The Bungalow Mystery by Carolyn Keene

Author:Carolyn Keene
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Penguin USA, Inc.
Published: 2011-01-10T05:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER X

The Danger Sign

ALERT for possible danger, Nancy moved forward with the utmost caution. It occurred to her that possibly Aborn had become aware he was being followed and had hidden in the bushes to watch the pursuer.

“I’ll walk into a trap!” Nancy thought with alarm. “Mr. Aborn will learn I’m spying on him and everything will be ruined!”

With great caution she moved from one bush and tree to another. Laura’s guardian was not hiding behind any of them.

“That’s funny,” Nancy said to herself.

She examined the ground, almost expecting there would be a cave or secret tunnel in the vicinity. But the earth was firm and in many places very rocky.

Finally Nancy came to a tiny clearing. On the far side attached to a large oak was a crudely printed wooden sign which read:

PRIVATE PROPERTY. KEEP OUT. DANGER!

“I wonder if that’s where Mr. Aborn went and why?” the young detective asked herself.

She waited several minutes, then decided to cross the clearing. She was not stopped. Entering the woods again, she saw a dilapidated shack. The windows had been boarded up, and the roof sagged.

“One good gust of wind would blow the place over,” Nancy said to herself.

She stepped from among the bushes and stood in the shadow of the trees, curiously surveying the building. Was it possible that Jacob Aborn had entered it?

Nancy’s eyes searched the ground for footprints. Directly ahead, in the soft earth, she saw the fresh mark of a man’s shoe. Instantly her suspicions were confirmed.

Jacob Aborn had come this way!

“I’ll just have a look at this shack,” the young sleuth decided.

After quickly glancing about to make certain she was not being watched, Nancy hurried forward. Tiptoeing across the front porch, she quietly tried the door. It was locked. Nancy walked around to the rear door and found that it likewise was securely fastened.

Although disappointed, Nancy was unwilling to give up. Making a complete circuit of the shack, she saw a window from which several boards had fallen. It was too high for her to peer through. Nancy returned to the rear of the building to get an old box that she had seen. She set it beneath the window and mounted it.

Pressing her face against the glass, she gazed inside. The room, apparently a kitchen, was bare of furniture and covered with dust and cobwebs.

“I wish I could get inside,” Nancy thought.

She was about to climb down from the box when a strange feeling came over her. Though she had heard no sound, Nancy sensed that unfriendly eyes were watching her every move.

Before she could turn around and look over her shoulder, a coarse, angry voice barked into her ear:

“What are you doing here, young lady?”

Nancy wheeled and faced Jacob Aborn!

With as much dignity as she could muster, the girl detective stepped to the ground and regarded the man with composure. His eyes burned with rage.

“I was merely curious,” Nancy replied. “And may I ask why you are here?”

“Yes, I’ll tell you. I’m looking for my ward.

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