Nancy Drew and The Mystery Of The Ghost Maiden

Chapter Twenty-seven

 The two teens watched the strange girl run into a room at the far end of the hall before she peeked her head outside the door and giggled once more. "Was this some kind of game to her?" Nancy wondered. The woman waited until Nancy and Ned were within five feet of the door before slamming and locking it.

"What just happened?" Ned asked unsure of really had just happened.

"I'm not quite sure. I suspect it may be a crook that comes and goes at will by the use of secret entrances," Nancy replied as she struggled to open the door.

"Babe, the door is locked so let's not waste your strength messing with it," Ned said as he put an arm around Nancy's waist, pulling her close.

"If only we could have gotten a good look at her face. Then we could give the police a description.' Nancy said as she rested her head on Ned's Shoulder. She thought for a moment before saying, "Wait, I might have a hairpin we can use to pick the lock."

A moment later she was already working on picking the lock. "Man, this lock must be ancient. It must be rusted, even I can't pick it." Nancy looked around the space before adding, "Come to think of it, this must the room that has been locked since Heather died, over a hundred years ago. It's the only room on this floor I have not been in before."

Ned said, reluctantly, "I hate to put things off, however, it seems we are just going to have to ask how to get inside in the morning." With nothing else left to try all Nancy could do was nod her head in agreement. Ned took a hold of her hand and led them both back down to the second floor.

"Something is not right about this house Nancy, but I cannot put my finger on it," he stated.

"I feel the same way about this case. This is the second time I have seen that strange girl." Nancy said as she shook her head in frustration. "We really need to get some rest, it is really late. I will give you a tour in the morning of this place," Nancy replied with a long yawn before rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

Ned took her hand in his as the two walked along the quiet shadow-filled hallways. If anything ever happened to Nancy, Ned would never forgive himself for not being there to save her.

The rest of the night went smoothly. Nancy was finally able to get some much needed dreamless sleep while Ned dreamed of taking his college midterms while wearing only his underwear. Bess and George awoke at the crack of dawn. They were so curious that the girls could barely contain their excitement. So they quietly tip-toed across the hall to Nancy room.

Bess reached out and tried the doorknob to find it surprisingly unlocked. As they peered into the dark bedroom they saw Nancy asleep half hanging off the bed. Nancy's arms were positioned over her head like a starfish and all the pillows had ended up on the floor.

"She sure does toss and turn a lot in her sleep. Nancy's arms are going to hurt so bad when she awakes. "George commented quietly.

Bess nodded in agreement then said, "Do you think we should wake her? She did get in late last night but I just don't think we should wait any longer to tell her the news."

"Shush... It would be best to wait until she wakes up on her own." George suggested as she turned to leave the room. "Come on Bess!" the young girl whispered while pulling on Bess to go back to their room.

In back in their room, Bess headed over to her small wooden vanity in the corner. "Might as well get my beauty treatments done," she said while unzipping the large floral cosmetic bag. The young girl loved to try new products and as a result had a large collection of beauty products.

After washing her face next came the cold cream. As she was applying this Bess commented, "There is no way I'm going to able to get back to sleep we might as well find something quiet to do until breakfast."

"But what Bess? It is too early to go outside and if we not careful someone might mistake us for a thief rummaging through the house." George said in-between reading passages of the latest sports magazine.

"How about we go take a look at that art gallery again. It does sound strange but last night I dreamed of someone from one of the paintings. Call it a clue or whatever you will." Bess said while watching George's reaction in the mirror's reflection.

"You and your strange dreams," George said as she shook her head in disbelief.