -photographs, this ring. My mother gave it to me -when I was a child. There are only two rings like -these in existence.”</p> - -<p>There were <em>supposed</em> to be only two such -rings, Vicki thought. She had seen three rings—one -which Mrs. Bryant had taken from her trinket -box, one on the hand of Lucy in New York, one -on the hand of the Lucy here beside her.</p> - -<p>One of the two Lucys was an impostor. The -Lucy in New York also possessed letters and documents -to prove her identity. Those things could -be forged, a ring could be copied. Which girl was -the true Lucy? Vicki believed her to be this -friendly light-brown-haired girl, the girl of the -portrait, the girl whom Mr. Hall, Jill Joseph, the -clerk at the Hotel Alcott had reported to be with -Mrs. Heath—the girl whom Mr. Dorn easily -could have traced, if he had wanted to.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Heath called again. The girls started<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">119</a></span> -downstairs together. Vicki whispered, “Not a -word to Mrs. Heath about this,” and Lucy nodded. -She was still shaken.</p> - -<p>The lady announced with some impatience that -she was keeping dinner hot in the warming oven. -Would Lucy make the salad and coffee, while she -herself set the table? Lucy hurried into the -kitchen. Vicki went into the kitchen, too, to help. -In low voices they arranged to meet at midnight -to talk further. Lucy thought the guest bedroom -would be the safest place. Mrs. Heath would have -no reason to enter Vicki’s room, even if the light -were on.</p> - -<p>“You two girls,” said Mrs. Heath, coming into -the kitchen, “seem to have a great deal to say to -each other.”</p> - -<p>Lucy murmured an apology for their delay, and -hurried to finish making the salad. Vicki helped -Mrs. Heath bring the food to the dining table, in -an area just off the living room. Then the three of -them sat down.</p> - -<p>Dinner was rather strained. Vicki’s hostess -seemed to expect the intruder to account for herself. -Vicki talked about her flight stewardess job -with Federal Airlines, and her enthusiasm for the -sport of private flying. Lucy listened with interest; -Mrs. Heath was thoughtful.</p> - -<p>“About two weeks ago,” the lady said, “a small -plane flew back and forth over our house and -meadow. It upset me—it seemed so deliberate. -Was that you, by any chance?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">120</a></span> -Vicki did not dare glance at Lucy. “It must -have been someone else, Mrs. Heath. I was quite -lost this afternoon, that’s how I got here.” She disliked -telling an untruth, but she was not sure -enough of Mrs. Heath’s friendship for Lucy to -reveal anything of importance.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Heath talked about her book of memoirs -“—though I’m afraid we haven’t actually done -much on it, have we, Lucy? I’m still in the planning -stage.” Then Mrs. Heath mentioned a plan -for her and Lucy to go abroad.</p> - -<p>“I don’t really want to go,” Lucy said uncomfortably. -“Not very much.”</p> - -<p>“It’s only perhaps,” said her employer. Lucy -looked down at her plate and kept still.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Heath changed the subject to the countryside -around here. They had many lovely trees and -birds to enjoy, without ever leaving their own -grounds. Mrs. Heath remarked that Lucy particularly -liked birds. Vicki started to say something -about Mrs. Bryant’s collection of parakeets, -then caught herself just in time.</p> - -<p>During the evening Mrs. Heath and Lucy did -not work on the book after all. They chatted with -their guest and watched television for a while. -Vicki borrowed a flashlight and went outdoors -to make sure that the plane was safely staked down -and the wheels chocked. At nine o’clock Mrs. -Heath announced it was bedtime.</p> - -<p>“We’re early birds in the country. Good night, -Vicki. Rest well.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">121</a></span> -The girls wished her good night and started to -go upstairs.</p> - -<p>“Lucy!” Mrs. Heath called her back. “Help me -lock up down here.”</p> - -<p>Was she trying to keep her and Lucy apart? -Vicki wondered. Did Mrs. Heath suspect something? -That was hard to tell. In any case, Mrs. -Heath was keeping a close watch. She and Lucy -would have to be careful tonight.</p> - -<p>From nine until midnight was a long stretch. -Vicki changed into the borrowed night clothes -and put out her light. She heard Lucy go to bed -and, at last, Mrs. Heath. She rested but was afraid -to sleep lest she and Lucy both sleep straight -through the night. The house was absolutely -quiet. The night grew chilly.</p> - -<p>On the stroke of midnight, by the luminous -figures on her wrist watch, her door opened -soundlessly and someone slipped in. Vicki was -surprised at how hard her heart beat. She waited -until the figure stepped into the moonlight, until -she saw Lucy’s face, then whispered:</p> - -<p>“Wait. I’ll get out of bed.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t turn on the light, not yet.”</p> - -<p>Both girls perched on the edge of the bed, -wrapped in robes and sweaters. They were able to -see each other’s faces clearly in the moonlight. -Lucy said softly that Mrs. Heath was asleep on -the other side of the wall.</p> - -<p>“She’s a sound sleeper.”</p> - -<p>“I hope so!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">122</a></span> -“I don’t see why you mistrust Mrs. Heath, she’s -almost like a mother to me,” Lucy said warmly. -“Well, never mind that—I’m dying to know what -my grandparents want! What are they like? Is -my grandfather still awfully stern?”</p> - -<p>“In some ways he is,” Vicki said. “But he’s -not so formidable, and Mrs. Bryant is lovely. Both -of them want to know their granddaughter and—well, -make up for—” She realized she was saying -too much too soon. “Lucy, first I must have more -proof of who you are. Not that I question your -word, but—”</p> - -<p>Lucy nodded. “That’s all right. Though I can’t -imagine why anyone would have any doubts at all -about knowing I’m Lucy Rowe.”</p> - -<p>Vicki kept silent about the other Lucy Rowe in -New York, established in the Bryants’ house. She -could discuss that difficult situation later. Lucy -was digging into the pockets of her robe.</p> - -<p>“Here, Vicki, I want you to see these.” She -handed Vicki a few worn documents. “I’ll just -turn on this little bedside lamp, and tilt the -shade.” She did so. “The letter on top is—well, -read it, Vicki.”</p> - -<p>Vicki unfolded the letter, so old it was tearing -at the creases. The ink had faded and the note -paper was losing its tint. This letter was authentic, -all right. It was addressed “Dearest Eleanor,” and -was signed “Mother.” It proposed a family reconciliation -and offered aid for small Lucy. Vicki -glanced up inquiringly. Lucy said:</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">123</a></span> -“Mother never accepted Grandmother’s offer. -I guess she never even answered this letter. We -all had such strained feelings about—about my -father. He was a darling. Here’s a snapshot of -him.”</p> - -<p>Lucy handed Vicki a thin bundle of old snapshots -and photographs. One was of her parents -taken at a picnic. One was of Mr. and Mrs. Bryant, -very formal, taken years before. One was a print -of the same snapshot of Lucy as a little girl, seated -on the porch steps, which Mrs. Bryant had shown -Vicki earlier. These pictures, too, impressed Vicki -as being authentic, not clever forgeries.</p> - -<p>“I’d have more photographs and letters to show -you,” Lucy said, “except that Mrs. Heath insisted -on putting them away for safekeeping. She wanted -me to give her <em>all</em> the letters and photographs for -her to put away—she even urged me to let her -put away this silver ring.”</p> - -<p>“She did!” Vicki exclaimed, then remembered -to lower her voice. “Where did she put your -things?”</p> - -<p>“They’re locked in her room somewhere, along -with her own valuables, and she keeps her door -locked, too. She says it’s safer that way in the -country.”</p> - -<p>“Is that really necessary?”</p> - -<p>“Well, you see, I do want to please her. So I -gave her <em>most</em> of my letters and photos to put -away, but I just have to keep a few things with -me all the time. I’ve done that ever since my parents<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">124</a></span> -died, I suppose it’s awfully sentimental. And -of course the silver ring. I couldn’t bear to part -with it, even though Mrs. Heath predicts that I’ll -lose it gardening, or something.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t think you’ll lose your ring,” Vicki said -dryly. “I think it’s strange that Mrs. Heath made -such a point of putting away your very personal -things.”</p> - -<p>“No, it isn’t. She locked away all her own things, -too. And she says any time I want my things, I -only need to ask her.”</p> - -<p>“We-ell—Ssh! Do I hear her moving around?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, my! Sometimes she knocks on my door -when she doesn’t feel well—”</p> - -<p>Both girls listened. Lucy put out the lamp, and -moonlight poured into the room again. On the -other side of the wall Mrs. Heath <em>was</em> stirring. -They held their breaths. They heard bedsprings -creak, then quiet. Lucy let out a sigh of relief.</p> - -<p>“I guess she just turned over in her sleep.”</p> - -<p>Nevertheless, they kept perfectly still for a few -minutes, and left the lamp off. Lucy ventured to -speak again, softly, eagerly.</p> - -<p>“You still haven’t told me the message from -my grandparents, Vicki.”</p> - -<p>“I’ve told you most of it, or you’ve guessed it. -They want to give you all the advantages and good -things which they feel you, as their granddaughter, -are entitled to.”</p> - -<p>Lucy murmured, “That’s wonderful,” then -asked what made them change their minds, after<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">125</a></span> -so many years? Vicki explained how Mr. Bryant’s -severe heart attack had made him stop and take -moral stock of his life. She added that Lucy’s -grandmother had for a long time grieved about -the family separation.</p> - -<p>“Now they want you to come live with them, -Lucy, or near them, if you wish.”</p> - -<p>The eagerness drained out of Lucy’s voice. -“They don’t really want me.”</p> - -<p>“Lucy, they <em>do</em> want you! Very much!”</p> - -<p>“But I can’t decently leave Mrs. Heath now. If -you had brought me this news a few weeks ago, -it would have been wonderful—it would have -transformed my life! But it’s impossible now. I’ve -promised to stay with her—she needs me.”</p> - -<p>“Why did Mrs. Heath talk at dinner about going -abroad?” Vicki asked. “Have you also promised -to go out of the country with her?”</p> - -<p>“It’s just a vague plan Mrs. Heath has had ever -since I met her. I don’t know exactly what she has -in mind.”</p> - -<p>Vicki asked whether they would go soon.</p> - -<p>“I suppose it might be soon. Mrs. Heath does -things on the spur of the moment.”</p> - -<p>Vicki found this a troubling prospect. If Lucy -went abroad and stayed a long time, she might -never be reunited with her grandparents. Even if -she remained abroad a short time the separation -was risky; the Bryants were elderly people, Mr. -Bryant had a heart ailment. However, on this -point Lucy was stubborn. Vicki saw that she felt<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">126</a></span> -really committed to her job with Mrs. Heath.</p> - -<p>“Lucy, do you ever,” Vicki said tentatively, -“wonder about your employer? Don’t you ever -have any doubts about her and her plans?”</p> - -<p>“How did you guess that?” Lucy exclaimed. -Then she seemed confused. “I shouldn’t really -have said that. Mrs. Heath is kind to me, and this -is a pleasant job. But to tell you the truth, some -things <em>do</em> strike me as strange. Especially now that -I have a chance to talk about it—I mean, now -that you make me think about it.”</p> - -<p>“What things?”</p> - -<p>Lucy gave a sigh of relief. “All right, I’ll tell -you, though maybe I’m being disloyal.”</p> - -<p>Ever since they had come to Pine Top, Lucy -said, Mrs. Heath had not actually written anything, -though the book was their reason for being -here. Mrs. Heath had not given Lucy any dictation -beyond a few letters, mail orders, to San -Francisco stores. As for the mail, what there was -of it, Mrs. Heath handled it herself and never let -Lucy touch outgoing or incoming letters.