The Secret of the Old Clock (Nancy Drew #1)
Carolyn Keene
Grosset & Dunlap, 1930
Genre:
Mystery
Description
Nancy Drew is a pretty young girl of 16 who lives with her
father Carson Drew, a noted criminal case lawyer, and Hannah Gruen, their
housekeeper. There is a big to do in town over the recent death of Josiah
Crowley who, according to his will, left his entire estate to the Tophams, the
richest and most stuck up family in town. While Josiah did not have many living
relatives, he had lived with the family for a few years before his death.
However, over the years he had stayed with some other people who treated him
better and actually cared for him and to whom he promised to leave a legacy.
Shortly before his death, many of these people were told by Josiah himself that
he was changing his will to cut the Tophams out. However, a second will has not
been found since his death and it seems likely that the Tophams will receive
all of his money. Nancy
is interested in this mystery.
One day, her father asks her if she can run out and take
some papers to Judge Hartgrave in Masonville, a 15 mile drive away. Nancy is late returning
home and foolishly takes a more scenic route when she gets caught in a horrible
storm. She sees a very large open barn and drives towards it for shelter. She
is shocked to meet a young girl named Allie Horner who invites her to come to
their house where she lives with her sister, Grace. The girls have been living
alone for a while as their father died two years ago and their mother before
that. When they mention Uncle Josiah, Nancy
realizes that these two girls are some of the people that Josiah said he would
leave money to in his will.
Grace tells Nancy
that Josiah said that he was going to make a new will and that he wasn't going
to trust a lawyer with it; he was going to hide in a safe place. Unfortunately,
since he was living with the Tophams at the time, it is likely to be hidden in
their house and if it has been found they definitely would have destroyed it
just to keep the inheritance. Nancy
really wants to help the girls but is depressed that there seem to be no clues.
Her father suggests that she go shopping and she runs into Ada and Isabel Topham. She overhears their
conversation and hears them talking about a will and from the sound of things
they appear to be worried that such a will exists and that it will be found.
This gives Nancy
some hope that she can find the second will in time.
Nancy
decides that her best bet is to talk to the other people Josiah was going to
leave money to. She is told to speak to a Matilda and Edna Turner, William and
Fred Mathews, and Abigail Rowen. The Mathews tell Nancy pretty much the same story and say that
they have filed a complaint with the courthouse. She next goes to visit Abigail
and discovers that she had an accident falling down the stairs and is in
extreme pain. Nancy
goes to the store to get her some food and bandages and Abigail admits to
actually seeing the second will in Josiah's possession. He told her that he
just needed two witnesses and that he was going to put it somewhere where no
one could get to it without legitimate legal authority. Unfortunately, Abigail
has trouble remembering the details until her clock chimes and she remembers
that he had said something about clock. She also remembers that he said he
wrote the location of the will in a small little notebook that he hid
somewhere. He did have a small mantel clock that now must reside in the Topham
house. Nancy’s
got to find that clock.
Nancy runs into her friend
Helen who says that she is selling charity dance tickets and has six of them to
get rid of or else she can't go on her trip to Moon Lake.
Nancy, seeing a
way to get into the Topham house, offers to sell the tickets for her. Nancy goes over to the
house and is invited in by Mrs. Topham. She seems about ready to buy the
tickets when Ada
and Isabel show up and convince her not to. However, her husband shows up and
hands Nancy a
$20 bill for the tickets. As Nancy
is leaving she asks what time it is and notices the mantel clock on the
fireplace. She asks if it is a Crowley heirloom
and Mrs. Topham says that all of Crowley's stuff
was junk and looked out of place with their modern furnishings so all of it is
being stored in their bungalow at Moon
Lake.
Nancy is positively elated at
the news that she's learned from her visit; however, she has no idea how she
can get down to Moon
Lake. Her father asks her
if she is all right and suggests a possible vacation for because he realizes
that it is hard for a girl her age to look after their big house. That is when Nancy remembers that Helen is going on a camping trip to Moon Lake.
Her father tells Nancy
she can go. On her way out, she stops to see Allie and Grace, only to discover
Allie in tears because half of her chickens are dead. Nancy gives the girls money for a dress that
Grace is going to make for her.
