CHAPTER 14 _STORM WARNINGS_
Penny dropped down on her knees beside Lorinda, peering into the emptywooden box.
"I hope you don't think Salt and I took anything when we were here," shemurmured uncomfortably. "We never even opened the chest."
"Of course I know you didn't," Lorinda replied. "Such a thought neverentered my mind. But it's disturbing to know these things are gone. Whyweren't the other trophies taken also?"
"Possibly, because the person who stole them thought the objects insidethe chest would not be so quickly missed."
Lorinda nodded as if in agreement, and closed the chest. As shestraightened up, a tense, strained expression came over her face, and shestiffened.
"Listen!" she whispered.
From behind the walls of the house came a muffled dum--dum--dum of adrum. Even as the girls tensely listened, the sound died away.
"Could this cottage have a secret panel?" Penny asked in an excitedvoice.
"I don't think so." Badly frightened, Lorinda tried not to show it. "Atleast I never heard of one."
Penny began tapping the walls, none of which gave off a hollow sound. Thesection by the fireplace appeared somewhat thicker than the others.However, if it contained a moveable panel, she could not locate it.
Her gaze fell upon the cocoanut shell lamp, its bowl nearly exhausted ofoil.
"Lorinda," she inquired, "is this room usually lighted?"
"Why, no."
"When Salt and I were here, we saw the cocoanut shell lamp burning. Alittle oil is left in it now."
"I can't imagine how it came to be there," Lorinda said in a hushedvoice. "My stepfather may have filled it long ago, but he certainly neverspoke of it."
Hurriedly the girls left the cottage, closing the door tightly behindthem. Lorinda tested it twice to make certain the lock had caught.
"The sound of those drums--" she murmured. "Penny, did I imagine it?"
"I assure you, you didn't. I heard them too."
"Then the sound came from the beach," Lorinda declared firmly. "Itcouldn't have been otherwise. No one is anywhere around here."
"Let's go to the beach and look around," Penny proposed.
Almost at a run, they cut across the garden to the steps which led to theriver's edge. Reaching the beach they paused to listen. No sound of drumscould be heard and no one was in sight.
"It couldn't have come from here," Penny said. "Lorinda, that drummingdefinitely was tied up with the cottage."
"But the sound was muffled and far away."
"The cottage may have a passageway connection."
"I never heard of such a thing."
"How long ago was the cottage built, Lorinda?"
"The summer after Mother and my stepfather were married. I remember,Mother and I went away for a month to visit a cousin. When we returned,the cottage was finished. My stepfather ordered it done while we wereaway. Mother didn't like it one bit."
"Then you actually weren't here when the cottage was built? For all youknow, a secret passageway or false panels in the walls, may have been putin?"
"I suppose it could have been done," Lorinda admitted reluctantly.
"Who would know about the cottage except your stepfather? Did you learnthe builder's name?"
"I'm not sure there was one. I think my stepfather and Anton did most ofthe work themselves."
"Let's talk to Anton," suggested Penny. "Perhaps he can shed light on themystery of those whispering, drum-pounding walls!"
Anton, however, was nowhere to be found. After searching for him in thehouse and on the grounds, the girls abandoned the search.
By this time it was growing late, so Penny regretfully bade her friendgoodbye, and returned home.
Try as she would, she could not forget the strange events of theafternoon, nor Mrs. Rhett's obsession that she would have a long andfatal illness.
"Even now that woman is mentally ill," she thought. "I do hope Lorindacalls in a doctor without delay."
Although removed from the depressing mansion atmosphere, Penny found itimpossible to forget the effigy and the conviction Lorinda had of itspowers.
"Dad," she said abruptly that night when dinner was over. "Do you believein black magic?"
"I don't believe in any kind of magic, black, red, pink or green," heanswered absently. "What's on your mind now?"
Penny told him of her adventure at the Rhett estate. She confidentlyexpected her father to make light of the entire affair, but to hersurprise he listened with flattering attention and asked many questions.
"It's fantastic!" he exclaimed when she finished. "Utterly fantastic! YetI've read of cases where natives have been taken ill and although doctorsdeclared not a thing was the matter with them, they weakened and died. IsMrs. Rhett an hysterical type of woman?"
"Yes, I think so."
"Then she may be in real danger! Obviously, something underhanded isgoing on at the mansion!"
Pulling himself out of a comfortable chair, Mr. Parker went to the hallcloset for his hat, coat and cane.
"You're not going to the police station, are you, Dad?"
"No, I want to talk this over first with a man of my acquaintance who isbetter versed in cult practices and superstitions than anyone I know.He's Professor Kennedy of Riverview College. He spent many years inAfrica, Egypt and along the Amazon river."
"May I go with you, Dad?"
"Come along," he invited. "You know all the facts, and I may get themmixed up."
Twenty minutes later Penny and her father were in the cozy study ofProfessor James Kennedy on Braemer Drive. An elderly man with a very softvoice, he greeted the Parkers cordially and displayed keen interest asthey revealed the purpose of their call.