</p> - -<p>“But surely you could mail a letter if you -wanted to,” Vicki said. “When you go down to -Pine Top or drive into the nearest sizable town.”</p> - -<p>“But we haven’t left these premises since we -first got here,” Lucy said. “We’ve stayed right -here for—let’s see—a month now.”</p> - -<p>“What! Why, for goodness’ sake?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, Mrs. Heath says she’s thinking out her -book, she’s concentrating and doesn’t want to be<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">127</a></span> -distracted. Besides, she hasn’t been feeling very -well.”</p> - -<p>“But <em>you</em> could leave this place for a few hours, -surely, just for a change of scene,” Vicki said.</p> - -<p>“Mrs. Heath wants me with her. We’re busy -enough. We keep house and cook—we brought -a big supply of food in the car, and Mrs. Heath -phones Mr. Potter when we need more. She tells -him to leave it at the wall door, and she leaves -payment for him in our mailbox. Mrs. Heath -doesn’t like being bothered with deliveries. And, -well, there’s the garden to take care of, we read, -we chat. It sounds pretty dull, doesn’t it?” Lucy -said uncertainly. She seemed to be reconsidering -their routine. “Mrs. Heath has kept me busy doing -some rather pointless research for her.”</p> - -<p>“Hmm.” It was extraordinary, Vicki thought, -that for a month Lucy had not seen nor talked -with anyone except Mrs. Heath. “Don’t you get -restless or lonesome?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, I do! I wanted to call up a couple of my -friends in San Francisco, but Mrs. Heath discouraged -me from doing so. She won’t even let -me answer the telephone, though it seldom rings. -It’s in her bedroom, and she keeps her bedroom -door locked.”</p> - -<p>“But why locked?”</p> - -<p>“Because of the valuables she keeps in there, -she says.” Again Lucy seemed to reconsider. “It -<em>is</em> odd, isn’t it?”</p> - -<p>“Lucy, I want to say something which I hope<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">128</a></span> -won’t offend you. I know that you’re fond of Mrs. -Heath—you’ve mistakenly made her almost a substitute -for your own mother. Well, like her or not, -it sounds to me as if Mrs. Heath is keeping you a -prisoner here.”</p> - -<p>Lucy remained silent and motionless. The -moonlight had shifted, the room was darker now, -so that Vicki could not read her expression. At last -Lucy said:</p> - -<p>“That’s a harsh thing for you to say. But—but -I’ve once or twice thought the same thing. A prisoner.”</p> - -<p>“You <em>could</em> leave, you know.”</p> - -<p>“It’s not so simple, Vicki. I haven’t any money.”</p> - -<p>Mrs. Heath did not pay her a salary on a weekly -basis. That would not make much sense here in -these hills. She promised to pay Lucy’s salary in a -lump sum later on. Mrs. Heath had given her a -sum in advance, when Lucy first took the job -with her. But the girl had spent it on clothes and -paid some old bills. “And Mrs. Heath persuaded -me to bank what was left.”</p> - -<p>“You could leave if you wanted to,” Vicki -pointed out. “Even without money. There are always -people who’ll help you, and organizations -who’ll help, if you seriously need help in an emergency.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I don’t feel I have the right to leave. I -promised to stay with her for a certain length of -time. It’s more than a business obligation, Vicki. -She cares more for me than my grandparents ever<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">129</a></span> -did. And Mrs. Heath needs me. She depends on -me.”</p> - -<p>But Vicki had seen that Mrs. Heath was neither -ill nor dependent. In fact, she was a vigorous -woman with a decided will. True, the employer -had to be considered, but Lucy needed to consider -her own welfare, as well. Vicki suspected -Mrs. Heath of playing upon Lucy’s sympathies, -and her lonesomeness for her family.</p> - -<p>“Lucy, how did you happen to strike up such a -close acquaintance with Mrs. Heath in the first -place?”</p> - -<p>“Well, it was rather sudden,” Lucy admitted. -At the women’s hotel, Lucy said, the residents -easily became acquainted in the lobby, in the dining -room, in the television lounge. She and Mrs. -Heath had liked each other from the start. She -felt complimented when Mrs. Heath decided almost -at once that Lucy was exactly the girl she -had been looking for, to be her secretary-companion. -In offering the job, Mrs. Heath showed -Lucy unassailable credentials and identification.</p> - -<p>“She comes from Chicago,” Lucy said. “I think -she has friends in New York, too. I overheard her -phoning once when she had given me an all-morning -gardening chore. I ran out of seeds and -then the spade handle broke and I came up to her -room to tell her about it, only her door was -locked. I heard her, though. She was having trouble -getting her number. She was trying very especially -to reach someone in New York. I guess<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">130</a></span> -you think I’m awful to be an eavesdropper, Vicki.”</p> - -<p>“Not at all, under these strange circumstances. -What did you hear?”</p> - -<p>“Well, it was a person-to-person call, but I don’t -know <em>whom</em> she was calling. All I heard was the -New York telephone number. I guess it’s a business -place, because she kept asking for an extension -number. I remember the number because it’s -an easy one and it’s like one I called a lot when I -was a secretary at Interstate Insurance. It’s—”</p> - -<p>“Wait.” Vicki turned on the bedside lamp, took -a slip of paper from her purse, and wrote down -the New York number. It was not familiar to her.</p> - -<p>“I’m going to keep this number, Lucy.”</p> - -<p>“What are you going to do with it?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know at the moment. Don’t worry. I -won’t do anything to embarrass you or get you in -trouble. I think you’re already in trouble, being -here in this isolated house almost as a prisoner. -Why, Lucy, you’re being held here incommunicado! -Don’t you realize that?”</p> - -<p>“But I—Mrs. Heath is so nice to me.”</p> - -<p>“Nice! Yes, on the surface, in little things. You’re -letting your sympathies blind you to the facts. I’m -a great deal more suspicious of this woman and -these living arrangements than you are. Listen to -me, Lucy! I think you’d better get out of here. -Fast. This is an unhealthy situation for you. I wish -you’d fly out of here with me tomorrow morning.”</p> - -<p>Lucy hesitated. “It’s so sudden. I need time to -think, though what you’re saying is true—I need<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">131</a></span> -to think about my grandparents, too. I hardly -know how I feel about them.”</p> - -<p>She was leaving the question open. Vicki was -dissatisfied with that. Once she herself had left -this hidden house, she might not be able to gain -entrance and see Lucy again, and she would not -be able to communicate with Lucy by telephone -or letter. This was their only chance, tonight, to -set up some arrangement to help Lucy leave. To -escape, actually—because Mrs. Heath would not -want to let the girl go.</p> - -<p>Vicki thought hard. If she came back here to -get Lucy, she’d better not use a plane and alert -Mrs. Heath a second time. She’d better use a car, -which she could rent, and which she could park -out of sight and sound down the road from the -house. Lucy could meet her there. They’d need a -signal for the day and hour. If only she could use -the telephone! Well, she could, in a way.</p> - -<p>“Lucy, do you know the telephone number in -this house?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, I got it from the telephone company man -when he hooked up the phone here for us. It’s—” -Vicki wrote it down.</p> - -<p>“Lucy, I’m going to come back here secretly and -get you. I’ll be waiting in a car at the first sharp -curve at the top of the road. It will be noon. All -you’ll have to do is slip away and run down the -road. Don’t take any luggage with you, not even -a coat or purse, nothing to arouse Mrs. Heath’s -suspicion. Do you understand?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">132</a></span> -“Yes, but—You’re really going to do all this -for me? You honestly think I’m not safe here?”</p> - -<p>“Lucy, pay attention! I’ll be waiting at noon.”</p> - -<p>“What day?” The girl sounded frightened.</p> - -<p>“I don’t know the day yet, but on that morning -I’ll send you a signal by telephone. I know you -can’t receive a phone call, but here’s a way. The -telephone will ring, Mrs. Heath will answer it, and -I’ll say—”</p> - -<p>Vicki stopped. No, she would be driving from -San Francisco to Pine Top that morning. Someone -else would have to make that call. The minister? -Yes, she could rely on Mr. Hall to do it. Vicki resumed:</p> - -<p>“Mr. Hall, not I, will telephone on that morning. -Early, before his church service, if it’s a Sunday. -Mrs. Heath will answer and he’ll say it’s the telephone -company making a test call, and hang up. -Then he’ll call again, right away. You’ll hear the -phone ring a second time, but when Mrs. Heath -answers, he’ll hang up without speaking. As if it -were an error.”</p> - -<p>“And Mrs. Heath will be annoyed enough to -mention the two phone calls to me. I’ll be listening -every morning for the phone to ring. To ring -twice.”</p> - -<p>“Good girl.” Vicki sighed. “I’d much rather -you’d fly out of here with me in the morning. It -would be surer and safer.”</p> - -<p>“I—I can’t.”</p> - -<p>“Well, the morning you hear the telephone<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">133</a></span> -signal, you’re to meet me at noon. Promise, Lucy?”</p> - -<p>The girl took a deep breath. “Promise. But I’m -scared.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll come back as soon as I can.”</p> - -<p>They whispered good night and Lucy crept -back to her room.</p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">134</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="x" id="x"></a><span>CHAPTER X</span> -<br /><em>The Signal</em></h2> - - -<p class="noi"><span class="smcap">Vicki’s departure the next morning did not</span> -go well. For one thing, Mrs. Heath was suspicious -when Vicki “repaired” the plane engine. “So -easily?” she said—and Vicki wondered how much -the woman guessed. For another thing, Lucy was -fearful again this morning when Vicki hinted, -“It’s such a fine, clear day. Just come for a little -flight, Lucy.” One look at Lucy’s face showed -she longed to leave.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Heath said quickly to Lucy, “I’m not feeling -well again this morning. Please don’t leave me -alone.”</p> - -<p>Lucy looked at the older woman almost guiltily. -“Maybe someday I’ll take a ride with you, Vicki,” -was the most the girl would say.</p> - -<p>Her employer sighed. “You girls probably think -me very strict, but I’d like to remind you that I’m -half ill, I have important work to do. You know -very well, my dear,” she said to Lucy, “that I -need you.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">135</a></span> -The woman played on the girl’s pity, and Vicki -saw that Lucy had not the heart to walk out -openly. Also, as Lucy herself had pleaded last -night, she obviously needed more time to think. -There was nothing now Vicki could do except -thank them both and climb into the plane.</p> - -<p>Just before she slammed the door, Vicki called:</p> - -<p>“I should be back in the San Francisco area by -noon. Noon.”</p> - -<p>Lucy nodded. She and Mrs. Heath walked a -safe distance away from the plane, waving to her. -In minutes Vicki took off.</p> - -<p>From the air, the hidden house quickly sank -out of sight. Oddly enough, she reached Novato -Airport, outside San Francisco, precisely at noon.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Who was Mrs. Heath? This was what Vicki -wanted to learn now. Who was this woman who -had coincidentally appeared at the Hotel Alcott -and out of the blue offered Lucy a job? Why was -she detaining Lucy?</p> - -<p>And who was the “Lucy Rowe” in New York? -The girl who had flown into New York on Vicki’s -plane, yet had not <em>then</em> worn the silver ring? Suddenly -Vicki remembered an incident of that flight -with its near-emergency landing—the lost gold -charm inscribed Dorothy! It had fallen off someone’s -bracelet or out of someone’s purse or pocket. -Yet when the stewardess tried to return the valuable -trinket, no one had claimed it. Why not? Did -Dorothy not wish to identify herself?