Nancy makes it to Moon Lake
where Helen is very happy to see her. After dinner Nancy is dragged on a hike and then told that
the girls are going for a ride in a launch. Nancy agrees to going in the hopes of
discovering which bungalow belongs to the Tophams. When she asks about their
bungalow she is told that they aren't there right now and that there is just a
caretaker. Nancy
plans to visit the bungalow the next day but Helen and the girls take up all
her time with their various activities. The next day Helen announces they are
going on all-day hike and Nancy
says she needs a bit of her break. After they are gone, Nancy takes the launch out onto the lake to
get to the bungalow. Unfortunately, the boat breaks down at her plans are
foiled. Poor Nancy
decides that she will have to leave camp the next day because Helen and her
friends won't ever leave her alone. She will have to stop at the cottage on her
way out.
The next day Nancy
drives up the precarious road that leads to the cottage. Her journey is made
all that harder by tire tracks that appear to have been made recently in the
mud. As she gets out of her car by the cottage she notices that the tire tracks
of the truck also appear to have stopped here. As she approaches the bungalow
she discovers that the whole camp is in chaos. Clearly, a moving van had been
here no more than an hour ago. She goes into the house to discover that the
whole place has been ransacked except for one bedroom that was practically
untouched with just a rolled up rug in the middle of the floor. Nancy is nervous as the
robbers could still be in the vicinity.
She decides to leave and stop at the nearest town to report
the robbery. As she passes a window, she sees a heavyset man start walking up
the path towards the house. The bedroom closet is the only place that offers
her a possible refuge and she slips in and not a moment too soon.
Unfortunately, Nancy
ends up sneezing and gives herself away. After an intense struggle, she finds
herself locked in the closet. Nancy
is overcome with panic at the thought that she is been left there to starve to
death. Nancy
tries everything to get out of the closet and finally pulls down the hanger rod
to use it as leverage to pop the door out of its hinges. As the door is almost
free, Nancy
hears footsteps. It is Jeff Tucker.
Nancy and Jeff introduce themselves and Jeff tells Nancy that he was hanging
around last night wishing he was somewhere else when a white man drove up in a
big truck. The man told him that he knows how lonesome it is out there so he told
Jeff to get in the car. The man offered him a little drink and before Jeff knew
it he was blitzed. He woke up in a hotel feeling really sick. He discovered
that his keys to the house had been stolen and he returned to the cottage as
fast as he could. Nancy
tells Jeff that they should go into town and report the robbery. He assures her
that he would be able to recognize the man who got him drunk. On the way out, Nancy asks if he ever saw
a clock and he says yes. Nancy is pretty sure
that Crowley
hid the notebook in the clock and that it was stolen by the robbers.
They make it to the police station and Nancy says that on her way there she saw the
side road where the truck’s tire marks turned off on. She says that she will
take the police there. They follow the trail until they reach a fork in the
road and lose the tire tracks. Nancy
decides to take the road to the major city while the police take the other
road. Nancy
drives for a while and thinks she might have been wrong. Luckily, she sees a
man on the side of the road with a team of horses and decides to question him.
He says he saw a moving truck about twenty minutes ago that nearly pushed him
into a ditch.
Nancy
sees a roadhouse and it occurs to her that they might have stopped there. There
is a large barn and garage that the men could have parked the truck in. She
peeks inside the restaurant and sees the three men sitting at table. Before she
decides to notify the police she thinks that maybe she could look inside the
truck and find the clock before the stolen goods are confiscated by them. She
makes her way to the barn and finds the truck. Inside, after some hunting
around, she sees the clock and grabs it just in time to hear heavy footsteps
coming towards her. She proceeds to hide in a manger. In her car, Nancy can't resist
looking inside the clock and is saddened to discover there is nothing there. Of
course Abigail did not say that the notebook would be in the clock; Nancy had made that
deduction. She turns it upside down and rattles it and hears something moving
around. She removes the face of the clock and inside discovers a tiny blue
notebook.
Nancy
backtracks to find the police and they give chase on a moving van. They end up
having to fire their gun and pop a tire to get the van to stop. Nancy gives a positive
identification. Nancy gets worried when the Marshall wants to ride
back in her car because the clock is sitting on the front seat of her roadster.
Luckily, Nancy
gets away with her little petty thievery. At home, Nancy begins to pour over the little notebook
and discovers lots of information about Josiah's financial standing—the amount
of his estate reached well over $300,000. After a while, Nancy finally finds a notation saying that
his will can be found in a safety deposit box at the Masonville National Bank
under the name Josiah Harkston.
