Free The Secret of the Golden Pavillion by Carolyn G. Keene

there’s blood on it?” Bess asked, horrified.
    “No, but there are tiny bits of human flesh and hair.”
    Bess shivered as Ned stepped to the window near the statue. “And she probably went out here.” He surveyed the flat, lava rock below.
    Nancy nodded. The low, open window was well hidden by bushes, and the searchers were now convinced that the woman had escaped from the house this way. Since there were no fingerprints on the window sill, Nancy concluded that the woman had sat on it, whirled, and jumped down.
    Nancy climbed out the window and Ned followed. With her magnifying glass, she examined the rocks carefully but could find no footprints. In the soft earth between a row of bushes, however, were small, light footprints.
    “The woman doesn’t weigh much,” said Ned. “Right?”
    “Right,” Nancy agreed. “And she runs gracefully. She’s probably a dancer. But all this doesn’t help to identify her. Is she the wife of one of the Double Scorps? Or is she some other intruder mixed up with the mystery of Kaluakua?”
    Directly after luncheon, Kiyabu announced two callers from Honolulu. One was a police detective, Sergeant Hawk, and the other an executor from the bank which was handling old Mr. Sakamaki’s estate. He introduced himself as Henry Dutton. The men addressed most of their remarks to Nancy.
    Sergeant Hawk spoke first. “Police Captain McGinnis of River Heights phoned Honolulu headquarters. He said your father had been in touch with him and suggested that someone from our department come to see you, Miss Drew. I understand that you have up-to-the-minute information on Mr. Sakamaki’s case, and that certain suspicious things have happened since you became interested in Kaluakua.”
    Nancy gave a full account of all she knew in connection with the mystery, including the episode of the strange woman in the white muumuu. The detective, meanwhile, was busy making notes in a small book. From time to time he asked questions. Finally he put away his pencil and smiled at Nancy.
    “This is a very fine, full report. The Honolulu police will start at once trying to locate the man who uses the names Jim O‘Keefe and Tim O’Malley. From your description, we should have no trouble locating him. Also, we shall try to find Ralph Emler.
    “As to the woman wearing the white muumuu, it’s my deduction that she does not wear this except on occasions such as this morning. So it will be more difficult to locate her. Now I would like to examine the statue on which she scratched herself and also the footprints outside.”
    Ned offered to take the detective to the two spots, so that Nancy might talk further with Mr. Dutton.
    “Would you mind telling me something about the claimants to the Sakamaki estate?” Nancy asked the banker.
    “I’ll be very happy to,” Mr. Dutton replied. “In fact, after I was informed by the police about your prowess as a detective, Miss Drew, I decided to tell you everything and ask your assistance.”
    Nancy blushed a little. “Oh, I fail sometimes,” she said modestly. “But I’ll do everything I can to be of help.”
    Mr. Dutton told her that the two mysterious claimants to the Sakamaki fortune were very reticent. Roy Chatley and his sister Janet Lee had had little to say, apparently relying on the various papers they had with them to prove their case.
    “Do they have a lawyer?” Nancy asked.
    “Not yet,” the executor replied. “But today they threatened to obtain one if we don’t accept their credentials pretty soon.”
    “There’s doubt in your mind, then, about them?” inquired Nancy.
    “Naturally. I knew elderly Mr. Sakamaki well. It seems strange that he never mentioned the California relatives.”
    Mr. Dutton paused a moment, then said, “Since the estate is so large, it is certainly worth fighting for. So far the credentials of these California people seem to be in order, but I understand your father, Miss Drew, is going to stop in California on his way here