Doctor Chang, Mesmerizer

Chapter 1

“Shopping makes me hungry,” said Bess Marvin.

“Everything makes you hungry,” George Fayne replied.

“Well, I’m hungry too,” said Nancy Drew. “There’s a snack stand nearby the ticket window. Let’s go.” Nancy smiled at the good-natured bickering between her two best friends. Bess and George were cousins but the two girls couldn’t be more different in physical appearance and personality. Bess was the more feminine of the two and the most likely to take fright to the unexpected. She was overly fond of food and was a bit overweight. In keeping with her masculine name, George could be tomboyish and very outspoken. It could be safely said that Nancy Drew was a titian haired beauty. All three young women were 18 years old and high school graduates.

After purchasing their snacks Nancy and her companions sat down on the waiting room bench to wait for the train back to River Heights after their shopping excursion to the city. Nancy noticed they had been joined in the waiting room by another girl around their own age. The girl was very pretty but the dress she wore was years out of fashion and a bit threadbare. Nancy also noticed the girl’s eyes were fixed on the snacks they had set on the bench.

“It’s a pleasant day, isn’t it,” said Nancy addressing the new girl.

“Yes, yes it is,” the young woman replied. She smiled nervously.

“My name is Nancy Drew. My friends are Bess Marvin and George Fayne.” Bess and George nodded and smiled.

“I’m Brianna Colby.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Colby.”

“Please call me Brianna.”

“I’m glad we’re all on a first name basis now, Brianna. We were just having a little snack while waiting for the train. Will you please join us?”

“Oh no, I couldn’t. Thank you for offering.”

“Go ahead and have some, Brianna,” said George. “You’ll be doing Bess a favor.”

“I … guess I am a little hungry,” said Brianna, “if I’m not imposing. Thank you very much.” From what Nancy could see their new acquaintance was very hungry. Brianna must not have eaten in days. She ate almost as much as Bess.

“What’s your destination,” Nancy asked.

“I’m going to River Heights,” Brianna replied.

“That’s our town,” said Bess.

“I’m going to be starting a job in the area.”

“That’s wonderful,” Nancy exclaimed. “We’ll be able to visit each other after today.”

“The job is supposed to be somewhere outside of town, but yes, I’d love that. I feel like I’ve made some new friends just when I needed them.”

The train ride to River Heights was very pleasant. The four teen-aged girls talked and Nancy was able to hear a little about Brianna’s history. Brianna Colby was 18 years old also and had grown up with her family in the city. With the stock market crash and subsequent factory closings, Brianna’s father had lost his job and been unable to find a new one. Brianna had just been able to graduate from high school before beginning a job hunt to help out her family but the search in the city had been futile, so far. Recently she’d met a woman who had offered her a job but it would mean relocating outside the city. Since it was the only job she’d been offered during her search, Brianna immediately accepted. The advantage was that room and board was to be included because the company location was in a rural area. She could save her wages and send money back to help the family.

Nancy nodded in sympathy. She felt fortunate that the current economic upheaval hadn’t affected her family and friends but millions of families in America weren’t as lucky. Families separated by the need to find work wherever possible were commonplace. Franklin Roosevelt had just been elected president and he was proposing many new programs to help people return to gainful employment. Nancy hoped the country was soon back to work.

“What kind of work will you be doing?” said Nancy.

“I’m not sure,” Brianna replied. “I imagine it’s some kind of secretarial work. I took typing and shorthand in high school and got good grades. That’s what I told the lady I was good at; secretarial. The company is supposed to be some kind of research institute.”

“What kind of research do they do?” said George.

“You know, I forgot to ask.” Brianna giggled self consciously. The train was slowing down for the River Heights train station. The girls began to gather up their belongings.

“Do you need to be dropped off anywhere? I’d be happy to give you a ride,” said Nancy.

“Thank you for offering, but I was told someone would be here to pick me up at the station.”