</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">136</a></span> -Suppose, Vicki thought in a flash of insight, that -the alleged Miss L. Rowe on that flight was actually -Miss Dorothy “Somebody.” In that case -she wouldn’t dare claim the inscribed charm—it -would publicly reveal her to be an impostor. -And by now Vicki was convinced that the dark-haired -“Lucy” at the Bryants’ house was in fact -an impostor.</p> - -<p>“Or am I only guessing about the charm?” Well, -she could think of ways to find out when she was -again in New York. This afternoon she had other -points to check.</p> - -<p>That telephone number in New York which -Lucy said Mrs. Heath had called—apparently a -business place—who was at the other end? Vicki -tried a bold plan. She asked on her hotel phone -for that New York number herself.</p> - -<p>She heard the connection go through, heard -the San Francisco operator say, “San Francisco -calling,” and give the New York operator the number, -then a telephone ringing three thousand miles -away—ringing as clearly as if it were next door. -A crisp, businesslike voice answered. “Two-three-four-five. -Good afternoon.”</p> - -<p>Vicki was disappointed. She had hoped that -whoever answered would say the firm name—if -there were a firm name in this case.</p> - -<p>“Hello?” said the voice in her ear.</p> - -<p>“Hello,” Vicki replied, and swallowed nervously. -“This is Mrs. Heath calling.” There, the -step was taken!</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">137</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter width400"> -<a name="page137" id="page137"></a> -<img src="images/i-137.jpg" width="400" height="530" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><em>The hidden house quickly sank out of sight</em></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">138</a></span> -“Oh, yes, Mrs. Heath. One moment, please, and -I’ll ring Mr. Dorn.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Dorn! He and Mrs. Heath were linked! -She’d never suspected it—Thurman Dorn’s voice -came on.</p> - -<p>“Hello, Mother,” he said.</p> - -<p>Vicki nearly dropped the telephone. She was -careful not to answer, not to make a sound.</p> - -<p>“Mother? Is anything wrong? Whatever are -you doing in San Francisco?” A pause. “Hello? -Mother? Hello!”</p> - -<p>Vicki held her breath. She hoped Dorn would -think something had gone wrong with their telephone -connection. He repeated his hellos, then -buzzed his receptionist, and demanded, “What’s -happened to my San Francisco call, Sally?”</p> - -<p>“You’re still connected, Mr. Dorn.”</p> - -<p>Now his voice sounded angry. “Mother? Is that -you? Hello?”</p> - -<p>Dorn hung up, and Vicki hung up, too. Whew! -Her heart was banging away over the discovery.</p> - -<p>In the next instant Vicki realized that by pretending -to be Mrs. Heath, she had put herself in -a dangerous position. Even more, she had put -Lucy in danger! For Thurman Dorn could easily -check by calling Mrs. Heath. Then, when she informed -him that Vicki Barr had flown in as an uninvited -guest at the hidden house, and that Lucy -had half wanted to leave with her, Dorn would -know Vicki Barr was on their trail. And Lucy -might really disappear.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">139</a></span> -“Oh, what have I done!” Vicki groaned.</p> - -<p>But it <em>was</em> done now, and no use fretting about -it. She had gained an immensely valuable piece of -information, but at a high price. She had known -all along that the search for Lucy was risky. One -thing stood out urgently—now that she had probably -aroused Dorn’s suspicions, she must get Lucy -out of that hidden house and away from Mrs. -Heath as soon as possible. Tomorrow, or next day -at the latest. Time was of the essence. She and -Lucy would need time, too, to reach the Bryants -and some degree of safety. But she was scheduled -for a Federal flight day after tomorrow, Sunday. -Time!</p> - -<p>Vicki at once telephoned the Federal Airlines -office at San Francisco’s International Airport, -and asked for her Flight Stewardess Supervisor. -But Miss Middleton was in a conference which -would last the rest of the afternoon, and no one -else was authorized to change Vicki’s flight schedule.</p> - -<p>“Please tell Miss Middleton,” Vicki said into the -phone, “I’ll come in to see her tomorrow, at eight -in the morning.” A day lost, and no help for it. A -day for Dorn to use—</p> - -<p>Mother and son! Mr. Dorn, the lawyer assigned -to find Lucy, and Mrs. Heath, the employer who -took Lucy away with her to the hills—they were -in collusion!</p> - -<p>“The next thing is to prove it,” Vicki realized. -“Mr. and Mrs. Bryant are so delighted with their<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">140</a></span> -bogus granddaughter that they might never accept -the true Lucy without proof.”</p> - -<p>Proof. Facts, which were matters of record. She -remembered that Dorn stayed at the St. Clair -Hotel from January twelfth to twenty-first, and on -February twenty-first, during his first and second -visits to “search” for Lucy. Vicki called up the -hotel, asked for the man who had advised her before, -and inquired:</p> - -<p>“Can you tell me, please, whether a Mrs. Elizabeth -Heath was at the St. Clair Hotel around the -middle of January? And again in February, around -Washington’s Birthday?”</p> - -<p>She waited, then was told:</p> - -<p>“Yes, Mrs. Heath registered here last January -twelfth and stayed two days.”</p> - -<p>“Did she leave a forwarding address?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, Mrs. Heath moved from here to the Hotel -Alcott.”</p> - -<p>“Was she accompanied by a Mr. Thurman -Dorn when she checked in?”</p> - -<p>“We have no record of that.... You’re welcome, -Miss Barr.”</p> - -<p>They’d arrived together in San Francisco, and -had been discreet enough to register separately. -Mr. Dorn must have gained some information -quickly about Lucy. For two days later Mrs. Heath -had moved into the Hotel Alcott where Lucy had -just moved in, too. And Mrs. Heath had lost no -time in striking up an acquaintance with Lucy, -offered her a job, lured her away from San Francisco<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">141</a></span> -where anyone could find her, hid her out in -the hills. The next move, Vicki saw plainly, was to -lure Lucy into going abroad. A very smooth way -to make Lucy disappear, so that they could put -their own confederate into the Bryants’ house to -inherit the Bryant fortune!</p> - -<p>And Mr. Dorn? While his mother was busy getting -Lucy out of the way, what had he been -doing? Finding a suitable hide-out house, arranging -to rent a car? So Mr. Dorn’s “report” to the -Bryants that Lucy was on a trip, was traveling -with friends, was a prearranged lie! The same lies -as the glib ones the false Lucy told.</p> - -<p>“Never mind reconstructing the details of their -scheme,” Vicki told herself. “I haven’t time now. -The urgent thing is to go get Lucy.”</p> - -<p>She glanced out the window. It was dusk. She -could not do much more today beyond setting up -the signal.</p> - -<p>By telephone she reached the minister’s residence -but only the secretary was in. Another conference -and delay! Vicki made an appointment -to see Mr. Hall, or at least talk with him on the -telephone, early the next morning after she’d seen -her supervisor. She would know by then how -much time she had to rescue Lucy.</p> - -<p>She made one further telephone call, to a car -rental agency. On a gamble, she reserved a car -for either tomorrow or Sunday morning, depending -on what free time Federal Airlines allowed -her. It was about a three-hour drive to Pine Top—if<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">142</a></span> -she made an early enough start and drove fast, -she could keep the noon rendezvous.</p> - -<p>Vicki sat down to think over Lucy’s dangerous -situation—and her own. She wanted very much -to report what she had found to the police, and -leave the responsibility for rescuing the girl to -them. But she recalled Lucy’s fear that her grandparents -did not really want her. Bringing Lucy to -them via the police might turn her grandparents -against her.</p> - -<p>Vicki sighed. “I’d better get Lucy out of that -hidden house before Mrs. Heath and Mr. Dorn -think up any new plans for her.”</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Early the next day, Saturday morning, rain -poured down. An all-day March rain, from the -Weather Bureau prediction. In the hotel room -Vicki turned the radio on and heard that small -aircraft were ordered grounded, most big commercial -airliners continued to fly on schedule, and -for drivers road conditions were fair.</p> - -<p>“Fair is good enough to drive to Pine Top,” -Vicki decided. “Providing I can get there by noon—first, -providing I can get extra time off to allow -for any delays or unexpected developments.” For -she might not get back from Pine Top today—she -might miss her scheduled nine <span class="smcap2">A.M.</span> flight -tomorrow.</p> - -<p>She bundled up and went to take the bus out to -International Airport. San Francisco was wrapped -in fog; it made halos of street lamps and shadows<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">143</a></span> -of people. Vicki barely found the bus which appeared -to be floating. It crawled at a maddeningly -slow pace the thirteen miles out to International -Airport.</p> - -<p>“I’ll never be able to reach Pine Top by noon,” -Vicki mourned. “Not in this fog. Why, just going -to the car rental place and then driving out of San -Francisco could take an hour.” She’d have to go -tomorrow—unless tomorrow she found herself in -uniform aboard the Electra.</p> - -<p>In the fog she groped her way to the Federal -Airlines building, using the Hangar One entrance. -It was a quarter to eight. Miss Middleton was -already in her office. For the first time in her career -as a stewardess, Vicki asked to be excused -from making a scheduled flight. Miss Middleton, -on learning that Vicki had urgent personal business, -granted her a leave of absence of three days, -to be made up later.</p> - -<p>“Provided,” said the supervisor, “I can find a -stewardess to take your place. I’ll phone you at -your hotel some time after noon today.”</p> - -<p>That settled it. No trip to Pine Top today.</p> - -<p>Vicki went to one of the telephone booths in the -corridor. She called the car rental agency and -said she would want a car tomorrow, not today. -Then, though it was early to disturb him, Vicki -called the minister. He was at breakfast, and very -glad and relieved to hear from her.</p> - -<p>“Have you found Lucy, Miss Vicki?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, I have.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">144</a></span> -“Good, good! Where is she?”</p> - -<p>“At a place called Pine Top, and it isn’t good -at all, Mr. Hall. I’m going to get her out of there—tomorrow, -I <em>hope</em>—But, in order to rescue -Lucy, I’ll need your help here in San Francisco.”</p> - -<p>“Anything you say, Miss Vicki. Your tone of -voice alarms me. Do you want to come to see me -and talk it over?”</p> - -<p>They discussed meeting. But since Vicki had to -be back at her hotel by noon, they decided they -might as well talk fully on the telephone. Vicki -dropped more coins into the telephone box at the -operator’s request.</p> - -<p>“Well, Mr. Hall, Lucy is in serious trouble.” -Vicki described the situation with Mrs. Heath.</p> - -<p>“I don’t understand why this Mrs. Heath wants -to detain the girl,” said the minister. “It <em>is</em> detention. -But why? Can you tell me why?”</p> - -<p>His voice sounded so concerned that Vicki -could almost see the minister’s face, his quiet expression -and perceptive eyes. Why should she not -confide in him? He was Lucy’s good and old -friend.</p> - -<p>“Yes, I’ll tell you why, Mr. Hall,” Vicki said into -the telephone. “It’s a long story, it goes back to -Lucy’s grandparents—”</p> - -<p>“Her grandparents! Her only surviving grandparents -are the Marshall Bryants, in New York.”</p> - -<p>“Yes. They want Lucy at last, you see. But a -terrible thing has happened because of the inheritance.” -Vicki told the minister the whole story<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">145</a></span> -of the Bryants, Thurman Dorn, and the false Lucy. -Then she told him of her own search which had -led her to Lucy and Mrs. Heath and the truth.</p> - -<p>“I am appalled,” the minister said, after she had -finished. “Why not go to the police at once?”