(#30) The Clue of the Velvet Mask Read Online Free PDF Page B

party.
    Nancy remained awhile, departing when the bride left. At home she was surprised to find Bess Marvin and George Fayne. They explained that they had come, hoping to hear about her experiences at the reception.
    Nancy laughed. “Who said I had any?”
    “Why, it’s written all over your face,” George declared. “Come on. Tell us. Did you have another encounter with the man in the mask?”
    “I did,” Nancy said, and went on to relate how the thief had eluded her.
    “Wish I’d been there,” George remarked, her eyes dancing. “I’d have helped you hold him, Nancy.”
    “I could have used a little of your muscle, George. He’s a slippery rascal!”
    “Aren’t you afraid he’ll try to get even with you?” Bess asked nervously. “After all, you wrecked his plans tonight, Nancy, and he won’t forget that.”
    “I’m not worried.”
    “You and Mrs. Gruen will be in the house alone tonight, won’t you?”
    “Yes, Dad is still away on a trip. I’m not the least bit afraid, though.”
    At that moment the telephone rang. In the quiet house the sound was startling.
    “It’s probably Dad calling long distance,” Nancy said. “I’ve been expecting him to phone.”
    Excusing herself, she went to the hall and picked up the telephone. At first there was no reply to her hello. Then a man’s voice spoke precisely and with a sinister inflection:
    “Nancy Drew, keep out of affairs that aren’t your own! If you don’t, be prepared to pay the consequences. Another warning. Get rid of that hooded mask. Drop it within twenty-four hours over the wall of Hillside Cemetery.”
    The receiver clicked, indicating the end of the one-way conversation. Bess and George had joined her, aware that something was amiss.
    “Was it a threat?” George demanded.
    Nancy nodded. “I’ve been ordered to get rid of the black mask I picked up at Gloria’s home.”
    “Oh, Nancy!” Bess exclaimed. “Didn’t I tell you? Why did you ever keep the mask?”
    “I intend to hold on to it until the police ask me for it.”
    “Good for you, Nancy!” George approved. “Don’t let that man bluff you!”
    Bess sighed. “Well, if you’re not afraid, I guess we may as well run along. It’s getting late. But do be careful, Nancy.”
    After the girls had gone, Nancy locked the screen door, but left the front door open, for the night was very warm.
    She sat for a while in the living room, thinking about the new developments in the case. Then, abruptly, she went to a desk drawer and took out the black hooded mask.
    As she was gazing at it, Mrs. Gruen came downstairs from her room.
    “Nancy, I think you should go to bed,” she remarked. Then noticing the mask in the girl’s hand, she added with a shudder, “Mooning over that sinister thing again?”
    “It’s my most valuable clue! This might be the very thing I need to track down the thieves.”
    Nancy revealed to the housekeeper that she had been ordered to get rid of the mask.
    “Well, obey their orders. I heard you telling Bess and George about your adventure tonight. The whole thing sounds dangerous to me.”
    “Now, Hannah, don’t get so upset. Please. You know when I’m caught in a tight spot I can usually manage to get out of it.”
    “Just you wait, Nancy Drew. Someday you won’t be able to find a way out. I worry all the time about you and your father. Two of a kind!”
    “Well, then,” Nancy replied, “there’s no need to worry if I’m like Dad. He has never failed to crack a tough case!”
    The housekeeper realized that it was futile to urge Nancy to stop work on a mystery, once she had started.
    “What is it now, Nancy? Why are you staring so hard at that mask?” Hannah asked.
    “It just occurred to me,” Nancy replied, “that the thief must have a good reason why he wants this returned. Perhaps it contains some clue he doesn’t want me to find.”
    While Mrs. Gruen watched, Nancy ripped out the white silk lining of the velvet mask. To her