The Hidden Window Mystery Read Online Free PDF Page A

bedrooms, papered in dainty colonial patterns, each with a fireplace.
    Susan said she would meet the threesome downstairs after they had unpacked and changed their clothes. By the time Nancy, Bess, and George returned to the first floor, Susan’s sandy-haired, six-foot husband had arrived.
    “You girls have come at the right time,” he said. “There’s a neighborhood mystery to be solved.”
    “Not another!” George groaned.
    Cliff laughed. “Susan told me about the stained-glass window and the fake telegram,” he remarked. “But surely you can add one more to the list.”
    “Tell me what the mystery is,” Nancy begged.
    “We have a neighbor named Mr. Honsho, from India. A couple of years ago he bought one of the most beautiful old estates around here.”
    “It’s called Cumberland Manor,” Susan said. “Mr. Honsho spoiled it by putting a high wall around the grounds, and no one has been allowed inside since!”
    Cliff took up the story. “Nancy, strange sounds come from the place day and night. And well—the fact is—we want you to solve the mystery.”
    “And for a very special reason,” Susan continued. “Before Mr. Honsho bought the place, it was always open to the public during Garden Week. We’d like you to find out what those horrible screeches are, stop them, and persuade the owner to permit visitors.”
    “A big assignment,” George remarked.
    “Yes, it is,” Cliff said. “Some of the men around Charlottesville have tried, and the Garden Tour group too. But so far we’ve failed.”
    “Well, count me out,” Bess spoke up. “I’ll help with something that’s not so weird.”
    “Then suppose you take over the case of Mrs. Dondo’s brother,” Nancy suggested, her eyes twinkling mischievously.
    “No, thank you,” Bess answered quickly. “If any men are coming into my life, I want them to be young and handsome. I don’t think any brother of hers could meet either of those requirements.” The others laughed.
    When Nancy said she wanted to go to Mr. Bradshaw’s studio the next day, Cliff offered to lend the girls his station wagon. “I won’t need it. Why don’t you visit Bradshaw after you see Mr. Honsho? The two places aren’t far apart. They’re both on Eddy Run, which is a creek that flows past the rear of the properties.”
    The three girls started off after breakfast the following morning. On reaching Mr. Honsho’s estate, they gazed at the high brick wall and the solid-iron entrance gate, which completely screened even a glimpse of the interior. Nancy noticed a bell at the side of the gate, stopped the car, and got out to ring it. There was no answer.
    “I’d say Mr. Honsho just doesn’t want visitors,” Bess remarked.
    Nancy was reluctant to give up so easily. She drove to the point where the brick wall turned toward Eddy Run, and stopped. “Let’s walk down alongside the wall,” she urged. “We may come to another entrance.”
    She and the cousins followed a dirt path that skirted the enclosure. Bicycle tire tracks were evident, and a few minutes later the girls saw a young man on a bicycle stopping at a high wooden door. He dismounted and took a key from his pocket.
    Nancy ran forward and came close enough to attract his attention. He looked up at her in surprise. About twenty-five years of age, he was slender with reddish hair. He wore a work shirt, jeans, and a cowboy belt.
    “Please wait!” Nancy cried out.
    The young man paid no attention. He opened the door, shoved his bicycle inside, and slammed the door. Bess and George reached Nancy just as the lock clicked.
    “I wonder who he is,” George said.
    “He must work at Cumberland Manor,” Nancy remarked. “Probably he’s been told not to talk to strangers.”

    “I wonder who he is,” George said.
    Suddenly, from inside the estate came a horrible screech. Then there was an ominous silence.
    Bess cowered against the other girls. “Somebody’s being tortured in there!”
    “If so,” Nancy said,