The Nancy Drew Sleuth Book Read Online Free

right alongside mine. It looked the same size as mine, so maybe she’s my height. And I’d say she wore slacks and flat shoes. I could tell from the way she leaned against me.”
    Nancy remarked that the girls had made a pretty good identification of the mysterious attacker and thief. “Peg, would you please list them?”
    Peg held up her fingers and checked off the clues. “The assailant is a woman, about Martie’s height, is heavy, and gets short of breath. She has light red hair, probably short.”
    Karen put in, “And travels with a tall, thin man who is rather violent. Why don’t we try to find them?”
    “Good idea,” said Honey. “But how do we start, Nancy?”
    “By going to the street where Wright’s is. We’ll talk to people in nearby stores and anyone who might have been around when the robbery was taking place. Perhaps someone saw the couple come out of the jewelry shop.”
    “Maybe,” Peg suggested, “we’ll see the thieves!”
    Nancy smiled. “I doubt it. They know the police will be after them. I’m sure they left quickly.”
    “Then how can we find them?” Sue asked.
    Nancy said she did not expect to. “But we might pick up clues to the thieves’ identity that the police haven’t learned yet.”
    When the members of the Detective Club reached the area of the store, Nancy stopped suddenly. The girls looked at her inquiringly, then followed the direction in which she was glancing.
    Martie asked, “You mean the cabbie at that taxi stand just beyond Wright’s might have been here during the robbery?”
    “Yes.”
    The girls walked over, and Nancy nudged Martie to ask him. When she did, he looked amused. “Are you playing detective?” he asked, then added, “I saw a man and a woman hurry out of Wright’s. They got into a parked car and drove off. I didn’t notice the license number, but the car was a dark sedan.”
    Nancy winked at Peg, who said, “Please tell us what the couple looked like.”
    As if to humor her, the cabdriver replied, “Well, the guy was tall and thin. The woman was shorter and had reddish hair.” Then he laughed. “Do you think I’d make a good detective, too?”
    Nancy smiled. “A very good one. Can you describe their faces, the shapes of their heads, and their ears?”
    The cabbie looked at her with heightened interest. “You’re really serious, aren’t you? Well, I believe the man had a sharp face and a small goatee. His nose was sharp, too, and I’d even say his ears were pointed.”
    “That’s a great description,” Karen said. “Did you notice anything else?”
    “Yes. I can tell you the guy was a mighty bad driver. His car was parked smack against the curb. He took off like a shot and sure gave the tires on the right side a beating. He scraped that curb so hard, I don’t think the rubber’s going to last long.”
    “Thanks a lot,” Nancy said, and the girls walked away, whispering among themselves.
    “What do we do next?” Peg wanted to know.
    Nancy suggested going to police headquarters. “Our suspects may have police records. Also, Martie should tell her story to the authorities.”
    When the club members reached the building, the young detective introduced the girls to Chief McGinnis.
    The officer greeted them and said, “If Nancy Drew is your teacher, and you are able to solve mysteries the way she does, someday you all may join the police department!”
    The girls laughed, then Nancy asked Martie to tell her story. Martie did so and ended by saying, “I didn’t get in touch with you, because Mr. Wright told me I’d be contacted later. I didn’t see the suspects.”
    Chief McGinnis said, “By getting your club members to help, you have added a valuable bit of information to the case. We didn’t know the masked man in Mr. Wright’s store had a partner. So, she’s a red-haired woman!”
    Peg spoke up. “Do you know what the man looked like?”
    “No,” the chief admitted. “Mr. Wright couldn’t give us a detailed