“Substitute?”
“Yes. Thrown away by Clark, I supposed. Like Toby done before.”
“Where is it?”
“I—uh—why—tell truth, Rog’, I—I thrown it away. Back in Bombay. I figured it wasn’t a safe idea to keep it, after all.”
So there it stood!
Chapter 20
GHOST VOICES
Roger’s mind was more at ease. He had seen Mr. Clark pocket the gem for which they substituted their Eye of Aum. Outside the rock door as they emerged from the fissure leading down from the temple, he had seen the man’s hand pull it from his pocket and fling it away.
“That’s no good,” the jeweler helping Doctor Ryder had chuckled.
Definitely, in Roger’s mind, Potts had found that cast-away imitation. He had not gone back through the tunnel!
“Exonerated,” he said, cheerfully, and they brushed a finely pulverized compound over the note, seeking to bring into relief the possible finger-prints thereon. Several faint smudges showed, and Potts made a photographic exposure, also using chemicals, with other takes, to bring up possible marks, erasures and so on.