"Worse than careless!" agreed Penteney. "As I said, he caught it hot. But now——"
The telephone bell on Blenkinsop's desk rang. With a word of excuse Penteney turned to it. A moment later a smothered ejaculation of surprise came from him, followed by a sharp interrogation on his part. Suddenly he turned on Hetherwick.
"Good heavens!" he exclaimed. "What's all this? This is Lady Riversreade speaking. She says her sister, who came yesterday, and Miss Featherstone have been kidnapped! Kidnapped—this morning!"
Hetherwick leapt to his feet with a sharp exclamation—half amazed, half incredulous. But already his thoughts were with Rhona; he saw the dangers of the situation for her as Penteney could not see them.
"Impossible!" he said. "Kidnapped! in broad daylight? And—from there?"
But Penteney was still busy at the telephone, giving and receiving rapid answers.
"Yes, yes!" he was saying. "To be sure!—police—yes! I'm coming straight there now—car—tell the police to get busy."
He turned sharply to Hetherwick as he laid down the instrument.
"Fear there's no impossibility about it!" he said. "Lady Riversreade says they were carried off as they crossed from the Court to the Home—she's heard something of a big car with strange men in it. I'm going down there at once—there's more in this affair than one sees at first."
"I'll come with you," said Hetherwick. "Where can we get a car—a fast one?"