</p> - -<p>“Because it could ruin Lucy’s first meeting with -her grandparents.” Vicki explained Lucy’s nervousness -about meeting the Bryants, after years of -being ostracized. She mentioned their abhorrence -of publicity.</p> - -<p>“Yes, I see,” the minister said reluctantly. -“What alternative is there? What do you plan to -do, Miss Vicki?”</p> - -<p>She told him of her plan to return to Pine Top. -She told Mr. Hall of the telephone signal Lucy -was listening for, and described exactly what he -must do, and gave him the telephone number of -the hidden house.</p> - -<p>“I’ll call you tomorrow, Mr. Hall, just before I -start out by car for Pine Top. It’s a three-hour -drive, so I’ll call you early. You’re to signal by -telephone at, say, nine <span class="smcap2">A.M.</span> That will give Lucy -three hours’ notice.”</p> - -<p>“Of course I’ll do it. But, Miss Vicki! Isn’t it -dangerous for you, and for Lucy, too, to attempt -this escape?”</p> - -<p>She replied that Mrs. Heath might not be watching -Lucy so closely in broad daylight. On the big -grounds of the Glidden place, among its many -trees and bushes, Lucy with her outdoors chores -could quite naturally “wander” out of sight.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">146</a></span> -“If the plan doesn’t work”—Vicki caught her -breath at the chance—“if anything goes wrong, -Mr. Hall, then you’d better call the police.”</p> - -<p>“How will I know your plan hasn’t succeeded?”</p> - -<p>“When I drive back to San Francisco bringing -Lucy, I’ll call you. That should be about three or -three thirty. Four, at the latest. I’ll call you then. -Or if there’s trouble at any point, I’ll try to phone -you.”</p> - -<p>“And if I don’t hear from you by four tomorrow -I’m to call the police?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, Mr. Hall. Thank you very, very much.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t like it,” he said. “It’s dangerous—”</p> - -<p>“I don’t like it much myself. But it’s the best -we can do.”</p> - -<p>They left it at that, and said good-by until the -next day. Vicki felt grateful that she had someone -like Mr. Hall to rely on.</p> - -<p>In the fog Vicki found the airport’s bus stop. -She rode back slowly over blurred roads and -bridges. When she got off the bus in downtown -San Francisco, the pavement seemed bottomless -under her feet. She reached her hotel, glad to -be indoors where there were lights. Though it was -nowhere near noon, Vicki settled down in her -room to wait for the Flight Supervisor’s call.</p> - -<p>Waiting, the day seemed the longest of her life. -Vicki did everything she could think of to pass -the time. She read, she sewed a little, sent down -for a sandwich, visited with a stewardess next -door, read some more. At four o’clock the telephone<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">147</a></span> -rang. It was the Flight Stewardess Supervisor -to notify Vicki that her request for extra time -off was granted.</p> - -<p>Vicki went downstairs to the lobby about five -o’clock. The stewardesses of several airlines who -stayed at this hotel had a favorite corner, where -they looked for one another and exchanged flying -news. This afternoon two girls in Trans-USA’s -gray uniform were sitting there, having hot tea. -Vicki knew them slightly; they were Peggy Bennett -and Nancy Notaro.</p> - -<p>“Hello, you look as if you’ve just come in from -a flight,” Vicki greeted them.</p> - -<p>“And such a flight! Grueling,” said Peggy. -“Come sit down, Vicki.” She said they had flown -by jet nonstop from New York, a five-and-a-half-hour -run, starting at one thirty New York time that -afternoon.</p> - -<p>“The most demanding passengers you ever -saw,” Nancy said, as Vicki joined them. “I admit -that they were interesting people. But one young -man nearly drove Peg and me out of our minds. -A lawyer, I think.”</p> - -<p>“He was awfully anxious to get here,” Peggy -said to excuse him. “Our Boeing 707 didn’t go fast -enough to suit Mr. Dorn.”</p> - -<p>Vicki froze. “Did you say Dorn? Do you remember -his first name?”</p> - -<p>“I think it was Thurman,” said Nancy. “Why, -Vicki, what’s the matter? Aren’t you feeling -well?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">148</a></span> -“N-no, I’m not. Was anyone traveling with Mr. -Dorn?”</p> - -<p>“He was alone. Vicki, you’ve turned white! -Here, have some of this tea—”</p> - -<p>“I think I’d better go to my room,” Vicki said, -and excused herself.</p> - -<p>Upstairs in her room she did some rapid figuring. -Yesterday afternoon she had guardedly telephoned -Dorn’s office in New York, giving her -name as Mrs. Heath and then keeping silent. Today -Dorn had taken the fastest plane he could -board to San Francisco. His action could mean -only one thing:</p> - -<p>His suspicions were aroused by her telephone -call. He probably telephoned his mother right -back, learned <em>she</em> had not just called him—and -learned about Vicki Barr’s surprise visit to the -hidden house the night before. Mrs. Heath would -have told him how Vicki Barr struck up a sympathetic -acquaintance with Lucy. The woman -had been disturbed about that; Dorn would be -disturbed, too. Further, Mrs. Heath had probably -told him that Vicki Barr had flown back to San -Francisco earlier on the day of the faked telephone -call.</p> - -<p>So Dorn knew now that Vicki Barr was checking -up on him and Mrs. Heath. He was certain enough -of it to take the first plane to San Francisco, to -come here and circumvent her. This was what -Vicki had feared, and it had come true.</p> - -<p>“What will Dorn do next?” Vicki wondered.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">149</a></span> -“Steady, now. I mustn’t panic. Well, he’ll go to -Pine Top, and take Mrs. Heath and Lucy out of -there. Take them some place where I can’t find -them again. This time Lucy will really disappear. -And then Thurman Dorn will deal with me.”</p> - -<p>She shivered. “<em>Stop it</em>,” she scolded herself. “I -must try to think clearly.”</p> - -<p>How soon, how fast, could Dorn reach Pine -Top? The city was still wrapped in fog; so were -its outlying highways, the radio reported. That -meant Dorn could not fly or drive to Pine Top today, -not with night closing in. He’d probably start -out for Pine Top first thing tomorrow morning, -weather permitting—just as she herself planned -to do.</p> - -<p>“Suppose I encounter Dorn on the highway -while I’m driving to Pine Top?” She would have -to disguise herself a little, and drive a closed car. -“Or suppose he goes to Pine Top in a private plane—he’d -arrive before I do. Will that ruin Lucy’s -getaway, our getaway?”</p> - -<p>At least she had one small advantage. She already -had a car reserved. Dorn would encounter -some delay in renting a car, or renting a private -plane and the services of a pilot, since these were -much in demand and often sold out in advance. -Probably he would be able to hunt around and -rent <em>something</em>, but it would take him extra time. -Time!</p> - -<p>When she went to bed, Vicki noticed that the -fog had turned into a driving rain.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">150</a></span> -She rose very early Sunday morning. It was still -raining hard. The radio predicted an all-day -downpour and reported that roads were washed -out in several localities. Motorists were advised to -cancel their plans and stay off the highways.</p> - -<p>“Oh, how awful!” Vicki thought. “Another day -lost! Well, I’ll go to Pine Top tomorrow—I hope.”</p> - -<p>She immediately made two telephone calls. One -was to Mr. Hall, asking him to call Pine Top tomorrow -instead of today. The other was to the -car rental agency, changing her reservation to the -next day. Then Vicki ventured out in the rain to -attend church. She lived through the rest of that -Sunday somehow.</p> - -<p>Monday morning she again was up early. The -weather was clear. She dressed quietly, without -waking Jean Cox, tied a scarf over her head to -conceal her light hair, and took along a bulky coat -and dark glasses. These things were to make her -less recognizable in case she met Dorn anywhere -along the way. She took a scarf, sunglasses, and -sweater for Lucy. Although she was too worried -to feel hungry, she fortified herself with breakfast -at one of the few restaurants open that early. Here -she purchased sandwiches, and had the thermos -bottle she had brought along filled with coffee. -Now she and Lucy need not stop for lunch, lose -precious time, make themselves visible in case -Dorn was out looking for them.</p> - -<p>That is, <em>if</em> she herself could reach the appointed -place in the road without mishap, <em>if</em> Lucy could<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">151</a></span> -keep the rendezvous, <em>if</em> they actually could make -their getaway.</p> - -<p>Before she reached the car rental agency, Vicki -put on the coat and dark glasses.</p> - -<p>A sedan was driven out for her, with its gas tank -filled to capacity. Vicki signed the necessary papers, -paid a deposit, and then went to a telephone -booth. She called the minister.</p> - -<p>“I’m leaving now, Mr. Hall. Getting an early -start. You’ll phone—signal—around nine?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, at nine. I’ll be listening for your telephone -call this afternoon to learn that you and Lucy are -safe. Good luck, Miss Vicki.”</p> - -<p>“Thanks, Mr. Hall. I’ll need it.”</p> - -<p>Out on the highway traffic was light, and she -made good time. Vicki kept watch in the rear-vision -mirror to see if any car was following her, -but so far, so good. Of course Dorn could be heading -for Pine Top on any of several alternate roads.</p> - -<p>The drive seemed a long one. It helped that she -had twice flown over this Mother Lode country; -the small towns and rivers were familiar landmarks -and guides. But the car was slow compared -to a plane, particularly when the land grew rolling -and then hilly.</p> - -<p>At twenty minutes before noon she was driving -through Pine Top, and there still was no sign -of a car or a private plane coming in from the -same direction as she was. Vicki headed the car -up the steep, winding hill which led to the hidden -house.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">152</a></span> -She drove to the first sharp curve at the top of -the road, found an area of trees a little off the road -to provide some concealment for the car, and -backed into it. Vicki turned off the ignition and -waited. The birds were singing. The sun shone -down on the empty road.</p> - -<p>“What if Lucy doesn’t come?” Vicki thought. -“What if she loses her nerve and doesn’t try? Or -tries but can’t get out? The wooden door in the -wall is kept locked—but surely somewhere she -could find a place to climb over the wall.”</p> - -<p>The minutes dragged.</p> - -<p>“Or suppose she and Mrs. Heath have already -left? Mrs. Heath had a rented car. Dorn could -have phoned them to leave at once.” If only she -could go close enough to the house to see and hear -what was going on! Was Dorn there? Was Mrs. -Heath keeping an extra close watch on Lucy?</p> - -<p>Vicki got out of the car to stretch her legs. She -wanted badly to venture around the bend in the -road to see whether Lucy was coming—it was a -minute or two until noon. But she stayed in the -little enclosure of trees, half out of sight.</p> - -<p>She heard a car coming up the hill. Vicki -stepped behind her own car just as a black sedan -whizzed by—the man driving was its only occupant. -He had red hair. Thank goodness it wasn’t -Dorn.</p> - -<p>Suddenly a figure came running around the -bend, hair flying. It was Lucy!</p> - -<p>“Here I am!” Vicki hissed.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">153</a></span> -“Hurry! Where’s the car?” Lucy gasped. “Get -in!”</p> - -<p>They got in, slammed the doors, Vicki turned -on the ignition, and tore out of her hiding place. -They streaked down the steep road.</p> - -<p>“Are you all right, Lucy? Is anyone else at the -house?”</p> - -<p>“No. A man is coming this morning—driving—he -phoned Saturday night and Sunday morning. -Mrs. Heath had me pack our suitcases this morning. -Hurry, Vicki! Mrs. Heath is probably looking -for me by now, and she has a car!”</p> - -<p>They sped through Pine Top and onto the open -highway. Vicki saw a car coming—any car coming -might be Dorn. She kept on going, at the top -speed allowed.</p> - -<p>“Lucy, there’s a scarf and sunglasses on the seat. -Put them on, cover up your face and hair all you -can. How’d you get out?”