Part 38 (1/2)
”I took the statue to my father's office. Max Lynch came to talk with Dad and saw it. He hurried out of the office as if he had seen a ghost.”
”Of course he knew the pearls were hidden inside the statue,” the officer smiled. ”He probably thought Mr. Nichols had discovered them and suspected the plot.”
”That's the way I figured it out,” Penny nodded.
”Our house was watched. Then one day the Black Imp mysteriously disappeared. I never saw it again until I entered this room.”
”Either Cron or Lynch stole it.”
”Cron I think, for the Black Imp was in his possession.”
”Well, young lady, you've done a fine bit of work today,” the captain said soberly. ”It's evident that you're destined to follow in the footsteps of your ill.u.s.trious father.”
”Thank you, sir,” Penny flushed.
With the four crooks on their way to jail, and the Rembrandt and the pearl necklace in the possession of the police, she felt that her responsibility was ended. Calling a taxicab, she drove to Amy Coulter's new rooming house.
”I have wonderful news for you!” she greeted the girl. ”The painting has been recovered!”
”Then I'm exonerated?”
”Completely.”
”Oh, Penny! It's your doing, I know. How can I thank you?” Tears of joy streamed down Amy's face.
She listened breathlessly to the story Penny related.
”So George Hoges turned out to be a thief!” she exclaimed. ”When he asked me to copy a painting for him, I was suspicious that he had involved himself in something dishonest.”
Penny spoke of the meeting she had witnessed in the park.
”Yes, Mr. Hoges gave me money,” Amy acknowledged ruefully. ”I needed it so badly or I shouldn't have listened to him.”
”Then you knew you were to copy the Rembrandt?” Penny questioned quickly.
”Oh, no! He didn't tell me what painting I was to reproduce. I accepted the money because I needed it so badly. Later, when I thought the matter over more carefully, I realized that the scheme couldn't be an honest one. So I sent the money back.”
”A fortunate thing that you did,” Penny commented. ”Had you kept the money you might have been accused of being one of the gang.”