Read (#30) The Clue of the Velvet Mask for Free Online

disappointment, nothing had been hidden inside.
    “I guess I was wrong,” she admitted ruefully. “I thought jewels or something valuable might have been tucked under the padding.”
    “I’ll sew the lining back in,” the housekeeper offered. “Not tonight, though. I’m too sleepy.”
    As Nancy started to tuck the lining back in, she noticed some numbers written on the reverse side.
    “What’s this?” she said.
    Carrying it to a brighter light, Nancy studied the numbers. They read: 621 626 628 71 75.
    “What do they mean?” Mrs. Gruen asked.
    “I wish I knew,” Nancy replied.
    “The ink appears fairly fresh,” Mrs. Gruen remarked. “Not faded as it would be if the cloth were old.”
    “The numbers may be a code. I wonder—”
    At that moment the telephone rang and Nancy hastened to answer it. This time it was her father.
    “I’m so glad to hear from you. How’s everything?” Nancy asked cheerily.
    “Fine on this end. How about you?”
    She reported what she had been doing on the case, then told him of the numbers on the mask’s lining.

    “The numbers may be a code,” Nancy said
    “Read them to me,” Mr. Drew suggested.
    After Nancy did so, he said, “Very interesting. They sound like dates.”
    “You mean 621 is June twenty-first?”
    “Yes. And the last one’s the day after the Fourth of July.”
    “Oh, Dad, you’re wonderful! That’s probably exactly what they are—dates for planned thefts! The woman in the Javanese costume put them in, or someone wrote them down before giving her the mask so she wouldn’t forget them.”
    “Nancy, here’s a suggestion. Call the Lightner Entertainment Company in the morning and find out if they coincide with parties they’re arranging. But be discreet in asking questions.”
    “I will!” Nancy assured him. “And Dad, when are you coming home?”
    Mr. Drew said that unless something unexpected came up he would return the following evening.
    “We miss you,” she said. “By the way, you’re at the Excelsior in Amstar, aren’t you?”
    As Nancy said good-by she heard a sound on the front porch. Thinking someone was arriving, she went to look out, but no one was there.
    “My imagination, I guess,” she decided. She closed and locked the front door, then went up to bed.
    Nancy telephoned Linda Seeley at nine o’clock the following morning. After explaining where she had obtained the dates, she asked if Lightner’s had any parties scheduled for them.
    “Yes, we do have for the first three you mentioned,” Linda answered without hesitation. “I know, because I’ve worked on them myself. Wait, I’ll check the others.”
    In a moment she returned to say that July first was on their books, but the office had no record of a party for the fifth.
    “I’ll contact the social editor of the newspaper,” Nancy said. “Someone may be giving a big party without Lightner’s services.”
    “Nancy, if you’re still working on the theft, you’d better be wary,” Linda advised hurriedly. “After what happened last night at the reception, I’m getting scared.”
    Nancy wanted to ask more questions, but Linda suddenly warned her that she must end the conversation.
    “Mr. Tombar is coming!” she said nervously. “I’ll get in touch with you later.”
    “Just one thing,” Nancy interposed. “Has a masquerade party been scheduled for any of those dates I told you about?”
    “No, only other types of parties,” Linda whispered. “Good-by!”
    Nancy next called the newspaper. The social editor, a friend, said she knew of no large parties scheduled for July fifth. “If I hear of any, Nancy, I’ll call you.”
    Nancy thanked her. Putting down the phone, she sat still, absorbed in thought. Her reflections were interrupted by the excited barking of Togo, her small terrier. He had jumped up on his hind legs and was scratching at a window sill.
    “Togo, what’s wrong?” Nancy demanded.
    Mrs. Gruen had gone to the window and was peering into the