The Third Girl Detective

by Margaret Sutton

  “Pooh.” Marjorie snorted. “You can live on love. Besides, we must have made a lot of money on the Lodge this summer.”

  “Not really,” Penny told her. “We had to hire an awful lot of help, you know. And this whole month the laundry has been so huge we had to pay Mr. Taggart twice as much as he estimated in the beginning. It had to be taken into the village four times a week.” She sighed. “And the girls we originally hired to come out only to wait on the tables and help with the ironing had to work full time.”

  “Never mind,” Marjorie said consolingly. “It’s been fun.”

  Penny brightened. “Oh, I don’t mean that we didn’t make any money. There’s enough to see you and Jimmy through school. But Phil and I want you to go to college. Both of you.”

  “We won’t go,” Marjorie said stanchly. “Not if it means you can’t marry Peter when he asks you to. After the experience we’ve had this summer we can both get jobs.” She pirouetted around the room. “Don’t you think I’d make somebody a wonderful secretary?”

  “Wonderful.” Penny giggled. “But not a very dignified one. No, honey,” she went on seriously, “don’t you worry your pretty head about getting a job just yet. Things will work out somehow. I know they will.”

  To herself she added, “If Peter asks me to marry him, I’ll say yes. Together we can work things out.”

  “I tell you what let’s do,” Marjorie cried. “Let’s have dress rehearsal right now. Here, in your room. Just us and Judy ’cause she’s going to be my twin. And Ann Mary so she can give our costumes a final inspection.” She danced away.

  In a short while they were all crowding into Penny’s room, laughing and making fun of each other.

  Marjorie and Judy were dressed alike in little Swiss peasant girl costumes. Jimmy made a very handsome cowboy and Philip was a swashbuckling pirate. A banquet was to be served at midnight after the unmasking, and since this was the event of the summer, Ann Mary had included all her specialties in the menu. She stayed at the dress rehearsal only long enough to assure them that they all looked wonderful, then hurried away.

  In spite of last-minute preparations, the Allens and Peter made time for a final conference in the office.

  “Let’s try to have as much fun as possible,” Peter said, “but we mustn’t forget for one minute that we’re all detectives.”

  “That’s right,” Phil agreed. “If any one of us notices a guest acting suspiciously, he or she must report at once to the others. There’ll be over a hundred people here tonight, so we’ve all got to be on our toes. Every minute,” he added soberly.

  Jimmy nodded. “Every minute until the unmasking anyway. Which means between the hours of ten and midnight. Not many people will arrive before ten even though we invited them to come at nine-thirty.”

  Penny was sketching a floor plan of the Lodge on a large sheet of paper. “Whatever Mr. X is after,” she said, “it obviously isn’t buried on the grounds. If it were, he wouldn’t have planted those red herrings. Therefore, it’s probably in the house. If it’s upstairs, all we have to do is make sure that nobody but our house guests and help goes up without our knowing it. We all know what costumes they’ll be wearing so that’s easy. But it will be Peter and Marjorie’s job to keep an eye on the back stairs; Jimmy and I, the front.”

  Everyone nodded, and Penny went on. “If it’s downstairs, Mr. X will know that he hasn’t got a prayer of searching for it, unless it’s in the office or the storage room, and I’ve locked those doors securely, so he can’t slip in and out unnoticed. The other downstairs rooms will be filled with people all the time, including the kitchen. The logical time for him to try to find whatever he plans to steal will be when everyone is gathered in one room.”

  She smiled up at Peter. “In order to be sure we catch Mr. X in our trap, I have carefully dropped hints throughout the village that at eleven-thirty on the dot we’re going to show our guests the secret room. Don’t you think he’ll choose that time, when everyone’s attention will be concentrated on one spot, to do something which will attract our attention?”

  “I certainly do,” Peter said. “He’ll be the one guest at that moment who won’t crowd into the alcove to see how the secret door works. Unless,” he added thoughtfully, “whatever he happens to be after is in the secret room itself.”

