“I understand. I’ll do everything I can to help her,” Nancy promised.
A few minutes later she left the shop, still excited by the amazing story Mr. Faber had told her. She went directly to police headquarters.
To her disappointment, no record had been made of Francis Baum’s address because he had got his wallet back immediately after it had been stolen. Chief McGinnis said he would instruct the officer who had seen Baum to be on watch for him.
Throughout the afternoon she searched diligently for the mysterious stranger, making many inquiries. At length, weariness and hunger forced her into a snack shop not far from the river docks.
“Finding Francis Baum isn’t going to be as easy as I thought,” she reflected, biting into a toasted cheese sandwich.
Through a window Nancy absently watched a ferryboat tie up at the dock. Passengers alighted, and others boarded the vessel.
Suddenly her gaze was drawn to a young man who looked familiar. The thief who had snatched Francis Baum’s wallet!
Nancy quickly paid her check and left the shop. As she gazed down the street, the young detective saw the man board the ferry.
“There he goes!” she thought excitedly, then reflected, “Or is he the man who was mistaken for the thief?”
Before Nancy could decide whether or not to follow him, the boat’s whistle warned her that the ferry was about to leave. There was no time to think further-the man would escape if she did not act instantly.
Running as fast as she could, Nancy reached the dock a moment before the gate closed. She hurriedly bought a ticket, then dashed aboard the crowded deck. The ropes were cast off and the vessel edged away.
The young detective gazed about in search of her quarry. To her annoyance he was not in sight.
“But he’s aboard,” Nancy said to herself.
She looked at the indoor lunch counter, but there was no sign of the pickpocket. Disappointed, she returned to the deck.
During the past few minutes there had been a sudden change in the weather. Now Nancy was nearly blown off her feet by a strong gust of wind.
As the boat churned through the choppy waves, Nancy scanned the clouds. They were black. She began to shiver in her thin sleeveless dress.
A few moments later, however, the young detective completely forgot her discomfort. She had caught a glimpse of the suspect near the port railing!
Before she could reach the man, a huge wave struck the ferryboat. Passengers were thrown off balance. Several women screamed.
The next instant there was a blinding flash of lightning, followed by a heavy roll of thunder. Rain came down in a torrent, blotting out all view of the river.
Gasping, Nancy tried to find shelter in the cabin, but others ahead of her jammed the passageway. In the milling throng she could no longer see the man she was following.
Suddenly, from off the port bow, came the deepthroated whistle of an oncoming boat. The ferry swerved sharply to avoid a collision, but not in time.
There was a terrific impact as the two craft crashed into each other. Flung sideways, Nancy went rolling down the tilted deck.
CHAPTER III
STRUGGLING to her feet, Nancy grasped the railing for support. Children were crying. Men and women were yelling as passengers trapped in the cabin fought to escape.
“Keep cool!” shouted a deck hand, trying to avert a panic. “We’ll reach the dock safely.”
Nancy repeated his message to those about her. She helped people to their feet, and tried to comfort the children.
When it was evident that the vessel had not been damaged below the water line, the passengers calmed down. But they jammed the decks while the crippled boat glided slowly toward River Heights.
Recalling why she had come aboard, Nancy gazed about, searching once more for the suspected thief. She decided it was hopeless to locate him in the crowd. But just as the ferryboat grated against the dock, she saw him.
He was standing close to a man whose right leg had been injured. To her disgust, the suspect stealthily reached his hand into the other’s coat pocket and removed a billfold. Now she was convinced he was the man who had stolen Francis Baum’s wallet.
“Stop thief!” Nancy shouted, but amid the commotion her warning went unheeded.
She tried to force her way forward, but the crowd kept her from moving more than a few feet. By now the boat was ready to discharge passengers. The thief was the first to disembark.
By the time she reached the dock, he had vanished. Nancy was dismayed. “But at least I can supply the police with an accurate description of the pickpocket,” she thought. “He’s about thirty, medium height, has brown hair, and walks with short, quick steps.”
She saw an officer and told him about the pickpocket. He wrote everything in his report book and thanked her.
It was still raining, so Nancy took a taxi home. She rang the bell at the side door. Mrs. Gruen, middle-aged and kindly, opened the door and gasped at the girl’s appearance.
“Nancy, where have you been?” she asked. “Will you never learn to carry an umbrella?”
“Never.” The young detective laughed, kicking off her water-soaked shoes on the cellar stairway landing.
“Did you have a good lunch?” the housekeeper asked.
“No, just a sandwich,” Nancy replied. “But please don’t worry about that. It must be nearly dinnertime.”
“It is,” Mrs. Gruen said. “And if I am not mistaken, there’s your father now.”
A car had turned into the driveway. Nancy hurried to her room, changed into dry clothes, and ran down the stairs to greet him.
“Why, Dad!” she exclaimed. “What’s wrong? You look mad enough to eat someone.”
“I’ve lost an extra wallet I was carrying,” Mr. Drew said shortly. “I’m afraid it was stolen.”
“Stolen! How did it happen?” Nancy asked.
“I’m not absolutely certain. I didn’t miss it until an hour ago.”
“You didn’t lose much money, I hope.”
“A good bit-not to mention several important notations. The money wasn’t mine,” Mr. Drew explained. “It was a donation to the River Heights Boys Club.”
“That’s a shame. Perhaps you dropped the wallet, and it will be returned,” Nancy suggested.
“I’m sure it was stolen. In fact, I recall that at noon, when I stood in line at a cafeteria, a man directly behind kept brushing against me.”
“What did he look like, Dad?”
“I didn’t take particular notice. A fellow of medium height with brown hair.”
“Did he walk with short, quick steps?”
“Yes,” Mr. Drew replied. “He got out of line and hurried off. Why all these questions?”
His daughter related her experiences of the day. Mr. Drew agreed that probably the pickpocket was the same man who had taken his extra wallet.
“Dad, I’ll recognize that thief if ever I see him again,” Nancy concluded. “Would you like me to capture him for you?”
“Indeed I would,” her father replied grimly. “But let’s think about something nicer-the picnic, for instance.”
“What picnic?” Nancy inquired in surprise.
“Didn’t I tell you? Some of my associates have arranged a father-daughter outing at Walden Park. We’re a little bit late. I phoned Hannah. She’ll have everything ready for us.”
In the kitchen Nancy found the housekeeper tucking a Thermos into a well-filled food hamper.
“I can’t wait to dig into this,” Nancy said as she glanced over the contents.
Fortunately the late-afternoon sun was drying the ground quickly. Mr. Drew’s good humor returned as he walked with Nancy to the park. Upon arriving, they found a group of River Heights lawyers and their daughters.
The Drews were given an enthusiastic welcome but teased about being late. When the men heard the story of the stolen wallet, they became concerned.