Mrs. Deline crossed the beach to speak to the girls. Her hair was damp and stringy, her face pinched and blue from cold.
“Here’s your suit!” she snapped, slapping the wet garment into the sand at Penny’s feet. “I hope you enjoyed the swim! I’m sure I didn’t.”
Turning her back, the widow marched to the hotel.
The moment Mrs. Deline had disappeared into the white brick building, Penny dug the jade elephant and paper from the sand.
“Let’s get dressed,” she urged Louise. “We’ve no time to waste.”
So thrilled were the girls over what they had accomplished that they could talk of nothing else. Penny felt that by obtaining the jade elephant she had proven her case.
“You thought I was only jealous of Mrs. Deline,” she told Louise triumphantly as they dressed in adjoining booths. “Now what do you say?”
“That you’re a genius!” Louise praised. “Mrs. Deline certainly is mixed up in some shady business.”
Once dressed, the girls wrapped the jade elephant in a handkerchief and carried it to the hotel. Jerry was nowhere to be found, and a bellboy told Penny that her father had gone for a walk.
“Perhaps we can work the message out ourselves,” Penny suggested hopefully. “Let’s try.”