“Well, I didn’t know you then. My stepfather’s trophies all are kept in the cottage, and I didn’t want anyone prying about.”
“Then actually it’s not a place of evil?”
Lorinda hesitated and answered indirectly: “I almost never go to the cottage myself. Once I was badly frightened there—it was nothing—but for a silly reason, I’ve always dreaded going back.”
“You didn’t by chance hear whispering from within the walls?”
Lorinda gave her companion a quick, startled look. “Why do you ask, Penny?”
“Because I visited the cottage yesterday with Salt Sommers. We distinctly heard a voice which seemed to come from the wall itself. When we went outside to investigate, the door slammed shut and locked.”
“It has an automatic catch,” Lorinda explained. “I never heard voices there, but I had a strange feeling when I was in the room—as if the walls had eyes and I was being watched.”
“The cottage always is kept locked?” Penny inquired.
“Yes, my stepfather’s trophies are valuable, and we can’t risk having them stolen. How did you get inside?”
Penny had the grace to blush. “Well, to make a long story short, we went in through the window,” she admitted. “It was a dreadful thing to do, and I’m heartily ashamed.”