10 Password to Larkspur Lane

CHAPTER II
A Golden Clue
“ANOTHER strange message!” remarked
Hannah Gruen. “What do you think now,
Nancy?”
“That a real mystery has dropped into my
lap.” Nancy grinned. “And about time! I’ve
been longing for one ever since I solved The
Sign of the Twisted Candles. I can’t wait to
tell Dad about this!”
Carson Drew had always been close to his
daughter, and often discussed his cases with
her, because she grasped the issues so clearly
and quickly.

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Nancy reread the telegram and said to Mrs.
Gruen, “The pigeon isn’t registered. That’s so
its messages can’t be traced to the sender.”
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Hannah replied, “Well, it takes all kinds of
folks to make a world. What’s more, pigeons,
planes and telegrams aren’t getting tonight’s
dinner ready. We’re having hot biscuits and
chicken, one of your father’s favorites.”
“And mine,” said Nancy.
“Mr. Drew likes sweet pickles too,” Hannah
added. “I’ll go down to the cellar and get a
jar.”
Nancy’s thoughts returned to the odd
message which had been attached to the

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pigeon’s leg.
She took the note from her pocket and studied
it again. The words were neatly printed in
black ink.
For safekeeping, Nancy slipped the note and
the telegram into her purse, and set it on the
hall table. At that moment she heard a
thumping noise and a cry from the cellar.
“Hannah!” she called. There was no answer.
Nancy dashed to the kitchen and looked
down the cellar stairs. A huddled figure lay
on the floor.
“Oh!” Nancy exclaimed and ran down the
steps.

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The housekeeper managed to sit up. “I
slipped,” she said shakily. “Oh, my back!”
“Hannah!” Nancy exclaimed anxiously. “Are
you badly hurt?”
“No,” the housekeeper replied. “I can get up,
I’m sure. Just give me a hand.”
Nancy put one arm around Hannah and
helped the woman to her feet. Mrs. Gruen
stood still a few moments to catch her breath,
then said:
“I guess I didn’t break anything, thank
goodness. But I’m afraid I’ve strained my
back.”
“I’ll drive you to Dr. Spire’s,” Nancy said,
“and let him examine you.” With the girl’s

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help, the housekeeper slowly climbed the
stairs.
“I have to get dinner,” Hannah announced.
“That can wait,” Nancy said firmly. “We’ll
leave a note telling Dad where we’ve gone.”
As they drove toward the doctor’s residence
and office, Nancy hoped that he was back
from his mysterious call. When they reached
the house, Mrs. Spire told them her husband
was out.
“Is he still on that case out near the Blenheim
estate?” Nancy asked. “I passed him on my
way home from the flower show.”
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“Yes, he is, but he should be home soon.”
She and Nancy helped Hannah to a couch in
the office. Then Mrs. Spire excused herself to
get dinner, and asked Nancy to answer the
office phone if it should ring. Twenty minutes
later it buzzed.
Nancy lifted the receiver, but before she
could say “Hello,” a muffled voice asked if
Dr. Spire had returned. When Nancy said No,
the caller directed her to write down a
message.
As she wrote, a strange expression crossed
her face. At the end of the message, the
speaker abruptly hung up.
“Can I believe my eyes?” Nancy wondered
as she looked at the message she had jotted
down.

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“If you say blue bells, you will get into
trouble, for they are no longer used here.”
“Blue bells again!” Nancy told herself. Was
Dr. Spire somehow involved in the mystery
of the message attached to the pigeon’s leg?
Could it be more than coincidence that the
numbers on the license plate of the black
sedan matched the first four digits on the
bird’s leg band? Her suspicion that the doctor
had been pulled forcibly into the sedan came
flooding back.
Nancy was about to tell Hannah what the
anonymous caller had said, when brisk
footsteps were heard outside the door. Dr.
Spire, a lanky, balding man, strode into the
office.

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Although he looked worried, his thin, intense
face lighted with a smile.
“Well, Nancy, we meet again!”
Hiding her surprise and relief at seeing him
safe, Nancy replied with a cheerful greeting.
The physician turned to Hannah. “Mrs.
Gruen, my wife has told me of your accident.
I’m sorry to hear about it. I’ll take a look at
you now.”
Fifteen minutes later the doctor announced
that she had a sprained back. “Rest in bed a
few days. I’ll write a prescription for you. In
ten days you’ll be feeling like your old self.”
“I’ll see that she rests,” Nancy promised.

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She helped Hannah to the car and settled her
comfortably in the front seat. Then she
excused herself and hurried back inside. The
doctor was seated at his desk, gazing into
space. He looked at Nancy inquiringly.
“I jotted down this phone message for you,”
she said. “It is important that I ask you
something about it.”
The doctor’s lips tightened as he read the
message.
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“Does it make sense to you?” Nancy asked.
“Yes,” he said grimly.

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Dr. Spire stood up and strode across the
room. Then he turned and faced Nancy. “I
need help in solving a strange mystery.
There’s nobody with whom I’d rather discuss
it than you and your father. Will you help
me?”
“Of course,” Nancy replied.
“Then will you both come back later?”
Nancy agreed. “I’m eager to hear your story. I
think the mystery may be linked to one I’m
working on.”
The doctor looked amazed, but before he
could ask what she meant, Mrs. Spire came to
tell him that dinner was ready. Nancy quickly
excused herself.