"I once met Mr. Rhett at a dinner party," Professor Kennedy remarked. "Heis a highly intelligent gentleman and we had a very animatedconversation."
"Did Rhett impress you as a man who might dabble in black magic practiceto gain his ends?" Mr. Parker inquired.
Professor Kennedy dropped a log on the fire before he answered.Considering his words carefully, he said:
"Undoubtedly, Mr. Rhett would have the knowledge, but he struck me as aman of unusual character. Suppose you explain more fully what you have inmind."
Professor Kennedy listened soberly as Penny recounted her manyobservations while at the Rhett mansion. He frowned slightly as she toldhow Mrs. Rhett had found the burnt match ends tied with scarlet string.When she disclosed how Lorinda and she destroyed the wooden doll, he nolonger could remain silent.
"Indeed, you are correct in thinking someone may be trying to practice alittle jungle magic!" he exclaimed. "Mrs. Rhett may be in grave dangerunless we take counter-measures."
"But why should anyone seek to harm her?" Penny inquired. "You don'tthink she'll actually be physically hurt?"
"Her mind will be influenced--poisoned," the professor explained. "Oh, Idon't mean a drug will be used, but there are subtle and just aseffective ways. Now those burned match ends and the doll are onlysymbols, harmless in themselves, yet they are a means by which Mrs. Rhettmay be made seriously ill."
"Merely by the use of suggestion?"
"Yes."
"But it's all such nonsense!" Penny protested.
"To you--yes. But not to Mrs. Rhett. Tell me, does she know that the dollexisted?"
"Yes, she learned about it--probably from Anton or Celeste."
The professor nodded. "The intended victim _always knows_," he declared."By one means or another he is informed through those who seek his ruin.To be effective, the person must fear the mumbo-jumbo hocus-pocus."
"Mrs. Rhett does fear it," Penny confirmed. "What's worse, she alreadybelieves herself marked for long illness. She actually looked ill today."
"She is mentally sick, and the symptoms will develop, unlesscounter-measures quickly are adopted."
"What do you advise, Professor?" asked Mr. Parker. "Perhaps
if Mrs. Rhettwere sent away from Riverview for a short while--"
"It would be of no avail, for the basic belief that she is ill wouldremain in her mind. No, this thing, must be plucked out at the root. Thedoll has been burned. That is good! Now the one who seeks to will thissickness upon Mrs. Rhett must be found and confronted with his crime."
"We don't know who is behind it," said Mr. Parker.
"I read in the papers Mr. Rhett has vanished. However, I wonder, is itnot possible he actually is still in Riverview?"
"But you said yourself, Mr. Rhett doesn't appear the type of man to dosuch a ghastly thing," broke in Mr. Parker.
"So I did, but we dare not close our eyes to such a possibility. Ibelieve you mentioned two servants, Anton and Celeste, who also areversed in cult practices, no doubt."
"Celeste is the one I suspect!" cried Penny. "But she has no good reasonfor hating Mrs. Rhett who seemingly always has been kind to her."
"Regardless, my advice is that the two servants be watched closely. Andwhen the guilty person is found, as he must be, ordinary threats orpunishments are likely to prove useless in dealing with him. He must befought with his own superstitious weapons."
Mr. Parker and Penny talked on and on with the professor whose discussionof the effects of auto-suggestion only served to heighten their anxietyregarding Mrs. Rhett. When they left the house at midnight, Penny wasdeeply depressed.
"It's all very well for the professor to say 'find the guilty party andfight him with his own weapons,'" she declared, "but how can we do it? Inthe first place, Lorinda is our only contact with the Rhett household."
"Secondly, we're not gifted in all this hocus-pocus. It's a case for thepolice," added her father.
"But we have no proof of anything," Penny pointed out.
"True," agreed her father. "I may talk to the police chief about it.Meanwhile, we're interested in keeping abreast of developments for the_Star_. If you're sent out there again, be watchfully alert, but saynothing to Lorinda or anyone else about your suspicions. The case couldtake an ugly turn. In that event, I don't want you involved."
"It's fun working on the story, Dad. But I also want to help Lorinda andespecially her mother."
Penny realized her father had given excellent advice, and made up hermind to follow it. She became thoughtfully silent as they motored home.
"Wonder what the news is tonight?" Mr. Parker remarked, halting the carat a street corner to buy a newspaper.
Glaring headlines occupied the front page. Mr. Parker's first thought wasthat the missing banker had been found. He snapped on the interior carlight to read the banner.
His stunned silence as he stared at it, caused Penny to peer over hisshoulder. The lead story was not about Mr. Rhett's mysteriousdisappearance. Instead, the bold black type proclaimed:
"STORM WARNINGS POSTED. RIVERVIEW BELIEVED TO BE IN PATH OF APPROACHINGHURRICANE!"
Whispering Walls Page 14