</p> - -<p>“I pretended to be gardening near the wall, -climbed a tree, dropped onto the top of the wall, -and scrambled down on the outside.” Lucy gave -a shaky laugh. “I tore my stockings. I must be -a sight. I didn’t bring even a purse or sweater or -anything with me. Nothing except my family documents -in the pocket of my dress.”</p> - -<p>“That’s all that matters.” The silver ring was on -Lucy’s hand.</p> - -<p>“Mr. Hall phoned twice, around nine,” Lucy -said. “Mrs. Heath got awfully annoyed at the ‘telephone -company testing.’ She complained to me—but<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">154</a></span> -I’d heard the phone signal, anyway.” Lucy -let out a long sigh of relief. “Where are we going?”</p> - -<p>“Back to San Francisco. To catch a plane to -New York.”</p> - -<p>“Think we’ll make it to San Francisco safely?”</p> - -<p>“We have a fast car, a good chance. Sit back and -try to relax, Lucy.”</p> - -<p>They rode for many miles in silence. Both girls -were tense. After a while Vicki asked Lucy to open -up the sandwiches and coffee. They had a hard -time swallowing any food, and lapsed into silence -again. Then Lucy said:</p> - -<p>“If and when we get to New York, do you plan -to take me to my grandparents?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, we’ll go directly to the Bryants’.”</p> - -<p>Lucy seemed fearful.</p> - -<p>Vicki reproved her. “Besides, unless you want -to go to the police, it’s the only place where either -of us will be safe.”</p> - -<p>Vicki omitted saying: “Provided we can reach -the Bryants before Dorn does.” She did not want -to frighten Lucy further. And Lucy was already -nervous enough about facing her grandparents.</p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">155</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="xi" id="xi"></a><span>CHAPTER XI</span> -<br /><em>Escape</em></h2> - - -<p class="noi"><span class="smcap">At a gas station Vicki slowed down, looking</span> -around cautiously for any car which might be -Dorn’s before she stopped. No sign of Dorn—yet. -Vicki bought gas and did not linger. Out on the -highway she picked up speed and said to Lucy:</p> - -<p>“Now, listen to me. Mrs. Heath and her son are -trying to keep you away from the Bryants and -your rightful inheritance. They want the Bryant -wealth for themselves.”</p> - -<p>“But how could they? I don’t understand—who -is Mrs. Heath’s son?”</p> - -<p>“He’s Dorn, a lawyer your grandparents hired -to find you—that was when Mrs. Heath was luring -you out to the hills. Then when you were practically -a prisoner, Dorn brought a girl he said was -Lucy Rowe to your grandparents—”</p> - -<p>“But I’m Lucy Rowe!”</p> - -<p>“—and they’ve accepted her on his word and -‘evidence’ and because of the silver ring she -wears.” Lucy gasped. “Their next step is to persuade<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">156</a></span> -you to go abroad and stay there. Now, this -other girl, who’s in collusion with Dorn and Mrs. -Heath, is living in your grandparents’ house and -pretending to be you.”</p> - -<p>Lucy burst into tears. “That’s terrible. Are you -sure, Vicki? How do you know?”</p> - -<p>“I met the girl at the Bryants’ house, that’s how -I know. And I only hope,” Vicki said tensely, -“that Dorn and Mrs. Heath don’t stop us from -ever reaching New York.”</p> - -<p>Lucy said, crying, “Even so, please let’s not go -to the police. Not even to report them. I don’t -want my grandparents to hear about me first from -the police. I want to meet them in a—a happy -way—”</p> - -<p>“You shall. Don’t cry any more, Lucy. Don’t -look so afraid. I think Dorn and Mrs. Heath’s -main intent now is to reach the Bryants first with -their story, before you and I do. They probably -won’t waste time trying to stop us.” Vicki did not -entirely believe this, but Lucy could not stand -much more strain.</p> - -<p>They were approaching the outskirts of San -Francisco. Vicki stopped at a public telephone -booth and called the minister. It was a little past -three o’clock in the afternoon.</p> - -<p>“Miss Vicki!” he said. “What a relief to hear -from you! Are you all right? Is Lucy with you?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, Mr. Hall. Here she is.” Vicki handed Lucy -the receiver, whispering, “Be quick.” She moved -away, but heard Lucy say:</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">157</a></span> -“Oh, Mr. Hall, if only I’d listened to you!”</p> - -<p>Lucy talked to him for a minute or two, then -gave the phone back to Vicki.</p> - -<p>“I’m going to try to get us on a plane to New -York this afternoon,” Vicki said to him. “I think -Federal Airlines will find room aboard for us. -Please don’t worry, Mr. Hall. Thank you for everything. -We’ll keep in touch with you.”</p> - -<p>Vicki next called Federal’s reservations desk. -As one of their stewardesses, she could fly free on -vacation and, in addition, she could get a pass -when she had the mileage coming to her. Luckily -she had it now. Vicki pleaded for a seat for herself -and one for her friend, Lucy Rowe. Since -Vicki insisted this was an emergency, Reservations -agreed to accept her check for Lucy’s fare and -told her to go out to International Airport and -wait. If, at the last minute, a flight had two seats -still unpurchased or had two cancellations, she -and Lucy were welcome to them.</p> - -<p>First they returned the rented car, then traveled -by taxi to the airport. In the rotunda Vicki -and Lucy made themselves as inconspicuous as -they could around a corner—Dorn and Mrs. -Heath might walk through the terminal at any -time! The two girls waited out one flight after another. -Passenger traffic was heavy; not a single -Federal flight had space for them.</p> - -<p>Vicki began to worry, and to grow tired and -hungry. Lucy was drooping. Vicki went again and -again to the reservations desk, reminding them,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">158</a></span> -begging for seats. The evening wore on. By now, -Dorn and Mrs. Heath had had ample time to drive -from Pine Top to San Francisco and, as they themselves -were doing, try to get space on a flight. Who -was going to win this grim race? Finally, at ten -thirty Reservations cleared Vicki and Lucy to go -aboard a Federal DC-7 air coach. It wasn’t as fast -a plane as the Electra, but at least it flew a direct -transcontinental route. They would have to -change planes at Chicago.</p> - -<p>The two stewardesses were acquaintances of -Vicki’s, and they were surprised to see her come -aboard. Noticing how tired she and Lucy were, -they brought them sandwiches and hot coffee -once they were aloft, and then blankets. The two -girls were too exhausted to say or think another -single thing. They fell asleep and slept through -the quiet night flight.</p> - -<p>Next thing Vicki knew, a stewardess was shaking -her. “Wake up, Vic. We’re coming in at Chicago -in five minutes.”</p> - -<p>Vicki awakened Lucy. It was half dark and cold -as they left the plane, two bedraggled figures, and -boarded another plane. Take-off time was seven -<span class="smcap2">A.M.</span> The girls slept again. At ten thirty <span class="smcap2">A.M.</span>, New -York time, they landed at Idlewild Airport. A Federal -crew car gave them a ride into Manhattan. -Vicki asked to be let off at the apartment she -shared with several other stewardess friends. It -was just as well that no one but their housekeeper, -Mrs. Duff, was at home.</p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">159</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="xii" id="xii"></a><span>CHAPTER XII</span> -<br /><em>The Silver Rings</em></h2> - - -<p class="noi"><span class="smcap">“I can’t meet my grandparents for the first</span> -time looking like this,” Lucy said. “I know it’s important -for us to get to them before Mr. Dorn does, -but it’s important for me to look nice, too.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t worry,” Vicki said, “I’ll lend you some -clothes. You go shower and change now. I will, -too, but first I must make some telephone calls.”</p> - -<p>She telephoned La Guardia Airport and asked -for the “Lost and Found” Desk.</p> - -<p>“Hello, this is the Federal Airlines stewardess,” -Vicki said into the telephone, “who turned in a -gold charm, inscribed Dorothy. One of my passengers -lost it. Can you tell me whether anyone has -ever claimed it?”</p> - -<p>“It’s still here,” the clerk told her. “No one has -even inquired about it, so far as I know.”</p> - -<p>That confirmed her suspicion—the owner was -<em>afraid</em> to come for it. The reason why might prove -interesting.</p> - -<p>Next, she telephoned the Bryants’ house. Mrs.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">160</a></span> -Bryant was surprised and pleased to hear from -her. Vicki asked whether she could come over to -see them, and added that she’d like to bring a -friend to meet them. “Soon, please? It’s important.”</p> - -<p>“We’d be delighted to see you and your friend,” -said Mrs. Bryant, “but it can’t be this morning. -We’re expecting guests for lunch at twelve thirty. -Why don’t you and your friend come at two?”</p> - -<p>“At two,” Vicki repeated. She longed to ask -whether the luncheon guests would include Mr. -Dorn, or whether the Bryants had heard from -Dorn yesterday or today. But she couldn’t very -well ask. “We’ll be there at two. Thank you very -much, Mrs. Bryant.”</p> - -<p>Lucy had come in, wearing a bathrobe, and -heard Vicki make the appointment. She looked -woebegone, still lost. Vicki had to encourage her.</p> - -<p>“Yes, I know my grandparents want me,” Lucy -said excitedly, “but the other ‘Lucy’—Is she more -attractive than I am?”</p> - -<p>“Not nearly as likable,” Vicki said to soothe -her.</p> - -<p>“I can’t help feeling nervous, though, especially -since you’ve told me what Mr. Dorn’s been up to,” -Lucy said.</p> - -<p>“Come on. Let’s find you some clothes that will -fit you and be becoming.”</p> - -<p>Vicki borrowed from her own and Jean’s wardrobes. -She made herself presentable, then Mrs.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">161</a></span> -Duff gave them a quick lunch. As they ate, the -girls debated whether Lucy still had, in certain -ways, the hardest part of her ordeal to struggle -through.</p> - -<p>On the way over to the Bryants’, Lucy was silent -and preoccupied. She wore the silver ring, and -had the family documents in her purse. When she -saw the mansion her grandparents lived in, she -hesitated. Vicki took her hand and escorted her -up the marble steps.</p> - -<p>“I’ll never fit in here,” Lucy whispered, as they -followed the butler toward the room with the -parakeets.</p> - -<p>“Yes, you will,” Vicki whispered back. “Wait -and see.”</p> - -<p>Mr. and Mrs. Bryant were waiting for them. -Vicki’s heart sank when she saw that ‘Lucy’—the -false Lucy—was with them. She had wanted so -much to talk to them alone! Mrs. Bryant rose and -came forward to greet the two girls.</p> - -<p>“How nice to see you, Vicki. And I’m so glad -you’ve brought your friend. I asked our Lucy to -stay and meet her.”</p> - -<p>The true Lucy stared at the impostor. There -was no real resemblance between them, except -that both were brown-haired, around the same -age, and either Lucy might have once been the -little girl in the snapshot. The true Lucy must -have seen the silver ring on the other Lucy’s hand, -for she thrust her hand in her pocket to hide her<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">162</a></span> -own silver ring. Vicki took her friend’s arm, to -give her courage.</p> - -<p>As Mr. Bryant and the sophisticated-looking -girl rose from the sofa, Vicki said, “This is my -friend from San Francisco, Lucy Rowe.” It took -all her courage to come right out and say that. -She watched the false Lucy closely.</p> - -<p>“Lucy Rowe!” Mrs. Bryant exclaimed, and a -look of wonder crossed her face.</p> - -<p>“What a coincidence,” the other girl said, after -a pause. “How do you do, Miss Rowe?”</p> - -<p>Lucy was unable to speak. She looked into Mrs. -Bryant’s face with her feelings naked in her eyes. -Marshall Bryant said:</p> - -<p>“Quite a coincidence, eh, Miss Vicki? Two girls -with the same name. Well, well. Let’s all sit down, -anyway.” He sat down heavily. “I ate too much -lunch.”</p> - -<p>Lucy stared at her grandfather. She stayed as -close as she could to Vicki, her hand still in her -pocket.</p> - -<p>“How odd that we’ve never met,” the false Lucy -said smoothly to the true Lucy. “I’m from San -Francisco, too, you know.”</p> - -<p>“It—it <em>is</em> quite a coincidence, isn’t it?” Mrs. Bryant -said shakily.