The Whispering Statue by Carolyn Keene Page A

Nancy suggested.
    The statue, though large, was not heavy and the girls laid the figure on its side easily. Stuck to the bottom of it was part of a torn letter.
    “How did this get here?” Bess asked.
    “My guess is,” said Nancy, “that pieces of a letter were thrown away but this scrap must have missed the basket or been blown by the wind and plastered itself to the bottom of the statues.”
    “What does it say?” George asked, walking around Nancy to read it.
    “Another puzzle,” said Bess. “What does it mean?”
    The words on the jagged piece of paper were:
    time to move
competitors are bepicious.
Stop work
ble reproductions.
phone from Pit
soon as I look
whispering statue
    Quickly Nancy took a notebook from her purse and copied the words in case she lost the original paper.
    “What a marvelous clue!” she exclaimed.

CHAPTER XVI
    Unwelcome Command
    “YOUR clue is wonderful,” said Bess, “but how can you use it? The words in that torn letter don’t make any sense to me.”
    George said, “Why don’t we drive back to the yacht club? You can study it there, Nancy.”
    The young detective did not want to leave yet. “Let’s search for the rest of the letter,” she said.
    The girls turned over all the pieces of statuary but found nothing. The hedge and every bit of the ground around the barn were scrutinized carefully. No other clues were found.
    Finally Nancy agreed to leave. The girls climbed into Dick’s car and started for Waterford.
    After they had been driving about fifteen minutes, George said, “Nancy, have you figured out anything about the torn note?”
    “Yes, I have one hunch. Bess, please look in the glove compartment and see if there’s a map of this area.”
    As Bess was rummaging through a stack of maps, she asked, “What’s on your mind?”
    Nancy said she believed the Pit in the note stood for a town. “And I have a hunch it’s one not far from here.”
    “How did you arrive at that conclusion?” George asked.
    “First of all, I’m sure I recognized the handwriting on that note. It is definitely Willis Basswood’s.”
    “Really?” Bess said in amazement. “Then he knows about the whispering statue and where it is?”
    “Exactly,” Nancy replied. “He probably sold it secretly to someone who doesn’t live far away, so it wouldn’t be seen on the road. I believe that person is in Pit something. Bess, did you find the map?”
    A local map was on the bottom of the pile. Bess pulled out the folded sheet and opened it. “Pit—Pit—Pit—Oh, here’s one. Pittville. Nancy, you’re a genius!”
    “Don’t praise me yet. I may be on the wrong track. Is there another town beginning with Pit?”
    Bess’s forefinger was moving over the map. Presently she cried out, “Here’s a town with the name Pitman!”
    “Any more Pits?” George asked. “Don’t find one that says Pitfall.”
    Nancy and Bess smiled and Bess remarked, “That’s pretty corny.”
    Nancy was glad that no more towns beginning P-i-t were in the vicinity. “Tomorrow we’ll go to Pittville and then to Pitman.”
    “In what?” Bess asked. Then she added hopefully, “Maybe Dick will lend us his car again. He’s a great guy.”
    George remarked, “If Mr. Basswood stole the statue, it probably was taken directly to Marco De Keer’s barn. After the reproduction was finished, their trucker friend delivered the original to the purchaser and brought the reproduction to the yacht club.”
    Bess giggled. “The mystery is practically solved. All you have to find out is when and where and who did what and why?”
    When the girls returned to their room at the yacht club the telephone was ringing. The caller was Mr. Drew. He asked Nancy how she was progressing on the case.
    “I hate to brag,” Nancy replied, “but we really have some fabulous clues.” She related everything that she and her friends had learned since her last report.
    Mr. Drew was elated but admitted he was worried about Nancy’s