Part 11 (2/2)
”Never saw it before in my life,” she answered. ”Say, kid, is this yours?”
she added, turning to Lenora.
Lenora shook her head. She, too, examined it a little wonderingly.
”It wasn't there a short time ago. I brought a duster and went over the sideboard myself.”
Quest grunted.
”H'm! No one else has been in the room, and it hasn't been empty for more than ten minutes,” he remarked. ”Well, let's see what's inside, any way.”
”Just be careful, Mr. Quest,” Laura advised. ”I don't get that box at all.”
Quest pushed it with his forefinger.
”No bomb inside, any way,” he remarked. ”Here goes!”
He lifted off the lid. There was nothing in the interior but a sheet of paper folded up. Quest smoothed it out with his hand. They all leaned over and read the following words, written in an obviously disguised hand:
”You have embarked on a new study--anthropology. What characteristic strikes you most forcibly in connection with it?
Cunning? The necklace might be where the skeleton is. Why not begin at the beginning?”
The note was unsigned, but in the spot where a signature might have been there was a rough pen drawing of two hands, with fingers extended, talon fas.h.i.+on, menacingly, as though poised to strike at some unseen enemy.
Quest, after their first moment of stupefaction, whistled softly.
”The hands!” he muttered.
”What hands?” Lenora asked.
”The hands that gripped Mrs. Rheinholdt by the throat,” he reminded them.
”Don't you remember? Hands without any arms?”
There was another brief, almost stupefied silence. Then Laura broke into speech.
”What I want to know is,” she demanded, ”who brought the thing here?”
”A most daring exploit, any way,” Quest declared. ”If we could answer your question, Laura, we could solve the whole riddle. We are up against something, and no mistake.”
Lenora s.h.i.+vered a little. The mystery of the thing terrified her, the mystery which only stimulated her two companions.
”The hand which placed that box here,” Quest continued slowly, ”is capable of even more wonderful things. We must be cautious. h.e.l.lo!”
The door had opened. The Professor stood upon the threshold. He carried his soft felt hat in his hand. He bowed to the two young women courteously.
”I trust that I have done right in coming up?” he enquired.
<script>