“Well, there’s no one here yet. Would you like us to sit with you while you wait?”

“I’d love that, Nancy,” said Brianna. “I’m kind of scared and nervous right now. Maybe they won’t like me.”

“I’m sure you’ll do fine,” Nancy assured their new friend. About ten minutes after they sat down a black sedan pulled up. A short barrel-chested man stepped out. The man’s hat was pulled down low as if he didn’t want to be recognized. He saw the girls and walked up to them.

“Are any of you called Brianna Colby?”

“I’m Brianna Colby,” said the teenager.

“I wasn’t told to expect four of you but more the merrier, heh heh.” His smile revealed yellow tobacco-stained teeth.

“We met while waiting for the train to River Heights,” Nancy explained. “We didn’t want Brianna to wait here alone so we decided to wait with her until her ride arrived. We’re not seeking employment.”

“That’s too bad.” The man had already made a bad first impression on Nancy. He failed to tip his hat like a gentleman would and the teenager had the distinct feeling he was trying to see through her clothes.

“What kind of research do you people do?” said George.

“Research? Oh uh … we’re doing heavy research on the mating habits of the bearded clam, heh heh.”

“Why would you be doing research on clams in this part of the country,” Nancy asked. “We’re not near the ocean.”

“They’re a type of fresh water clam.”

“I’ve never heard of them. Are they rare?”

“They’re commoner than you think, heh heh.”

“Can you eat them?” Bess asked.

“I knew that question was coming from you,” said George.

“They’re very good eating, young lady,” the man asserted. “I can’t eat enough of them. In fact, I start drooling the moment I even get near a bearded clam, heh heh.”

“I’d like to try some,” said Bess.

“I’ll make sure you all get a taste real soon; you and your friends. You won’t be able to stop once you start, heh heh.”

“Perhaps, we can visit you, Brianna,” said Nancy. “Where is this place exactly?”

“No outside visits until this young lady goes through orientation. That’s the rules. She can call you when it’s okay to come out for a visit. Now, I can’t gab here all day. You have an appointment to meet the director. Are you comin’ with me or not?”

“I guess I’m coming,” said Brianna with a nervous laugh and stood up. Nancy Drew was suddenly very afraid for their new friend. She wanted to beg her friend not to leave with this strange frightening man. But could she ask Brianna to refuse to accompany this man based on her intuition alone? Where was the evidence? Nancy had a detective’s instinct and had already helped solve mysteries that had baffled the authorities. (See the “Secret of the Old Cock”). Her father was the well known attorney Carson Drew.

The girls said their farewells and Brianna promised to call Nancy as soon as her orientation was finished. Nancy watched with sadness and foreboding as the car drove out of sight. She noted the car was missing its license plate.

“Gosh,” Bess exclaimed. “I wouldn’t get in the same car with that man even if my life depended on it.”

“Me neither,” said George. “He was kind of creepy. I felt like he was undressing me with his eyes.”

“I agree he was very rude,” said Nancy. “Perhaps he’s harmless but he should be reported to his superiors and be disciplined or even dismissed from his position.” Nancy still kept the feeling this man was far from harmless. She was very worried for her new friend.

“I wonder if there really is such a thing as a bearded clam,” said Bess.

“I don’t know,” the amateur sleuth replied, “but I intend to find out for sure.”

Nancy was at the library when they opened their doors the next morning. From her high school biology class, the young woman knew clams were from the phylum Mollusca. That included snails and squid as well as clams. Unfortunately, Nancy found very little information on clams and absolutely nothing on bearded clams. That wasn’t unusual since the River Heights Public Library collection was fairly small.

When Nancy returned home she telephoned the public aquarium in the city and asked to speak to anyone with expertise on shellfish. She was connected to a gentleman who said he was always happy to share his knowledge on shellfish. But when she mentioned the bearded clam the line went dead. Thinking she had been accidentally disconnected, Nancy telephoned again. The shellfish expert refused to talk to her and she was told not to call back. Nancy thought this was very strange. I’ve somehow offended him but I don’t how I could have.

