“Yes,” Aunt Elizabeth said.
“Then grab it,” Officer Spinetti ordered. “I’ll pull you out.” She turned to Nancy and George. “I may need some help.”
The girls kneeled next to Officer Spinetti and helped pull Aunt Elizabeth out.
When she was back aboveground, Aunt Elizabeth sat calmly at the edge of the opening. “Well, that was an experience!” she said.
“That’s the understatement of the day,” Nancy said.
George threw her arms around her aunt and exclaimed, “Thank goodness you’re safe!”
“But where’s Mr. Stryker?” Nancy asked. “Did he leave you here alone?”
Aunt Elizabeth nodded. “The man’s gone mad. I kept asking him what he thought he was trying to prove, and he kept telling me . . . well, nothing.”
“Where could he have gone?” George wondered.
“I don’t know,” Aunt Elizabeth said. “All I know is that he brought me here, pushed me down into the cave, and then took off.”
“Come on,” Officer Spinetti said, offering Aunt Elizabeth an arm to lean on as she rose. “You’ve had enough excitement for one night.”
They returned through the woods to the road.
“Look!” Nancy cried, pointing.
Mr. Stryker’s car was gone.
Officer Spinetti’s police radio crackled. She ducked into her car to hear the message.
“He’s been spotted again,” she said. “His car’s in front of the Town Hall.”
“What in the world?” Aunt Elizabeth moaned.
Nancy and George got in the back, and Aunt Elizabeth sat next to Officer Spinetti.
“Are you all right?” Bess asked Aunt Elizabeth. “I was so worried about you.”
“I’m fine, Bess. I’m glad to see you’re all right, too. What a brute!”
Officer Spinetti took the curves carefully and skillfully.
“Why is the jerk at Town Hall?” George asked. “That’s the first place we’d think to look for him.”
“I think this is more complicated than we thought,” Nancy said. “Remember, Mr. Bremer said he was desperate for money.”
“That’s why he was looking for gold.”
“Right. But it wasn’t working out.”
“Not exactly,” George said. “At least, not as much as he needed.”
“Do you remember when we were at Town Hall and Mrs. Oberdorf got called into the accounting department?” Nancy asked.
George nodded. “That’s when you looked at those papers on Mr. Stryker’s desk.”
“We heard her say money was missing from the road improvement fund and she had to find out where it had gone,” Nancy said.
“I remember. But what are you suggesting?” George asked.
“Remember on the day we arrived how Mr. Stryker said there wasn’t any money to widen the road? That the snowfalls last year had wiped out the budget?”
“Yes,” George replied, still mystified.
“Well, I caught a glimpse of the local newspaper the other day, and there was an article about how mild the winter had been last year.”
“That doesn’t fit in with what he said, does it?” George replied.
“No, it doesn’t. And I get the feeling that the lack of funds in the budget is the result of Mr. Stryker’s tinkering with them. Remember how Mr. Bremer said he needed money to race his boat? I think he’s probably embezzled funds. That’s another reason why he wouldn’t want the road widened. If the town wanted the money to pay for it, he’d be found out.”
“Nancy, you’re a genius!” George exclaimed. They pulled up in front of the Town Hall.
“We’ll see,” Nancy responded dryly. “Let’s hope we can get this settled tonight.”
Officer Spinetti hopped out of the car, with Nancy and George right behind her. She tried the front door.
“It’s locked,” she said. “I can get a key back at the station.” As they turned away, Mr. Stryker pushed the door open from the inside, ready to step out. When he saw the women on the sidewalk, he bolted back into the building.
“Catch him!” George cried. She grabbed the door so it wouldn’t slam shut.
