The Clue of the Black Keys facts for kids
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| Author | Carolyn Keene |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Nancy Drew stories |
| Genre | Detective, mystery |
| Publisher | Grosset & Dunlap |
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Publication date
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1951 |
| Media type | Print (hardback & paperback) |
| Preceded by | Nancy Drew: The Secret of the Wooden Lady |
| Followed by | Nancy Drew: The Mystery at the Ski Jump |
The Clue of the Black Keys is the twenty-eighth book in the exciting Nancy Drew mystery series. It was first published in 1951. The book was written by ghostwriters Wilhelmina Rankin and Harriet Stratemeyer Adams under the pen name Carolyn Keene.
Contents
Solving the Mystery of the Black Keys
The story begins when Professor Terence Scott visits River Heights. He needs help from Carson Drew, Nancy's father. Another professor, Dr. Joshua Pitt, has gone missing. Mr. Drew thinks this is a mystery for Nancy to solve.
Terry Scott explains that he, Dr. Pitt, and two other professors were on an archaeology trip in Mexico. They found a clue to an ancient treasure! This clue included three black keys made of a shiny black stone called obsidian. They also found a stone tablet with a secret message. The next morning, Dr. Pitt and these important items were gone. Only a broken piece of one key was left. Terry suspected a couple who had been working nearby. They also disappeared at the same time.
Chasing Clues and Escaping Danger
At the airport, someone tries to steal the broken key from Terry. A police officer, Sergeant Malloy, helps them find the thief, Juarez Tino. But Tino escapes on a plane to Florida.
Nancy asks her father for advice. He suggests she talk to the other professors from the Mexico trip. That night, a burglar breaks into the Drew home. Luckily, the black key, which Terry had given to Nancy, stays safe.
Nancy and her friend George meet Dr. Graham, one of the professors. He assures them that all four professors were honest. Nancy learns that Terry was also attacked. Someone knocked him out in his hotel room and stole his documents from the Mexico trip.
Ned Nickerson, Nancy's boyfriend, calls her about a dance at Emerson College. He asks her to bring a friend who is giving a lecture. Ned thinks this friend, Terence Scott, is about 60 years old. Nancy finds it funny because Terry is only 25 and quite handsome! She doesn't tell Ned the truth.
On their way to Emerson, Nancy and Terry notice two men watching them. Soon after, their car crashes when they hit a deep ditch. Someone had removed the warning signs from the road. Later, Nancy learns that her friends, Bess and George, overheard a suspect named Wilfred Porterly planning to harm Nancy.
While at Emerson, Nancy visits Dr. Anderson, another professor. He tells her that Juarez Tino had tried to sell him information about Dr. Pitt and the secret message.
Uncovering Secrets and Hidden Messages
When Terry returns to River Heights, a woman named Lillian Wangell hires him. She wants him to translate an old diary. Terry is good at Spanish and Mexican languages. Mrs. Wangell says the diary belonged to her sea captain grandfather. Terry thinks the diary might have clues to the ancient treasure.
Nancy remembers that Mrs. Wangell and her husband had a suspicious past. Nancy checks with a local historian. She finds out that neither of Mrs. Wangell's grandfathers was a sea captain. Nancy warns Terry to be careful. Mrs. Wangell insists the diary must stay at her home. So, Terry uses a tiny camera Nancy lent him to take pictures of some pages.
Nancy traces some unusual drawings from the diary. When she puts them together, they form a picture of palm trees, water, and footsteps. This could be a map!
Nancy's father, Carson Drew, gets a letter from a man claiming to be Dr. Pitt's relative. The letter demands part of Dr. Pitt's estate. Mr. Drew and Nancy go to Baltimore to meet this man. They discover he didn't send the letter. Someone used his name to get them out of town.
When Nancy returns, she can't reach Terry. Fearing he's in trouble, she goes to the Wangell home. The house is boarded up. Nancy sees a handkerchief waving from an attic window. The police arrive and find Terry trapped in the attic. He tells them that Mrs. Wangell and Mrs. Porterly are sisters and are involved in the mystery.
The Search Moves to Florida
Terry leaves for Mexico to keep looking for Dr. Pitt. Nancy believes Juarez Tino and his wife, along with the Wangells, are in Florida. Nancy plans to join a group of students going to Miami with Dr. Anderson. She has to pass a test to go. Nancy studies hard and passes!
