The Invisible Intruder Read online

  “This is horrible!” Bess exclaimed.

  As abruptly as it had begun, the inrush of air stopped. Nancy, suspicious, dashed to the door. It was a moonlight night, calm and clear, with bright shining stars. There was practically no breeze.

  “Someone deliberately caused that blast,” she thought, and ran outside.

  She was just in time to see a man sprinting toward the woods, a huge object under one arm.

  “Ned! Everybody! Come here quickly!” Nancy cried out, and sped off in pursuit.

  Ned soon overtook her and asked what she was after. She explained quickly and they dashed off together.

  “What did he look like?”

  “I don’t know except he was tall.”

  Although moonlight filtered down among the trees, it was too dark to pursue the fleeing figure. In a few moments he was out of sight.

  Nancy and Ned stopped running just as a car’s motor started up in the distance.

  “He made a getaway,” Ned said in disappointment.

  George, Bess, and the others came up breathlessly. “What happened?” they questioned Nancy.

  She told them, and added, “A man was carrying a bulky object under one arm. Maybe when he knew we were after him, he dropped it in order to run faster. Let’s look along this path.”

  Carefully the seven couples proceeded through the woods toward the road. In a few minutes Nancy came upon an object stowed behind a tree. It proved to be a large bellows.

  George looked at it with a frown. “So that’s what made the sudden wind in the lobby. The man must be crazy. Why would he want to do such a thing?”

  Bess gave a great sigh. “To annoy us. I’d say he’s trying to get rid of us.”

  “But why?” Dave asked. “Does he have something to do with the strange canoe?”

  Rita Rodriguez spoke up. “We have no proof of that. I’m sure the canoe incident was supernatural.”

  Her husband laughed. “Honey, this moonlight has got you.” He turned to the others. “Forgive me, but I can’t go along with Rita and her belief in ghosts.” To make amends for his remark, Rod put an arm around his wife. “Let’s go back and forget the whole thing.”

  Nancy suggested that in the morning they try to find out more about the canoe and also the man with the bellows. The ghost hunters said good night to one another and went to bed.

  As Bess flopped onto her cot, she said, “I’ve had enough chasing to last me a week.”

  About two o’clock Nancy awakened. Everything was quiet except for the slight sighing of pine trees. A soft breeze had sprung up.

  Intrigued by her surroundings, Nancy got out of bed and went to the window. She stood there admiring the beautiful scene that lay before her. Beyond waving boughs she could see the lake shimmering in the bright moonlight.

  A moment later she became aware of two voices whispering not far from her window. Was this what had awakened her? Had one of the ghost-hunting couples gone for a moonlight stroll? She dismissed the idea almost at once. Everyone in the group had been very weary and it was unlikely they would be out walking at this hour.

  “I wonder if the man with the bellows could have come back with a buddy,” Nancy thought.

  Deciding to investigate, she put on a robe and slippers. She stepped quietly out of the cabin and cautiously walked along the side in the direction of the voices.

  Just before reaching the corner Nancy stopped to listen. A singsong voice kept repeating:

  “Ghosts own Sevanee Lake. Go away while there is time!”

  CHAPTER III

  The Floating Ghost

  NANCY stood very still. The singsong voice had stopped speaking. Had the person who had given the warning left? Continuing to move cautiously, she peered around the corner of the cabin. No one was in sight. She looked down the line of cabins, then hurried to the next corner and peered around it. Still she saw no one.

  Suddenly Nancy realized that the bright moonlight made her a target for an attack. “I’d better get out of sight,” she said to herself.

  The shadow from the next cabin offered some protection. Nancy scooted over to it and hugged the rough wall, while still looking in the direction from which the strange voice had come.

  At that moment a filmy white figure floated from the woods. It seemed to be the ghost of a woman in a long flowing garment. The young detective’s heart began to beat faster. Was this a hoax? Or was there some truth to the legends about Lake Sevanee?

  “Shall I go out and confront it?” Nancy asked herself. “Or will it come to me?”

