So it was a planned robbery! And Graybeard’s henchmen had probably come disguised as cowboys, carrying real pistols in their holsters!
For a moment, Phil was paralyzed with worry about the girls. Penny and Marjorie were so impulsive! Would they submit quietly to a holdup? And Adra?
He felt sure that the older women, although they would be frightened at the sight of guns, would do nothing which might arouse the anger of armed criminals. But the girls!
The voice behind the mask repeated menacingly, “Open that safe!”
Philip quickly obeyed. There was nothing else to do. Peter had been right all along: They should have called on the police for help.
Philip twirled the dial and opened the door of the safe. “Help yourself,” he said curtly.
“I am very much engaged in watching you,” replied the man. Philip had no choice. He emptied the safe and handed its contents to the masked burglar.
There was a good sum of money, the payments of the guests for the week. It was mostly in checks and a great deal of the jewelry had been removed from the safe for the occasion. Philip was thanking his lucky stars that they didn’t keep too much cash, valuable articles or important papers. Philip tried to get a good look at the man’s face under his beard, but it and the mask over his nose and eyes completely hid his features.
Could this really be the mysterious Mr. X? No, Philip decided. Graybeard was nothing but a common ordinary burglar. And yet there was something familiar about him.
The man tucked the money into his pocket, then looked contemptuously at the bit of jewelry but put it into another pocket. Philip listened to hurrying footsteps overhead and could see that Graybeard was perturbed by them. But there was no catching this man off guard. He held the gun close to Philip every minute. He again ordered Philip to put his hands into the air, while he felt around the inside of the safe. Philip could not help but think what a curious picture this man with his long gray beard made, as he searched through the empty safe with one hand and kept his pistol pointed at Philip with the other. What on earth was he searching for?