The Bearded Clam Mystery Ch. 03

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. "Something isn't right at that house and I intend to find out what it is."

"You still don't have any evidence of wrongdoing, honey," said Carson Drew. "Dr. Chang certainly doesn't have any obligation to divulge private information to you."

"Do you think I'm reading too much into Dr. Chang's actions?"

"Perhaps you are, Nancy," said her father. "Maybe you can call the county and check if Dr. Chang has applied for the needed permits and licenses to open such a facility."

"That's a good idea," said the girl detective. "I'll do that."

"I can check to see if this woman is properly licensed with the state and what if any professional associations she belongs to."

"Thanks, Dad," said Nancy.

The next day Nancy Drew was on the telephone to the county. Unfortunately she was told the types of requests she was making had to be done in person or in writing. Nothing could be done over the telephone. Nancy thanked the clerk and decided a trip to the county seat was in order. She had learned how to do legal research from her father and the information she wanted to know was too detailed to be put in a letter. However the trip would have to wait until the following Monday since her Friday was pretty much planned. Nancy wished she could talk to Brianna privately. That would certainly confirm or allay the girl detective's concerns.

It was as if by magic Nancy's wish was answered. She had just returned from a late lunch with Bess and George when the telephone rang. It was none other than Brianna Colby on the line. "It's so nice to hear from you, Brianna."

"Thanks, Nancy," said Brianna. "Dr. Chang feels bad about being so short with you yesterday and wants to make it up to you by inviting Bess, George and you to luncheon tomorrow. She promised we could spend the whole day together. She also promised we wouldn't have Beulah shadowing me," she added in a whisper.

"I'd love to come," said Nancy. "I'm sure Bess and George would love to come too."

"Be sure you guys bring an overnight bag," said Brianna. "I have Dr. Chang half convinced to let you stay the entire weekend. There are scads of room and Beulah is a decent cook. We can spend the night upstairs and pretend we're fallen women waiting for our clients."

"Oh my goodness," Nancy exclaimed with a laugh. "That sounds like an adventure."

Bess and George readily agreed to the luncheon plans and the contingency plan of staying overnight. She likened it to a slumber party where the girls would snack and talk all night before all fell into exhausted sleep.

Nancy and her friends arrived at Dr. Chang's estate at 11 o'clock Saturday morning and were met at the door by Beulah. "Dr. Chang and Miss Colby are in the parlor," said the Negro maid and led the way to their hostesses.

"Welcome back," said Brianna with a wide smile. "I hope you three are prepared to stay for the weekend."

"We are," said Nancy, "and thank you for the invitation, Dr. Chang."

"You're very welcome," the Oriental woman replied. "I'm afraid I didn't make a very good impression the other day. I hope this weekend will be much more relaxing for all concerned."

"We'd all like to make a better impression," said Nancy.

"I'm told we might get to sleep upstairs," said Bess. "That's sounds exciting."

"I have two rooms prepared with two beds each not unlike a college dormitory," said the doctor. "I'm afraid the others are still not in livable conditions so I've kept the doors locked."

"I'd still like to see one of them," said Bess.

"You would," said George.

"Beulah has the keys," Dr. Chang replied. "By the way, she was a maid for the previous tenant also so she knows this place quite well."

"I bet you could tell us some interesting stories, Beulah," said Nancy.

"I could do that, Miss" the Negro maid replied. "I wouldn't name any names, but I could relate some interesting stories, especially Friday and Saturday nights. A lot of the rest of the time was pure boredom for the girls what with waiting for a paying client to show up."

"You may serve luncheon now, Beulah," said Madame Chang.

The five women sat down for a pleasant luncheon. Beulah was indeed a good cook although she couldn't come close to the cuisine Mrs. Gruen served. They engaged in pleasant chitchat but Nancy was interested in learning more about Dr. Chang's operation.

"What methods do you use in treatment," Nancy asked.

"I will be administering a small questionnaire that will help me determine the type of help a particular young woman's needs," said Dr. Chang. "With this questionnaire and further testing I will be able to determine where her interests and talents lie and also her weaknesses. I had Brianna fill out the questionnaire and from it I could tell she had the determination to succeed and help her family. I knew her assistance would be of enormous help to me."

"Thank you, Dr. Chang," said Brianna. She blushed prettily.

"I'd like to take that questionnaire," said Bess. "I think it would be fun."

"You're all welcome to," said the Oriental woman.

"Only if it wouldn't be an imposition," said Nancy.

"It's no imposition at all."

"What do you do with the information from the questionnaire?"

"We'll go over them during individual therapy. There will also be group therapy sessions. In some cases we'll be using hypnotherapy."

"Hypnotherapy? Do you mean hypnosis?"

