“We’ll leave then,” Jessie said quietly. “And we’re sorry we trespassed.”
Nancy observed the man closely. There was something about him that seemed sinister, as if he had something to hide.
“Will you be coming to the town meeting tonight?” she asked him. “If you feel that strongly about the bats, you should.”
The man gave her a long look. “I may. I may not. I don’t like the bats, as I’ve said. But I also don’t want a lot of road equipment here making noise and disturbing my solitude. Now, if you don’t mind, please leave.” He turned on his heel and left as quietly as he’d come.
Nancy and her friends retrieved their bikes and hopped on them. Nancy looked behind her as she pedaled away and saw that Mr. Tolchinsky had returned to the rocky outcrop. He was watching them with an inscrutable look on his face.
Nancy steered her bike over to Jessie’s and said, “Not very nice, is he?”
Jessie gave Nancy a look. “He’s creepy.”
Nancy held back to let Jessie assume the lead again, and then quickened her pedaling to keep up as Jessie sped ahead. Night was falling and soon it would be dangerous to be out on the road.
But as Nancy headed around the last turn before Aunt Elizabeth’s driveway, a thought flitted through her mind. At first, she had thought Sarah had probably made that phone call to Aunt Elizabeth. Now she wondered if there wasn’t someone else who wanted to stop Aunt Elizabeth’s crusade for the bats as well.
4
Hanging by a Threat
When Nancy and the three girls got back to Aunt Elizabeth’s, dinner was ready in the big kitchen. She had prepared roast chicken with stuffing, baked potatoes, and green beans.
“I thought you might be hungry after your bike trip,” Aunt Elizabeth said. “Wash up and then we’ll eat.”
The kitchen, with its big round table, gingham curtains, and old copper pots hanging in the huge unlit fireplace, was cozily lit by a wrought iron fixture above the table and candles glowing on the mantel. The young women chatted excitedly, taking turns washing their hands at the sink.
At last they sat down and began to pass the serving dishes.
“What a feast!” Bess said. “I’m starving.”
“Tell me about your adventure,” Aunt Elizabeth said, addressing George. “I’m guessing something exciting must have happened from all the chatter I overheard.”
“Do you know Hank Tolchinsky?” George asked her aunt, as she passed the green beans to Nancy.
Aunt Elizabeth’s eyebrows shot up. “Know him? I should say I do! He’s an odd one, that’s for sure.”
“How so?” Nancy asked.
“He moved here a couple of years ago, and he’s been a real mystery man,” Aunt Elizabeth said, placing the bowl of stuffing in the center of the table. “Most people who move to Fairport become involved in at least one or two of the town’s doings. We’re very civic-minded here.” She paused to pass the gravy to Jessie.
“But not Hank Tolchinsky,” Aunt Elizabeth continued. “I went to his house when he first arrived and asked him if he wanted to contribute to the town beautification fund. He slammed the door in my face!”
“That’s rude,” Nancy said.
Aunt Elizabeth nodded. “I thought so too. He called me a meddling busybody when I asked what brought him to Fairport. Usually people are happy to tell you why they came.”
“So he knows you?” Nancy asked.
Aunt Elizabeth laughed. “If one rude encounter means knowing someone, then I suppose he does.”
“Hmmm,” Nancy murmured. She crunched a green bean, lost in thought.
“Nancy,” George said, observing her friend. “I know when your mind is working, and right now I’d say it’s working overtime.”
Nancy put down her fork. “It just seems to me that Mr. Tolchinsky must have something to hide,” she said. “Why would he slam the door on Aunt Elizabeth? Why was he so adamant about getting us off his property? Clearly, none of us meant any harm.”
“I think I know what you’re getting at, Nancy,” George said. “Are you thinking he might have been the one who made that threatening phone call to Aunt E.?”
“I’m not sure,” Nancy said. “The logical suspect would be Sarah. But since Mr. Tolchinsky knows Aunt Elizabeth and has made it clear he doesn’t like bats . . .”
Aunt Elizabeth stood up and started to clear the table. “You can’t exactly call me Ms. Popularity right now, can you?”
The others laughed and rose to help her. They had just finished scraping and rinsing the dishes for the dishwasher when the doorbell rang.
“That must be Professor Noble,” Aunt Elizabeth said on her way to the door. “He said he’d stop by to go with us to the meeting.”
They crowded into the vestibule while Aunt Elizabeth greeted her visitor.
“This is Professor Martin Noble,” she said, introducing him to Nancy, Bess, and George. “He teaches at Fairport College and knows everything there is to know about bats.”
Professor Noble was a tall man with dark brown skin, close-clipped black hair, and a genial, intelligent-looking face.
“Are you ready for tonight?” he asked Aunt Elizabeth.
“I am, but I’m a little reluctant to speak,” Aunt Elizabeth said. She led him into the parlor and motioned for him to sit on the couch next to her. Nancy and her friends settled into their chairs. Then Elizabeth told him about Sarah’s angry confrontation after the ceremony.
“It’s harder to stand firm when you can understand the other side of the argument,” Professor Noble said.
