"We can't find out today," George said. "We'd have to use tools to move it."
"It would be just our luck if Cobb and Biggs decide to smash the fountains," Nancy said. "Then we'd be too late." Suddenly she stiffened. "I hear someone!"
The girls became aware of a loud creaking noise from the cloister. "The rear castle door," whispered George.
Instantly they thought of the vines they had torn apart to get into the garden. Whoever was going in or out of the castle might notice the opening and come to investigate!
"Quick!" Nancy directed. "Lie down here in the tall grass and weeds!"
Bess and George flattened themselves on the ground. Nancy darted behind a bush leafy enough to hide her but not too thick to block her view. A man, slightly stooped, came through the parted vines. He paused to examine them.
Nancy's heart stood still. He was Daniel Hector! The lawyer peered into the garden, but evidently saw nothing unusual, because he went on toward the beach.
"Let's go!" Nancy whispered jubilantly a moment later. "The cloister entrance to the castle may have been left unlocked!"
The three girls stole noiselessly along and eventually reached the castle. The door was indeed unlocked. It made such a loud noise when Nancy pulled it that she feared the sound would carry to the men.
"What a weird place!" George commented as they hurried inside. Nancy led the way through the long winding corridor toward the front hall.
"Let's get out of here as soon as we can," Bess urged.
Nancy was fairly familiar with the floor plan and found the main entrance. It was locked, but the key she had fitted.
"At least we can get out," she said.
"No, no," Bess interrupted. "Hector probably has a guard on watch."
Not paying heed to her cousin's warning, George peeked outside, then stopped short. "Oh, oh!"
"What's the matter?" Bess asked, following her. Tied at the foot of the steps were the two huge dogs the girls had met before. They began to growl menacingly.
"Well, hello, old fellows, we meet again!" Nancy called cheerily.
But her friendly attitude did not work this time. The animals would not allow the girls to descend.
"You try it alone. Nancy," Bess suggested.
Nancy had no success. "The hounds are acting very strangely," she whispered. "What can be wrong? The other day they let me pass." She shitted the metal box under her arm and the animals growled even more fiercely.
"Why, maybe it's this box," she said. "The dogs think I'm trying to steal something from the castle!"
Telling her friends she would be right back, Nancy ran inside. In a minute she had emptied the box of photographs and the diary and stuffed them under her sweater.
"Now where can I hide the box?" she thought. Nancy caught sight of a narrow door, partially open. "That'll do," she decided.
As she placed the metal container on the floor of the closet, she heard footsteps not far away. Someone was coming along the winding corridor!
She hurried outside. The dogs growled but Nancy was determined to pass by them. She ran down the steps, her friends behind her. Bess was fearful, but tried not to show it. The hounds bayed loudly and the next second Mr. Hector's figure framed the doorway.
"Hey, you!" the lawyer shouted furiously. "Stop! Stop!"
The girls ignored him. As Hector ran down the steps to untie the dogs, he tripped over the long rope and fell down on his face.
Nancy urged her friends to run faster while the man bellowed in pain.
"Quick! To the wall!" she panted, holding the treasure close inside her sweater.
CHAPTER XVSalty's Plight
The three girls raced madly to the front wall of the estate. Clutching vines to pull themselves up, they reached the top and scrambled over. Then they paused for breath.
"What a narrow escape!" Nancy murmured. "Daniel Hector saw me!"
"Did he recognize you?" Bess asked.
"We have never really been introduced and I only turned around briefly when I first realized he was there."
"What did you do with the metal box?" Bess queried.
"I hid it. But not these." Nancy produced the photographs and the diary from beneath her sweater. "I still have the evidence!"
"Great!" George said. "But what's next? We're a long way from the boat."
After catching their breath, the girls debated what to do. They were worried about Salty and what might have happened to him. To reach him they would have to go far out of their way through jungle growth next to the estate.
"And there's a chance," said George, "he's in trouble and might not even be where we left him."
"We'll have to return to town and rent a boat," Nancy concluded.
The trio walked as fast as they could and made their way to the main highway. Bess pointed out that public transportation was infrequent along this route.
"Last time I was here I thought the bus would never come," she said.
The girls waited impatiently for twenty minutes. They were almost in despair when Nancy saw a familiar car headed in their direction.
"It's Lieutenant Masters!" she cried, holding up her hand to signal the officer.
The young woman stopped. "Hop in," she invited, and Nancy introduced her friends.
"Did you go to Heath Castle?" the officer asked.
"Yes," Nancy said. "We found several good leads. In fact, we were following one this morning. Salty came with us."
"Salty?"
"He's the singing clam digger of Muskoka River," Bess explained. "We left him on the beach. He may be in the hands of the thieves by now!"
Quickly Nancy explained the situation and asked the officer if she could arrange to send out a police boat to rescue Salty. "I'd like to go along if they'll let me," Nancy added. "I'm worried and feel responsible for him."
"We'll go too, if we may," put in George.
Lieutenant Masters radioed headquarters. In a few minutes she had arranged for the girls to accompany the rescue party. "But be careful," she warned them. "Meanwhile, I'll tell the chief to search for Biggs and Cobb."
On their way to the police dock. Lieutenant Masters said that she had planned to stop at the Drew home to discuss the problem of Joan Fenimore and Teddy Hooper.
"I had hoped Joan wouldn't play with Teddy anymore," said Nancy.
"I'm inclined to think she may have tried not to," the officer said slowly, "but-well, here's the story. Teddy really causes me more worry than a dozen other boys on my list. He hasn't been to school for three days. It does no good to talk to his mother. She always sides with Teddy. I'm convinced she's unsuited to look after him."
"I'll say she is," George burst out, and told Lieutenant Masters about her stolen clothes.
"We're sure he took them," she concluded.