NANCY DREW AND THE SECRET OF MERMAID COVE

Chapter Twelve

After arriving back at the inn, Nancy indulged in a relaxing hot shower. Then washed the tangles from her strawberry blonde hair and turned off the water to get out the shower. She got dressed into some to some peach-colored pajamas that were trimmed with white lace.  As she opened the bathroom door it released the steam that was trapped, thus creating a short-lived fog. 

 Nancy giggled when she spotted Bess, the poor girl was so exhausted that she had fallen asleep fully clothed on top of her bed.  Nancy carefully pulled off Bess's shoes and pulled a thin quilt from the trunk at the end of the bed. She draped it over her sleeping friend before heading down to the kitchen for a light snack.

Once there, she searched for a glass to pour some cold milk in. As the girl searched around a newspaper that was lying askew on top of the kitchen table caught her attention. The headline read that the Third Eye gang was being blamed once again in many robberies around town! Nancy sat down to read more of the long article carefully. 

Apparently, a large group of criminals had been robbing the area for the past year. The police were baffled, they originally thought a local street punk was to blame but there was little to no evidence to base that theory on. 

The Third Eye members always robbed the homes of the wealthy, antique shops, and museums. The long list of stolen items included numerous nautical maps, a few metal swords, and many different kinds of antique jewelry pieces in the shape of keys. Strangely enough, all the items stolen were from around the 1700s.

This did not seem like the work of a run of the mill gang. It appeared to be done by someone way more knowledgeable than a common street rat.  "Could this be connected to the mermaid's treasure somehow?" she thought. 

Then Nancy took the magnifying glass from her pocket to examined the pocket watch more closely. The top seemed to be decorated with the signs of the zodiac but some of the symbols were incorrect. 

"That is strange. Why would someone want a watch like this in the first place?" Nancy turned it over in her hands. The back looked plain and insignificant except for a small Gemini sign etched in the cold metal. She took the time to turn the little knob on the watch but it would not work.  Nancy guessed water damage and rust was the cause of it being broken.

Nancy unfolded the parchment from the bottle and laid it flat on to the tabletop. "WHY IS IT BLANK?" Nancy exclaimed frustrated. 

She stood up, paced the room, and ran her fingers through her damp hair. "Why in the world would someone go through all the trouble of hiding this for no reason? This makes no sense at all." Nancy thought before sitting back down. 

The girl sighed deeply, then absent mindlessly looked up at the ceiling. "Wait what if it is written in invisible ink?" Remembering a scene from an old movie Nancy looked for orange juice or anything acidic. Knowing that the citrus acid should react with the ink and made the writing appear. She found a lemon and sliced it in half before rubbing the fruit onto the paper on both sides. Then she took a step back and waited for the magic to happen. 

After about ten minutes had passed she exclaimed, "Why is this not working?" 

Pausing to reflect, allowed her to remember the most important step it takes to reveal such a message. It needs to be heated for the final step in the process. After turning the stove eye on low heat, she carefully waved the parchment over it, thus revealing a large hand-drawn cancer symbol. 

Nancy looked again at the pocket and focused on the cancer symbol engraved in the metal. Hidden in the intricate design was a tiny button. She carefully used the point of a knife to press the button.  As she did this, the back slowly opened to reveal an inscription, that appeared to be Roman writing.

Nancy sighed, then put the trinket back in her pocket. "It is too late to out anything else tonight. Might as well go to bed," Nancy concluded as she lazily made her way back upstairs.