“Thanks, Jerry,” she returned gratefully. “We were in trouble—plenty of it.”
As the reporter drove on toward the Rhett mansion, Penny quickly revealed what had happened. Jerry made little comment, but his expression was grim.
“Maybe Antón and Celeste are here,” he said as the car reached the Rhett home. “If they are, we’ll round ’em up.”
Celeste and Antón, however, were not to be found in the mansion. Their rooms remained deserted and there was no indication that they had returned to the house after leaving the cave.
Lorinda lost not a moment in hastening to her mother’s bedroom. To her relief, Mrs. Rhett was sleeping quietly and did not awaken.
“Thank goodness, she is safe,” the girl murmured. “After what happened in the cave, I feared the worst.”
“We ought to get the police on the trail of Antón and Celeste before they make their escape,” Jerry urged. “Once the full force of this storm strikes, no one will be able to stir outside.”
He tried the telephone but the line remained dead. “I’ll drive to the police station,” he decided. “Are you girls coming along?”
“I’ll stay with Mother,” Lorinda said. “She mustn’t be left alone.”
Penny hesitated, intending to remain with her friend, but Jerry seized her by the arm. “Your father sent me out here to round you up, so I’ll take you to the newspaper office,” he declared. “Let’s go!”