"That's exactly what I mean."

"I'd like to see if I can be hypnotized," said Bess.

"Yeah, she could make you think you were a dog or a chicken," said George.

"Some of these girls have gone through deep mental and physical trauma and hypnosis helps me discover the root causes of this trauma. I can then deal with it more effectively. I would never use it as a parlor trick although if Miss Marvin will allow me, perhaps I can demonstrate the technique after I take a look at her questionnaire."

"I can hardly wait," said Bess.

"What happens after they finish here?"

"They're sent back home. The hope is they'll be better prepared to deal with their home environment and get a decent job. Although with the unemployment situation as it is, I'm afraid there's going to be a certain amount of recidivism."

"What's that?" said George.

"Under stress they'll lapse back into previous behaviors which got them into trouble in the first place."

"That sounds like a lot of work," said Nancy. "Do you have any help coming?"

"I'll have additional staff by the time the first young women arrive." Nancy Drew was certainly impressed with Dr. Chang's goals and began to greatly admire her. Perhaps, the teen detective thought, she'd been wrong in her suspicions.

After everyone had finished eating they retired to the parlor. Brianna left the room and returned with a questionnaire for each of her guests. It didn't take long for Nancy and her friends to fill out. The doctor took the questionnaires and studied them for a few minutes each.

"I'll give you my first impressions," said Dr. Chang, "but they will be by no means comprehensive. In fact, you might all denounce me as a fortune teller from a traveling carnival."

"We'd never do that, Dr. Chang," said Nancy. Bess and George both nodded their heads in agreement.

"Very well," said the Oriental woman. "Miss Drew, you are very logical and analytical. You could very easily follow in your father's footsteps in the legal profession. However I don't see you as the type to study dry legal texts."

"I like to solve mysteries," said Nancy.

"Perhaps a career in investigative journalism might suit you." Nancy liked the sound of that: Nancy Drew, Investigative Reporter. Uncovering and reporting crime and corruption is her life's goal; exposing wrongdoers and helping to bring them to justice.

"Miss Fayne, you seek to be taken as seriously as a man. I see you as a fighter for women's rights." George smiled and nodded her head. She was obviously pleased.

"Miss Marvin, you are a romantic. In fact, I think you're in love with a special someone at this very moment."

"Who's the lucky guy, Bess," George teased. "Is he someone we know?"

Bess blushed and said, "None of your bees wax."

"Of course, if you were my clients, we would go into greater detail but those are just my initial impressions. There are no guarantees that I'm correct in any of this."

"Well, you certainly impressed me, Dr. Chang," said Nancy.

"Can you hypnotize me now?" said Bess.

"If you wish," Dr. Chang replied.

"She can't be made to do something against her will while in a trance, can she?" said Nancy.

"That's a complete myth popularized by pulp magazines and the moving pictures," the older woman replied. "The subject must have the desire to accomplish change before change can occur."

"I'm all of a sudden a little nervous right now," said Bess. "Maybe I could be hypnotized later?"

"But it's too late, my dear," Dr. Chang replied. "You're already in a trance."

"I am?" Bess looked as amazed at the oriental woman's statement as Nancy and the other onlookers.

"Yes, and all that I have to do is touch your hand and you will fall into a relaxed and restful sleep hearing and responding to my voice only. Do you understand what I've told you, Bess?" Bess nodded her head. Nancy flinched when Madame Chang suddenly grabbed her friend's hand and said "Sleep!" Bess closed her eyes and slumped in her chair.

"Miss Marvin is very suggestible," said Madame Chang.

"Boy, I'll say!" George exclaimed. "I thought you had to say 'you're getting sleepy' and like that."

"That is the best known technique for trance induction but far from the only one. The one I use saves a lot of time. In her questionnaire Miss Marvin indicated a desire to lose weight. Does she have a particular weakness?"

"Food is her weakness," said George. Nancy couldn't suppress a giggle at her friend's statement.

"I can't order the poor girl to starve herself," said Madame Chang.

"She loves chocolate," said Nancy. "She has a least one candy bar a day." The Chinese woman nodded.

"Can you hear me, Bess?"

"Yes, Doctor."

"You love chocolate bars. Is that right?"

"Yes, Dr. Chang."

"But too many chocolate bars can cause weight problems."

"Yes, Doctor."

"From now on you will limit yourself to one chocolate bar per week as a reward for good behavior. At any other time the chocolate bar will taste bad to you. If you have a desire for a chocolate bar at any other time you will instead snack on a piece of fresh fruit or vegetable. Do you understand what I've told you?"

"Yes, Doctor."

