Penny now directed attention to the signature appearing at the bottom of the letter.
“Compare it with the writing on the back of the photograph.”
“They’re identical,” Rosanna declared.
“Then Caleb Eckert wrote those letters himself!” Mrs. Leeds cried furiously.
“Guilty,” Caleb acknowledged with a grin.
“You ought to be arrested!” Mrs. Leeds fairly screamed. “It was a cruel joke to play. You led us all to believe that we had inherited a fortune.”
“Tell me, why did you write the letters?” Penny inquired. “That’s one thing I’ve not been able to figure out although I think I might make an excellent guess.”
Caleb sank down in the nearest chair.
“I may as well tell the entire story,” he said. “Since my wife died some years ago I have been a very lonely man. I longed for an agreeable companion in my old age, someone who would enjoy traveling with me. My friends were few for I had spent most of my time abroad. My only living relatives were unknown to me. I felt ashamed because I had never looked them up.”
“So you decided to become better acquainted,” Penny prompted as Caleb hesitated.