When her father returns home she anxiously tells him the
news and he says that the discovery of the second will will be unfortunate for
the Tophams as Richard has been losing heavily in the stock market over the
past month and it seems that he is depending upon the Crowley money to pull the
family out of a tight spot. The next morning, Nancy and her father get court order to open
up the safety deposit box and then head towards the bank. Nancy and her father
are allowed to view the safety deposit box when they discover that they don't
have a key. Luckily, the bank manager remembers that Josiah had entrusted him
with a spare key. Inside the box is a will that both Carson and the bank
manager initial just in case they have to prove its authenticity later on. They
discover that one of the witnesses is Dr. Nesbitt who unfortunately died a few
days after Crowley.
The other witness is a Thomas Wackley no one has ever heard of.
A few days later Carson
invites everyone involved in the will to his house for the big, as Nancy called it, coup de
grace. Of course, the Topham family thinks that it is utterly preposterous that
there is a second will and that there is some type of conspiracy going on. Carson reads the will.
Allie and Grace receive $75,000 each. Abigail receive $75,000. Fred and William
receive $20,000 each and Edna and Matilda also receive $20,000 each. Mrs.
Topham asks if they are mentioned at all and Carson replies that they are and reads aloud,
“to Grace and Allie Horner, my household furniture now in the possession of
Mrs. Richard Topham.” Grace and Allie say that they now have enough without the
furniture so they won't take the household goods from Mrs. Topham.
A number of months later, Nancy learns that the Tophams have filed for
bankruptcy and have been forced to give up their fancy home. They had put up a
fight but they ultimately lost. She goes to visit Grace and Allie and sees all
the new things that they've done to improve their farm. All of the relatives
wanted to give her a reward but Nancy
says that she doesn't want anything. They keep insisting so she finally says
that there is one thing that she would like. She would like the Crowley clock. She's
attached to it because of its suggestion of her recent adventure.
“I'll always prize this clock as a trophy of my first
venture as a detective. It will serve as a pleasant reminder of a thrilling
adventure—and, who knows? perhaps as a promise for the future!”
Thoughts and
Nuggets of Wisdom for Research
Most people today when they think of series books think of
the two reigning champions—the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew. However, what most
readers don't know is that the books they grew up reading were not the
originals. The first Hardy Boys book was published in 1927 while the first
Nancy Drew book was published in 1930. The original books are a far cry from
what most readers read in the 1950s and onward when Grosset & Dunlap told
the Stratemeyer Syndicate president, Harriet Adams, to revise the books to
remove primarily old-fashioned racial and cultural stereotypes. Most readers
today grew up with what collectors call the “matte” covers—either the “flat
matte” blue covers for the Hardy Boys or yellow covers for Nancy Drew or the
“glossy matte” blue covers for the Hardy
Boys or yellow covers for Nancy Drew. These covers were done in hardcover but
did not contain dust jackets and all of them where the revisions published
beginning in the 1950s.
Since Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys are the best known of
the many series characters to exist since 1899, their books tend to be the most
valuable for collectors. However, collectors to have to deal with the lots of
ignorant eBay sellers who try to get $400 for a glossy matte Nancy Drew that
just because it is it is the first book in the series they think it's the first
edition. They fail to take into account a copyright year of 1962 on the title
page, the fact that the book doesn't even have a dust jacket or endpaper
illustrations, or the fact that the book has only twenty chapters when any
serious collector will know that besides revising for racial and cultural
stereotypes when the books were edited they also went from twenty-five chapters
down to twenty and also from about 200 pages to, on average, 160 to 180 pages.
I was lucky with my Nancy Drew acquisitions as I got a
nearly complete first edition set of the core volumes from my fiancée's mother.
However, in this collection her number one was not a first edition as it was
actually a revised first edition. I was able to come across a lot on eBay of
original Nancy Drew books where the starting price was only $10. The only
downside, and the reason why probably no one else bid on it, was the fact that
(a) nowhere in the listing did it say that the books were first editions and
(b) the books, sadly, had no dust jackets and were in pretty disgusting
condition (lots of browning and bits of binding falling off) but still in readable
condition. For the purposes of my research, I knew that I wanted to get my
hands on first edition of number one so that I could compare it to its 1950s
revision. So I bid on the lot and won 23 first edition Nancy Drew books for only
$10.
