The Mystery of the Emeralds

father was inspecting the panel with great interest.
    “This is a unique house,” he said as Trixie and Jim emerged, “and Di tells us she and Mart heard the specter of the mason, which only adds to its fascination. Did you hear it, too, Trixie?” His jocular manner indicated that he, too, was skeptical about the ghost, and Trixie noticed that Di and Mart now seemed much more relaxed.
    “No, it wasn’t a ghost,” she replied, “but I almost wish it had been!”
    “What do you mean?” Honey asked. “You did hear something?”
    “Yes.” Jim continued the story. “We heard the same tapping sounds and noises—as though someone were digging. Trixie thinks it was Jenkins. You see, the tunnel is blocked up halfway through, so we couldn’t tell for sure.”
    “It looks to me, Trixie,” Mr. Lynch said, his voice becoming serious, “as if Jenkins is as confident as you that the real necklace-” He paused at Trixie’s startled expression. “Yes,” he continued, “Mr. Carver told me about the trick Jenkins tried to pull with the phony emeralds. But what puzzles me is how he could have known about the tunnel and the marked brick.”
    “Well, you see,” Trixie began, glancing at Mr. Carver, “we think he stole the directions Ruth left in the locket.”
    “Why, you didn’t tell me you suspected anything like that,” Edgar Carver interposed. “You mean—” He started to speak again, and then a strange expression swept over his face. “Wait a minute! Everything is beginning to come back to me. That day I fell out of the chair. He was here! I remember now, and he threatened me when I wouldn’t give him the locket. Everything after that is a complete blank, until I came to on the sofa, with Brian bandaging my head.”
    “We suspected something like that, Mr. Carver,” Brian said. “Trixie found the locket with the paper missing the morning you were hurt, but we didn’t want to worry you about Jenkins unless we had to-.”
    “That was most considerate of you,” Edgar Carver said softly. “I only wish I could help you hunt for the marked brick. Time is running out for you, and now you have that man literally breathing down your necks. Have you any suggestions, sir?” he asked Mr. Lynch. “You’re leaving tomorrow, aren’t you?”
    “Your question brings me to something I was going to tell you during lunch,” Mr. Lynch said with a smile. “Mrs. Lynch and I have fallen in love with this part of the country, and during the last few days I have been making some inquiries about Rosewood Hall. I found that Jenkins’s scheme to start a horse farm isn’t working out very well, and he’s only too willing to sell.”
    “You mean you’re going to buy it, Daddy?” Di asked eagerly.
    “Yes, dear. I’ve looked over the property, and this morning the papers were signed. I hope to rebuild Rosewood just as it was originally,” Mr. Lynch said. “I can see now why Jenkins was so eager to sell and get out of the neighborhood.”
    “Yes,” Trixie mused, “he probably thought he could sell the imitation necklace to Mr. Carver, discover the real emeralds, and clear out before anyone heard about it and tried to stop him.”
    “Unquestionably, the man is a scoundrel,” Mr. Lynch agreed, “so I’d advise you to carry on your search without delay. We’ll have to stay on for a day or so longer than we first planned, to wind up the details of the purchase, so you don’t need to worry about having to leave for home, Trixie. But you do have to worry about Jenkins beating you to the treasure! I don’t take legal possession of Rosewood until tomorrow, so, you see, I can’t yet order him off the property.”
    “Your acquisition of Rosewood is certainly exciting news!” Edgar Carver said warmly. “I shall not only be extremely glad to get rid of Jenkins, but also I shall welcome having you as a neighbor.”
    “Thank you, sir,” Mr. Lynch replied cordially. “I don’t know how much time I’ll be able to spend here, but I hope to vacation at Rosewood as often as I can.” Then, glancing at Trixie, he continued, “But I can see Trixie is impatient to get back to the secret passage. Shall we go to lunch right now and not lose any more time?”
    Trixie suddenly decided she would have to change her mind about going to lunch with the others. Even an hour might make the difference between success and failure, and now that Mr. Carver and the Lynches knew about the strange noises in the tunnel, she felt