"Sounds good," said George. "I'll make some toast to go with it."

"Anybody want a hamburger?" Bess giggled. "I'm going to make one for myself."

Suddenly Nancy felt ravenous and said she would have one too. "Make it three." George grinned. In a few moments Bess had the burgers sizzling in a pan.

Bess had just flipped them over when there came a tremendous crash from the living room!

CHAPTER XIV.

The Cricket Clue

ALL three girls dashed into the living room. They looked horrified at the scene before them. The front door stood open, a huge rock lay on the floor and beside it both Cecily and Niko lay unconscious! Bess gave a little scream as she and George ran forward to kneel beside the striken couple.

Nancy was torn momentarily between helping them and trying to find the rock thrower. She rushed from the cottage and gazed around. Two men were racing along the lake front toward the lodge, and in a minute vanished from sight among the trees.

"I'll bet they're the Driscoll brothers!" Nancy murmured to herself. "I wish I'd had a better look. Well, I can't do anything about it now." She hurried back inside the cottage. For the first time she realized exactly what had happened. The two assailants had carried the heavy rock up to the porch, quietly opened the door, and thrown their weapon with full force at the couple. Cecily and Niko had been seated on the small couch before the fireplace, their backs to the door. Fortunately, the rock had struck the couch, but the force of the blow had pitched the pair forward, and they had struck their heads on the edge of the hearth.

"They might have fallen right into the fire!" Nancy thought, shuddering.

Bess and George were already giving Cecily and Niko first aid and in a little while they revived. Both had bruises on their heads, but otherwise were not injured. They were thunderstruck to learn what had happened.

"I think you need a police guard at this place," Niko said shakily.

Cecily looked wan and upset. Luckily there was a diversion at that moment. Bess cried out, "Oh, our hamburgers!" She dashed into the kitchen and presently announced that she had three very well-done, somewhat burned, hamburgers for sale.

Nancy, Bess, and George temporarily had lost their appetites. But there was enough of the hot soup for everyone and Bess served cups of it in the living room. As the group sat around sipping the soup, they discussed the mystery. None could think of any reason for the attack.

Presently Niko admitted to being very tired, and said he would drive back to Mrs. Hosking's for a good night's sleep.

"I'll see you all in the morning. How about Cecily driving to Baltimore with me tomorrow, and you other girls coming in Nancy's car? We can stop at my record company first."

The plan was agreed upon. As Niko was about to leave, Cecily said, "I'll have to do something with Satin while we're away. Will you ask Mrs. Hosking if she will keep him?"

Niko scooped up the beautiful black cat. "I'll take him right now. Good night, everybody."

Nancy was the first one awake the next morning. She hurried into the kitchen, and by the time the others opened their eyes, the delicious aroma of broiling bacon reached them. The girls took a quick dip in the lake, then ate before dressing. By nine o'clock they had locked the cottage and were on their way. While the others waited at Mrs. Hosking's, Nancy drove to police headquarters and talked with Chief Stovall. She told of the many happenings in or near the cottage since the prowler had broken in.

The chief frowned. "Last night's attack is certainly bad business. I'm sorry we've made no proggress on catching the vandal. I take it you believe the same person-or persons-are responsible for both incidents. But this business about the phantom boat I still can't swallow. There must be some logical explanation for it."

Nancy smiled. "The apparition is pretty weird-but it is very lifelike."

"I just don't see any sense to it," the officer said. "Granted, this phantom ship is man-made, as you say. But who would want to do it and why?"

"To scare people away from the lake."

Chief Stovall shrugged. "Well, all right, I'll look into that, too," he promised, then the young sleuth left.

Nancy followed Niko's car all the way to Baltimore. When they reached the historic old city, she was glad the young musician was leading her through the tricky narrow one-way streets to the record company's office.

Niko introduced the girls to the president, Mr. Carpenter, and he in turn introduced another man as Police Detective Morton.

Nancy brought out the record she had purchased at the Misty Lake soda shop. She requested that before having it played, Mr. Carpenter bring in one of their own recordings of Niko's number. This was done and it was played from beginning to end as everyone listened carefully.

"It's a wonderful record!" Bess said dreamily.

"Thank you," Mr. Carpenter answered, smiling. "We think so too. And evidently the public does."

Nancy's record was now placed on the player. Again everyone listened intently. For the first time Nancy detected certain faint sounds on the disc which she had not noticed before. "It sounded just like crickets in the background," she exclaimed when the music came to an end.

Mr. Carpenter's jaw set grimly. "There's no question but that this was pirated from ours! Now we have something concrete. We'll go after these thieves!"

"How will you do it?" Niko asked.

Detective Morton spoke up. "I'll try tracing them through the jobber," he said.

Nancy gave Neal Raskin's name, explaining that the girls had tried unsuccessfully to see him. She suggested that the strange background noise on the record which sounded like crickets might be a clue, although a slight one, to the place in which the records were being cut.

"I realize," Nancy added, "that crickets are found throughout the country."

Detective Morton smiled at her. "Your suggestion may still be helpful, Miss Drew. At least it tells us the record was cut in a rural area where the sound of crickets could be plainly heard. And it must have been cut recently, since Niko's number came out last month. If you unearth any more good leads, please get in touch with me." Nancy promised to do so.

The callers arose and said good-by to Mr. Carpenter and the detective. The company president assured Niko everything would be worked out fairly, and he was glad to have proved to the young man that royalties were not being withheld from him.

"We'll start a suit against those pirates immediately!" Mr. Carpenter said.

"I sure hope you do." Niko replied. "Cecily and I need the money-to get married!"

Mr. Carpenter congratulated the engaged couple and wished them luck. "Maybe my engagement present to you will be a big fat royalty check!"

When he reached the street, Niko said he must go to the theater immediately for a rehearsal. He would see them after the show that evening.

When the singer had left, Bess asked Nancy, "What's next on our schedule?"

The girl detective said she thought they should locate the Kenneth Wayne home and see what they could find out. After getting directions from a policeman, Nancy drove there. The address they sought proved to be a modest apartment house. Nancy rang the bell marked Wayne, but there was no answer.

"How am I ever going to find out about these people?" Cecily asked.

"Somebody here must know them," said Nancy. She rang the bell of a Mrs. Rumsey on the first floor.

The woman was very cooperative. She kept staring at Cecily as she replied to Nancy's question, "Mr. and Mrs. Wayne died about three years ago. Their two sons still rent the apartment, but both are in the Navy now and rarely come home."

The woman went on, "Also, there's a daughter named Susan. She was married in the old Wayne homestead up at Misty Lake about four years ago. She went out West to live and just seemed to disappear. Maybe her two brothers know something about her, but I never get to talk to them."

Addressing herself to Cecily, Mrs. Rumsey added, "I've seen wedding pictures of Susan. She resembles you so closely it's startling. You two must be related."

Cecily was so surprised she did not comment. Nancy asked quickly, "Mrs. Rumsey, does Susan have red hair?"