“And the gem?”
“I took it with me when I ran away. It was sewed in the hem of a blue skirt packed in the suitcase.”
“Fool!” Highland exclaimed furiously. “Of all the stupid tricks! Where is the suitcase now?”
“Still under the dock unless someone has found it. But it should be there, because I pushed it up high out of sight beneath the underpinning.”
“Which dock?” the man rasped.
“It was just at the edge of Riverview. Dock Fourteen.”
“At least you remember the number!” he snapped. “If I fail to find the gem, I’ll come back here and make you pay! You may be certain of that!”
“I hope you do come back and that the police are waiting at the gate!” Rhoda retorted. “I hope they put you in prison for the rest of your life!”
Picking up the lantern, Jay Highland started toward the stairway where Penny crouched. She moved hurriedly behind the door which opened into the crypt.
Slight as was the sound she made, Highland detected it.