Free The Haunted Showboat by Carolyn Keene Page B

a beeline for the shower.
    “Oh, don’t rush me,” Bess begged from her bed. “It’s too delicious a day to hurry.”
    Nevertheless, the girls were dressed in half an hour and went downstairs. As soon as breakfast was over, the young people met in the driveway. Alex had the station wagon ready and hopped out to assist the passengers.
    “Thank you,” said Nancy, “but Bess and George and I are going in my car. We’ll follow you.”
    A look of annoyance creased the young man’s forehead. “But why?” he asked.
    Bess put on an engaging smile. In a very convincing voice she said with a giggle, “You two sweetie pies ought to be alone.”
    To avoid any further objection, the girls hurried to Nancy’s car. She followed Alex at a distance of about thirty feet all the way to New Orleans. Upon reaching the outskirts, she wondered why he did not go directly into the city. Instead, he turned and took a very circuitous route to reach the sight-seeing area.
    “Nothing special here,” George complained. “Just a lot of old houses on a deserted street.”
    At that moment a small wad of paper fluttered from Alex’s car window. Nancy, wondering whether he had dropped it by accident, decided on a sudden impulse to stop and retrieve the paper. She pulled to the curb and George hopped out to pick it up.
    “This isn’t anything special,” George announced, climbing in and smoothing out the tiny sheet. “Just a funny drawing.”
    The three girls gazed at a maroon-colored rectangle with a gold stripe running through it. There was no writing on the paper.
    Alex had stopped and now backed up to see what was detaining Nancy. She handed the paper to him out her window. “Did you mean to drop this?” she asked.
    “Oh, that!” said Alex. “A kid cousin of mine drew it. I just found it in my pocket. I don’t want it.” He tossed the paper into the street and started off again.
    Once more Nancy followed Alex, but as he turned a corner she suddenly stopped the car. Opening the door, she got out.
    “Quick, George, take the wheel!” she ordered. “I have some sleuthing to do. Meet you at twelve o’clock at Broussard’s restaurant.”
    Mysteriously Nancy dashed back up the street.

CHAPTER XII
    A Sly Getaway
     
     
    “WHAT do you think Nancy is going to do?” Bess asked her cousin, as they drove on.
    “Search me!” George answered. “But you can be sure it has something to do with that wad of paper.”
    “You mean Nancy’s figured out that the drawing on it meant something important? And Alex wasn’t telling the truth when he said it had been drawn by a little cousin of his?”
    “Something of the sort.” George grinned. “I can just see Alex’s face when we get to the parking lot. He’ll be furious.”
    George’s prediction was right. Alex and Donna Mae got out of the station wagon and walked toward the spot where George was parking. Not seeing Nancy, Alex instantly asked where she was.
    “Left us to do some sleuthing,” said George, as she and Bess alighted. “She told us to meet her at Broussard’s at twelve.”
    Alex’s eyes flashed and Donna Mae looked hurt. “I don’t think that’s very nice of Nancy when we planned such a gay sight-seeing trip,” Donna Mae remarked.
    “Well, after all, Nancy was invited down here to solve a mystery,” George defended her friend.
    “I’m going to find her!” Alex said suddenly. He ran to the station wagon, got in, and roared out of the parking lot.
    “And I’m going to follow,” George said to herself. She got behind the wheel of Nancy’s car and sped after the young man.
    Donna Mae and Bess stared after the two cars. “Well, of all the horrid things to do!” Donna Mae cried out pettishly.
    “What difference does it make?” Bess said soothingly. “You and I can have some fun shopping together.”
    This did not appease Donna Mae, however. She insisted upon waiting at the parking lot. But when ten minutes had gone by and the others had not returned, she