In the other coat pocket was an old handkerchief. One corner had been tied into a knot to hold several small objects.
“What’s this?” commented the policeman, untying the handkerchief.
The cloth contained four dark-colored pellets.
“Our fertilizer!” exclaimed Vevi. “Well, what do you know! She was after our fertilizer, not the tulip bulbs!”
Carefully the policeman examined the pellets. He rolled them between his fingers.
“You see, they are nothing!” said Mrs. Gabriel. “Now will you let me go? I’ve had quite enough of Rosedale and Brownie Scouts. I assure you I’ll leave town promptly and not come back.”
Before the officers could decide what to do, a car pulled up at the curb.
“There’s Peter!” exclaimed Miss Mohr in relief.
The nurseryman leaped out of his car and came over to the flower bed. Miss Mohr told him what had happened before his arrival. The policeman showed him the pellets taken from Mrs. Gabriel.
“Just as I thought!” Mr. Van Der Lann exclaimed. “These pellets are uncut commercial diamonds. They were smuggled to this country from Holland in a shipment of imported tulip bulbs.”