“I should like to speak with Mrs. Kippenberg,” she requested.
“Madam will see no one,” began the man.
Footsteps sounded behind him in the hallway and Mrs. Kippenberg stood in the door.
“So it is you?” she asked in an icy voice. “Julius, see that this person is ejected from the grounds.”
“One moment please,” interposed Penny. “If I leave now, I warn you that certain facts will be published in the Star, facts which will add to your embarrassment.”
“You can print nothing which will humiliate us further.”
“No? You might like to have me mention the alligator in your lily pool. And the reason why you and your daughter are so anxious to be rid of it before the police ask questions.”
Mrs. Kippenberg’s plump face flushed a deep red. But for once she managed to keep her temper.
“What do you wish of me?” she asked frigidly.
“First, tell me about that painting, ‘The Drawbridge’ which was presented to your daughter as a wedding gift. Was it not given to her by your husband?”