At dinner that evening Nancy related the story of meeting Brianna Colby and also of meeting the man at the train station. Carson Drew listened quietly to his daughter’s narration. “So, what do you think,” said Nancy.

“I’m afraid that man at the train station was rude to you girls in more ways than one,” said Carson Drew.

“What do you mean, Dad?”

“A … bearded clam is an impolite slang term,” Mr. Drew replied in obvious discomfort.

“A slang term for what?”

“It refers to a woman’s genitals, honey.” Nancy was quiet for a moment while puzzlement turned to enlightenment. She stood up quickly almost knocking over her chair. The teenager was blushing furiously from embarrassment and humiliation.

“Oh my gosh, Dad! No wonder the man at the aquarium hung up on me. If I ever meet that disgusting man again I’ll give him a piece of my mind. Brianna is in danger. I just know it. We have to save her.”

“All that’s been established is that the man you girls met at the train station was very rude,” said Mr. Drew. “It doesn’t necessarily follow that your new friend is in any danger.”

“I knew that man was bad news the instant he opened his mouth and I just sat there and allowed Brianna to ride off with him. I’ll never forgive myself if he’s harmed Brianna.”

“You have no evidence of any wrongdoing, Nancy.”

“I just know,” Nancy replied. “Dad, I know you know when a client or a witness is lying to you even if you have no solid evidence of that at the time. I don’t have any solid evidence yet, but I had the same feeling in talking with this man that you get when you’re being lied to on the witness stand.” Carson Drew nodded in agreement. He knew his daughter had very good instincts for this sort of thing.

“Assuming you’re right, finding your friend might be a hopeless task,” said Mr. Drew. “You can’t go to the police with what little information you have and I really doubt if you’ll find a research institute anywhere in the county. I certainly haven’t heard of one. Your friend could be in the next state by now.”

“That’s true,” said Nancy, “but I think they’re relatively close. That man wasn’t dressed for long distance traveling. Also, he was evasive about the exact whereabouts of this so-called research institute. Finally, his car lacked its rear license plate. I don’t believe he’d travel far and risk being stopped by the police for lacking a license plate.”

“Well, even if they’re close by that’s still an awful lot of territory to cover with a lot of places to hide,” said Mr. Drew. “Since you’re so intent on looking into this, I suggest you talk to the police chief first and ask him if anyone has been cited recently for a license plate violation.”

“That’s a good idea, Dad. I’ll talk to the police chief tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow I have to go out of town for the start of a trial. As usual, I’ll be leaving a contact phone number with you so you can keep me informed if something important comes up. If you think there’s any danger, I want you to promise me to call the proper authorities and let them handle it.”

“I promise I’ll do that, Dad.”

“I hope this mystery is solved with just a simple telephone call to you from Brianna Colby.”

“I hope so too,” said Nancy. The teen sleuth didn’t think solving this mystery would be that simple though. She had a feeling it would be a very interesting case.

Chapter 2

“If I ever meet up with that guy again, I’ll knee him right where he lives,” George exclaimed. Nancy had just finished relating the conversation she had with her father the previous evening. They were discussing it over coffee at a nearby diner.

“But you don’t know where he lives,” Bess objected. “Do you?”

“I most certainly do,” George replied.

“Well fine then,” said Bess. “We’ll just go there and when he leaves we’ll follow him. He’ll lead us straight to Brianna.”

“That’s not what I meant you–”

“Let’s just concentrate on finding Brianna, okay?” Nancy said. “I have an appointment with the police chief this morning. Let’s meet for lunch at noon at my place. I asked Mrs. Gruen to set places for both of you before I left the house.” Hannah Gruen, the Drew family’s housekeeper, was a terrific cook and her friends never turned down a chance to enjoy an always delicious meal prepared by her.

