The conversation ended abruptly as Isabel and Ada arose from the bench and walked on down the street. Nancy waited until they were out of sight and then emerged from the bushes.
“There may be a chance to find that missing will after all,” she reasoned, as she sank down on the bench vacated by Isabel and Ada.
Nancy had always been convinced that Josiah Crowley had made a second will. However, since her talk with the Horner girls, she had shared her father’s opinion that the document had fallen into the hands of the Tophams only to be destroyed. This conviction had discouraged her.
Now the information which she had gleaned from the snatch of overhead conversation, gave her new hope. From what Isabel and Ada had said, she was led to believe that if Josiah Crowley had made a second will, the Tophams were as ignorant as herself concerning its whereabouts.
“Anyway, it’s encouraging to know the will hasn’t been destroyed,” Nancy told herself. “But there’s one thing certain. If the Tophams ever get their hands on it, they’ll take care it never comes to light. From what Isabel and Ada said I judge they’re beginning to realize their position is anything but secure. If I’m ever to find that will, I must get busy before they beat me to it!”
Nancy Drew possessed her father’s liking for a mystery, and she delighted in a battle of wits when championing a worthy cause. Carson Drew had often remarked that he enjoyed the detective work of his cases better than the court work, but Nancy knew he was too busy with his own cases to devote much attention to the missing Crowley will. If anything were done to help the Horner girls win their inheritance, she must accomplish it herself.
As Nancy reviewed the facts of the case, it seemed to her that she must have overlooked a possible clue. Never had a mystery appeared more