Though Hancock was small, there was a great deal of traffic on the main street. In the center of town at an intersection, there was a signal light. Comber shot through the green, but by the time Nancy reached the spot, the light had turned red.
"Oh dear!" she fumed. "Now I'll probably lose him!"
In a few seconds the light changed to green and Nancy again took up her pursuit. But she felt that at this point it was futile. Comber could have turned down any of a number of side streets, or if he had gone straight through the town he would now be so far ahead of her that it was doubtful she could catch him. Nancy went on, nevertheless, for another three miles. Then, catching no sight of her quarry, she decided to give up the chase.
"I guess it's hopeless, Helen," she said. "I'm going back to Hancock and report everything to the police there. I'll ask them to get in touch with Captain Rossland and Captain McGinnis."
"Oh, I hope they capture Comber 1" Helen said. "He's such a horrible man! He ought to be put in jail just for his bad manners!"
Smiling, Nancy turned the car and headed back for Hancock. A woman passer-by gave her directions to police headquarters and a few moments later Nancy parked in front of it. The girls went inside the building. Nancy told the officer in charge who they were, then gave him full details of the recent chase.
The officer listened attentively, then said, "I'll telephone your River Heights captain first."
"And please alert your own men and the State Police," Nancy requested.
He nodded. "Don't worry, Miss Drew, I'll follow through from here." He picked up his phone.
Helen urged Nancy to leave immediately. "While you were talking, I kept thinking about Comber's visit to Twin Elms. I have a feeling something may have happened there. You remember what a self-satisfied look Comber had on his face when we saw him come out of the driveway."
"You're right," Nancy agreed. "We'd better hurry back there."
It was a long drive back to Twin Elms and the closer the girls go to it, the more worried they became. "Miss Flora was already ill," Helen said tensely, "and Comber's visit may have made her worse."
On reaching the house, the front door was opened by Aunt Rosemary, who looked pale.
"I'm so glad you've returned," she said. "My mother is much worse. She has had a bad shock. I'm waiting for Dr. Morrison."
Mrs. Hayes’ voice was trembling and she found it hard to go on. Nancy said sympathetically, "We know Nathan Comber was here. We've been chasing his car, but lost it. Did he upset Miss Flora?"
"Yes. I was out of the house about twenty minutes talking with the gardener and didn't happen to see Comber drive up. The cleaning woman, Lillie, let him in. Of course she didn't know who he was and thought he was all right. When she finally came outside to tell me, I had walked way over to the wisteria arbor at the far end of the grounds.
"In the meantime, Comber went upstairs. He began talking to Mother about selling the mansion. When she refused, he threatened her, saying that if she did not sign, all kinds of dreadful things would happen to me and to both you girls.
"Poor mother couldn't hold out any longer. At this moment Lillie, who couldn't find me, returned and went upstairs. She actually witnessed Mother's signature on the contract of sale and signed her own name to it. So Comber has won!"
Aunt Rosemary sank into the chair by the telephone and began to cry. Nancy and Helen put their arms around her, but before either could say a word of comfort, they heard a car drive up in front of the mansion. At once Mrs. Hayes dried her eyes and said, "It must be Dr. Morrison."
Nancy opened the door and admitted the physician. The whole group went upstairs where Miss Flora lay staring at the ceiling like someone in a trance. She was murmuring:
"I shouldn't have signed! I shouldn't have sold Twin Elms!"
Dr. Morrison took the patient's pulse and listened to her heartbeat with a stethoscope. A few moments later he said, "Mrs. Turnbull, won't you please let me take you to the hospital?"
"Not yet," said Miss Flora stubbornly. She smiled wanly. "I know I'm ill. But I'm not going to get better any quicker in the hospital than I am right here. I'll be moving out of Twin Elms soon enough and I want to stay here as long as I can. Oh, why did I ever sign my name to that paper?"
As an expression of defeat came over the physician's face, Nancy moved to the bedside. "Miss Flora," she said gently, "maybe the deal will never go through. In the first place, perhaps we can prove that you signed under coercion. If that doesn't work, you know it takes a long time to have a title search made on property. By then, maybe Comber will change his mind."
"Oh, I hope you're right," the elderly woman replied, squeezing Nancy's hand affectionately.
The girls left the room, so that Dr. Morrison could examine the patient further and prescribe for her. They decided to say nothing of their morning's adventure to Miss Flora, but at luncheon they gave Aunt Rosemary a full account.
"I'm almost glad you didn't catch Comber." Mrs. Hayes exclaimed. "He might have harmed you both."
Nancy said she felt sure that the police of one town or the other would soon capture him, and then perhaps many things could be explained. "For one, we can find out why he was turning his lights off and on. I have a hunch he was signaling to someone and that the person was hidden in Riverview Manor!"
"You may be right," Aunt Rosemary replied.
Helen suddenly leaned across the table. "Do you suppose our ghost thief hides out there?"
"I think it's very probable," Nancy answered. "I'd like to do some sleuthing in that old mansion."
"You're not going to break in?" Helen asked, horrified.
Her friend smiled. "No, Helen, I'm not going to evade the law. I'll go to the realtor who is handling the property and ask him to show me the place. Want to come along?"
Helen shivered a little but said she was game. "Let's do it this afternoon."
"Oh dear." Aunt Rosemary gave an anxious sigh. "I don't know whether or not I should let you. It sounds very dangerous to me."
"If the realtor is with us, we should be safe," Helen spoke up. Her aunt then gave her consent, and added that the realtor, Mr. Dodd, had an office on Main Street.
Conversation ceased for a few moments as the threesome finished luncheon. They had just left the table when they heard a loud thump upstairs.
"Oh, goodness!" Aunt Rosemary cried out. "I hope Mother hasn't fallen!"
She and the girls dashed up the stairs. Miss Flora was in bed, but she was trembling like a leaf in the wind. She pointed a thin, white hand toward the ceiling.
"It was up in the attic! Somebody’s there!"
CHAPTER XVIIThrough the Trap Door
"LET'S find out who's in the attic!" Nancy urged as she ran from the room, Helen at her heels.
"Mother, will you be all right if I leave you a few moments?" Aunt Rosemary asked. "I'd like to go with the girls."
"Of course. Run along."
Nancy and Helen were already on their way to the third floor. They did not bother to go noiselessly, but raced up the center of the creaking stairs. Reaching the attic, they lighted two of the candles and looked around. They saw no one, and began to look behind trunks and pieces of furniture. Nobody was hiding.
"And there's no evidence," said Nancy, "that the alarming thump was caused by a falling box or carton."
"There's only one answer," Helen decided. "The ghost was here. But how did he get in?"