Mystery at the Ski Jump Read Online Free PDF

that we were out of the room, she must have slipped the papers out of my wallet. It was in my coat on a chair.”
    “Shoplifters are quick with their hands,” Bess pointed out. “Just like pickpockets.”
    Nancy nodded and said, “Well, girls, let’s head farther north!”
    “North!” chorused the cousins in surprise.
    “I’m sure Mrs. Channing left Masonville right after that theft,” Nancy answered. “She wouldn’t dare turn back, so I believe she continued north.”
    The girls rode rapidly, stopping frequently at small towns to inquire if anyone had seen a woman of Mrs. Channing’s description.
    At the town of Winchester, George went into the Crestview Hotel and soon came rushing back. “We’ve found her!” she cried. “The desk clerk says a dark-haired woman in a mink coat registered here last night. But she isn’t in now.”
    “She’s probably out robbing somebody,” Bess remarked.
    “And listen to this!” George said, growing more excited every moment. “Nancy, she’s still using your name!”
    Nancy’s eyes flashed angrily. “I’ve always been proud of my name and I resent having it connected with a thiefl Come on, girls. We’ll wait for her in the lobby.”
    The three waited for an hour. Finally Nancy walked up to the desk. “We’re here to see a guest registered as Nancy Drew,” she told the clerk. “Do you suppose she came in another entrance?”
    “That’s impossible,” the man said. “There’s only the back door used by our employees. I’ll ring her room if you like.”
    There was no answer to the call. Nancy decided to take the clerk into her confidence. When the man heard the story, he offered to unlock the suspect’s room and see if there were any evidence that she was the thief.
    “Please do that,” Nancy asked the clerk, who said his name was Mark Evans.
    When they reached the room, Bess and George remained in the hall to watch for Mrs. Channing. Nancy followed Mr. Evans inside. The man glanced about, threw open the closet door, and cried out, “Her luggage is gone! She left without paying her bill!”
    Nancy could detect the scent of the woman’s exotic perfume in the air. The young detective walked to a window, lifted it, and stared at the ground below. The snow was marked with scrambled footprints and several deep indentations.
    “I can see how Mrs. Channing got away,” Nancy said. “She slipped up here by the servants’ stairway and dropped her bags out the window. Then she went down the stairs again, picked up her luggage, and hurried off.”
    “She can’t be allowed to get away with this!” Mr. Evans sputtered.
    “Perhaps she left a clue that will help us find her,” Nancy suggested. She moved slowly about the room, searching the floor and furniture. Methodically she opened and shut bureau drawers. All were empty.
    Suddenly Nancy stooped to pick up something from beneath the bed. It was a small black label used by stores to identify their merchandise. The name on the label was: Masonville Fur Company.

    “Here is a clue!” Nancy thought elatedly
    “Here is a clue!” Nancy thought elatedly.
    At the moment Nancy made her discovery a voice said, “What’s wrong, Mr. Evans?” The speaker was a plump woman who peered curiously into the room.
    “Good morning, Mrs. Plimpton,” the clerk answered. “We’re looking for a guest who occupied this room.”
    “Miss Drew, you mean,” said Mrs. Plimpton. “We ate breakfast together and had a nice chat.”
    Nancy suspected another stock sale. “I came a long way to see this woman,” she said. “I wonder if I might talk with you privately.”
    “Why, certainly,” Mrs. Plimpton agreed. “My room’s just across the hall. Come over there.”
    While George and Bess went to wait in the hotel lobby, Nancy listened to the woman’s story. Mrs. Plimpton had admired the fur coat which Mrs. Channing wore. The younger woman offered to sell her a mink stole at half price.
    Later that morning Mrs. Channing had