“No,” she faltered; “I—I—it’s lost.”
“Good Lord!” broke from Tanner’s lips.
“You haven’t been out of this room since you spoke with me last, have you?” inquired Klein.
She shook her head.
“Then it must be in here—some place!”
Tanner gripped Klein’s arms. “Do you think some one might——”
“We’ll have to find that out,” said Klein. “I’ve been sitting here for the past half hour. Not one of the guests passed out; I’m positive of that.”
Tanner’s eyes narrowed as he caught Klein’s meaning. “I understand. We’ll keep them all here until——”
A few minutes later the whole room was made aware of the discovery. The girls huddled together in a frightened group, while the men gathered around Tanner and Klein.
“I saw the brooch barely fifteen minutes ago,” Klein said, addressing them. “And Miss Lydecker has not been out of this room. The brooch must be in here.”