Radio and television mirror (Jan-June 1941)

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For this part of her mission was ended now. Page had the diamond. The end of her stay at Mystery House was definitely in sight. She need only give it to Mrs. Prendergast today — this queer strange day of a funeral — and everything else would fall into line. "I want to ask you one favor, Page," Lynn said, "it's only for three days. And it might mean that they — they didn't get me." "Who didn't get you?" "I don't know, exactly. But I think — " he said, in his anxious, simple way, "I think they killed my grandmother." WAS Trudy Mockbee your grandmother, then?" "I think she was. No; she wasn't." They were sitting on the steps of the terrace now. "You're going to give that diamond to Mrs. Prendergast, aren't you?" Page, looking at him seriously, felt her face flush. It did seem sometimes as if they were all treating Lynn rather as the holder of the diamond than as a human being with rights of his own. "It belongs to her," she said. "It will if I give it to her," he said. "But my grandmother gave it to me." "Is Mrs. Prendergast your grandmother, Lynn?" "Why, certainly she is!" he said quietly. "I got it from her." "But then why — I don't understand it at all," Page said. There was no getting anything coherent out of him. Page gave it up. "Tell me what you want me to do for three days," she said. "I want you to tell her." He usually designated Mrs. Prendergast so; he jerked his head now in the direction of her room. "I want you to tell her you have the diamond. But you must say you can't give it to her for three days." "Lynn, I have no right to do that!" "Let me see it a minute," he said, and as she opened her palm his big brown fingers gently took it from her hand. "Then I won't give it to you," he said. "I'll throw it out there from the Rock. It's deep there. They'll never find it!" "You mustn't do that!" Page's heart was beating fast. "Just tell me why I must wait three days, Lynn," she pleaded, "so that I'll understand." "Because, you see, in three days she'll do something to me. They'll tell you I slipped off the rock or that I killed myself, or something." "What do you mean?" Page's face was suddenly white. "I mean that then you'll know," Lynn said. "You'll know that they were only letting me — be alive — until they got the diamond back!" "They? Who?" "Flora, for one." For the first time in her life Page felt her blood actually chilling. from page 54) "Flora! What could she do to you?" "She'd help her," Lynn said. "Who?" He did not answer in words. Instead he jerked his head in the direction of the house. "Mrs. Prendergast! How could she? She can't even walk!" "She walks as well as you do," Lynn stated simply, and there was a silence. A fresh horror crept slowly through Page's being. A hundred memories rushing at her united to confirm this incredible truth. She remembered the ease with which Mrs. Prendergast had managed certain details of bathing and dressing. She remembered her own astonishment at finding her moved from one chair to another. "You think she had something to do with the death of Trudy Mockbee?" "I know she did. And I know she thinks I'll tell." The diamond rolled in his hand like a casual pebble; he looked down at it absently. "She's just been waiting to get this before she — does something to me. If they tell you I've disappeared, you can say, 'You make him well, or bring him back, or you'll never see your diamond again!' " "But Lynn," the girl argued, in infinite distress, "they could put me in jail for that! It's her diamond!" "No, it's not. She gave it to me, and I give it to you, because — " He looked away to sea, grinding his hands restlessly together. "You're so awfully sweet, and I — I do love you so much," he said huskily. There was a silence. Presently, Lynn looked at the diamond in his cupped hand. "If you'll promise to hold it for three days, and if in that time nothing happens to me, I'll give this back to you," he said, after a moment. "They'll have to work fast now, because of Mrs. Roy's dying. You see?" I DON'T see. But if what you think ' is true," she said slowly, "we are in terrible danger. But — oh, it can't be true," the girl breathed. "If it is, why don't we just slip away — you and I — get into San Francisco right now!" "How?" the man asked. "Well — " Fear was playing on her heart like fingers on the taut strings of a violin now. "We could — one of the cars — only I can't drive," she said, swallowing with a dry throat. "Rand!" she exclaimed in sudden relief. "He's not in this, he isn't such a fool as to let himself into a thing like this with two crazy women!" "No. I think he believes them. He didn't come here until after I did. I think she's told him that she'll give him money; he'll be rich. And you know Rand wants to be rich." "I suppose every one does," Page began. Lynn was listening only absently. "Shall I give you this?" he said, of the diamond. "Oh, hadn't you better, and get the thing out of the way?" "But you'll promise to hold it for three days?" "If you say so. But the sensible thing for us to do would be to give it to her right now, and then ask to be sent into the city at once, and never come back!" Page persisted. "And suppose they said that on account of what happened last night, and Flora being upset, we'd have to wait until tomorrow?" "It wouldn't kill us to wait until tomorrow." RADIO AND TELEVISION MIRROR