  In the meantime Bess was awakened by the moonlight which suddenly shone full in her eyes. In turning over to avoid it, she noticed that Nancy’s bed was empty.

  “Now where did she go?” Bess wondered. “Nancy must have gone sleuthing, but she shouldn’t be out alone. I’d better find out where she is.”

  Bess went to the window and looked outside. Not far away was the ghost. It was floating slowly in her direction. Bess shrieked.

  The cry awakened George who jumped up. “What’s the matter?” she asked. “And where’s Nancy?” she added, noting the empty cot.

  “I—I don’t know.”

  Bess pointed a trembling finger toward the filmy figure.

  George’s pulse quickened. “Let’s go out and see what it is.”

  “Not on your life,” her cousin declared. Then she remembered about Nancy. “But we must find Nancy. She may be in danger from t-that spooky thing!”

  Within seconds the camp was in a turmoil. All the ghost hunters emerged from their cabins, talking excitedly.

  “What happened?”

  “Who screamed?”

  Bess explained, but everyone looked around in disbelief. The ghost was gone!

  “Are you sure you weren’t having a nightmare?” Dave asked her.

  “Certainly not,” Bess replied indignantly.

  Just then Nancy walked up to the group and told what had happened. Her story sent shivers through her listeners.

  “I’m sure it was not a supernatural incident but someone playing a joke on us,” she stated.

  “Joke!” Bess exclaimed. “Aren’t you going to take that warning seriously?”

  Nancy put an arm around her chum. “Not until I find out who or what was responsible. We can begin by scouting the woods where I first saw Lady Ghost.”

  She and her friends hurried along the same wooded route the man with the bellows had taken.

  In a short time Burt called out, “You win, Nancy. Here’s the lady.”

  He picked up a mass of white chiffon. Rita stared at it in disappointment.

  “How can we be sure this was the ghost?” she argued.

  “We can’t,” Nancy replied, “but I feel pretty sure about it. Let’s carry this to the lodge and examine it.”

  When they arrived the door was locked, but Mr. Leffert had heard their voices and came to open it.

  “I thought I heard a scream,” he said. “Were you people disturbed by something?”

  As they trooped inside, Nancy told him what had happened and showed him the mass of chiffon.

  “Amazing,” he remarked. “Just another in a long series of strange goings-on here.”

  Nancy said, “I want to examine this carefully.” She began to lift up the layers of chiffon. Underneath them was a long balloon.

  “I guess when this is blown up it will be a woman’s figure,” Burt said. As he clasped the object, he eyed George and grinned. “My new doll,” he said, then spoke directly to the balloon. “How about a date tomorrow night?”

  The others laughed. Jim blew up the balloon. Nancy carefully fitted the chiffon robe and veil over the “doll.”

  “This is exactly what I saw,” she said.

  “Me too,” Bess added. “Isn’t it ghastly? But what made it walk?”

  “Maybe,” said Nancy, “the bellows man urged it along.”

  “But what made it go back into the woods?” George asked. No one could give an answer.


  Suddenly Nancy wondered why there had been no comment from either Ned or Dave. Looking around, she realized they were not there.

  “Didn’t Ned and Dave come back with us?” she asked.

  “No,” Jim Archer answered. “I saw them dashing through the woods. They must have seen something pretty important.”

  Nancy said that she was fearful the person who had rigged up the ghost might have been lying in wait for anyone who followed.

  “Do you think we should go look for the boys?” Bess spoke up.

  There was no need to do this, because at that moment Ned and Dave walked into the lodge. They stared in amazement at the filmy figure which Burt was holding.

  “Is that the ghost?” Ned inquired.

  Everyone nodded. “Didn’t you see the pile of chiffon on the ground?” George asked him.

  He shook his head and said that he had spotted twinkling lights some distance ahead of the searchers and decided to find out what they were. “I asked Dave to come along.”

  “Did you learn anything?” Nancy questioned.

  Dave answered. “We didn’t catch anyone but we did see two people. They had flashlights and were running like crazy through the woods toward the lake. Before we could overtake them, they got into a canoe and paddled off furiously.”

