The Scarlet Slipper Mystery by Carolyn Keene Page A

Henri knew about it ”
    The girls reached Harwich late in the afternoon and drove immediately to the attractive building that housed the Harwich School of the Dance. As Nancy and her friends walked into the reception room, they saw Helene’s portrait in a prominent position on the wall.
    “How lovely!” Bess murmured.
    The painting portrayed the girl in a graceful glissade. It was so realistic, Helene looked as though she were about to glide right off the canvas.
    An attractive, blond woman in a ballet costume came forward and introduced herself as Miss Desmond, the director of the school. George identified herself as the one who had talked with her on the telephone that morning and introduced Nancy and Bess. Then she added, “Nancy is an amateur detective. She’s investigating a case we think involves the smuggling of precious stones. We believe that they were hidden in the pigment of certain pictures. Yours may be one of them.”
    “Oh, dear!” Miss Desmond exclaimed. “I hope this won’t involve me. I know nothing about the smuggled gems.”
    “I didn’t mean to imply that,” said George. She regretted having been so blunt.
    “This must be a shock to you,” Nancy added understandingly. “But would you mind if we examine the picture closely?”
    Her quick eye had detected a spot where the pigment had been tampered with.
    “Go ahead,” Miss Desmond said.
    Nancy took a small magnifying glass from her handbag and scrutinized the painting.
    “Something has been removed from the picture, I’m sure,” she said after a moment. “And,” Nancy added, her voice excited, “if I’m not mistaken, there is still one stone hidden!”
    “What!” Miss Desmond exclaimed in disbelief.
    Nancy pointed to the spot and asked, “Will you let me prove it?”
    “Why, certainly, but you don’t think I——” the worried director began.
    Nancy smiled at the woman. “We believe you bought the picture without knowing all this.”
    Miss Desmond looked relieved and watched as Nancy took the palette knife with the initial R on it from her bag and began to scrape the white pigment in one ruffle of the skirt. Finally a large lump came off in her hand. She scraped at it even faster. A moment later she uncovered a sparkling diamond!
    “I just can’t believe it!” Miss Desmond cried, as Bess and George gasped. “I-I certainly got my money’s worth, didn’t I?” Then instantly an expression of alarm crossed her face. “But I may be holding stolen property! What shall I do with the stone?”
    “I’d suggest,” said Nancy, “that you come with me to the Harwich Police Station and leave the diamond there until the case is cleared up.”
    The dancing-school director said the sooner she got rid of the diamond, and the painting too, the better! Miss Desmond was glad to sell the painting to Nancy for ten dollars.
    She accompanied Nancy to the police station, while the cousins remained at the school to admit the next class of pupils. The director sighed when the ordeal was over.
    “Thank you, Nancy, for getting me out of an embarrassing situation,” she said. “And good luck in solving the mystery.”
    Nancy, Bess, and George spent the night in a hotel in Harwich. They started on their return journey early the next morning, with the painting stored in the trunk. As they drove along—all three girls on the front seat—they discussed the various facets of the case.
    Presently Nancy said, “I have a strange feeling that those little figurines that were sold to Mr. Howard, the jeweler, were also used to smuggle jewels into this country—maybe by the same group.”
    “And Mr. Warte removed them and tried to patch up the cracks?” Bess suggested.
    “Yes.”
    Hours later, as Nancy took a road leading away from River Heights, George pointed out that Nancy had taken the wrong turn.
    “I know,” said Nancy. “I thought we’d stop to see Helene and Henri and leave this picture.”
    Presently they turned into the woods road