The Message In The Hollow Oak Part 3

"So he's a troublemaker," she thought. "I can't speak right now to that woman across from him, but I must catch her at the airport and ask what she meant."

A new concern came into Nancy's mind. The man could have seen the entire contents of her handbag. He might use the information of her ident.i.ty to her disadvantage! Her thoughts were interrupted by the stewardess ready to serve a luncheon tray.

The woman alongside Nancy awakened and greeted her in a friendly way. While the two ate, they discussed the weather and air travel in general. As soon as the woman had finished eating, she went back to sleep and Nancy once more thought about the annoying stranger.

"No doubt all those questions he asked me-the snoopy old thing-were answered when he saw the contents of my handbag."

A little while later the plane circled over the St. Louis airport and came in for a perfect landing.

When Nancy reached the baggage-claim section she scanned the crowd of waiting pa.s.sengers, trying to spot the woman who had given her the startling information. Unfortunately she could not find her and finally a.s.sumed that the woman either was carrying her own luggage or did not have any with her.

The young detective noticed the inquisitive stranger with whom she had sat for a while and made a point of avoiding him. Without waiting for a porter, she claimed her two bags and rushed through the building to get a taxi.

"The Riverside Hotel," she told the driver. As the taxi threaded its way through the heavy traffic Nancy could see a high silvery arch in the distance.

"That's our famous arch," said the driver proudly. "It stands in a park on the bank of the Mississippi and symbolizes that St. Louis is the Gateway to the West. The hotel you're staying at has a good view of it," he added.

When they arrived, a tall pretty girl with ginger-colored hair met Nancy in the lobby. "Hi!" she said, smiling. "I'm Julie Anne Carswell. I recognize you from a picture Ned once showed me."

Nancy laughed. "He never told me. Julie Anne, it's great to meet you."

"Actually," said Julie Anne, "I feel as if I know you and George and Bess and your friends Burt and Dave from Ned's descriptions."

"The girls might come out here to help me solve the mystery, Julie Anne. They're wonderful. You'll love them."

The two travelers registered and were a.s.signed to a room on the fifth floor.

While Nancy changed her shoes, she said, "Now tell me about the dig."

"They're making good progress," Julie Anne replied. "Our leader, Theresa Bancroft, keeps everyone busy. They've already unearthed a skeleton of the ancient Hopewell Indians who buried their dead in great earthen mounds. No one knows what these Indians called themselves. Their first mound to be excavated was on the Hopewell farm in Ohio, so the Indians have been named that. Maybe you'll be able to find a skeleton, Nancy."

"Sounds interesting," Nancy said, "but actually I'm here to solve a mystery about a hollow oak."

Julie Anne said that Ned had mentioned it on the phone but had given no details. "Is the case a secret?"

"Oh no," Nancy told her, and gave a brief summary about the Canadian missionary and the legend that he had left a valuable message in a hollow oak tree.

"You don't have much to go on, do you?" Julie Anne asked.

"Only one clue. A friend of my aunt's in New York found a fallen tree on which there was a plate bearing Pere Franois's initials and an arrow. It is thought that the arrow indicated the next place the missionary was going."

"So you'll be trying to trace his journey," Julie Anne remarked, "until you find the message."

Just then the telephone rang. Nancy picked up the receiver. A man's voice on the other end said, "Nancy Drew?"

"Yes."

"This is Room 412. I have something of yours you dropped on the plane. May I come up and give it to you?"

By this time Nancy had recognized the voice of the annoying pa.s.senger. She said to him,"My friend and I will meet you in the lobby."

"Okay, if that's the way you want it. Can you come right down?"

"Yes."

Nancy turned to Julie Anne and told her what had happened on the plane and that now the man wanted to return something to her. "Come on, let's go!"

Julie Anne picked up the room key and slipped it into her purse. Then the two girls went down to the lobby. The man from the plane walked over quickly toward Nancy and said, "I have a surprise for you."

The stranger did not identify himself by name and Nancy did not introduce Julie Anne. The three went to a group of chairs and sat down.

Smiling, the man said to Nancy, "You know, you're a little fox. I thought you were coming back to your seat and have lunch with me. It was not until after you had left the plane that I found this."

He reached into a coat pocket and pulled out a small picture of Mr. Drew. With a smirk, the man asked, "Boy friend? Isn't he a little old for you?"

Nancy was disgusted with the stranger's crude humor. The picture was one of her father. She reached to get it.

"Thank you very much," she said. "I appreciate your taking the trouble to return it."

She and Julie Anne arose and started off.

"What's the hurry?" the man asked.

Nancy did not reply. She merely thanked him again and the two girls walked away. He followed them a short distance, saying, "I'll be seeing you."

Julie Anne turned toward him. "What do you mean?"

At this the stranger merely laughed and walked off.

When he was out of earshot, Julie Anne remarked, "Nancy, I'm glad that man didn't insist upon a date to give you the picture. I think he's horrible."

As soon as the annoying stranger had disappeared, Julie Anne suggested that the two girls take a trip around the city. As they were about to leave the lobby, Nancy suddenly saw the woman who had warned her on the plane.

"There's someone I must talk to," she told Julie Anne and rushed across the lobby. "h.e.l.lo," she said pleasantly.

The woman smiled and Nancy went on, "I wanted so much to ask you about that man who was my seatmate on the plane. I was afraid I might not see you again."

"I'm glad we met," the woman replied, and said she was Mrs. Waters. Nancy told her who she was and introduced Julie Anne who had followed her.

Mrs. Waters said the man's name was Kadle. Nancy showed her surprise and Mrs. Waters asked, "You've heard of him?"

"Not until recently," Nancy said. "A friend in New York told me to be wary of him, just as you did."

Mrs. Walters said that she believed Kit Kadle was a confidence man. "A brother-in-law of mine was one of his victims." Mrs. Waters went on, "Kadle doesn't know me, but my brother-in-law showed me pictures of him. He probably was working one of his con games on the friend you speak of in New York. He may have been planning to get you to sign up for some scheme or to take your money for a phony investment."

Nancy laughed. "No chance of that," she said, "but I appreciate your telling me all this and I'll certainly keep my eyes open for Mr. Kit Kadle."

After a few minutes of conversation the girls said good-by and went out to start their sightseeing trip. Julie Anne was a little worried about Kit Kadle, but Nancy begged her to forget him. "Let's see St. Louis."