Read Online The Secret in the Old Attic by Carolyn Keene - Free Book Online

with ghosts and prowlers hanging around the place.”
    “We haven’t seen a real ghost yet!” Nancy laughed.
    “Call it what you like. You can’t fool me,” the girl complained. “I see a man prowling around, and I’m supposed to believe he was just crossing the lawn on his way home. Then a skeleton happens to be hanging in a closet. Next a black widow crawls out and bites me!”
    Nancy, to allay Effie’s fears, promised to come back and spend the night.
    “I’ll get here as soon as I can, Effie,” she said.
    Taking all the bottles with her, she drove to River Heights. Parking her car at a distance from the Dight factory, Nancy proceeded on foot.
    When the young detective reached the plant, it was approaching the closing hour. Workmen were already coming through the gates. Nancy stopped a minute to look for Bushy Trott, but when he did not appear, she headed for the executive offices.
    “Am I too late to see Mr. Dight?” Nancy inquired of Miss Jones, the private secretary.
    “He’s still in his office,” the pleasant young woman replied. “I think he’ll see you.”
    The secretary went inside. A moment later she returned to escort Nancy into his private office. Lawrence Dight arose as Nancy entered, but did not appear too pleased to see her again.
    “Mr. Dight, I must apologize for bothering you,” Nancy began, deftly whisking the fine blue bottle from the box. “I’m afraid I annoyed you the last time I was here.”
    The factory owner’s gaze fastened upon the beautiful old glass.
    “Where did you get that?” he asked, raising his eyebrows in amazement.
    “It’s a little gift I brought for your wife, Mr. Dight. She very kindly did a favor for me today.” Nancy held the bottle so the sunlight pouring through a window shone directly through it. “I have several others here I thought you might like to buy for her collection.”
    Mr. Dight examined the blue bottle. His cold manner left him for a moment as he admired it.
    “Thank you. I’ll take it to Mrs. Dight. Let me see the others.”
    Nancy set them on his desk.
    “How much do you want for them?”
    Nancy hardly heard him. She was standing near an open window. Glancing down into an alley between the office building and another brick structure, she noticed a familiar figure. The man was Bushy Trott!
    “I said, name your price,” Lawrence Dight repeated in an irritated voice.
    Nancy did not want to lose an opportunity of seeing where Bushy Trott was going. Probably he was heading for the secret section where the stolen formula was being used. This was her chance to find out about it!
    “Suppose I leave the bottles with you, Mr. Dight,” she said hurriedly, moving toward the door. She tried to act as if she were not eager to get away. “No doubt you would like to examine the glassware before deciding what you would want to pay for it.”
    To the surprise of Mr. Dight, Nancy opened the door and walked out. In a moment she was at the main exit of the building. Hurrying to the alley, Nancy was just in time to see the suspect enter a small brick building.
    No one else was in sight.
    “If only I can get in there!” Nancy thought.
    Cautiously she tested the door. Although equipped with an automatic lock, it fortunately had not slammed tightly shut. Nancy slipped inside.
    The building seemed to be deserted. There were no sounds of workmen or machinery.
    Moving noiselessly down a dimly lighted narrow hall, Nancy spied Bushy Trott. He paused for a moment before another door, then quickly opened it and entered.
    Nancy did not hesitate. As soon as his footsteps died away, she followed him through the doorway. The man was not in sight.

    The suspect entered the building
    Finding herself in a room filled with vats of liquid, Nancy decided to investigate them. But before she had a chance to do so, a key grated in a lock.
    Ducking behind one of the vats, she again saw Trott, who entered through another door. He closed and locked it, then went back into