  “I thought of that,” Penny said. “And since he can’t possibly know how the secret doors works, he’ll wait until after that part of the evening’s entertainment is over. Then he’ll try to sneak back and go down into the room while we’re unmasking.” She chuckled. “In that case, he’ll walk right into our trap. After the last guest has left, Phil can stay behind and hide in the alcove. If Mr. X sneaks back and goes down into the room, all Phil has to do is fasten the door from the outside, once Mr. X is safely down the stairs. Then we can call the police, for obviously no honest person would go into the secret room without our permission.”

  “I object,” Jimmy said. “According to that scheme, we’ll catch Mr. X, but we still won’t know what he was trying to steal.”

  “I agree with Jimmy,” Phil said. “So instead of hiding in the alcove after the guests have all seen the secret room, I’ll hide down in the room itself. Behind the black draperies you’ve hung on the walls. If he sneaks back, I’ll stay there until after he’s got whatever he’s trying to get. Then at the point of my gun I’ll make him turn it over to me and—”

  Penny interrupted with a frown: “I still don’t like the idea of your being down in the room alone with someone who may be a dangerous criminal, Phil.”

  “Oh, Penny,” Marjorie cried impulsively, “Phil can take care of himself. Besides, Mr. X won’t have any idea that he’s hiding behind the black curtains. Also,” she added, “what Mr. X wants may not be in the secret room after all.”

  “That’s true,” Penny admitted reluctantly.

  “Then the scheme is this,” Peter said, summing it up. “If you and Marjorie see a stranger sneak upstairs before the unmasking, you’re to report at once to Phil, Jimmy and me. We’ll follow him and catch him in the act. If no one does anything suspicious, Phil will remain in the secret room after the guests have seen it. Pat, who will open the door, will close it when everyone has left the alcove. Then we’ll all go into the big room for the unmasking and wait until Phil signals that he has caught a rat in his trap. You can do that, Phil,” he finished, “as we already agreed, by banging on the door.”

  And so the final arrangements were made. But Penny, as she hurried upstairs with Marjorie to dress for the occasion, knew that Peter was worried. He didn’t like the idea of Phil being locked in the secret room with Mr. X any more than she did.

  “But,” she realized suddenly, “Phil won’t be locked in after all. Even though we may deliberately play into Mr. X’s hands by showing him how to get into the secret room, he won’t know where the spring is that closes the door on the other side.”

  And, as Marjorie pointed out while they helped each other with their costumes: “The whole thing may be a flop. We don’t know for sure that there is anything valuable hidden in the Lodge, or that Mr. X will be among those present tonight.”

  CHAPTER 13

  PHILIP TRAPS A THIEF

  Peter Wyland knew that Penny would be coming down the back way when she was ready, instead of down the stairs from the balcony. When he was in his costume he waited at the foot of the back stairs. The large room at the bottom of the steps was dimly lit.

  Presently Penny, a sweet vision, appeared at the top of the steps. She gathered her draperies for the descent, unconscious of anyone’s presence. The veil, which Marjorie had persuaded her to wear, floated behind her, caught back from her face by pins and a white rose.

  When she was halfway down, Peter stepped into the light. “Penny,” he said in a low voice, “you look lovely. I should have been waiting here with a minister!”

  Peter was
beside the surprised Penny in a moment, leading her down the few remaining steps to the room where he tenderly put his arms around her and kissed her. “I can’t wait any longer, Penny, to tell you how I love you!” Peter’s voice was a little nervous. What he had intended to say deserted him. “Will you—will you wear a dress like this for me, soon?”

  Penny, who had not had a chance to utter a word, and whose breath was taken away by the surprise of having Peter kiss her, merely said, “Oh—why, Peter,” as he led her to a little sofa in the corner of the room.

  “Sit here with me just a minute, Penny. I’ve been waiting to ask you for so long, only I’ve never known whether you were just being kind and sweet to me because you’re that way with everyone, or whether you could like me well enough to marry me. I saw that there was Charles Curtis—but if you were engaged to him, I figured Phil would tip me off. I am sort of a coward where you are concerned, Penny. Don’t tell me that you like Charley best! Do you love me a little?”