</p> - -<p>Vicki drew a deep breath and said what sooner -or later had to be said. “It’s more than a coincidence, -Mrs. Bryant. This young woman is—is your -granddaughter, and I can—”</p> - -<p>“That’s preposterous!” the false Lucy exclaimed.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">163</a></span> -She was furious. “<em>I</em> am the Bryants’ granddaughter, -and I resent—”</p> - -<p>“—and I can prove it,” Vicki went on evenly. -“There has been a terrible mistake here. If one -can call it a mistake.”</p> - -<p>Marshall Bryant snorted. “Young lady, you’re -having a pipe dream. Thurman Dorn is a good -man, a good lawyer. He doesn’t make mistakes. -Do you think I’d hire an incompetent man?”</p> - -<p>Vicki was shaking all over. “It isn’t simply a mistake, -Mr. Bryant. Forgive me for contradicting -you, but Mr. Dorn has deliberately brought you -the wrong girl.”</p> - -<p>“Rot!” the big man said, and the false Lucy -drew herself up in scorn. Only Mrs. Bryant, her -hands trembling so badly that she had to clasp -them, said to the newcomer:</p> - -<p>“Tell me, my dear. Do you believe yourself to -be our granddaughter?”</p> - -<p>Slowly Lucy drew her hand out of her pocket -and extended it. “Here is the ring you gave my -mother. And here are photographs of us all—and -a letter you wrote my mother—”</p> - -<p>The false Lucy laughed. No one took the things -Lucy offered. She stood there abashed. The false -Lucy cried, “Why, Grandpa, they’re fakes—forgeries, -that’s all.” Mrs. Bryant glanced back and -forth between the two Lucys, bewildered and -hurt. Finally she reached out and took the photographs -and letters, and examined them.</p> - -<p>“Marshall,” she said, “I did write this letter to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">164</a></span> -Eleanor.” He made a gesture of disbelief. Mrs. -Bryant turned to the newcomer. “Where did you -get this letter?”</p> - -<p>“Mother gave it to me. Just as she gave me this -ring.”</p> - -<p>“I also have my mother’s ring.” The false -Lucy indignantly held up her hand with the silver -ring. She was still assured, but her face had turned -a sickly white.</p> - -<p>Marshall Bryant exploded. “Someone here is lying! -If you think I’ll set aside the detailed proof -of my lawyer, and reject this lovely young woman -we’re so fond of—if you expect me to take the -word of a girl I’ve never seen or heard of before—Why, -it <em>is</em> preposterous! Vicki, where in the -world did you find this girl, and what in the world -are you thinking of?”</p> - -<p>Vicki said as bravely as she could, “Mr. Bryant, -I have <em>proof</em> that she is your granddaughter, if -you’ll only listen to me.”</p> - -<p>“I think we’d better listen, Marshall,” said Mrs. -Bryant. “I—er—before Mr. Dorn had found Lucy, -I requested our young friend—since she sometimes -flies in and out of San Francisco—to see -whether she could learn anything about our -granddaughter.”</p> - -<p>“You did!” Marshall Bryant turned to Vicki. -“And you actually investigated? But you’re not a -trained investigator.”</p> - -<p>“Just the same, please listen to what I found -out,” Vicki pleaded.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">165</a></span> -The butler came in to say that Mr. Thurman -Dorn was at the door, and asked whether the Bryants -would see him.</p> - -<p>“We certainly will see him!” Mr. Bryant said. -“Right away! Lucky for us he’s here.”</p> - -<p>Mrs. Bryant murmured that this seemed to be -their day for coincidences. Vicki said, “This is -no coincidence, either, Mrs. Bryant. Mr. Dorn has -just flown in from San Francisco where he was -yesterday—intending to stop me from bringing -Lucy to you.”</p> - -<p>Marshall Bryant stared at her as if she were out -of her mind, and the false Lucy smiled pityingly.</p> - -<p>They waited for Dorn. Lucy said to Vicki, very -low, “This is scarcely the reception I’d dreamed -of.”</p> - -<p>Dorn came in. His suit was rumpled, as if he -had slept in it all night. However, he was as self-possessed -as ever, and gave Vicki and her Lucy -a look of utter contempt.</p> - -<p>“I see these two fakers beat me here,” he said. -“Good afternoon, Mrs. Bryant, Lucy. How are -you, sir? May I impose on your hospitality and -ask for some hot coffee? I’ve just flown to San -Francisco and back on your behalf. I flew all last -night on a wretchedly slow coach plane, a long, -roundabout Dallas-Memphis local,” he said disgustedly. -“The only plane I could get on last night -without a reservation—”</p> - -<p>He sank into a chair. Vicki and Lucy exchanged -glances. Getting here before Dorn hadn’t done<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">166</a></span> -them much good. Marshall Bryant spoke to him -sympathetically while Mrs. Bryant ordered the -coffee.</p> - -<p>Vicki decided to attack Dorn before he could -attack her.</p> - -<p>“Mr. Dorn, I’ve found out how your mother, -Mrs. Heath, lured Lucy out of San Francisco—”</p> - -<p>“Your mother?” said Mr. Bryant in surprise.</p> - -<p>“—and kept Lucy virtually a prisoner in—”</p> - -<p>“Stop lying!” Dorn ordered. “You’re a ridiculous -little amateur detective who’s been meddling—”</p> - -<p>“—prisoner in a lonely house near the Sierra -Nevadas, until I got her out of there yesterday! -And that’s where you were yesterday, Mr. Dorn—in -Pine Top!”</p> - -<p>Dorn’s eyes narrowed. The false Lucy kept perfectly -still. The lawyer retorted:</p> - -<p>“Miss Barr, you evidently are stupid and irresponsible. -Perhaps this girl with you is, too. -Dreaming up some fantastic tale! Prisoner!” He -turned to Mr. Bryant. “What has she told you?”</p> - -<p>Mrs. Bryant answered. “They showed us another -silver ring, and these photographs and letters.”</p> - -<p>Dorn smiled dryly. “Documents can be forged, -or stolen. A silver ring can be copied, too, by a -clever jeweler.” He turned to the true Lucy and -thundered at her, “How did you manage to steal -and forge these things?”</p> - -<p>As Lucy drew back in fright, Vicki said:</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">167</a></span> -“Any stealing and forging that was done, <em>you</em> -did. From the Bryants’ safe here in their house. -You borrowed their family documents and the -ring—to ‘study.’ You said—”</p> - -<p>Both Bryants were listening to her now. Vicki -turned to them.</p> - -<p>“There’s a minister in San Francisco, a Mr. Hall, -who’s known Jack and Eleanor Rowe, and Lucy, -ever since Lucy was born. Would you take <em>his</em> -word?”</p> - -<p>Mrs. Bryant gasped. “What else did you find -out? Mr. Dorn, why did you never mention the -minister to us?”</p> - -<p>“Because there is no such person in their family -history,” he said boldly. “Lucy”—he turned toward -the false Lucy—“did you ever know a minister -named Hall?”</p> - -<p>“No, our minister’s name was Dr. John Sands.”</p> - -<p>“Ah, you see!” Marshall Bryant said with satisfaction. -“I shall get in touch with Dr. Sands.”</p> - -<p>“I wish, Grandpa,” said the false Lucy, “that -Dr. Sands was still alive. He’d tell you the truth.”</p> - -<p>The true Lucy said suddenly, “Ask Mr. Hall. -I’ll give you his address and telephone number.”</p> - -<p>Marshall Bryant eyed her distrustfully, but his -wife said, “You haven’t answered my question, -Vicki. What else did you find out?”</p> - -<p>Dorn tried to prevent Vicki from speaking. He -heaped her with scorn and flatly denied all allegations—but -Mrs. Bryant insisted.</p> - -<p>Vicki started to enumerate her points: the so-called<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">168</a></span> -Lucy had not worked for Whitney Decorators -because no such firm had ever existed. Her -alleged doctor, Dr. Alice James, did not exist. The -addresses where she’d said she lived did not exist.</p> - -<p>“Lies, lies!” Dorn said to Mr. Bryant. “I visited -every one of those persons and places myself. You -have my word for it.”</p> - -<p>Marshall Bryant nodded. Vicki said to him:</p> - -<p>“Mr. Dorn is the one who’s lying. You have <em>only</em> -his word for these things, and he and his mother -and this girl he misrepresents to be your granddaughter—they’re -all in collusion together.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll take you to court for libel, Vicki Barr!” -Dorn fairly shouted.</p> - -<p>She ignored that, and appealed to the Bryants. -“Send an impartial investigator to San Francisco, -or go yourselves. You’ll find out from the Interstate -Insurance Company that <em>that’s</em> where Lucy -worked, ever since she got out of school. Talk to -Mr. Hall. Talk to Jill Joseph who lives in Lucy’s -old house in Sutro Heights—she and her parents, -the Rossiters, knew Lucy’s parents—”</p> - -<p>“Ridiculous,” said Dorn, with a little laugh. -“Perhaps this other girl’s name actually is Lucy -Rowe—though I doubt it—but even if it is, that -does not make her your granddaughter and your -heir. Can’t you see how easy it is for an unscrupulous -girl to claim to be your kin whom you’ve -never seen? A crude attempt, I must say.”</p> - -<p>Vicki saw that she was getting nowhere. The -more points she raised, the more Dorn, with a lawyer’s<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">169</a></span> -great verbal skill, twisted and bypassed -them. He managed to make Vicki’s statements appear -implausible. He enumerated proofs of his -own correctness. Lucy, sitting beside her, was -numb with misery.</p> - -<p>Vicki looked at the false Lucy and had an inspiration. -She addressed her directly, sharply:</p> - -<p>“See here, Dorothy, I know a good deal about -you—”</p> - -<p>The false Lucy started.</p> - -<p>“Yes, I know it was you who lost the gold charm -inscribed Dorothy on my plane that day. I know -you came here from Chicago, not San Francisco—”</p> - -<p>“I didn’t—”</p> - -<p>“Her name isn’t Dorothy,” Dorn broke in.</p> - -<p>“—and I know,” Vicki kept on, “that you arrived -<em>two days earlier</em> than you pretended to the -Bryants. Where were you those two days?”</p> - -<p>“Lies,” Dorn said. “She—”</p> - -<p>Mrs. Bryant turned to the agitated girl. “Two -days earlier? Is this true?”</p> - -<p>“Don’t you know,” Vicki kept at the girl, “that -impersonating another person is a crime and you -can go to jail for it?”</p> - -<p>“I’m not—I didn’t—” the fake Lucy stammered.</p> - -<p>“You’d better tell the truth,” Marshall Bryant -warned her.</p> - -<p>The false Lucy burst into tears. “He talked me -into doing it,” she cried. “Thurman said as soon -as we were married, my name would be Dorn<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">170</a></span> -and no one would ever know of this impersonation. -Calling myself Lucy Rowe was just for a little -while—”</p> - -<p>Marshall Bryant in his anger was having difficulty -in breathing. Vicki feared he might suffer -another heart attack. “Just for a little while,” he -repeated heavily. “While you tricked us into believing -that you were our granddaughter, eh? I -suppose you planned to keep up the pretense and -call yourself Lucy indefinitely. Only now you’ve -lost your nerve!”</p> - -<p>“Thurman never told me that there was a real -Lucy Rowe; he never told me I’d be cheating -someone,” the other girl asserted, weeping. “Don’t -blame me! He and his mother told me that Lucy -was dead, only you didn’t know it, and that we -might as well have the inheritance for ourselves -instead of letting some stupid charities have it. -Thurman and Mrs. Heath are to blame, not me.” -Dorn tried to break in, but the girl went on half -hysterically. “They said that with my dramatic -school training and being a quick study, I could -easily play Lucy’s part—”</p> - -<p>“You’re telling half-truths,” Dorn said. “You -never objected to becoming rich, did you?”</p> - -<p>“Keep quiet, both of you,” Marshall Bryant ordered. -The old man turned toward Vicki. “What’s -this about Dorn’s mother?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, didn’t you once tell us,” Mrs. Bryant asked -the young lawyer, “that your mother in Chicago -was widowed and had remarried? What is your<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">171</a></span> -mother’s name?” Dorn tugged hard at his mustache -and refused to answer. “Mr. Dorn,” Mrs. -Bryant reminded him, “we can find out from your -law firm.”</p> - -<p>Dorn muttered, “Her name is Heath. Elizabeth -Heath. She’s a widow for the second time; she’s -alone except for me.”</p> - -<p>“So you thought you’d provide for your -mother, yourself, and your fiancée at my expense,” -Marshall Bryant said bitterly. “No wonder you -were in such a hurry to have me sign over a parcel -of stocks and bonds to Lucy—Dorothy—whatever -her name is.” The girl gave her name, very -low: Dorothy Clinton. “Well, I’ll rescind that immediately!”