The Clue of the Broken Locket by Carolyn Keene Page A

her out deliberately because they themselves had been keeping something—or someone—hidden in it? “And maybe moved out the person or object while I was outside,” Nancy concluded. “It could even have been the red-haired girl. But what’s the reason?”
    Mrs. Driscoll escorted Nancy to the front door and said good-by pleasantly. “It’s too bad the bird in the storage room isn’t the one you’re looking for,” she said. “If we happen to come across another, we’ll let you know.”
    “Thank you,” Nancy said, and started down the road. The Driscoll family puzzled her. She wondered about the brothers’ maintenance business. “They seem to be home a lot,” Nancy thought. “Well, maybe they don’t get many calls.”
    In any case, they certainly did not seem to get along well together!
    “Could it be because of the twins?” Nancy reflected. “But why?”
    She vividly recalled the hard look Karl Driscoll had given her in the general store. She was sure he was not pleased that the girls were living at the lake. “Though why did he go out of his way to be helpful?”
    When Nancy reached the cottage the three girls came out to meet her and she reported her adventure.
    Bess was concerned. “Why, Nancy, you might have slipped off that roof and been killed!”
    Nancy grinned. “I guess I’m just a tough old sleuth,” she answered.
    “It’s a good thing, because you’re in for a surprise,” George stated. “Wait until you see this cottage!”
    As Nancy walked inside, she stared aghast at the scene before her. Tables and chairs had been broken. Every drawer in the place had been emptied of its contents, which were scattered around the floor. Bess had endeavored to put some of the things away before picking up the other two girls. The three had just started working again when Nancy arrived.
    “It’s vandalism!” Cecily said to Nancy. “Oh, who would want to do such a thing?”
    “So far,” said Bess, “we haven’t found anything missing.”
    George nodded. “Some intruders are like that. They get so angry if they can’t find what they’re looking for, they’ll tear a place to pieces.”
    The girls went on straightening up and repairing the furniture as best they could. As they worked, George and Cecily reported that they had gone to Neal Raskin’s office, but he was not there. No one seemed to know where he had gone or when he would return.
    Suddenly Bess said, “I’m starved ! Do you real ize it’s seven o’clock? I never did start supper, what with this mess!”
    The girls stopped working and by seven-thirty were seated around the little table, eating hungrily and chatting over the day’s adventures.
    “They all seem to add up to nothing,” said Cecily, a sad expression in her eyes.
    To cheer her, Nancy suggested taking a ride in the canoe. Cecily eagerly accepted.
    “You two go,” said George. “Bess and I will do the dishes.”
    Nancy and Cecily each took a paddle, and without even consulting each other, they found themselves heading for Pudding Stone Lodge.
    By this time it was late dusk and a mist had begun to rise up from the water. In the foggy area it was thicker than ever.
    “We’d better stay away from there,” said Cecily. “We might get lost.”
    Pudding Stone Lodge was well lighted, and Nancy wondered what was going on inside the house.
    Suddenly the strange humming noise came to the girls’ ears. As before, its source was elusive, seeming to be outdoors, and yet muffled enough to be inside. “It might be some sort of generator in the house,” said Nancy. “But I shouldn’t think we’d notice it from here.” The two girls listened intently but still could not figure out the exact location of the sound.
    Cecily showed signs of apprehension. “We’re pretty close to the place where that phantom boat appeared,” she told Nancy. “Just in case there’s something dangerous about it, don’t you think we should leave?”
    Personally Nancy would have liked to