Coulee City dispatch. [volume] (Coulee City, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1937-11-04
CHAPTER VI-Continued

She reached the question and
door at the same time. AS Mark
Trent opened it, a slightly musty
smell, a blend of camphor and old
books and ancient furniture, stole
out. He motioned with the flash in
his hand. Brooke's eyes followed
the light. She set her teeth hard in
her lips to keep back an exclama-
ton of astonishment. On a large
table, illumined by the spotlight,
surrounded by boxes and trunks and
storeroom litter, was massive tea
service and perhaps a dozen dishes
and pitchers of silver, furnished to
light copper color. A scrap of
paper drifted to the floor.
tits great hide-out, isn't it?
She nodded in answer to the low,
amused question.
"When did you discover it,"
Thought heard strange sounds
upstairs when Jed and I were wait
ing for you in the living-room the
other afternoon. The Japs' rooms
are in the L on the first floor, and
when I had this house opened I
told the caretaker not to touch the
third. After you and Mr> Gregory
left, I investigated and found this
silver. I've been on the watch ever
since to discover who put it here.
This afternoon someone slipped a
cog, and left both keys; must have
been frightened off, or else they
were left purposely so that Sec
ond party might have access to the
loot"
fWho put the loot, as you call it,
in that room?"
"That's what you and l will find
out"
That "you and 1" was fuse to dy-
Mantle. Brooke leaned back against
the balustrade.
"You will, you mean, you and
your sleuth Jed Stewart. You and.
he are spies, aren't you? Amateur
detectives. Mark, to you,' you say
to Sam, and all the time you are
spying on his sister and accusing
her of undue influence of hypno-
tizing an old woman into leaving
her a fortune. I ought to have
known what you thought of me when
you said that. I do now. Find out
who stole the silver. You've put
Inspector Harrison on the case,
haven't you? wish you luck"
She jerked her wrist free and ran
down the stairs. She stopped at the
foot of them. A TRADE like that she
had just delivered took ones breath
for a minute. Why, why had she let
Mark the Magnificent know that she
suspected his reason for occupying
the house? She, who had prided her
self on her self-control in business?
Why couldn't she be diplomatic?
Her outrageous temper was the an
swer. Thank Heaven she had had
sense enough not to tell him of Hen
ri's threat that he could put her out
of Lookout House.
A sound! Someone had touched
the knob on the other side of the
door! Had the person remembered
that both keys had been left? Now
now Mark and she would find out
who had taken the silver.
Stealthlly she touched the button
and plunged the top floor into dark
ness. She raced up the stairs. Car
omed into Mark Trent coming out
of the storeroom. She clutched his
sleeve; whispered:
"Shut the door! Quick! Someone
is fumbling at the hall key. Per-
haps he'll come for this one."
He held her by one arm as he
noiseless1y closed the door. In the
dark he drew her into another room.
Side by side they waited. Brooke's
heart shook her body. How could
the man so near her help hearing it
thunp in the tomblike silence?
A spot of light. Creeping up!
Creeping up! Her breath caught in
a gasp. An arm slipped round her