Nancy’s meeting with the River Heights police chief didn’t produce much in the way of results. No one had been issued a ticket for a license plate violation in a long while and the violator was known to be a local merchant. Nancy’s de***********ion of the man who met Brianna Colby didn’t ring any bells with the chief.

“Your father’s right, Nancy,” the chief said. “We don’t have anything to investigate at the moment. You don’t have this young lady’s home address so you can’t contact her parents unless they’re listed in the telephone book which I doubt.”

“I’ve already checked that angle,” said Nancy. “You’re right.”

“I’ll ask the city police department to inform us if a missing persons report is filed for Brianna Colby but it could take weeks before her parents become worried if they don’t hear from her.”

“I appreciate the effort, Chief,” Nancy replied. “I’m just afraid we don’t have the luxury of time. I think Brianna Colby is in real danger now.” The guardian of law and order in River Heights nodded his head in agreement. He knew Nancy Drew wasn’t the type to jump to conclusions or panic unnecessarily. Despite her youth, Nancy had already been of inestimable assistance to the River Heights Police Department. (See the “Mystery of the Vegetarian Cannibal”.)

Nancy got home just before noon. With her usual Prussian efficiency, Hannah Gruen had everything under control and was ready to serve lunch. “Where’s Bess?” said Nancy when she opened the front door to admit George.

“She said she had a couple of errands to run,” George replied. “I’m sure she’ll be along soon. My cousin has yet to miss a meal when it’s been prepared by Mrs. Gruen.” However Bess was indeed late and the two young women had just about decided to eat without her when she finally arrived.

“It’s so nice of you to join us,” said George.

“I’m sorry but it couldn’t be helped,” Bess replied with a pleasant smile.

“Never mind,” said Nancy. “Let’s eat.”

The girls settled down to a delicious repast prepared by the inestimable Mrs. Gruen and talked in generalities but as the meal neared its end the topic of the whereabouts of Brianna Colby was once again on their minds.

“What’s our next move?” said George.

“I honestly don’t have a clue,” Nancy admitted.

“Well, I still think we should just follow him,” said Bess. “He’s sure to lead us back to Brianna eventually.”

“That’s brilliant thinking, Bess,” said George. “Do you happen to know where this fellow is right now?”

“No, I don’t,” Bess replied, “but I happen to know where he’ll be at four o’clock this afternoon.”

“Where? When?” Nancy almost shouted. “How did you find out about this?” Nancy and George stared in amazement at Bess who quite liked being the center of attention for a change.

“He’ll be at the train station at four o’clock this afternoon,” said Bess. “I was on my way to the druggist because I had a hankering for a candy bar. This big car pulled up in front of the train station. The same man who picked up Brianna got out of the car and opened the door for this Oriental-looking woman. She was Chinese or Japanese or something like that and very elegantly dressed.”

“It wasn’t the same car?” said Nancy.

“It was a different car,” Bess replied, “almost like a limousine, but it was the same driver. I’m sure of it. He got back into his car and left right away so I followed the woman inside. She caught the train into the city about five minutes later.

“Anyway, I sort of flirted with the ticket clerk and–”

“You did what,” exclaimed George. “That guy has to be a thousand years old.”

“Hush and let her finish,” said Nancy.

“ … and I commented how beautiful that Oriental woman was and he said she takes regular trips into the city and usually returns on the four o’clock train.”

“That’s great detective work, Bess,” said Nancy.

“Thanks!”

“I guess your sweet tooth came in pretty handy,” said George. “Congratulations, cousin!”

“That reminds me,” said Bess. “I didn’t get a chance to buy my candy bar.”

“I guess I know where I’m going to be at four o’clock this afternoon,” said the girl detective.

“I’m the one who found him,” said Bess. “I’m going to be there too.”

“Well, I’m not going to sitting around twiddling my thumbs while you two have all the fun,” said George. “I’m coming along. Maybe I’ll get a chance to kick that guy where he lives.”

“I knew I could count on you both,” said Nancy.

