“Yes, but I wanted to be liked for myself and not my fortune. I conceived the plan of sending out letters inviting my relatives here. I thought I would subject them to a series of tests and all the while I could be studying their characters.”
“An insane plan!” Mrs. Leeds interposed.
“The idea didn’t work the way I expected,” Caleb continued ruefully. “I sent out four letters but two of them were returned unopened as the individuals to whom they were addressed were no longer living. However, as you know, three persons came to Raven Ridge claiming to have received one of the communications.”
“Max Laponi must have found the letter and key which Rosanna lost,” Penny declared. “He was the impostor.”
“You have it all figured out very nicely,” the crook sneered.
“I suspected right off that he was the one,” Caleb went on with his story. “I knew I had no relative answering to his name.”
“Why didn’t you send him away at once?” Rosanna questioned.
“I couldn’t very well do that without exposing my hand. If I admitted my identity then my little plan would be ruined.”
“You were caught in an awkward position,” Penny smiled.
“It kept getting worse all the time. I soon suspected that Laponi was nothing less than a crook. When I discovered that he knew the ivory collection was in the house I decided to remove it from the safe.”