“Not much of anything,” Penny responded, glancing with interest about the cluttered workshop. “We were just out for a walk and thought we would stop in for a few minutes.”
Her attention drawn to a large rock which had been covered with wet sacking, she crossed the room to examine it. Iron filings had been sprinkled on the covering, and she knew that they must have a special purpose.
“What is this for?” she inquired curiously.
“Oh, I’m removing discoloration from a stone,” Mr. Crocker answered. “Don’t touch the sacking. Leave it alone.”
“What do you do with the rock after you finish working on it?” Louise asked, crossing the room to stand beside Penny.
“I sell it,” Mr. Crocker returned briefly. “I have work to do, and I’m waiting to get at it.”
“Oh, we didn’t mean to interrupt you,” Penny apologized. “The truth is, we came here to ask you about that stone you hauled for Jay Franklin. Do you think the writing on it is genuine?”
“Sure it is. Anyone who knows anything about stones could tell it had been lying in the ground for years.”
“The aging couldn’t have been faked?”
“Say, what is this?” Crocker demanded, scowling. “What are you trying to get at?”