“To you—yes. But not to Mrs. Rhett. Tell me, does she know that the doll existed?”
“Yes, she learned about it—probably from Antón or Celeste.”
The professor nodded. “The intended victim always knows,” he declared. “By one means or another he is informed through those who seek his ruin. To be effective, the person must fear the mumbo-jumbo hocus-pocus.”
“Mrs. Rhett does fear it,” Penny confirmed. “What’s worse, she already believes herself marked for long illness. She actually looked ill today.”
“She is mentally sick, and the symptoms will develop, unless counter-measures quickly are adopted.”
“What do you advise, Professor?” asked Mr. Parker. “Perhaps if Mrs. Rhett were sent away from Riverview for a short while—”
“It would be of no avail, for the basic belief that she is ill would remain in her mind. No, this thing, must be plucked out at the root. The doll has been burned. That is good! Now the one who seeks to will this sickness upon Mrs. Rhett must be found and confronted with his crime.”
“We don’t know who is behind it,” said Mr. Parker.
“I read in the papers Mr. Rhett has vanished. However, I wonder, is it not possible he actually is still in Riverview?”
“But you said yourself, Mr. Rhett doesn’t appear the type of man to do such a ghastly thing,” broke in Mr. Parker.