</p> - -<p>“About Mrs. Heath,” Mrs. Bryant said. “She actually -kept this girl, our—our granddaughter”—it -was hard for her to reverse her thinking—“out -of sight?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, on a pretense of a job,” Vicki answered. -“Not only that! They also planned to get her to -go abroad and maybe never return.”</p> - -<p>The Bryants both caught their breaths. Mr. -Bryant got up and pulled at the wall cord to summon -the butler. “I’m going to call the police,” he -said.</p> - -<p>“Wait just a minute, sir,” Dorn said. “You still -have no final proof of who this girl is.”</p> - -<p>“I have proof!” the true Lucy spoke up. “I have -some proof with me and much more if I can get -my things back from Mrs. Heath. Besides, I’m<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">172</a></span> -sure Mr. Hall and some of my San Francisco -friends and old teachers will come East to vouch -for me. They’ve known me all my life, and known -my mother and father, too.”</p> - -<p>“All right, all right,” the elderly man said, and -passed his hand over his eyes. No one except Vicki -noticed the butler waiting at the door. Mrs. Bryant -stared dazedly at Dorn.</p> - -<p>“Maybe you’d better start your explanations -with the very beginning of this rotten scheme,” -Marshall Bryant said. “You’re going to have to explain -to us—and the police—sooner or later.”</p> - -<p>Dorn put his head in his hands. “Very well, I -will.” Then he said, “I have some papers in my -brief case in the hall, sir”—Dorn stood up—“if -you’ll permit me to get them.”</p> - -<p>Suddenly he seized the false Lucy by the hand, -and they ran out of the room. The butler was so -stunned by surprise that he was motionless. So -was everyone for a few seconds—until Vicki -sprang to her feet. “Don’t let them get away!” She -and the butler ran after them. She saw Dorn and -the girl racing down the marble steps and along -the street.</p> - -<p>Vicki and the Bryants’ man tore after them. -They were heading toward a taxicab waiting at -the curb a few houses up. Vicki saw a gray-haired -woman in the taxi who looked familiar. Mrs. -Heath!</p> - -<p>“Driver!” Vicki called out. “Don’t take those -people! They’re criminals!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">173</a></span> -“Catch that man!” the butler shouted.</p> - -<p>The taxi driver jumped out and caught Dorn. -He struggled to tear free, while Dorothy screamed -at the butler to let her go. Vicki reached Mrs. -Heath just as the woman tried to slip away. Out -of nowhere a policeman appeared on the run.</p> - -<p>“What’s all the shouting about?” he demanded. -“What’s the matter here?”</p> - -<p>From the top of his house steps Marshall Bryant -told them all to come into the house. “Pay the -driver his fare,” he directed the butler, “so he -can go.” The policeman herded the rest of them -into the house, with Dorothy screaming now at -Dorn. Vicki walked in beside Mrs. Heath who -looked as if she, too, had slept in her clothes last -night. Mrs. Heath scornfully would not even -glance in Vicki’s direction.</p> - -<p>They all sat down in the room with the parakeets, -where Mrs. Bryant and Lucy waited together. -Marshall Bryant explained the situation -briefly to the policeman, who said:</p> - -<p>“You’d better phone the precinct for a couple -of detectives, Mr. Bryant. This is out of my jurisdiction. -I’ll stay until they get here, though.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Bryant instructed the butler to telephone. -Then he said to Dorn: “Talk!”</p> - -<p>Thurman Dorn sat crumpled in a chair, head -bent. He plucked at his fingers as he almost inaudibly -told the whole story.</p> - -<div class="figcenter width700"> -<img src="images/i-174.jpg" width="700" height="517" alt="Thurman Dorn sat crumpled in a chair, head -bent." /> -</div> - -<p>He had always had to struggle along and economize, -he said, and he felt that as an educated -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">174</a><br /><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">175</a></span>man he was entitled to more than a small-salaried -job. His mother and his fiancée, too, were ambitious -and resentful of “scrimping along.” They felt -they were entitled to wealth just as much as people -like the Bryants. Thurman Dorn was determined -to get rich as quickly as possible. His attitude -was “Once you have a great deal of money, -people won’t care or dare ask how you acquired -it.”</p> - -<p>When the Bryants engaged him to search for -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">176</a></span>their granddaughter and heir whom they had -never seen, Dorn calculated this was his main -chance. The Bryant fortune was so big that he was -willing to risk committing a crime. He believed -that his cleverness and knowledge of the law -would protect him. And he believed he had -evolved a foolproof scheme: to present his fiancée -to the Bryants as their unknown granddaughter, -then marry her and through her gain the Bryant -fortune. He flew to Chicago and talked his mother -and Dorothy into the scheme.</p> - -<p>First, though, Dorn had to learn whether Lucy -Rowe could be gotten out of the way. He and Mrs. -Heath went on to San Francisco in mid-January -and learned—something the Bryants did not then -know—that Jack Rowe had died two years earlier. -This left Lucy alone in the world, and suited -Dora’s scheme perfectly. Dorn also learned that -Lucy was working as a secretary at Interstate, had -moved several times in the past few years, and -had just moved into the women’s hotel.</p> - -<p>The next step was for Mrs. Heath to move to -the Hotel Alcott, strike up an acquaintance with -Lucy, and offer her a job out of town or “traveling.” -At the same time, Mrs. Heath learned a great -deal more about Lucy and passed the information -along to Dorn. Meanwhile, Dorn located a -well-hidden house in the back country and rented -it and a car for Mrs. Heath.</p> - -<p>Then Dorn flew alone to Chicago, where for -two days he coached Dorothy in the role of Lucy.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">177</a></span> -To do this, he used the information gained by Mrs. -Heath, and by himself in talking with the Bryants. -Dorothy memorized certain facts of Lucy’s life -and acted out a personality designed to please -the Bryants. Dorn carefully supplied her with a -story about Lucy’s recent past. He promised -Dorothy further advice on the role of Lucy.</p> - -<p>Dorn then flew on to New York, and reported -to the Bryants that he could not yet find their -granddaughter who was away on a month’s trip. -He was allowing his mother time to get Lucy out -of San Francisco and into hiding. He also borrowed -from the Bryants, from the safe in their -house, family letters and photographs and Mrs. -Bryant’s silver ring, ostensibly to “study” them.</p> - -<p>Actually Dorn in the next hour had the photographs -and letters photostated, and he mailed -them to Dorothy in Chicago to study for developing -her role. The same day he took the silver ring -to a jeweler and had it sketched to be copied. -Within a few days the third silver ring was ready -and he mailed it to Dorothy. Meantime, Dorn -had promptly returned all the originals to the Bryants.</p> - -<p>The rest of their scheme was to persuade Lucy -to leave the United States and stay abroad.</p> - -<p>Unfortunately for them, Vicki had observed -the false Miss L. Rowe on her Chicago-New York -flight. By that time Dorothy had devised a -make-up and hair style which helped her to resemble, -superficially, the faces in the Bryant family<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">178</a></span> -photographs. Dorn, who had never taken Vicki -seriously and did not bother to remember with -what airline she was a stewardess, never told Dorothy -to stay off Federal Airlines. On Dorothy’s -part, it was a piece of carelessness that on that -flight she had worn, and lost, the gold charm inscribed -with her own name. Arriving in New -York on a Tuesday, Dorothy went to a hotel, and -on that day and Wednesday, she and Dorn held -a final, thorough rehearsal of her role. On Thursday, -Dorn brought her to the Bryants, saying, -“Here is your granddaughter who has just flown -in from San Francisco.” Dorothy had acted her -role so convincingly that the Bryants did not -doubt this charming girl was truly their granddaughter.</p> - -<p>“That’s all,” Dorn finished. His voice sounded -hollow. “My second trip to San Francisco was just -for show, so that I could come back and say ‘I’ve -found your granddaughter.’”</p> - -<p>“Lies from start to finish,” Marshall Bryant said -angrily. “I’ll see that the three of you pay for this! -What a fool you’ve been, Dorn! You threw aside a -promising career with Steele and Wilbur—one of -the most reputable law firms in the country. When -your employers hear about the vicious scheme—”</p> - -<p>Two men quietly came into the room.</p> - -<p>“We’re precinct detectives,” one of them said, -and they showed their identification. “We’ve been -standing in the hall and heard the whole thing.”</p> - -<p>“Can you arrest these three swindlers at once?”<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179">179</a></span> -Marshall Bryant demanded. “For what they’ve -done to my wife and me and to an innocent girl?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir,” said the detective. “You are under -arrest, Dorn, and so are you two women, on a -conspiracy charge.”</p> - -<p>“I know my rights,” Dorn asserted. “I’m a lawyer, -and you can’t—”</p> - -<p>“I can,” said the detective. “Let me quote the -law to you, Mr. Dorn. The unlawful acts you three -persons planned to commit, and in part did commit, -are fraud, misrepresentation, and obtaining -money or property under false pretenses.”</p> - -<p>“I object, I vehemently object!” Dorn said. -“We may have planned it, but we haven’t actually -obtained the inheritance.”</p> - -<p>“That’s beside the point,” the detective said. -“Quote: ‘Persons agreeing together to commit a -crime can be prosecuted for <em>conspiracy</em>. In a conspiracy -it does not matter whether the unlawful -act agreed upon is carried out or not.’ You’re under -arrest for conspiracy. Get up. All three of -you.”</p> - -<p>Dorn shrugged and said no more. He, Mrs. -Heath, and Dorothy stood up. The false Lucy -pulled the silver ring off her finger and bitterly -threw it at Dorn.</p> - -<p>Marshall Bryant said, “You’re being arrested for -conspiracy, but I’m going to bring action against -you in the courts for a whole lot more. For -fraud and misrepresentation, and for detention of -Lucy.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180">180</a></span> -“They’ll draw heavy sentences,” the detective -said. “All right, get going.”</p> - -<p>When they were gone, the Bryants and Lucy -and Vicki were unable to speak for a few minutes. -They looked at one another.</p> - -<p>“Miserable business,” Marshall Bryant growled.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Bryant went to sit next to Lucy, and put -her arm around her. “My child, you don’t have to -be afraid any more.”</p> - -<p>“Nor alone any more?” Lucy asked timidly.</p> - -<p>“Nor alone any more,” the grandmother answered. -“Will she, Marshall? We shall make up -to you for all the hard things you’ve been through. -Tell me, my dear, did your mother have a pet -name for you?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, it was Lucinda,” Lucy said. “Sometimes -Lucinda Belle, just for fun.”</p> - -<p>“That used to be your grandfather’s special -name for <em>me</em>” Mrs. Bryant said, and both the old -people smiled at Lucy.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Bryant leaned forward to touch Vicki’s -hand. “Vicki, how can we ever thank you?” she -said. “You and Lucy and all of us must always be -friends.”</p> - -<p>Vicki smiled as she looked at Lucy’s happy face. -“I think we will be,” she said.</p> - -<div class="section"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<div class="figcenter width700"> -<img src="images/endpaper.jpg" width="700" height="530" alt="End paper" /> -</div> -</div> - - -<div class="section"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<div class="tn"> -<p class="center">Transcriber’s Note:</p> - -<p class="center">The 1960 copyright date on this book was not renewed so is now in the -public domain in the United States of America.