“Hey!” Nancy cried as she fell to the floor of the toolshed. The door slammed shut behind her, and she heard the sharp click of the lock.
Nancy got up and rushed to the door. She tried to pull it open, but she quickly realized it was hopeless. Her mind raced as she tried to imagine who had locked her inside the shed. Nancy was almost certain she had felt a man’s large hand against her back. If only she had turned in time to see his face, she thought. Whoever it was must have been desperate to get hold of the hacksaw.
Nancy flashed her penlight around the shed again, looking for another way out. In the back, above the workbench, she saw a small window.
Nancy climbed onto the bench and struggled to lift the window. The opening seemed just large enough for her to squeeze through. Leaning out, she estimated it was a six-foot drop to the ground.
Nancy reached up and gripped the metal gutter under the edge of the roof. She swung her legs out and took a deep breath, ready to jump. Suddenly the gutter ripped away from its fastening. Nancy grabbed desperately at the roof, but her hand slipped and she fell awkwardly onto the hard ground.
Nancy got up slowly and felt a sharp pain in her left ankle. Probably a sprain, she thought as she moved forward. She limped across the front lawn, toward her car. Her assailant was probably long gone.
Finally Nancy reached her Mustang. She was just about to get in when she heard the rush of footsteps behind her.
Nancy swung around, crouching low in a karate stance, prepared to defend herself. The sudden movement sent a sharp pain shooting up her left leg, and she winced.
A moment later she was relieved to see Lee Tung heading toward her in the moonlight.
“Oh, there you are, Nancy,” the gardener said. “As soon as you left, I realized I shouldn’t have let you come here alone.”
Nancy grimaced and bent down to rub her ankle. “I’m afraid I haven’t had much luck.”
“You couldn’t find the hacksaw?” he asked.
“I found it, all right,” Nancy replied grimly. She told Lee Tung what had happened.
The gardener listened in horror. “Let me take you to a hospital,” he said finally. “A doctor should check that ankle.”
“Thanks, but I’ll be fine,” Nancy told him. “All I need is a cold compress to relieve the swelling.”
“Then leave your car here until morning,” Lee Tung said. “I’ll drive you home.” He guided Nancy slowly down the road to his pickup truck. “We can stop at my house on the way. Su-Lin will give you a strong cup of ginseng tea and an herbal balm to relieve the pain in your ankle.”
As they drove away from the museum, Lee Tung said, “My job was so much better when I worked for Amanda Lane. I designed all the formal gardens. There were always lawn parties and happy times, especially when Hillary Lane was around. She was like a royal princess, and the Lane mansion was her castle.”
Nancy imagined Hillary as a young debutante, the star of every social event. “I guess the Lane estate must hold many wonderful memories for Hillary,” Nancy remarked.
“Yes,” Lee Tung said. “I think that must be why she comes to the museum so often. Sometimes she sits outside, staring at the mansion.”
When they arrived at the garden apartment, a concerned Su-Lin helped Nancy into the living room and settled her on the couch. In a few minutes Nancy was sipping a strong cup of ginseng tea.
Su-Lin applied a compress of herbal balm to Nancy’s ankle. “This should help,” she told her.
Lee Tung came into the room to check on Nancy, then returned to his bedroom to watch the end of the tennis tournament on TV.
“I feel terrible,” Su-Lin said. “If it weren’t for my father’s problem, you would never have gone out to the museum and been attacked.”
“It’s not your fault,” Nancy assured her. “Besides, I’m used to these things. Sometimes I do detective work,” she added.
Su-Lin’s face brightened. “Oh, Nancy. I didn’t know you were a detective. Maybe you can help find the Golden Horse.”
Nancy took another sip of tea. “I’m sure the police are working on it,” she said. “But I’ve been making some inquiries on my own. By the way,” she added casually, “are there two Golden Horses?”
Su-Lin’s face brightened with interest. “Oh, yes, of course,” she said. “Originally, they were a pair. If you want to know more about them, my anthropology professor has written a good book on Tibetan artifacts. It has a whole chapter devoted to the history of the Golden Horses. I’m sure Professor Herbert wouldn’t mind showing it to you.”
“That sounds like a great idea.”
Nancy said good night to Lee Tung and thanked him for his help before following Su-Lin out front to her car. As Su-Lin drove Nancy home, she talked more about her anthropology courses at Westmoor University. “Professor Herbert is an expert in the field,” she said. “I feel very lucky to be studying with him.”
“Could you do me a favor?” Nancy asked as they pulled up to her house.
“Sure,” Su-Lin replied.
“See if you can find out if Margaret Parker has a red purse,” Nancy said.
Su-Lin sighed. “I don’t know whether I’ll be working at the museum anymore, since Mr. Stone fired my father.”
Nancy shook her head. “Please try to stay on a little while longer,” she said. “You might be able to find an important clue for me. Just think of yourself as an undercover agent.” Su-Lin hesitated.
“I really need your help,” Nancy urged. “Maybe if we work together, we can help find the Golden Horse.”
Finally Su-Lin nodded. “Okay,” she said. Then she raised her hands to the back of her neck and withdrew a beautiful jade and silver necklace from under her blouse. “I’d like you to wear this while you’re on the case,” she said, handing the necklace to Nancy. “It was given to my great-grandmother by her husband as a wedding gift. It is traditional for Tibetan brides to be given necklaces like this. There have been lovely stories passed down in our family about this necklace. They say no one can harm the person who wears it.”
“It’s absolutely magnificent,” Nancy said as she held the necklace up. A large silver locket hung from a strand of jade and silver beads. Fascinated, Nancy took the oval object into her hand and admired its ornate engraving. “But I couldn’t possibly borrow such a precious heirloom,” she said, frowning.
“Please,” Su-Lin insisted. “It will protect you. Besides, it will make me happy if you wear it.”
“All right,” Nancy said. “Thank you very much. I’ll be very careful with it.”
As Nancy slipped the necklace over her head, Su-Lin said, “There is one thing I must warn you of. You must never open the locket.”
