Nancy Drew Mystery Series book #19 and book #6 for Collin’s London edition.
I’ve changed some things. Instead of recaping a whole book in one post, I’ll do each section that I read. It’ll be great if you read along with me. It’ll be like a book club.
Chapter 1-3
Nancy Drew came home from art class [When did she become so interested in art?] and overheard Hannah talking to a dark haired girl about a mystery. The girl’s name was Ellen. Ellen had been offered a job as a piano teacher to Trixie Chatham; daughter of the owner’s at Rocky Edge estate. She didn’t know whether she should take it since the daughter is known to be unruly.
They paid a visit to Rocky Edge. Trixie had had many piano teachers and I guess she hated them all. After listening to Nancy recite some limericks, it didn’t take long for Trixie to like her. Kids just love limericks don’t they?
Nancy approached The Ship Cottage (a music studio inside) in the estate but Trixie claimed it to be haunted and ran away. Nancy went in anyway and tried to play the piano but there was no sound. How could this be? It was called the Ship Cottage because there were several model ships displayed. Suddenly a wall panel behind her slid open and a man stared at her and said, “Leave here at once and never come back!” She accidentally pressed on the piano keys and this time, there was sound! How strange!
Carson Drew said the previous owner was an inventer with unsuccessful gadgets and had passed away. He advised Ellen to wait before accepting the job.
Ellen invited Nancy, George and Bess to her home to talk about her mystery. Tomlin Smith (Ellen’s father) spoke to the girls about his story. His mother died at a young age so he and his fraternal twin brother travelled the seas with their father. The family name was Tomlin. Just as one of the ships was about to sink in a hurricane, T. S.’s father told the twins that their grandfather had hidden a treasure on an uncharted island in the Atlantic. He’d been searching it but failed. Instead of handing the map to them, he tore it in half and gave each piece to each twin. The twins sailed in different direction and Tomlin Smith never saw his brother again. His father must have died with the ship. He was then adopted by the Smith family, hence his name. Without the other half of the map, they could not find the treature. T. S. kept the map in hoping to reunite with his brother and look for the treasure together, unfortunately with no success thus far.
Mr. Rorke wanted to buy the map so Nancy decided to follow his car.
Remember, I have not read beyond this. I’m guessing that the strange man in the Ship Cottage is the twin brother. I mean the cottage is filled with ship models, so that makes sense doesn’t it? There’s something about the gadgets that need to be tied into this story too. Did the inventor really pass away?
Drew's Clue 