The Clue Of The Velvet Mask Part 4

JOHN Dale showed Nancy a rack of black cloaks, some with attached hoods. He was closing the gla.s.s door of the case when Nancy's eyes fastened on a particular robe.

"Wait!" she exclaimed. "May I see that costume a moment?"

The long black cloak, which hung in graceful folds, had a slight tear near the hem. Examining it closely, Nancy noted that a tiny piece of material was missing and a rose thorn was caught in the frayed threads. This cloak must have been worn by the masked man she and Ned had seen at the garden trellis!

"Was this cloak returned here today?"

"I don't know," John replied. "You'll have to ask either the intake clerk or Mr. Lightner."

"I'll see Mr. Lightner," Nancy decided. "I'll be back in a moment."

She could not find Mr. Lightner immediately. Finally she saw him on the street about to get into his car and beckoned to him. He returned with her to the wardrobe room.

John Dale was no longer there, but he came back shortly, saying that Mr. Tombar, the a.s.sistant manager, had asked him to go on an errand.

"Now let's see this cloak you say has a hole in it," Mr. Lightner said to Nancy. "The costume never should have been returned to the rack without being repaired."

Twice Nancy looked through the costumes, examining every one. The telltale cloak was not there!

Seeing an empty hanger, she asked John, "Did you remove the one I pointed out to you?"

"Why, no," he answered.

"Then someone took it while you were called away. You saw the cloak yourself only a few minutes ago."

"Yes, I did," the man replied.

Mr. Lightner checked with his other employees by telephone, but all denied having seen or removed the costume.

"Mr. Lightner, would you mind telling me who rented the cloak?" Nancy asked.

"Not at all. Every garment has a number. The one that belongs on this hanger is 4579. Come with me and we'll look into the matter."

Records showed that the cloak, a velvet mask, and accessories had been rented two days earlier to a James Flobear, Route 1, in Brandon, a small town about twenty miles from River Heights.

Mr. Lightner's next remark stunned Nancy. He said that Linda Seeley had handled the transaction. But Linda had said the night before that her company had not rented any black robes!

Summoned by Mr. Lightner, the girl denied any knowledge of the cloak. "I didn't know that costume had been rented," she declared. "Someone else put my initials on the typed slip."

"What!" Mr. Lightner exclaimed.

He was very upset and summoned every employee in the place. They all came except Mr. Tombar, who was busy with a customer. Each denied any knowledge of the entry for the torn cloak or its disappearance.

Mr. Lightner paced the floor. "This is bad-very bad for business," he declared. "This firm is old and has a fine reputation."

To break the tension Nancy asked how the costume had been returned. None of the employees had an answer.

Deeply troubled over the incident, Nancy decided to make an attempt to track down James Flobear. A short time later she left the entertainment company and telephoned the Brandon police. She learned that no one by the name of Flobear lived in or near the town.

"Just as I suspected," Nancy said to herself. "Obviously a false name was given so there could be no follow-up. And whoever had charge of the transaction at Lightner's is afraid of becoming involved or may even be working with the party thieves!"

Next, Nancy went to police headquarters, where she talked with Chief McGinnis. He praised her for her detective work at the Hendricks' masquerade party, and listened attentively as she reported her new discoveries.

"You have a very keen eye for clues, Nancy," the chief said with a smile. "You certainly beat us to that one. I'll send a man over to Lightner's to check on the cloak episode."

Nancy asked if the police had at any time suspected the entertainment company in connection with the party robberies.

"We, of course, ran a routine check on the company. Had everyone in it shadowed for two weeks, even Mr. Lightner. But we didn't find evidence against any of them."

Nancy said quickly, "Last night Detective Ambrose seemed very suspicious of Linda Seeley who works there."

"We're keeping our eyes on her," the chief admitted. "But there's no direct evidence against her, you understand. It's possible she may be accepting a percentage on each haul for supplying information. Miss Seeley may be working with the gang and also with servants in the homes where big parties are arranged by the Lightner Entertainment Company.

"The girl has a clean record so far," the captain continued. "We never would have suspected her if we hadn't been tipped off by her boss."

"Mr. Lightner?" Nancy gasped.

"No, by his a.s.sistant, Peter Tombar. He suggested that the girl might bear watching, because she was specifically in charge of certain parties at which robberies took place."

"I just can't believe Linda is guilty," Nancy said.

She left police headquarters more troubled than ever over the girl's predicament. Could Peter Tombar's opinion be trusted?

"I think I'll go and have a talk with him," she reflected.

It was nearing noontime when she reached the Lightner offices. Most of the employees had gone to lunch, but Mr. Tombar was there. A secretary directed Nancy to a rear room where he was inspecting an Egyptian mask.

Peter Tombar cast an unfriendly glance at Nancy. He was a rather stout man, dark-complex-ioned, with a hard, determined set to his jaw.

Nancy sensed instantly that Mr. Tombar would not cooperate unless it suited his purpose to answer her questions. Lowering her voice and a.s.suming a confidential manner, she introduced herself as a private investigator.

"Mr. Tombar, I'm here to check up on one of your employees-a girl named Linda Seeley."

A glint of satisfaction flickered in the man's dark eyes. Immediately he became less guarded.

"In trouble with the police, isn't she?" he demanded. "I told Mr. Lightner a week ago that that girl would get the company in hot water."

"Tell me what you know about her," Nancy urged.

"She's flighty. Scatterbrained, I'd call her."

"You've caught her in mistakes?"

"Well, not exactly," Tombar admitted reluctantly. "She's crafty. Twists like a pretzel when you try to pin her down."

"Then you actually haven't anything against her?" Nancy continued.

"A man has his own reasons for not liking hired help and he doesn't have to tell why!"