“That’s the car pulling up to the train station now,” said Bess as she finished her candy bar. Nancy Drew and her two friends were sitting in Nancy’s blue roadster across the street from the train station.

“That’s him all right,” said Nancy as she watched the man enter the front door of the depot. “It’s almost four o’clock too.” Not more than five minutes after the train dropped off its passengers Nancy observed their man accompany the Oriental woman to the car and open the door for her. He was very deferential to the woman and she was obviously his superior. This was in marked contrast to the way he treated Brianna who had to carry her own suitcase.

Not far out of River Heights farmland and open country dominated the landscape. Many of the country roads had yet to be paved so it was rather easy to stay well back and follow the trail of dust kicked up by the large automobile.

“They’ve either turned off the road or they’ve stopped,” said Nancy.

“How can you tell?” said Bess.

“I don’t see their dust trail any more.”

“Should we pull over?” said George. Nancy shook her head.

“I don’t think we have any choice but to continue on.” So far following the car had been easy. Perhaps it had been too easy. Sure enough, Nancy took a bend and found her car not more than two car lengths behind the one they were pursuing. The man and the woman were standing together and the man waved to them. The road was too narrow at that point to pass them and also too difficult to turn around.

“Is there a problem?” Nancy called. The Oriental woman approached Nancy’s side of the car.

“I’m not certain,” the woman answered in a cultured voice. “I would like to know why you are following us.”

“What are you talking about,” said George. “We weren’t following you. We just happened to be going in the same direction.”

Nancy didn’t see any point in prevaricating at this point and addressed the woman. “We met a young lady on the train to River Heights yesterday and became acquainted with her. Her name is Brianna Colby.”

“Miss Colby just entered my employment,” said the woman. “How does she concern you?”

“When your driver arrived to pick up Miss Colby we found his attitude and demeanor coarse and not befitting a gentleman. That was enough to make us uneasy. When we also discovered his mind belonged in the gutter–”

“I take it you and your friends wish to renew your acquaintance with Miss Colby so that you can be assured she has come to no harm.”

“That’s it exactly,” Nancy replied.

“Then by all means, let’s go meet Miss Colby so that your troubled minds will be at ease.” The Oriental woman turned to glance at her driver. “I shall be interested in listening to Lester’s version of events on our way back to the facility.” She turned and walked back to her automobile.

“I don’t like her attitude any better than his,” said George as they followed the limousine.

“I’m willing to reserve judgment until after we meet and talk with Brianna,” said the girl detective. It was obvious to Nancy that she’d been spotted following the target vehicle long before being confronted by this mysterious Oriental woman. They were turned around and actually driving back toward River Heights and then for several miles upriver. Eventually they turned into a country lane which led to a large house which fronted on the river. There was something familiar about the place but Nancy was sure she’d never been there before. Was it a picture she’d seen in the newspaper? Nancy parked the car. The girl detective and her companions got out to meet their hostess who seemed suddenly quite angry.

“It seems I owe the three of you an abject apology. Lester told me what transpired at the train station and he was quite out of line. I’ve decided to dismiss him from my service unless the three of you can find it in your hearts to forgive him.” Nancy observed a stricken man. He stood in front of them with his hat in hand. His eyes were downcast and the man was trembling with fear.

“Have you learned your lesson, Lester?” said Nancy.

“I-I certainly have, Miss,” said Lester. “The Doctor here has been trying to keep me on the straight and narrow, but I strayed this time and I know it reflected badly on her. I certainly didn’t mean any harm, Miss. I’m apologizing to all of you, of course, and I promise I’ll take this lesson with me to the grave and be a better man for it if you can see your way to forgiving me.” Nancy saw George and Bess both nod their heads.

“I don’t see why we should stand in your way if you’re truly sincere in your effort to reform yourself, Lester,” said Nancy. “Of course we forgive you.”

“Thanks a lot, ladies,” Lester replied. “I suppose I’d better get back to work.” He quickly left in the direction of some out-buildings.