Asides from comparing and contrasting the 1930s version the
1950s version for cultural and racial stereotypes, there is another reason why
it is important to have access to the original Nancy Drew books. The original
Nancy Drew was quite the feminist for her time period. She was young and
independent, drove around in her own sports car, appeared to have unlimited
access to money, didn't really care much for frivolous boys and romance, had no
qualms about going up against criminals, and had no trouble telling the police
that they weren't very good at their job. When Harriet Adams went about
revising the Nancy Drew books not only did people for many years believe that
she was Carolyn Keene (a fact that she never denied and actively propagated)
but she also decided that Nancy was too unladylike and thus had to have her
independent streak curbed. Most readers have actually grown up with an even
less feminist and individual Nancy Drew than she originally was. In fact, the
real author of most of the original 30 Nancy Drew volumes, Mildred Wirt Benson,
commented nearly 60 years later that because she didn't have full creative
control over Nancy she ended up writing her own Penny Parker mystery series in
which Penny was effectively how Benson would have written the character of
Nancy Drew if she didn't have to follow a bunch of rules. We can probably thank
Benson for giving young female readers of the 1930s and 1940s a very strong
female role model as Benson herself was very independent and went on to become
a well-known journalist. Without her, many young female readers might have been
stuck with more stories of passive girls who had nothing more to hope for than
marrying rich, being a housewife, and raising a bunch of kids.
First, let’s talk descriptions of people and families. Nancy
and her father have a very close relationship. Nancy is described as having a “curly golden
bob” and he father thinks to himself, “not at all the sort of head which one
expected to indulge in serious thoughts” (p. 2) which is very telling of the
time period—girls weren’t expected to do much but look pretty. The fact that Nancy was a smart, intelligent
girl who could handle her own was unheard of at the time. Carson Drew, Nancy’s
father, is described as “a widower, [who] showered a great deal of attention
upon his daughter; it was his secret boast that he had taught her to think for
herself and think logically. Since he knew that Nancy could be trusted with confidential
information, he frequently discussed his interesting cases with her” (p. 6).
Once again, excellent comments that weren’t usually bestowed on girls in the
1930s.
Although only sixteen, Nancy
was “unusually capable and under her skillful direction everything ran smoothly
in the Drew household.” On the death of her mother six years before, the Drews
employed, Hannah Gruen, an elderly maid. Nancy
is further described as being the “type of girl who is capable of accomplishing
a great many things in a comparatively short length of time. She enjoyed sports
of all kinds and she found time for clubs and parties. In school Nancy had been very popular
and she boasted many friends. People declared that she had a way of taking life
very seriously without impressing one as being the least bit serious herself”
(p. 12-13). (It should be interesting to note that the 1994 Nancy Drew
Notebooks states that Nancy’s mother died when she was three years old and the
original 1930 Nancy Drew Mystery puts Nancy’s age at ten years old.)
When Nancy and Carson discuss the case of Crowley leaving all his money to the Tophams,
Nancy isn’t shy about her feelings toward the family (p. 2-3):
“They wanted to work him into leaving all his money to them.
And it seems that their scheme worked, too! They treated him like a prince
until he made his will in their favor and then acted as though he were dirt
under their feet. Folks said he died just to be rid of their everlasting
nagging. . . . Richard Topham is an old skinflint who made his money by
gambling on the stock exchange. And Cora, his wife, is nothing but a vapid
social climber. The two girls, Isabella and Ada, are even worse. I went to school with
them, and I never saw such stuck up creatures in all my life. If they fall heir
to any more money, this town won't be big enough to hold them!”
Nearly everyone in River Heights
shares the opinion that the Tophams are snobbish and arrogant and that they
treated poor Josiah Crowley horribly. Nancy
had never known Josiah, but had often seen him on the street and thought he was
a rather nice but extremely odd individual. His wife died during the influenza
epidemic following the end of the World War, and since that time he had made his
home with various relatives.
When Nancy goes shopping she
runs into the vapid and rude Topham sisters—Ada and Isabel. Both are described as older
than Nancy and Nancy personally finds them “stupid, as well
as arrogant. They had never been popular with her classmates and had boasted
few friends.” The narration reads, “In spite of the expensive clothes she [Ada] wore, she was
nothing but attractive, for she was tall and slender to the point of being
termed ‘skinny.’ Now that her face was distorted with anger, she was positively
ugly. Isabel, who was the pride of the Topham family, was rather pretty in a
vapid sort of way, but Nancy Drew thought that her face lacked character. She
acquired an artificial manner of speaking which was both irritating and
amusing. It was her mother's ambition that someday she marry into a wealthy
family, and every opportunity was given her for her brilliant match” (p. 15-16).
