“Unless you tell me where the sapphire is hidden she shall be brought down here and treated as those others who defied me.” The man jerked his head toward the room beyond Penny’s view. “What do you say?”
“Let me think about it for a few minutes.”
“You’re stalling for time, hoping that Parker girl will bring help!” the man accused. From his pocket he took a stout cord with which he securely bound Rhoda’s hands and feet.
Bracing her back against the wall, he likewise whipped a handkerchief gag from his clothing.
“This is your last chance,” he warned. “Will you tell, or shall I go for your grandmother?”
“I’ll tell,” Rhoda whispered. “The gem is a long ways from here.”
“Where?”
“Down by the river docks.”
“By the river docks! A likely story!”
“You remember I ran away?” Rhoda asked hurriedly. “I took my suitcase, intending not to come back. Then for Grandmother’s sake I returned. I was afraid I might never get a chance to sneak my clothes out again, so I hid the suitcase under a dock by the river.”