“No.”
It was evident to Nancy that Mrs. Potter was no longer willing to answer her questions; so after a little she said goodbye and left the house.
“I wonder if she was trying to hide something,” Nancy Drew mused as she drove toward Lilac Inn. “She certainly closed up quickly enough when I started to question her about her own actions.”
She was still considering Mrs. Potter’s apparent unwillingness to answer personal questions when she reached Lilac Inn. As it was early in the morning she found the place deserted of guests and had no difficulty in finding the manager.
“Certainly, I’ll be very glad to answer any of your questions,” the woman agreed readily after Nancy had explained who she was. “Step into my office where we shall be undisturbed.”
“Thank you,” Nancy returned pleasantly. “But if you don’t mind, I would like to see the table where Mrs. Willoughby sat.”
“Why, of course. Right this way. She sat at this table by the window.”
Nancy glanced at the table and then stepped to the window and looked out upon the rear veranda.
“As I understand it, Mrs. Willoughby ran to the window on the opposite side of the room when the crash came,” the manager explained. “From where she sat it was impossible to see the crossroads.”
“And during the brief time that her back was turned the handbag disappeared?”
“So Mrs. Willoughby claims.”
“Do you doubt her story then?” Nancy demanded quickly.