The comparison of wealth and excess versus poverty shows
well in the story. Clearly, it helps reflect America at that time. While there
were some families that horded all the wealth there were many families living in
poverty. Most of the people that Josiah said he’s leave money to in his will
are families that need money. Two of them are Allie and Grace Horner. Nancy wishes she could
help them (since the Drews are pretty well off—not rich like the Tophams but
they live in comfortable means) but she knows that they “were proud” and would
refuse charity (p. 38).
When Carson discovers that Nancy is going to
actively search for the missing second will, he warns her about detective work:
“Detective work isn't always the safest occupation in which to engage. I happen
to know that Richard Topham is an unpleasant man when crossed. If you actually
succeed in learning anything which may help the Horner girls, you are certain to
have the Tophams in your wool” (p. 40).
The Tophams excess continues to be explored when Nancy goes to visit Mrs. Topham to try and sell her the charity
tickets and find out about the Crowley
clock. When she arrives she is “forced to wait until the Butler returned with permission for her to
enter. As she was finally ushered into the living room, she could not help but
smile at the elaborate formality, for in spite of Mrs. Topham's lofty
ambitions, the woman had never achieved the commanding position in society that
she strove for” (p. 96). Although the Tophams were well-to-do, it was common
knowledge that Mrs. Topham was decidedly stingy with her money where other
persons were concerned. Needless to say, it is Richard who buys all the tickets—letting
Nancy “keep the
change” left over as he sees attending a charity event to be helpful in
maintaining their social standings.
There is one great moment that really spoke to me as showing
how independent Nancy
is. She is driving to Moon
Lake when a common occurrence
happens—something that a lot of girls even today don’t know how to fix—she gets
a flat tire. The scene reads in part (p. 106-107):
“Presently, she noticed that the roadster had taken a
strange notion to turn to the left of the road in spite of her efforts to keep
it in the middle. Not without foreboding of trouble, she stopped the car and
got out to make a tour of inspection. As she suspected, the rear tire was flat.
. . . It was not the first time Nancy Drew had changed a tire, but she never
relished the task. Rummaging under the seat, she pulled out the tools and
quickly jacked up the rear axle. She loosened the lugs which held the tire in
place, and tugged at it. Again and again she pulled, but the huge balloon tire
could not be budged. Then, she gave one mighty tug, it came off and Nancy Drew
fell backwards into a sitting posture in the road.”
Her mechanical skills come in handy again when she attempts
to take the launch out to the cottage. Half way across the lake the engine
sputters and dies. We see Nancy
go to work again (p. 114-115):
“She discovered a pin stuck in the rim of a flywheel, and
after adjusting other parts, pulled it out rather timidly. She gave the wheel a
vigorous turn to the right. She tried again, swinging it further and stepping
back hard. To her delight the engine began to roar. Cutting down the motor, Nancy steered out into
deep water. At first she followed the shore, but as she became more familiar
with the wheel and as the engine appeared to work perfectly, she headed out
into the lake. Nancy
experienced a real thrill as the little launch responded to her hand. The lake
was as smooth as glass, and there was scarcely a cloud in the sky. . . . Nancy studied the engine
doubtfully. Like most girls, she had never interested herself in the mechanics
of what made wheels go around.”
Nancy
also isn’t shy when it comes to fighting criminals head on. The scene of her
attempt to get away from the movers is pretty violent for the 1930s, especially
with a girl as the main character. When Nancy
is caught by the criminals and even though their ringleader threatens her, “the
hopelessness of her situation gave her the courage to defy him.” She tells the
man that he is a common thief and she will turn his gang over to the police.
“The man held Nancy's
wrists in a vicelike grip. Her efforts to free herself were of no avail.” Nancy is desperate so “suddenly,
utilizing every ounce of her strength, she gave her imprisoned wrists a quick
upward jerk. As the action tore her hands free, she darted for the door. With a
cry of rage, the robber was after her. Almost in one long leap he overtook her,
caught her roughly by the arm, and forced her against the wall. Nancy Drew
struggled this way and that. She twisted and squirmed. She kicked and clawed.
But she was powerless in the grip of the man” (p. 130-131).
