jewels.”
“Could it have been an act?” asked Judy.
“Well, if it was, she ought to be on television,” declared Irene. “With her face she’d make a perfect monster. Even without the black clothes she’d be sort of horrible. Dale could write a whole show around a character like that.”
“Yeah,” Flo said, her sarcastic self again. “I’d make a perfect victim, too. I’m sure it would be a murder mystery. What else? The FBI ought to come in, too, for a dramatic finish. You know, the girl is rescued just as the monster is about to grab her by the throat. The thing is, in real life it doesn’t always 119
turn out that way.”
“We may be in danger.” Judy had to admit it. “Is it my imagination, or do I hear someone digging under the house? I heard the same sound last night, but I was counting myself to sleep and it seemed like part of my dream.”
“This is no dream,” Irene began. “We haven’t looked—”
Suddenly little Judy gave a scream of delight.
“I found a ring!”
“Where?” several voices asked.
The child pointed to the floor of the dormitory right beside the bed where someone had been sleeping. The ring looked as if it might fit a giant.
When Judy bent to pick it up, she discovered that the ring was attached to one of the floor boards.
“A trap door!” she exclaimed, opening it wide.
“So this is how she got in and out. It leads to that tunnel under the house, and I do believe she’s still down there digging.”
There were no stairs, but Judy was able to let herself down easily. As her feet touched the freshly overturned soil she could see that a great hole had been dug and that it led to the tunnel she and Flo had been digging from the outside. A little light came through, but not enough for Judy to see very well.
Was that a woman crouching by the entrance? She seemed to be bending over some kind of a long box.
120
It banged shut just as Judy called out, “Who are you?”
“She is Aunt Agnes,” Flo whispered.
“Why doesn’t she answer?” Pauline quavered.
Both girls were beside Judy now. They stood as if paralyzed, unable to believe what they saw. Judy was the first to dart after the figure, but it was dark now, and the way was suddenly blocked.
“Irene,” Judy called. “Pass down that flashlight we brought. It’s on the kitchen shelf. We can’t see a thing down here.”
“Is she still there?” Flo asked a moment later as she stood beside Judy, holding the flashlight.
“No, and neither is the box we saw. I wonder what was in it,” Judy mused.
“The jewels probably,” Pauline ventured.
Flo shuddered. “No, it was her coffin—”
“Nonsense!” Pauline interrupted. “We may as well go up now. Your apparition is gone—if it was ever there.”
“Of course it was there. Maybe we can catch the woman,” Judy suggested as, one by one, the girls pulled themselves up through the trap door. “She’s probably heading for that boat. If she found the jewels—”
“That key Flo found!” Irene exclaimed. “It probably opens the box she was carrying.”
“What if it does?” Flo retorted. “Do you think 121
I’m going to run after her and try to recover the family jewels?”
“I’m afraid there’s more to it than stolen jewels,” Judy said gravely. “A plane has been wrecked and we have been asked to forget it—”
“By Walter Brand, the lawyer you hired, Irene.
You said everything was arranged for the trip,” Flo accused her. “I suppose you arranged that spooky picture, too!”
122
CHAPTER XVII
An Accusation
FLO’S sudden accusation left Irene speechless. Judy tried, but could not persuade Flo that she hadn’t been tricked.
“You’re good at that sort of thing, too,” she accused Judy. “You were the first one to go down through the trap door and tell the rest of us what you saw.”
“But you saw it, too,” Judy objected. “I mean, you did see that figure bending over the hinged box, didn’t you?”
“The
“Could it have been an act?” asked Judy.
“Well, if it was, she ought to be on television,” declared Irene. “With her face she’d make a perfect monster. Even without the black clothes she’d be sort of horrible. Dale could write a whole show around a character like that.”
“Yeah,” Flo said, her sarcastic self again. “I’d make a perfect victim, too. I’m sure it would be a murder mystery. What else? The FBI ought to come in, too, for a dramatic finish. You know, the girl is rescued just as the monster is about to grab her by the throat. The thing is, in real life it doesn’t always 119
turn out that way.”
“We may be in danger.” Judy had to admit it. “Is it my imagination, or do I hear someone digging under the house? I heard the same sound last night, but I was counting myself to sleep and it seemed like part of my dream.”
“This is no dream,” Irene began. “We haven’t looked—”
Suddenly little Judy gave a scream of delight.
“I found a ring!”
“Where?” several voices asked.
The child pointed to the floor of the dormitory right beside the bed where someone had been sleeping. The ring looked as if it might fit a giant.
When Judy bent to pick it up, she discovered that the ring was attached to one of the floor boards.
“A trap door!” she exclaimed, opening it wide.
“So this is how she got in and out. It leads to that tunnel under the house, and I do believe she’s still down there digging.”
There were no stairs, but Judy was able to let herself down easily. As her feet touched the freshly overturned soil she could see that a great hole had been dug and that it led to the tunnel she and Flo had been digging from the outside. A little light came through, but not enough for Judy to see very well.
Was that a woman crouching by the entrance? She seemed to be bending over some kind of a long box.
120
It banged shut just as Judy called out, “Who are you?”
“She is Aunt Agnes,” Flo whispered.
“Why doesn’t she answer?” Pauline quavered.
Both girls were beside Judy now. They stood as if paralyzed, unable to believe what they saw. Judy was the first to dart after the figure, but it was dark now, and the way was suddenly blocked.
“Irene,” Judy called. “Pass down that flashlight we brought. It’s on the kitchen shelf. We can’t see a thing down here.”
“Is she still there?” Flo asked a moment later as she stood beside Judy, holding the flashlight.
“No, and neither is the box we saw. I wonder what was in it,” Judy mused.
“The jewels probably,” Pauline ventured.
Flo shuddered. “No, it was her coffin—”
“Nonsense!” Pauline interrupted. “We may as well go up now. Your apparition is gone—if it was ever there.”
“Of course it was there. Maybe we can catch the woman,” Judy suggested as, one by one, the girls pulled themselves up through the trap door. “She’s probably heading for that boat. If she found the jewels—”
“That key Flo found!” Irene exclaimed. “It probably opens the box she was carrying.”
“What if it does?” Flo retorted. “Do you think 121
I’m going to run after her and try to recover the family jewels?”
“I’m afraid there’s more to it than stolen jewels,” Judy said gravely. “A plane has been wrecked and we have been asked to forget it—”
“By Walter Brand, the lawyer you hired, Irene.
You said everything was arranged for the trip,” Flo accused her. “I suppose you arranged that spooky picture, too!”
122
CHAPTER XVII
An Accusation
FLO’S sudden accusation left Irene speechless. Judy tried, but could not persuade Flo that she hadn’t been tricked.
“You’re good at that sort of thing, too,” she accused Judy. “You were the first one to go down through the trap door and tell the rest of us what you saw.”
“But you saw it, too,” Judy objected. “I mean, you did see that figure bending over the hinged box, didn’t you?”
“The
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