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When she and Hannah reached home, Carson
Drew, a tall, distinguished-looking man, was
eagerly waiting for them. He was sorry to
hear what had happened to the housekeeper
and helped her upstairs. After Mrs. Gruen
was settled in bed, Nancy brought her a tray
of food, then prepared dinner for her father
and herself.
While they ate, Nancy told him about the
strange occurrences. Mr. Drew shook his
head and chuckled. “You attract mystery like
nectar in a flower attracts a bee, Nancy.”
She grinned. “In this case, I’ll be the blossom
and hope the villain will come my way!”
“I’ll go with you tonight,” he agreed, “and I’ll
do anything I can to help.”

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With a twinkle in her eyes Nancy said, “Then
you can start clearing the table. I’ll scrape the
dishes and put them in the washer.”
Carson Drew laughed. “You caught me that
time, young lady!”
But he was Nancy’s willing helper and it did
not take the father-daughter team long to tidy
the kitchen. Then they set off for Dr. Spire’s
office. He greeted them cordially and
indicated deep leather armchairs.
Mr. Drew said quietly, “Suppose you tell us
what’s worrying you, Richard.”
“It’s a strange story,” the physician said. “I
almost can’t believe it myself. This afternoon
I had a phone call saying that a patient of
mine, Mrs. Manning Smith, had been in a

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minor car accident on Hollow Hill Road. She
wanted me to meet her there and if necessary
take her to the hospital.
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“The caller—a man—told me to look for an
old black sedan. Since I know Mrs. Smith has
one, I thought nothing of it. After passing you
on the road, Nancy, I spotted the car, parked,
and went up to it. The back door swung
open. As I leaned forward to look inside, my
shoulders were seized and I was yanked to
the floor. Before I could move, a hood was
dropped over my head and a man on each
side held me firmly.”
“How far did you ride?” Nancy asked.

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“A long time—about an hour. Not a word
was spoken during the trip.”
“Where did they take you?” Mr. Drew asked.
“I don’t know. But some of the roads were
bumpy. I think we were out in the country.
When the hood was finally removed I found
myself in what appeared to be a regular
hospital room.”
“Was there a patient?” Nancy asked eagerly.
“Yes, but not Mrs. Smith. Someone explained
a clerk had made a mistake. I didn’t learn the
patient’s name. She was an elderly woman,
suffering from a dislocated shoulder. There
was just one other person in the room—a
nurse. She was a large, hard-faced woman
and warned me not to talk to the patient.”

---

“Did you try?” Mr. Drew queried.
“No, but all the time I was working, it seemed
as if she wanted to tell me something. Her
eyes kept flashing signals which I could not
understand. Then, while I was taking her
pulse, the nurse turned for a moment and the
woman slipped this into my hand.”
Dr. Spire reached into his pocket and held out
a thin, gold-chain bracelet with a small gold
shield dangling from it.
“How dainty!” Nancy exclaimed as she took
the bracelet to examine it. Set into the bangle
was a garnet.
“There’s an inscription over the jewel,” she
said. “ ‘To my darling Mary from Joe.’ ”
Nancy turned the shield over. “On the other

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side is a coat of arms. Perhaps we could trace
it and find out the woman’s name. If she’s
being held against her will, we ought to
rescue her!”
“It’s worth a try,” her father agreed.
“Keep the bracelet, Nancy,” the doctor said,
“and see what you can learn about it.” Then
he continued his story. “When I finished, two
men came in and replaced the hood. Then I
was driven back to my car. A couple of times
when I tried to resist, they got rough.”
“How dreadful!” Nancy burst out. “Dr. Spire,
do you think the woman was able to talk, but
had been ordered not to?”
9

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“Yes, I do.”
“Did you see or hear anything that would
help us find the place?”
Dr. Spire smiled. “I learned the password to
the place.”
“Marvelous!” said Nancy. “What was it?”
He replied, “As we turned into a driveway—I
could tell by the creak of gates—the driver
said
‘Bluebells’ and someone answered ‘Pass.’ ”
Nancy’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “This
is where my story comes in, Dr. Spire.”
Quickly she told him about the pigeon, the
plane, and the telegram. “Whoever is holding

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the woman prisoner must have been afraid
you had heard the password. So he decided to
change it.”
“Yes, that would have been just about five
o’clock, as the pigeon message said,” the
physician agreed. “The phone call here was
to warn me not to try finding the place again
or using the password to get in if I did.”
Carson Drew spoke up. “Richard, you must
report this to the police.”
Just then the telephone rang. When the
physician finished the call, he said,
“Emergency at the hospital. I’ll have to go.
Carson, will you and Nancy report the
incident to the police for me?”

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“We’ll stop at headquarters,” the lawyer
replied.
As the Drews left the house, Nancy noticed a
shadowy figure across the street. “Are we
being watched?” the young sleuth wondered.
While driving downtown Nancy noted a pair
of headlights reflected in her mirror. One was
dimmer than the other. The uneven lights
stayed close behind all the way to police
headquarters. Nancy slowed down in front of
the building, and the car, a sleek black sedan,
went past.
“No place to park here, Dad,” she said.
“Suppose you hop out and start telling your
story. I’ll join you as soon as I find a parking
space.”

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Mr. Drew got out, and a few minutes later
Nancy pulled into the far side of a parking lot
at the corner. When she stepped out of the
car, a hulking figure emerged from the nearby
shadows.
A feeling of apprehension swept over Nancy,
and she tried to dart past the man. But a
powerful hand seized her arm and jerked her
back.
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“Not so fast!” the stranger growled in a deep
voice.

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