  Peter’s voice was low and eager. He held one of Penny’s hands tightly in his.

  Penny was not the sort to keep the man she loved in a state of uncertainty. “Did you know you’ve loved me all summer, Peter? I wish you’d told me sooner, because you see, I’ve been in love with you, too.” It was all right at last. “I knew last year that I loved you Peter, but I couldn’t very well let you know it!” Penny’s hand was almost crushed as Peter’s face lit up with joy. He swept her into his arms again for another kiss, and Penny said, “I could stay here and forget all about my duties to my guests, but we mustn’t forget about Mr. X. And I’ll have to go upstairs again, Peter. See how you have mussed this veil.”

  “Not beyond repair, I hope,” he said, smiling. “Penny, before you go, say you’ll marry me this fall, as soon as the guests leave?”

  “Silly man! You take my breath away,” Penny laughed. “But it is wonderful that you are silly about me, Peter. I can’t think straight right this minute, but we’ll talk about it later. Marjorie and Jimmy are going to school in September. Phil is going to New York to work for Mr. Prentice and to go to school nights. He wants to be near Adra. Mercy—I’m all mixed up. There will be so much to see to. Could you—could we have our honeymoon right here?”

  “I can’t think of a more wonderful spot,” Peter said. “Our life is going to be all honeymoon from now on. As long as I know we love each other that’s enough to make me walk on air the rest of the evening. What a pity we can’t be by ourselves. I’ll be thinking of you every single minute, darling.”

  Peter waited until Penny went back to her room to repair damages. It took her but a few minutes and when she made her appearance in the living room, she was immediately surrounded and admired by everyone.

  With the keen eye of an experienced hostess, she glanced around to see that everyone was being entertained in some fashion. She recognized most of the guests regardless of their masks, and she noted that there was quite an assembly of townspeople whom she could not recognize because of their disguises. Mr. and Mrs. Curtis were dressed as George and Martha Washington and they looked very distinguished. They were talking to Marjorie just now and saying something that made her laugh. There was Charles Curtis dancing with a lovely girl who had spent several weekends at the Lodge and had come back for the masquerade. When he danced by Penny he stopped for a minute and said, “I’ll wager that this is our fair hostess. Shall I telephone the parson? It’s hard to resist such a bride!”

  “You are incorrigible, Charles,” Penny reported.

  “And you look radiant tonight, Penny.” And off he danced with his partner. It was hard for Penny to get her mind on anything else except Peter. Dear, eager, wonderful Peter. But she had many things to do. The tables in the dining room had to be checked, and then she had to return and take part in the party. She looked around at the guests once more trying to place some of those who did not look familiar. There was one masquerader in particular who caught her eye. He was dressed as the bearded ghost that was supposed to wander about the Lodge, but aside from the long beard and white wig he seemed to be quite young, vigorous and active. He was too heavy for Alf who had once said something about dressing up as a graybeard. He was with Adra a good deal of the time but mingled with the rest and danced well.

  All the guests had arrived and the party was in full swing. It was nearly time for Philip to announce that he was going to show everybody the secret room. Peter came into the room just a few minutes before this and slipping an arm around Penny, he said, “Congratulate me, Phil, I’m going to be your brother-in-law.”

  Philip stared a moment, then put a hand on Peter’s shoulder and told him there was no one to whom he’d rather hand over Penny. “Good work, Peter,” he said. “Congratulations. Even if she is my sister, I must say you’re getting a wonderful girl.”

  “Nobody knows that better than I,” Peter said humbly.

  “Stop it, you two,” Penny cried. “I’ll get a head too big for my shoulders if you keep it up. By the way, do either of you recognize that man over there disguised as Graybeard?”

  “I think that’s Mr. Sanders. He said something about wearing such a costume when Alf gave up the idea,” said Peter.

  “No, it isn’t Mr. Sanders,” Penny said. “But there’s something very familiar about him. I’m sure I know him but I can’t quite put my finger on who he is.”

  “Has he done anything suspicious?” Phil asked.

