Penny reasoned that it was of vital importance for her to inspect Al Gepper’s room during his absence. She might never have another opportunity. Yet she hesitated to enter the house while the Hodges were away, even though she felt certain the seamstress would not mind.
Walking to the rear, Penny noticed that the porch screen had been left unfastened. Entering the kitchen, she called Mrs. Hodges’ name but received no answer.
“If I wait for her to come home it may be too late,” decided Penny. “This is an emergency.”
Her mind made up, she took the stairs two at a time to Al Gepper’s room. Her knock went unanswered. Satisfied that he was not there, she tried the door and found it unlocked.
Penny raised a blind to flood light into the darkened room. Save that a film of dust covered the furniture, everything was approximately the same as she had last seen it.
Her gaze fell upon two suitcases which had been pushed beneath the bed. The first contained only miscellaneous clothing. The second merited a more careful inspection.
Almost at once Penny came upon an old faded picture, the one of Cousin David which Mrs. Weems had given to the photographer’s “agent.”
“So that was how it was done!” she thought. “Al Gepper sent one of his confederates to see Mrs. Weems and obtain information about her cousin. The painting which appeared so miraculously during the séance was merely a copy of this! Even so, how was it painted so quickly?”
Forgetting the picture for a moment, Penny picked up several newspaper clippings which were fastened together with a rubber band. All had been taken from the obituary column and concerned the death of well-to-do Riverview persons.
“Al Gepper and his pals are ghouls!” Penny told herself. “They prey upon the relatives of persons who have died, realizing that at such a time it will be much easier to interest them in trying to communicate with the departed!”