“The first word in the third line,” Penny said, “could be the last part of the word ‘treasure.’ And the well could be the one we dug up. But our mysterious Mr. X isn’t as smart as he should be. We went clear to the bottom of that old well, Peter, and there just isn’t any buried treasure there.”
Peter nodded. “The man first tried to frighten you, and now he’s being as annoying as he dares.”
“Do you know what I think?” Penny asked. “I think there is something valuable hidden around here which we don’t know anything about. But Mr. X does. He wants us to keep on thinking it’s buried somewhere on the grounds so we’ll keep on digging instead of searching elsewhere for it.”
“You’re not only very pretty, Penny,” Peter said, smiling. “But you’re very intelligent. I think you’ve reasoned it out correctly. The map and this fragment of paper are red herrings; not clues. Will you let me turn them over to the police? Just the paper our Mr. X used may be a clue which would lead to the discovery of his identity in a very short time.”
“Oh, no, Peter,” Penny cried impulsively. “Let’s not turn the mystery over to the police now. Let’s first try to solve it ourselves. Besides,” she added shrewdly, “when they hear about the night prowler who attacked Mal, they may want to put guards around the Lodge. And that, Peter Wyland, would make some of the guests nervous. It might ruin our whole business venture.”
“I can refuse you nothing, Penny Allen,” he said, grinning. “But I think we ought to consult with Phil and Adra before we make a final decision. Let’s call them in, and hash the whole thing out all over again.”
But an hour later, after a serious discussion, Penny won. They would not notify the police unless they received another threatening letter.
“I still don’t like it,” Peter grumbled. “The idea of that coward threatening Penny.”
Penny blushed. Peter was being very protective about her and she couldn’t help liking it. “But he didn’t really threaten me,” she pointed out. “He couldn’t possibly have known I was going to touch the rotten supports in the shed wall. If you ask me, he heard about the accident and simply took advantage of it. A few hours after I tumbled down the well, everyone in the village knew about it.”
“That’s another thing,” Peter said stubbornly. “If we notify the police they’ll know who is a stranger in town and keep an eye on him.”