  “Not a thing,” Penny admitted. Then she laughed. “But he has been paying quite a lot of attention to Adra. You’d better watch out, Phil.”

  Phil frowned. “I’ll be glad when this evening is over. I’ve hardly had a chance to speak to Adra since breakfast. And—and, well I guess you two know how I feel about her.”

  “We do,” Penny told him, smiling. “But the question is, does she?” She gave him a fond pat on the cheek. “Faint heart never won fair lady, Phil.”

  “That’s right,” Peter said, grinning. “Once you get used to the idea, Phil, proposing to the girl you love isn’t so difficult.”

  “I suppose not,” Phil said dubiously, “but if I rush matters I might ruin my chances with Adra.”

  Marjorie joined them then. “Nobody’s done anything suspicious at all,” she complained. “The whole scheme is a flop.”

  “The evening isn’t over yet,” Penny reminded her. She tucked her hand in the crook of Peter’s arm, blushing. “We’re going to announce our engagement at the banquet. And if Phil takes my advice, he’ll propose to Adra before the party is over.” She smiled at Marjorie. “Isn’t that enough excitement for you?”

  “Oh, oh,” Marjorie cried, hugging Penny. “I’m so glad. Wait until I tell Judy.” She was off, completely forgetting to congratulate the bridegroom-to-be.

  A short while after that Penny went upstairs with Adra and told her that she and Peter were engaged.

  “I’m so happy for you both,” Adra said, rather wistfully.

  Penny said nothing, but she guessed that when Phil did propose, the answer would be yes. She hurried downstairs again for, from the balcony, she could see that the guests were already crowding into the alcove.

  Most of the younger men, as Marjorie had predicted, were dressed as cowboys, complete with bandannas, chaps and guns in their holsters. Penny had not been able to pick out Brook and Alf, but she knew that Jimmy was the tallest cowboy of them all.

  He was waiting for her at the foot of the stairs. “Everybody’s all set,” he told her. “Pat’s pressing the button that moves the bookshelves now.” When Adra came down from the balcony he added, “Let’s wait out here. It’ll only add to the confusion if we, who have already seen the secret room, join the crowd in the alcove.”

  “All right,” Adra said, sitting on the bottom step. “I’m exhausted. Mr. Graybeard is a wonderful dancer, but he never wants to stop for a rest.”

  “Who is that guy anyway?” Jimmy ask
ed. “He looks familiar, but I can’t place him.”

  “Neither can I,” Penny said. “But then I can’t place a lot of the people here.” She pointed to two cowboys who were standing just outside the alcove. “For instance, are those two guests Alf and Brook? I wouldn’t know.”

  And then Penny saw something that made her turn and race up the stairs. The guns that those two cowboys were slipping from their holsters were not toy pistols. Even at that distance she could see that they were small, but deadly-looking automatics.

  In the meantime, Philip, in the alcove, was making his little speech to the assembled guests.

  “Ladies and gentlemen,” he said and waited a moment for attention.

  “There is one little feature of Allen Lodge that has not been on exhibit, a place we call the secret room.” Philip paused again, for effect this time, and a murmur of interest ran around the room.

  “When we first moved into this Lodge we found it accidentally and we decided to surprise you with it tonight. This room has a curious entrance and when I open the door you will see the little wall safe that has held your money and jewelry. We are sorry to say there is no other treasure down there. Believe me, when we heard of the rumors about buried treasure, we turned the place upside down to see if we could find it, without success.”

  Philip deliberately assumed a very disappointed look on his face and the guests all laughed. Then he went on, “But maybe the Allens didn’t look in the right places, and possibly Mr. Graybeard, the ghost I see here tonight, may find some treasure for us. Masks and costumes are appropriate to our mysterious visit to a mysterious room. Look for treasure! We will have to go down in groups since it is a small room. The people immediately surrounding me can come down first and perhaps Mr. Graybeard will lend atmosphere by posing near the safe.”

  “I’d be delighted,” Mr. Graybeard said.

  Philip glanced at him, thinking: “His voice is familiar, but I’m sure he isn’t any of the merchants in the village we deal with.” Aloud he continued his speech: