Sorry about the delay. Hopefully nobody gave up on me yet. ; ) Enjoy!
4. Secret Treasure?
Joe and Frank reached the old mansion early. Gabriel's car was already parked in front of the mansion. Gabriel stood next to a large rose bush. Joe briefly wondered how long he had been waiting for them. Frank was about to switch the key of their car off when Joe abruptly stopped him. Joe shushed Frank and turned the radio up.
"Famous amateur detective, Nancy Drew, has been in the hospital since late yesterday afternoon." the radio announcer reported. "Sources say that while Drew is not seriously injured, she suffered a blow to the head in a fall while performing repair work on a local building. She is being treated for minor injuries as well as being treated for amnesia."
"How did the press find out about Nan?" Frank wondered as he turned the radio off.
"And what trouble will it cause?" Joe replied with a question of his own. "With amnesia, the last thing she needs is the press hounding her for answers she doesn't have."
"I guess we know who we have to question next. We should talk to the press and doctors as soon as we can. We have to know where the information came from." Frank grumbled.
Frank switched the key off and climbed out of the car, followed by Joe. Gabriel met the Hardys at the stone walkway. He had a defeated look on his face as he greeted the brothers.
"Somehow, I expected something more, something grander. To hear the stories, then to see this place, I don't know. It just seems so hopeless, almost dismal." Gabriel explained.
Joe sighed. "It does look rundown. Maybe when Nancy gets her memory back we can get this place back to its original grandeur."
"Why don't we go check out this portrait?" Frank suggested.
"Maybe you can tell us more about this place and Lady Drew."
Joe led the way inside the mansion. The entryway seemed less welcoming this time. The wood from the banister still lay on the floor where Nancy had fallen from the landing. Frank and Gabriel followed Joe up the stairs to the landing where the portrait of Lady Drew hung. The Hardy brothers were careful to avoid the broken portion of the banister, a grim reminder of the reason for their return with Gabriel.
"She's just like I pictured her. This is the portrait that was painted just two months before Lady Drew died. I've never actually seen the painting, but I remember reading the description of it. As the story goes, old man Drew was so distraught over his daughter's passing that he couldn't even take her portrait down."
"You know a lot about this house." Frank commented.
"Not really. Everything I know is information that my parents put in that book before they died. I know that they knew more than what's written there. My adoptive parents said that they found notes from the times my parents had researched the legend. I never got those notes." Gabriel paused, a thoughtful look on his face.
"What?" Joe asked curiously.
"Well, I seem to remember my adoptive parents talking one night. I was going to get a drink and heard them in the kitchen. They said something about finding my uncle. I was really young, so I didn't understand. I never said anything about that night."
"Were they talking about an adoptive uncle?" Joe questioned.
"Not possible. Neither one had any siblings. The only uncle I could have had was from my biological family."
"I thought Lady Drew died and her husband disappeared." Frank commented, frowning.
"Lady Drew died and her husband did vanish. They had one son though. I never did find anything out about him. Most people believe he died as well."
"Maybe," Joe paused, "there'd have to be. At least I think so."
"Have to be what?" Frank questioned.
"We, or at least I, just assumed that the missing baby had grown up and was a direct ancestor of Nan. What if Lady Drew and Walter had another brother?"
Frank and Joe left the mansion with more questions then answers. Gabriel was the descendant of Walter. If there was another brother, and he was the ancestor of Nancy, what happened to Lady Drew's family? Maybe there was more family, with more answers. Frank drove to the hospital in a haze, his mind caught on what he had learned.
"Do you think that finding out who this Lady Drew is matters right now?" Joe questioned Frank.
"I was wondering the same thing." Frank replied. "It seems like every time we find one answer we leave with three more questions. The only reason I questioned the identity of Lady Drew was because of her resemblance to Nancy."
"I say we leave it alone and try to help Nancy gain her memory."
"Agreed."
Frank pulled into the crowded hospital parking lot and found an empty space. Just being at the hospital disheartened both brothers. Frank led the way into the building and down the hall to Nancy's room.
"I remember that!" Frank and Joe heard Bess squeal.
"That's great Bess," Joe said as he walked in, "but does Nan remember?"
Bess blushed as the others laughed. "Not even Nancy can remember everything."
"Actually, we've spent the morning looking at pictures." George explained, holding some photos up as proof.
"I didn't remember everything but I did recognize some people and places. Maybe things will start coming back to me soon."
"Don't worry Nancy. You'll remember everything eventually." Frank promised.
"So what did you guys find out about that portrait?" Bess questioned. "Anything new?"
"The woman is known as Lady Drew." Joe began.
Nancy sat up and gasped. "Lady Drew? Lady Jocelyn Drew? I know about her!"
The others stared at Nancy in stunned disbelief. Frank was the first to recover enough to speak. "How?" he squeaked.
Nancy smiled. "I've known about her for years. Every Drew born hears the story. She has been a sort of family legend for years. Hannah has every piece of information about Jocelyn that I have ever gathered. I spent years doing research. According to her legend, she has a diary in the mansion that leads to an unbelievable amount of wealth."