The hidden house quickly sank out of sight
“Oh, yes, Mrs. Heath. One moment, please, and I’ll ring Mr. Dorn.”
Mr. Dorn! He and Mrs. Heath were linked! She’d never suspected it—Thurman Dorn’s voice came on.
“Hello, Mother,” he said.
Vicki nearly dropped the telephone. She was careful not to answer, not to make a sound.
“Mother? Is anything wrong? Whatever are you doing in San Francisco?” A pause. “Hello? Mother? Hello!”
Vicki held her breath. She hoped Dorn would think something had gone wrong with their telephone connection. He repeated his hellos, then buzzed his receptionist, and demanded, “What’s happened to my San Francisco call, Sally?”
“You’re still connected, Mr. Dorn.”
Now his voice sounded angry. “Mother? Is that you? Hello?”
Dorn hung up, and Vicki hung up, too. Whew! Her heart was banging away over the discovery.