  “What did they look like?” Nancy asked.

  Ned said, “All we can tell you is that they wore slacks and sweaters and had bushy short hair. We don’t know whether they were men or women or one of each.”

  Nancy took the ghost doll from Burt and examined the balloon carefully, hoping to find some form of identification. Faint marks on the sole of one foot indicated a name or number.

  The balloon was deflated and then she read aloud, “J. B. Newton. Have any of you ever heard of a balloon company by that name?”

  No one had, but Mr. Leffert spoke up. “There’s a stationery-and-novelty store in the town of Sevanee owned by Mr. J. B. Newton. Perhaps the balloon came from there.”

  Nancy glanced at her watch. It was already three o’clock. “I doubt that anything else will happen tonight,” she said. “Let’s get back to bed.”

  “Good idea,” said Bess, yawning.

  Mr. Leffert said he hoped there would be no more disturbances. “I guess you’d all appreciate a late breakfast.”

  Bill said promptly, “We sure would.”

  “Eight-thirty then?”

  “Okay.”

  As Nancy started for her cabin she told Ned, “See you at eight-thirty breakfast. After that, let’s drive into town and talk to J. B. Newton. Bring the boys, will you? I’ll ask the girls.”

  Nancy, Bess, George, and their dates arrived at Newton’s Novelty Shop soon after it opened. The affable proprietor asked, “May I help you?”

  Nancy smiled and said she had found a balloon in the shape of a woman’s figure with the name J. B. Newton on it.

  “I thought maybe it was purchased here. I’d like to find the owner. Did it come from this store?”

  “I reckon it did,” the stout, jolly man replied.

  Nancy said, “Could you tell me who bought it?”

  Mr. Newton smiled. “I remember the purchase very well. A couple came in here a few days ago. They took a whole box of white balloons in assorted figures. Said they were giving a big children’s party.”

  “Do they live around here?” Nancy queried.

  “No. I’m acquainted with all the regular inhabitants. I think they’re vacationers and may have rented one of the cottages around the lake. The person for you to ask is Mrs. Jane Tarpey. She’s in the real-estate business. Her office is right up the street.”

  “I’ll do that,” said Nancy. “Do you happen to know the names of this couple?”

  “They didn’t say, but I can tell you what they looked like. The man was tall and slender and he had the kind of eyes which are real deep set and look right through you. I’d say he’d take no nonsense from anyone. Wouldn’t want to tangle with him.” Mr. Newton laughed.

  As Nancy smiled, he described the woman as shorter and “pretty in a tough sort of way.” Both of them had dark bushy hair.

  The shop owner went on to say that the woman was very respectful to the man with her; in fact, she seemed to be afraid of him.

  Nancy thanked Mr. Newton for the information and the group went to Mrs. Tarpey’s real-estate office. She proved to be pleasant and talkative.

  Nancy said they were staying at Pine Grove Camp. Then she asked if any visitors had rented a cottage in the area recently.

  “Only one,” the woman replied. “A couple with eight children. They rented a house on the other side of the lake opposite your camp. By the way, the man asked me if Pine Grove was for sale. When I told him no, he muttered, ”I’ll see about that.’”

  Nancy said, “Would you mind telling me the names of these people? I think I found something near the camp that may belong to them.”

  “I’ll be glad to tell you,” Mrs. Tarpey answered. “They’re Wilbur and Beatrice Prizer.”

  “Did you see the couple’s children?” Nancy asked.

  The realtor shook her head. “No. The Prizers were going to go back home and bring them here yesterday.”

  Nancy told Mrs. Tarpey how much she appreciated the information and the group left her office.

  When they reached the street, George said, “Well, what next?”

  Nancy grinned. “I suggest we call on the Prizers. I have a hunch they do not have eight children and aren’t going to have a party.”

  CHAPTER IV

  The Octopus

  “Hi!” a voice called from behind Nancy and her friends. “Where are you folks heading?”

