Penny took out a water-soaked handkerchief, a key ring and a plain white envelope.
“That may be something!” exclaimed Mr. Parker. “Handle it carefully so it doesn’t tear.”
They carried the articles into the cabin. Mr. Parker turned on the light and took the envelope from his daughter’s hand. They were both elated to see that another paper was contained inside.
Mr. Parker tore off the envelope and flattened the letter on the table beneath the light. The ink had blurred but nearly all of the words could still be made out. There was no heading, merely the initials: “J. J. K.”
“Could that mean James Kippenberg?” Penny asked.
The message was brief. Mr. Parker read it aloud.
“Better come through or your fate will be the same as Atherwald’s. We give you twenty-four hours to think it over.”
“How strange!” Penny exclaimed. “That man I pulled out of the water couldn’t have been James Kippenberg!”
“Not likely, Penny. My guess would be that he had been sent here to deliver this warning note. Being unfamiliar with the road, and not knowing about the dangerous drawbridge, he crashed through.”
“But James Kippenberg isn’t supposed to be at the estate,” Penny argued. “It doesn’t make sense at all.”