Free Drew 17 - The Mystery of the Brass-Bound Trunk by Carolyn Keene Page B

her tricky shot.
    Nancy and Bess won again, and George and Nelda held a short war council. “Bess is a little weak on her backhand,” George whispered. “Take advantage of it!”
    Nelda did and the game went to her and George. Nancy glanced at her watch. They would just have enough time for one more before she would go to the captain’s quarters. The score was very close but finally George and Nelda won.
    “Congratulations!” Nancy called out, and the onlookers clapped. “Now I must leave you and keep my date. Nelda, would you like to come along?”
    “Indeed I would,” the girl from Johannesburg replied.
    The captain opened the door. “Good morning, girls,” he said. “Please sit down and tell me your latest news. I know you must have some or you wouldn’t have come to see me, right?”
    “Well, I did examine the area where you and Mr. Havelock had trouble last night,” Nancy said. “I found these clues.” She handed the evidence to the captain.
    “What is—well, this is amazing!” the man exclaimed. “Do you believe this piece of cloth is from one of the men’s masks?”
    “It might be,” Nancy said. “What do you think of the drawing? That line at the bottom spells Longstreet under a microscope.”
    Captain Detweiler whistled. “Longstreet is the name of a famous jewelry firm in England. I understand they have branches in many cities all over the world.” Both girls were astounded by this revelation. But even more so when the captain continued, “A few weeks ago there was a robbery at the English branch of Longstreet’s in London.”
    At once the young detective asked, “Captain Detweiler, do you think our mystery brass-bound trunk could be carrying some of those jewels?”
    “That’s entirely possible,” the captain replied. “It might be very hard to prove, however. All the stones in the pouches have been taken out of their settings.”
    “Isn’t that often done by thieves?” Nancy asked.
    The captain nodded. “Yes, and for precisely that reason. It makes the loot hard to identify.”
    “If only he had left some pieces intact!” Nelda said with a sigh.
    Nancy was silent for a few seconds. Suddenly she said, “Maybe we should check out that trunk again. Perhaps it holds some more secrets!”

CHAPTER XII
    Little Bobby’s Clue
    “YES, by all means, search further in the mystery trunk,” Captain Detweiler told Nancy and Nelda. “Let me give you something that may help.” He went to a locker and took out a small tool kit. “Take this with you. It may come in handy,” he said.
    “Oh, thank you,” Nancy said.
    The two girls hurried off. On their way back to their cabin, they searched for Bess and George. The cousins were still playing Ping Pong, but were just about to finish.
    Nancy told them about Longstreet’s. “I think we should search the mysterious trunk further, and the captain agrees with me,” she said.
    “But Nancy, you had it all emptied out,” George said.
    “I know, but we never examined the sides,” Nancy reminded her. “However, I think we’d better wait until tonight, so we won’t be disturbed.”
    The girls decided to walk around for a little while before returning to their cabin. They went to one of the lower decks and marched along briskly. As they neared an inset that led to a lounge, a little boy suddenly jumped out at them. He wore a blask mask.
    “Boo!” he shouted at the girls.
    To play with him, they pretended to be scared. They ran back and forth around the deck, with the little fellow chasing them. He giggled under the mask and tried to keep it adjusted so he could see through the eyeholes. Finally Nancy decided that they had played with him long enough.
    As the girls stopped running, he said, “What’s the matter? Can’t you take it?”
    Nancy ignored the question. Instead she said, “Where did you get that mask?”
    She had noticed that a small piece of the black cloth had been ripped out and was sure this mask had been worn by one of