Read Online The Secret of Red Gate Farm by Carolyn Keene - Free Book Online Page B

on all cults. I’ll call you right back.”
    Nancy waited eagerly for the phone to ring. When it did she snatched up the receiver. “The Black Snake Colony is not listed,” Chief McGinnis told her.
    “You mean it’s a phony?” Nancy asked excitedly.

CHAPTER X
    Plan of Attack
    CHIEF McGINNIS refused to comment on the possibility that the Black Snake Colony might be a phony group.
    “They may not have been in existence long enough to be known,” he replied. “But you might try to find out what you can and let me know.”
    “I’ll do that,” the young detective agreed.
    After Nancy had put down the phone, she reflected for a long minute on the new twist to the hillside mystery, then walked out to the front porch, where Mrs. Salisbury, Mr. Abbott, and the three girls were seated.
    Nancy had not planned to tell them of her experience, but her face was so animated it revealed her thoughts. They besieged her with questions until finally she revealed her meeting with the woman member of the strange nature cult.
    “Told you not to come near, did she?” Mrs. Salisbury cackled. “Well, I hope you intend to follow her advice.”
    Nancy laughed and shook her head. “I’m more interested than ever in what’s going on up there on the hillside. I’m ready for a little adventure right about now!”
    “So am I,” George chimed in.
    Joanne nodded vigorously, while Bess, always more cautious, agreed rather halfheartedly.
    “Better stay away,” Mr. Abbott advised, for once not contradicting Mrs. Salisbury. “You can’t tell what may be going on there.”
    Nancy was tempted to comment, but instead she forced a smile and said, “It seems to me that this matter may be of deep concern to Jo and her grandmother, if not to me.”
    Mrs. Byrd had stepped to the porch door in time to get the gist of the conversation, and at once spoke up.
    “I think Nancy is right,” she declared thoughtfully. “Of course, I don’t want the girls to go looking for trouble, but I’m beginning to think someone ought to investigate those mysterious people. If anything questionable is going on, I want to know about it. I’ll ask the Black Snake Colony to move out, even if I do lose the rent. Why, I might get into trouble myself if they stay.”
    Mr. Abbott and Mrs. Salisbury fell into an injured silence. Nancy gave her friends a sly wink, and in a few minutes they all quietly withdrew to the springhouse to discuss their plans. Here, she told the girls about her conversation with Chief McGinnis.
    “Something peculiar is going on at those cult meetings, I’m sure,” Nancy went on, “and I must find out about them if I can. Do you all want to join me in the investigation?”
    “Of course,” Joanne and George said.
    “Do you think it’ll be safe?” Bess asked.
    “I’m not making any rash promises.” Nancy laughed.
    Bess gave a little shiver. “I don’t like it, but count me in.”
    “How can we visit the colony without being caught?” George asked.
    “That’s the problem,” Nancy replied. “We must make our plans carefully. Before we do anything, I suggest we find out about the robes the cult members wear. We may need to wear similar ones to help us in our investigation.”
    “There’s only one way to find that out,” Joanne said. “Some night when they’re having a ceremonial meeting, we can sneak through the woods and try to get a closer look at what’s going on.”
    Nancy nodded excitedly. “The double entrance to the cave will be perfect!” she said. “If we can’t sneak into the meetings any other way, we can get into the cave at the end they don’t use.”
    “Sounds terribly risky to me!” Bess commented.
    “Oh, for Pete’s sake,” George said scornfully. “Don’t be such a wet blanket, Bess!”
    Her cousin opened her mouth to retort, but Nancy interposed quickly to forestall any further argument.
    “We’d better not tell our plan to anyone except your grandmother, Jo,” she advised. “Otherwise, Mrs.