“There are a number of things to be explained,” her father replied with a smile, “but first, I owe your friends my deepest thanks for their timely arrival.”
Mr. Burnett knew Madge and Rex but Jack French was a stranger. Madge introduced him and he gravely shook the ranger’s hand.
“Jack must tell us how he came to be here at the psychological moment,” Madge declared, “but first, you must relate your experiences, Mr. Burnett.”
“There’s not so much to tell,” he responded. “I bought the Zudi Drum in India of an antique dealer. I suppose the fellow resorted to questionable means in obtaining it but at the time I thought him reliable. At any rate, the first intimation I had of trouble was when I received a threatening note, warning me to give up the drum or suffer the consequence.”
“You didn’t tell me that,” Enid observed.
“No, I didn’t wish to alarm you. If the men had come to me in a straightforward way and asked for the drum, I would have given it to them, but instead, they tried to force me. I placed the Zudi Drum in the safe at home.”
“The house was entered,” Enid informed, “but they didn’t get the drum.”
“I suspected they would ransack the place. They tried to force me to tell where I had hidden the trophy, but I refused. Then when all else failed, they tricked my daughter into coming here.”
“I walked straight into the trap,” Enid admitted. “Madge tried to keep me from it but I wouldn’t listen. And it wasn’t my fault that I didn’t bring the drum. I can’t imagine what became of it.”
Madge explained the substitution she and Rex had made, and likewise told of her visit to the jeweler.