# Jeff Tucker — The Secret of the Old Clock character guide

> Jeff Tucker in The Secret of the Old Clock by Carolyn Keene.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Jeff, Miss. Ole Jeff

**First appearance:** 0016-xvii-jeff-tucker-s-story

## Snapshot

A talkative old handyman whose memory of the Crowley household clock gives Nancy the confirmation she needs to chase the thieves.

## Who they are

Jeff Tucker is a shuffling, storytelling old man who once worked around the Crowley house and remembers its mantel clock as plain as day. He is comic and maddening by turns, insisting on a sobering wash at the cistern pump while Nancy frets that robbers are escaping, yet his testimony is the piece that convinces her the stolen clock is the one she is after. Without Jeff, Nancy's theory stays a hunch; with him, the hunt for the thieves and the missing notebook becomes urgent and concrete.

## Relationships

### [Nancy Drew](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_old_clock_se/characters/nancy_drew)

_friendship_

Jeff is a helpful local handyman and friend who assists Nancy with practical tasks during her investigation.

### [Nancy Drew](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_old_clock_se/characters/nancy_drew)

_friendship_

Jeff is a helpful local handyman and friend who assists Nancy with practical tasks during her investigation.

### [Nancy Drew](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_old_clock_se/characters/nancy_drew)

_friendship_

Jeff is a helpful local handyman and friend who assists Nancy with practical tasks during her investigation.

## In the story

### [XII: Following a Clue](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_old_clock_se/chapters/xii-following-a-clue)

Mentioned as the negro caretaker who looks after the Topham cottage at Moon Lake.

### [An Exciting Discovery](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_old_clock_se/chapters/xiv-an-exciting-discovery)

The caretaker of the Topham bungalow, who is missing when Nancy arrives.

### [Left to Starve](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_old_clock_se/chapters/xvi-left-to-starve)

The caretaker who arrives at the bungalow, mistakes Nancy for a robber, but then cannot find the key to release her.

### [XVII: Jeff Tucker’s Story](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_old_clock_se/chapters/xvii-jeff-tucker-s-story)

The Tophams' caretaker, found semi-inebriated after being lured away by a stranger; he confirms the clock was in the house and feels remorse for his negligence.

### [Notifying the Police](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_old_clock_se/chapters/xviii-notifying-the-police)

Accompanies Nancy, corroborates her story to the marshal, and is left behind when the police car departs.

### [Capturing the Robbers](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_old_clock_se/chapters/xxi-capturing-the-robbers)

Mentioned as having his keys stolen by the robbers after being gotten drunk.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_old_clock_se/characters/jeff_tucker
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_old_clock_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_old_clock_se/characters