  The speaker was Bab Hackett. She and the other ghost hunters said they had come downtown to do a little shopping. “How about you?”

  “We’ve picked up a clue to that ghost last night,” Nancy said, and told of their plan to call on the Prizers.

  “My goodness, Nancy,” said Bill, laughing, “you really mean business when you’re on a case. Pretty soon you’ll have all these mysteries solved without ever giving us an opportunity to track a ghost.”

  Nancy smiled. “Not a chance. But how about coming along with us right now and helping to interview the suspects?”

  There was a chorus of yeses. The two cars which had brought the married couples to town followed Nancy’s convertible down the street and onto the lake road.

  It was difficult to find the Prizer cottage which stood in a wooded area some distance from both the road and the waterfront. The callers after a long search finally located it.

  “This place certainly is secluded,” Bab remarked.

  There was no one around, but an elderly man answered Nancy’s knock.

  “Is this the Prizer cottage?” she asked.

  He nodded and invited the young people inside. They entered and sat down, some on the floor. Nancy’s eyes scanned the living room which was plainly but tastefully decorated. On a mantel-shelf lay a beautiful cradle-shaped shell.

  “I must ask him about it later,” Nancy thought. Aloud she said, “Mr. and Mrs. Prizer aren’t at home? Will they be back soon?”

  “Oh, they only come once in a while. They rented this place for me,” the elderly man answered. “I’m Mr. Prizer’s father.”

  “I see,” Nancy remarked. “The place is so lovely I should think they’d want to be here all summer. It would be especially nice for their children.”

  “Children!” Mr. Prizer exclaimed. He laughed softly. “They have no children.”

  Ned spoke up and asked in what business the son was engaged.

  “He dabbles in real estate,” was the answer. “Wilbur and Beatrice keep mighty busy traveling around in connection with their land interests.”

  Instantly Nancy recalled the loss of patronage at Pine Grove Camp, the possibility of its being sold, and also of the younger Prizer’s interest in the camp. She dared not ask more questions, however, for fear of arousing the suspicions of elderly Mr.
Prizer.

  Bab inquired if he minded staying alone. “Oh no,” he said. “I’ve got my books—lots of them, and my shells.”

  “That’s a beauty on the mantel,” Bab remarked. “May I look at it closely?”

  Mr. Prizer got up and went to get the shell. He asked, “Do you know what kind of creature made this?”

  Bab smiled. “An octopus,” she answered.

  “Right,” said Mr. Prizer. “Are you a shell collector?”

  “Yes I am, and I think the story about this Argonaut Argo is one of the most interesting of all the shells. Please tell the others about it.”

  “Glad to,” the elderly man said. “At certain times the female octopus deposits about forty festoons of eggs in a cradle shell like this. The eggs are nearly transparent. Next, she waves her arms over the clusters so that the salt water circulates among the eggs.

  “It takes about two months for the little creatures to hatch. During that time the mother octopus watches over the eggs and doesn’t eat one mouthful of food.”

  “Wow!” Burt exclaimed. “I’m glad I’m not a mother octopus!”

  This remark sent the others into gales of laughter.

  “When the eggs are hatched, what form are the babies in?” Nancy asked.

  Mr. Prizer replied, “They’re miniature octopi. But they grow very fast. When adults, they often have a spread of ten feet and weigh about ten pounds.”

  He continued, “The octopus is a very intelligent creature. As you probably know, it has eight legs and can swim or walk. The only hard part of its body is the beak, which the creature uses to open clams, oysters, and crabs. It eats every speck of meat without breaking their shells.”

  “How does he manage that?” George asked.

  “The octopus merely sucks up his food. By the way, an octopus is pretty lucky—it has three hearts.”

  “O-oh,” said Bess. “What does it do with them all?”

  Mr. Prizer chuckled. “I suppose they provide a better circulatory system to get the blood to all the eight legs.”

  As the man paused, Bab remarked that an octopus exudes an inky smoke screen when it is confronted by an enemy. “The moray eel is the natural enemy of the octopus.”