Read Mystery of the Moss-Covered Mansion for Free Online

described him minutely.
    At once Nancy thought, “It is true then that this man could have passed as Mr. Billington!”
    Croft went on, “The driver said he was Mr. Billington, whom I don’t know. He had all the proper credentials with him, so of course I let him in. The last I saw of him he was turning toward the food supply depot and I assumed that was where he went.”
    “And he didn’t?” George asked.
    Mr. Croft smiled. “A guard got aboard and took him there. Fortunately the explosive oranges were discovered before any damage was done. But it’s my opinion he intended to blow up part of the rocket while it was still in the Vehicle Assembly Building.
    “I’m mighty sorry about the whole thing, but I don’t think I should have been dismissed. The explosives had been put in the oranges very cleverly and they looked innocent enough in the sacks.
    “I hope someday I’ll be reinstated.” Mr. Croft heaved a great sigh. “By the way, I was taken to identify Mr. Billington. He and the impostor look enough alike to be twins.”
    The girls felt sorry for Croft. They realized his dismissal had been necessary. After the saboteur was caught, perhaps Croft would be exonerated.
    Nancy told him that her father was the lawyer who had been retained to defend Mr. Billington, but that he in turn had engaged the services of Johnson Datsun.
    Croft said he had heard of Mr. Datsun. “He’s a very fine lawyer. If anybody can straighten out this case, I’m sure he can.”
    “But it’s not just a legal matter,” Bess spoke up. “It’s a mystery too. Nancy’s an amateur detective and—”
    Nancy smiled. “And with the help of my two good friends here, I have solved some mysteries.”
    Mr. Croft’s eyes opened wide. “That’s wonderful,” he said. “I always wanted to be a detective, but I wasn’t cut out for that kind of work. The nearest I came to it was checking people’s credentials when they entered the Space Center.” He sighed again.
    Nancy stood up. Bess and George took the cue from her and arose also.
    “Mr. Croft,” said Nancy, “if you should hear or recall anything that might help us solve this mystery, will you telephone me?”
    “I’ll be glad to,” the man replied. Nancy gave him the Billingtons’ address and telephone number, then the girls left.
    Upon reaching home, they found Hannah Gruen quite excited. George asked, “Have the Resardos pulled another fast one?”
    “No,” the housekeeper replied. “I haven’t seen them all day. But I think I’ve picked up a clue for you. If I’m right, it may spell trouble or danger for you, Nancy, and your father.”
    “What do you mean?” Nancy queried.
    Hannah produced the day’s newspaper. She pointed out a personal. It read:
    “Dorothy’s son has just released trunk. It is empty. Advise at once where to find contents.”
    Immediately the three girls read words numbered 1, 5, 9, 13. These said, “Dorothy’s released empty where.”
    Bess said, “They don’t make sense.”
    Hannah was eager to tell her clue. “But put the first letters of those words together,” she said. “They spell Drew.”
    “Wow!” George exclaimed. “What could this possibly mean?”
    Nancy did not answer. She had not yet figured out the meaning of the personal but one thing was certain—someone was sending a message which could have dire consequences for her and her father and possibly her friends. She was worried but did not speak her thoughts aloud.
    Bess admitted that she was scared. “I think we’d better give up our sleuthing and leave here,” she declared.
    George said, “Bess, you know as well as I do that the thrust of a hundred-thousand-pound rocket couldn’t force Nancy to give up this case.”
    Nancy smiled. “A wild thought just occurred to me. Suppose this reference to Drew has something to do with our interest in the Webster house. We already know that Mr. Scarlett has gone on vacation. For some reason unknown to us, the people who use the