“A trapdoor!” Louise echoed incredulously.
“You can see for yourself that it’s an iron ring.”
“It does look a little like one from here,” Louise admitted. “But whoever heard of a trapdoor in a lily pool? No one but you would even think of such a thing. It doesn’t make sense.”
“Does anything on this estate make sense?”
“The ring might have something to do with draining the pool,” Louise said without replying to her chum’s question. “I suppose a section of the pool could be lifted up and removed. But I’d never call it a trapdoor.”
“I wish we could tell for sure what it is.” Penny tried to prod the ring with her stick but it was well beyond her reach. “Maybe the alligator has a room down under the pool where he spends his winters!”
“You’re simply filled with ideas today,” Louise declared. “What about my pin? Shall we let it go?”
Reminded of her original task, Penny set to work once more, trying to draw the cameo to the edge of the tank. She was so deeply engrossed, that she jumped as her chum touched her on the arm.
“Listen, Penny, I think someone is coming!”
From the path at the right they could hear approaching footsteps and the low murmur of voices.