The Secret of the Old Clock

Nancy speeds off for the town of Melborne to alert the State Patrol about the robbery. Officers quickly jump into two squad cars, with Nancy driving ahead to follow the tracks of the van. As they approach the state line, the police can’t go any further. Nancy decides to proceed toward the bigger town of Garwin on her way home. Following a hunch, she stops at a run-down inn and spies the men eating inside.

Nancy is about to find a phone to notify the police when she makes the risky decision to search the van (which, luckily, is in a barn) for Crowley’s clock. Locating the keys inside the cab, she unlocks the back and rummages through the stolen goods until she locates the timepiece. By now, she hears voices approaching and barely has time to exit the cargo area and replace the keys before the thieves return to their vehicle.

Climbing back into her car after the burglars drive away, Nancy can’t resist the urge to search the clock. She discovers an extra cardboard backing behind the clock face. Inside is Crowley’s journal. The detective slips it into her pocket, intending to read it at home. Back on the highway, she intercepts a patrol car and points the police down the road the thieves took.