(#26) The Clue of the Leaning Chimney Read Online Free PDF Page A

them were two yellow sheets of paper listing the museums and homes where the vases could be found!

CHAPTER IV
    The Blinding Glare
    “THAT’S pretty conclusive proof Manning’s the thief,” Nancy told herself. “I’ll take these papers to the police.”
    It was easy to understand how they had overlooked the papers Manning had concealed so cunningly in the shade. She unrolled it another foot. More papers were attached. Each contained Chinese writing done in bold brush strokes with black ink.
    “I wonder what they mean,” Nancy thought. “They must have something to do with the vases.”
    Just then she glanced at her watch. Less than half an hour to meet Bess and George! She had not even looked through the contents of the old trunk for a clue to the China clay pit!
    Carefully Nancy removed the papers from their hiding place and put them in her handbag. While she was restoring the shade to the window, Mrs. Wendell returned. She said the police would send a man to watch the house, but they doubted that Manning would return.
    “And I got a carpenter comin’ right away to board up that hole into the other house,” Mrs. Wendell reported.
    Nancy told of her new find, then looked over the contents of the trunk. Scattered among old clothes were a lot of yellowed letters. Nancy scanned the correspondence. Much of it was personal, so she read only enough to convince herself there was no mention of China clay.
    “Mrs. Wendell,” she said, “did Mr. Manning ever say anything about this trunk?”
    The woman looked startled. “Yes, he talked quite a bit about it. He said it wouldn’t bother him in the room and insisted I leave it here. Why did you ask?”
    “I believe he might have come here on purpose to look for something in it; something that belonged to Mr. Petersen.”
    “Oh, gracious!” said Mrs. Wendell. “This gets more complicated every minute.”
    “Don’t worry any more about it.” Nancy patted the woman’s arm. “Just forget the whole thing.”
    Nancy said good-by and went to her car. She drove as rapidly as she dared in order to keep her date with Bess and George at the Masonville Inn. But when she reached it, she was minutes late.
    “Well,” said George when Nancy had parked, “I hope you don’t keep Ned Nickerson waiting like this!”
    Nancy blushed, thinking of Ned, a student at Emerson College. Nancy enjoyed his company, and had attended many parties and dances with him.
    “I just couldn’t get here any sooner,” Nancy replied. “Wait till you hear about the secret panel!”
    At lunch Nancy told her friends what had happened. Bess’s eyes grew wide with astonishment and George said, “Gosh!” and “Hypers!” several times.
    After Nancy had finished eating, she showed the girls the photographs of the vases, then copied the Chinese symbols in a notebook.
    “We’d better go,” said Bess. “I said I’d be home by four.”
    “Oh, heck!” George complained. “That dress I bought won’t be ready for an hour.” She explained that it was being altered slightly.
    “I bought two dresses, Nancy,” said Bess. “They’re positively yummy.”
    “Um.” Nancy smiled. Then, pretending to be envious, she said, “I’ll be at Helen Townsend’s birthday dinner tonight in just an old pink sheath. Tell you what. Suppose you go on home, Bess, and I’ll wait for George. I want to stop at police headquarters with these papers.”
    The arrangement suited Bess, who drove off at once. She took a longer but more traveled road back to River Heights than the one where the suspected thief had been.
    An hour later Nancy and George followed but took the short cut. Nancy braked as the convertible went around the series of twisting curves approaching Hunter’s Bridge.
    “Do you think the man you saw here was Manning?” George asked. She leaned forward, looking alertly ahead, as if she expected the man to jump out at them any moment.
    “Either Manning or a pal,” Nancy answered. “Mr. Soong’s vase