"I'm going to bring you out of your trance now, Bess. You will remember everything I said while you were in trance. When I clap my hands you will awaken feeling rested, relaxed and fully alert." The older woman clapped her hands and Bess opened her eyes and looked around.

"Was I hypnotized?"

"You sure were," said George, "unless you were playing a game with us. How do you feel?"

"I feel fine. Does this mean I don't have to worry about my diet anymore?"

"I wish it was that easy," the oriental hypnotist replied. "The suggestion is in your subconscious now and your subconscious wants you to succeed. Success in achieving your goal is up to you."

The rest of the afternoon and evening was spent touring the house and grounds. The girls got to see one of the infamous rooms where a prostitute plied her trade. It wasn't much different from one of the converted dorm rooms except the bed was larger and the decorations were fancier.

"I haven't seen Lester today," said Nancy.

"Dr. Chang sent Lester on several errands today to keep him out of the way," Brianna explained. "I'm afraid he's on probation right now."

"Does he live on the grounds?"

"Everyone lives on the grounds. Dr. Chang has a suite on the ground floor. I stay in a former maid quarters as does Beulah. Lester has a room above the garage. The garage was a former stable and the loft was closed off and converted. The largest out building is being converted to apartments for staff."

"That must cost quite a bit of money," said Nancy. "Is Dr. Chang rich?"

"She told me she has a wealthy benefactor who desires anonymity."

The girls retired to their rooms fairly early. They were all exhausted because of the active day. Nancy and Brianna stayed in one room with Bess and George in the other. Later that night Nancy got up to use the facilities and was surprised to see Bess going downstairs. She thought about calling after her friend but didn't want to wake the others. Still, curiosity got the better of her and she decided to follow Bess.

Bess Marvin seemed to know where she was going. She bypassed the parlor and walked down a rear hallway. She entered a door without knocking. There was a light in the room and she could hear voices but Nancy couldn't hear what was being said. She thought about knocking at the door but instead the amateur detective bent down and peeked through the keyhole. Bess was sitting next to Dr. Chang. The Chinese woman was speaking in a low tone and Bess was listening. She wished she could hear what was she was telling Bess. Nancy's intuition told her nothing good was being said.

"What do you think you're doing there?" whispered a voice behind her. Nancy gasped and straightened up. Beulah was standing right next to her.

"N-nothing," Nancy stammered.

"You were spying on Dr. Chang."

"My friend Bess is in there with her," Nancy replied as if that justified her.

"So you like to eavesdrop on friends? I don't think that makes you a very good friend. Let's find out what they think of that."

"Please don't tell them." Nancy felt mortified being caught spying. The Negro maid smiled.

"I might be persuaded to keep my mouth shut."

"I'll give you money."

"I'm not interested in any money."

"What then?"

"You can start off by giving me a kiss."

"What?"

"You heard me."

"I-I'm not that way." Nancy couldn't believe it. Beulah was a lesbian!

"I don't much care if you are or not." Nancy tried to dodge around Beulah, but the Negro maid was quick. She grabbed Nancy around the waist and held her. Beulah wasn't bigger than Nancy but she was muscular and seemed as strong as a man.

"Let go of me this instant or I'll scream," the outraged girl detective hissed.

"Go ahead and scream," Beulah replied. She knew Nancy was bluffing. Beulah went to kiss the girl detective but Nancy moved her head just in time. The Negro maid just smiled. It was then that Nancy realized her robe had come open and Beulah was groping her hips. The teenage detective's pelvis was jammed up Beulah's pelvis and she was protected only by her thin nightgown.

"Please let go of me," Nancy begged.

"The longer you resist the longer this will take, little one," Beulah replied. Nancy knew she had no choice but to obey. She presented her lips to the maid who took possession of them immediately. She forced open Nancy's mouth with her tongue. Nancy's skin crawled with disgust. It was worse than she first feared. Beulah's hands weren't idle either. Nancy's hips and bosom were victim to the maid's roaming hands. Nancy Drew had never before experienced anything like this. She had a boyfriend Ned Nickerson who was a complete gentleman and Nancy would not have tolerated anything less from him. She allowed him to hold her hand on walks or at the moving pictures. Nancy always rewarded Ned with a chaste kiss at the end of the evening but that was all. Now she was being sexually assaulted by Madame Chang's Negro maid. Now Beulah was licking and kissing her neck.

"I think I'll keep you," whispered Beulah. "Would you like that, little one?" Nancy knew better to contradict this mad woman.

"Yes, I'd like that," said Nancy. Beulah kissed once more and finally let go of her. Nancy climbed the stairs as if in a daze. She still had to use the facilities. When she finished she looked in the mirror. There was an ugly red mark on her neck. Nancy Drew felt like crying for the first time since her mother died.