</p> -</div> -</div> - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Silver Ring Mystery, by Helen Wells - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SILVER RING MYSTERY *** - -***** This file should be named 53448-h.htm or 53448-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/3/4/4/53448/ - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, MFR and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, -and may not be used if you charge for the eBooks, unless you receive -specific permission. If you do not charge anything for copies of this -eBook, complying with the rules is very easy. You may use this eBook -for nearly any purpose such as creation of derivative works, reports, -performances and research. They may be modified and printed and given -away--you may do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks -not protected by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the -trademark license, especially commercial redistribution. - -START: FULL LICENSE - -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK - -To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full -Project Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at -www.gutenberg.org/license. - -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works - -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or -destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your -possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a -Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound -by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the -person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph -1.E.8. - -1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this -agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the -Foundation" or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection -of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual -works in the collection are in the public domain in the United -States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the -United States and you are located in the United States, we do not -claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing, -displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as -all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope -that you will support the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting -free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm -works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the -Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with the work. You can easily -comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the -same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg-tm License when -you share it without charge with others. - -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are -in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, -check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this -agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, -distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any -other Project Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no -representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any -country outside the United States. - -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other -immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear -prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work -on which the phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, -performed, viewed, copied or distributed: - - This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and - most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no - restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it - under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this - eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the - United States, you'll have to check the laws of the country where you - are located before using this ebook. - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is -derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not -contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the -copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in -the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are -redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply -either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or -obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg-tm -trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any -additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms -will be linked to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works -posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the -beginning of this work. - -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. - -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License. - -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including -any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access -to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format -other than "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official -version posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site -(www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense -to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means -of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original "Plain -Vanilla ASCII" or other form. Any alternate format must include the -full Project Gutenberg-tm License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -provided that - -* You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed - to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he has - agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid - within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are - legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty - payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in - Section 4, "Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg - Literary Archive Foundation." - -* You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all - copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue - all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg-tm - works. - -* You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of - any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of - receipt of the work. - -* You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work or group of works on different terms than -are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing -from both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and The -Project Gutenberg Trademark LLC, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm -trademark. Contact the Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. - -1.F. - -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project -Gutenberg-tm collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may -contain "Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate -or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other -intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or -other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or -cannot be read by your equipment. - -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. - -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium -with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you -with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in -lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person -or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second -opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If -the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing -without further opportunities to fix the problem. - -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO -OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT -LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of -damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement -violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the -agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or -limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or -unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the -remaining provisions. - -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in -accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the -production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, -including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of -the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this -or any Project Gutenberg-tm work, (b) alteration, modification, or -additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any -Defect you cause. - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm - -Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of -computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It -exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations -from people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future -generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see -Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at -www.gutenberg.org - - - -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by -U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's principal office is in Fairbanks, Alaska, with the -mailing address: PO Box 750175, Fairbanks, AK 99775, but its -volunteers and employees are scattered throughout numerous -locations. Its business office is located at 809 North 1500 West, Salt -Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up to -date contact information can be found at the Foundation's web site and -official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact - -For additional contact information: - - Dr. Gregory B. Newby - Chief Executive and Director - gbnewby@pglaf.org - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide -spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND -DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular -state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To -donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. - -Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project -Gutenberg-tm concept of a library of electronic works that could be -freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and -distributed Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of -volunteer support. - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in -the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not -necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper -edition. - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search -facility: www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. - - - -</pre> - -</body> -</html> diff --git a/old/53448-h/images/cover.jpg b/old/53448-h/images/cover.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 7ed5a80..0000000 --- a/old/53448-h/images/cover.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/53448-h/images/endpaper.jpg b/old/53448-h/images/endpaper.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index dc6579b..0000000 --- a/old/53448-h/images/endpaper.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/53448-h/images/frontispiece.jpg b/old/53448-h/images/frontispiece.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 159d2f0..0000000 --- a/old/53448-h/images/frontispiece.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/53448-h/images/i-025.jpg b/old/53448-h/images/i-025.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 31416c1..0000000 --- a/old/53448-h/images/i-025.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/53448-h/images/i-053.jpg b/old/53448-h/images/i-053.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index cff4235..0000000 --- a/old/53448-h/images/i-053.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/53448-h/images/i-078.jpg b/old/53448-h/images/i-078.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 1a2c973..0000000 --- a/old/53448-h/images/i-078.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/53448-h/images/i-137.jpg b/old/53448-h/images/i-137.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index fb16a91..0000000 --- a/old/53448-h/images/i-137.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/53448-h/images/i-174.jpg b/old/53448-h/images/i-174.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 4f41bd7..0000000 --- a/old/53448-h/images/i-174.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/53448-h/images/title.jpg b/old/53448-h/images/title.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 0fe203c..0000000 --- a/old/53448-h/images/title.jpg +++ /dev/null |