She also clearly has no problems defying authority when she
discovers the moving van with the stolen furniture and instead of calling the
police right away she decides, “If only I could get my hands on the clock
before I notify the police! Once the Marshall
takes charge of the stolen goods, I'll have no opportunity” (p. 155). Nancy just grabs the
stolen goods that she needs to solve her case. She does eventually give the
clock back to Grace and Allie but the police never know about her little side
adventure into thievery herself.
Lastly, the biggest aspect of the book that is historically
and culturally relevant is the scenes that take place between Nancy and the
caretaker of the Topham’s bungalow, Jeff Tucker—scenes that were completely
changed in the revised edition. On numerous occasions, Jeff Tucker is refered to
by one major characteristic (italics mine):
“Oh, no, the cottage is closed. There is a negro caretaker who looks after it—they call
him Jeff Tucker” (p. 110).
“There was no sign of Jeff Tucker, the colored caretaker in whose care the bungalow had been entrusted”
(p. 122).
“What had become of Jeff Tucker, the colored man who'd been left in charge of the Topham bungalow” (p.
124).
Clearly, in 1930, it is very important for the young readers
to understand that the caretaker, Jeff Tucker, is an African American. However,
the even sadder story is how Jeff is represented. First, is the horrible use of
vernacular (p. 138) that occurs throughout the scenes, such as when Jeff
rescues Nancy
from the closet:
“Oh, you is a caged lion, dis time,” a rather unsteady voice
remarked. “You is one o' dese tough robber boys, is you? Well, you won't do no
no' pilferrin', 'cause I done got you surrounded.”
“Let me out!” Nancy
pleaded. “I'm not a robber!”
“Say, robber boy, is you imitatin' a lady's voice to th'o'
me off de scent? If you is, it won't do no good 'cause I's a natural-born two-legged
blood houn'.”
Nancy
thought of a way to convince him. She let go her longest and loudest feminine
scream.
“Dat's enough! Hold yo' siren! I'll let yo' out. Dar ain't a
man in de world could make a racket like dat! Dis way out, lady!”
Expectantly, Nancy
waited, but the door did not open.
“My Lawdy!” she she heard to her horror. “I's done gone and
misplaced de key!”
When Nancy
is released the first thing she notices about Jeff is that he “plainly had had
a bit too much to drink. Jeff still knew very well what was going on about him,
but a certain alcoholic glitter in his eyes and his somewhat unsteady stance
informed Nancy that he was not just as sober as the proverbial judge” (p.
139-141). She suspects that while he was off getting drunk, the robbers had
made off with the Topham furniture, for even in his condition of semi-inebriety
he realizes that something was wrong: “Say, white gu'l, you tell me wheah all
dis heah fu'niture is at!”
He continues to talk in such phonetically heavy words that
one has to read very slowly to tell what he is saying:
“'At's right! 'At's right! Blame me! I ain't s'posed to be
no standin' ahmy—I's just a plain culled man with a wife and seven chillun
a-dependin' on me. No mom! I ain't havun' no truck wit' dem machine-gun boys!”
“You was in dat duh closet all dat time! You po'h chile!
Suppose you had p' stahved to death in dah, or da house had burned down, or you
was scared to fits, or—”
Jeff explains that he was taken away by a white man who gave
him a lot to drink and then dumped him at a hotel. When he woke up he noticed
his keys to the house were gone and ran back to the cottage to find Nancy locked in the
closet. When Nancy and Jeff go to the police station he tells them a slightly
different story: “First thing dey kidnaps me so I won't be around to raise no
ruckus. Den dey gives me some kind of a sleppin' powdah and pahks me in a
ho-tel. But I comes to and goes back, and dar I find dis gu'l cooped up in a
closet just as she told you” (p. 148).
Jeff seems eager to help, possibly to make up for his lack
of dedication to his job. When they make it to the police station and Nancy says that on her
way there she saw the side road where the truck’s tire marks turned off on, she
tells the police that she will take them there. She gets in her car and waits
for the officers to get in their car and follow her. As Jeff tries to get into
the police car, “he was forced gently but firmly back up on the sidewalk.” As
Nancy looks back in her rearview mirror to make sure that the police are
following her she catches a glimpse “of Jeff Tucker who stood gazing mournfully
after the departing automobiles” (p. 150).
The character of Jeff is the biggest change in the revision
which will be seen in another post shortly.