“I’m glad that incident has been resolved satisfactorily,” said their hostess. “My name is Doctor Chang. Who do I have the honor of addressing?”

“My name is Nancy Drew. These ladies are my two best friends; George Fayne and Bess Marvin.”

“Shall we step inside?” They were met at the door by a Negro maid and led to a spacious parlor. “Beulah, please ask Miss Colby to join us.”

“Yes, Doctor,” said Beulah.

“Are you any relation to Carson Drew of legal fame?”

“He’s my father,” said Nancy. “Are you a physician, Dr. Chang?”

“I’m a clinical psychologist specializing in behavior modification.”

“That’s a mouthful,” said George. “What does it mean?”

“It’s indeed a mouthful, Miss Fayne,” said Dr. Chang. “I deal with young women who have been in minor scrapes with the law and who are at risk of getting into more serious trouble which could lead to prison. My goal is to prevent that and lead them back into more productive lives.”

“That’s very admirable,” said Nancy. “May I ask? Do you know the history of this estate? I seem to recall seeing a picture in the newspaper which is remarkably similar to what I’ve seen.”

“Until last year, this house was a speakeasy and brothel. It was raided and closed by the federal authorities. I purchased the property from the bank after the previous owner could no longer pay his bills.”

“Holy smokes,” exclaimed Bess. Her voice became a whisper. “Do you mean prostitution?”

Doctor Chang pointed upstairs. “That’s where the women lived and performed their duties. I’m converting the upstairs to dorm-like rooms for my clients. They will be arriving beginning next month. Right now there’s just Lester, Beulah, Brianna and myself.”

“I feel so naughty being here,” said Bess.

“Relax,” said George. “None of that is going on now.”

“Well, here’s Brianna.”

“Hi! I certainly didn’t expect to see you three so soon,” said Brianna.

“We became worried after you left the train station,” said Nancy.

“This is about Lester, right? He kind of gave me the creeps too, but I think he’s harmless.”

“That’s good to know,” said Nancy. “May we sit and talk with Brianna for a while, Dr. Chang.”

The oriental woman looked at her watch. “We were already behind schedule before this unfortunate incident and it has put us even further behind. Perhaps we can schedule something for the near future; luncheon perhaps?” She stood up and the young visitors realized the interview was over. They stood up also.

“Yes, of course,” said Nancy. “It’s been a pleasure meeting you. Could you walk us out to the car, Brianna?”

“I’m afraid she can’t,” said Dr. Chang. “I need her to dictate some urgent messages. Beulah will see you out. Good-bye.”

“I hope I’ll see you all soon,” said Brianna and gave them a little wave. She followed Dr. Chang out of the room.

“That was the strangest visit,” said George on their drive back to River Heights. “It seemed like Dr. Chang wanted to get rid of us just as soon as we saw Brianna.”

“Those are my thoughts exactly,” said Nancy. “Also, did you notice Beulah was keeping an eagle eye on us? Almost as if she was afraid we we were going to walk off with something.”

“I didn’t think anything of it at the time but now that you mention it, it did seem strange,” George replied.

“Lester winked at me before walking away,” said Bess.

“Are you serious?” said George.

“I swear it’s true.”

“It doesn’t seem like Lester was very sincere after all,” said Nancy. The girl detective realized she wasn’t assured at all about Brianna’s safety after that visit. There was something else that was bothering her but the girl detective’s mind would not put the puzzle pieces together. At least not yet. This case warranted further investigation.

Chapter 3

After dropping off Bess and George, Nancy returned home in time to enjoy a light supper prepared by Mrs. Gruen and then take a phone call from her father. They exchanged pleasantries and then Nancy proceeded to tell her father about locating Brianna Colby and the strange meeting with Dr. Chang.

“It sounds like you’re still not satisfied after your meeting with Brianna.”

“You’re absolutely right, Dad,” replied Nancy.