While waiting for her test results, Nancy hears fire sirens. A house nearby is on fire. Nancy bravely goes inside and rescues a missing three-year-old child. When she returns home, she finds Juarez Tino leaving her bedroom with the black half-key. He had caused the fire as a distraction. Nancy tries to get the key back, but Tino overpowers her. He ties her up. As he tries to gag her, the key falls out of his pocket. He doesn't notice it. Tino escapes. Nancy's friends, George and Bess, arrive. George finds the key in a blanket Tino used to tie Nancy.
On the plane to Miami, the students' plane has trouble after avoiding another plane. The pilot manages to land safely on an island. They learn that a cable broke during the quick maneuver. The criminals had hoped this would happen.
Dr. Anderson gives Nancy a special task with a student named Fran Oakes. They need to find a Florida Key called Black Key. Fran's cousin, Jack Walker, has a motorboat. He takes them to meet a fisherman named Two Line Parker. He knows the history of the Florida Keys. The fisherman tells them about a ship called the Black Falcon that sank near one of the keys. Nancy thinks this is the right island, but they only know its general location.
Nancy investigates a vacant house the Porterlys rented in Florida. She finds burned letters in a backyard incinerator. A small piece mentions her name and the date of the 15th. It is currently December 13.
While boating among the Keys, the group sees Juarez Tino in a speedboat, but they lose him. Nancy decides to return to the area the next day. Dr. Anderson can't go, but Terry Scott has arrived and joins Nancy, Fran, and Jack.
Using another clue, Nancy talks to a local fisherman. She learns about a group of five islands near a group of seven islands, and a single island set apart. They head to the single island. A plane flies overhead, and they worry they've been seen.
The Treasure and the Truth
They find a hut where Dr. Pitt is held prisoner. Jack and Fran leave to get the police. Dr. Pitt tells Nancy and Terry that the criminals gave him a deadline of December 15 (the next day) to give them information. While they are talking, the Tinos and the Wangells arrive. Mrs. Tino snatches the half-key from Nancy's neck. The criminals force Dr. Pitt to reveal the treasure's location by threatening Nancy. He tells them it's in a remote part of a jungle in Mexico.
Juarez Tino and Earl Wangell immediately leave with Dr. Pitt for Mexico. They leave Nancy and Terry with their wives. Nancy learns Mrs. Wangell was forced to help them. The police soon arrive and free Nancy and Terry. They also head to Mexico, hoping to arrive before the others. Dr. Anderson and Dr. Graham join them. They get help from Mexican police.
The information from the diary helps them find the trail to the treasure site. They wait on the trail, and soon the other group arrives. Dr. Pitt is very tired. They continue on, and Tino and Wangell are told to dig. They unearth a box. The three keys fit the locks! Inside are several silver frogs covered in jewels. There's also a larger silver frog with an ancient green powder.
Dr. Pitt says the treasures belong to the government of Mexico. He fears the green powder is dangerous. But Terry's research suggests it has healing properties. Dr. Pitt listens to Terry and agrees. The four scientists are excited to share their amazing discovery with the world!
Meet the Characters
- Nancy Drew- An 18-year-old girl who solves mysteries.
- Carson Drew- Nancy Drew's father and a lawyer.
- Terence Scott- Also known as "Terry." A young archaeology professor who was part of the Mexico expedition.
- Dr. Joshua Pitt- One of the four professors on the Mexico exploring team.
- Dr. Graham- Another professor who was exploring in Mexico.
- Dr. Anderson- A geology professor who also joined the Mexico expedition.
- Mr. & Mrs. Juarez Tino- A couple who cause trouble for Nancy and Terry.
- Mr. Wilfred Porterly- One of the Tinos' helpers.
- Mrs. Irene Porterly- Wilfred Porterly's wife and Mrs. Lillian Wangell's sister.
- Mr. Earl Wangell- Also helps the Tinos threaten Nancy and Terry.
- Mrs. Lillian Wangell- Earl Wangell's wife. She asked Terry to translate an old diary.
- Ned Nickerson- Nancy Drew's supportive boyfriend.
- Bess Marvin- Nancy Drew's friend and George Fayne's cousin.
- George Fayne- Nancy Drew's friend and Bess Marvin's cousin.
- Mrs. Hannah Gruen- The Drew family's kind housekeeper.
- Mrs. Presscott- A local historian who helps Nancy.
- Caswell P. Breed- A man whose name was used to trick Nancy and her father.
- Sergeant Malloy- A police officer in River Heights who helps Nancy and Terry.
- Officer Riley- Another police officer who helps Nancy and Terry.
- Frances Oakes- Also known as Fran. A student of Dr. Anderson.
- Jack Walker- Frances Oakes's cousin in Florida. He owns a motorboat.
- Two Line Parker- A fisherman who knows a lot about the Florida Keys.
