A Holdup
"Well, what do you think of it, my dear?" Mrs. Dillon questioned
eagerly.
"Beautiful!" the guest praised, stepping back a pace that she might
view the painting to better advantage. "How fortunate you are to own
such a picture."
"I've always craved to possess a genuine masterpiece," Mrs. Dillon
declared enthusiastically. "It gives one prestige."
"And you say this is a Rembrandt, Mrs. Dillon?" the other asked. "It
must have cost you a pretty penny."
"It did, but at that I consider the painting a great bargain. The
dealer assured me that if I wished to dispose of it at any time he
would promise to find an immediate purchaser."
"Undoubtedly, you made a fine deal," Mrs. Dillon's friend acknowledged.
"From whom did you buy the picture?"
"I can't tell you that. I pledged myself not to reveal his identity."
"Oh, I see. But you are quite sure you can depend upon the dealer's
word?"
"Yes, indeed. I hope you don't think I'd allow myself to be taken
in----"
"Oh, no, certainly not. Only I've heard it said that unscrupulous
dealers sometimes resort to tricks."
"I pride myself upon having a streak of Yankee shrewdness," Mrs. Dillon
said, "and I do know art. When I saw this picture I recognized it
instantly as one I had seen at the Gage Galleries. Of course, the
dealer didn't claim it was the genuine Rembrandt--quite the contrary."
"Then aren't you afraid----?"
"Not in the least," Mrs. Dillon interrupted. "Naturally, the dealer
wouldn't subject himself to arrest by acknowledging that he was selling
stolen property."
"The painting is a very fine one," the other woman declared, "but I
can't say I should care to own it myself. You'll never be able to
display it openly."
"Perhaps not, but I can show it privately to my friends and I'll derive
satisfaction just from knowing I own it."
"But if the police should suspect----"
"They won't, unless someone reports me. So far you are the only person
who knows that I have the painting."
"Oh, you may trust me, Mrs. Dillon. I'll never give you away."
"If the picture should ever be traced to me I can always claim that I
was an innocent purchaser," Mrs. Dillon chuckled. "In fact, I don't
know that this is the same picture that was taken from the Gage
Galleries. The dealer didn't tell me that it was an original."
"You're very shrewd," the other woman praised.
Mrs. Dillon carefully drew the velvet curtain over the painting and
closed the panel. As the two women moved toward the door they passed
close to Penny's chair. The girl held her breath, fearing detection.
She had not meant to be an eavesdropper, but the nature of Mrs.
Dillon's conversation had made it impossible to reveal her presence in
the room without creating a difficult scene. However, should she be
discovered now, crouching behind the back of the chair, the situation
would prove even more embarrassing.
"We must return to the others before we're missed," Mrs. Dillon said,
unlocking the door.
The two women went out, and Penny heard a slight metallic click which
at the moment did not strike her as having any significance. As the
door closed she quickly arose from her chair.
Penny was dismayed at what she had seen and heard. It was difficult
for her to believe that Mrs. Dillon owned the painting which had been
stolen from the Gage Galleries. From the conversation she felt quite
sure that the society woman had purchased the picture from a dishonest
dealer who undoubtedly had received it from the original thief. Yet
Mrs. Dillon had knowingly purchased stolen property and so in effect
was an accessory to the crime.
"She must be crazy to involve herself in a deal like that," Penny
thought. "If the police learn she has the painting they'll confiscate
it and arrest her."
Penny realized that she had it within her power to expose Mrs. Dillon.
Even though she were a guest in the society woman's home, it was really
her duty to reveal her findings to the police.
From her hiding place behind the chair, Penny had not been able to
secure a very good view of the painting. She was eager to examine it
at close range.
Did she dare open the panel? She decided to take the chance. Jerking
at the long silken rope as she had seen Mrs. Dillon do, the girl was
gratified to observe the sham picture above the mantel swing slowly
back to reveal the hidden panel.
Penny quickly drew aside the velvet curtain which protected the stolen
Rembrandt.
The painting was one of the lesser known works of the famous artist, a
picture of a child. Penny snapped on the electric light that she might
view it to better advantage.
At first glance the painting was very impressive, but as the girl
studied it more critically, she was assailed with doubt. The picture
did not seem to have the character or strength commonly associated with
great works of art. The draftmanship seemed mechanical, the color
lacked depth.
"I wonder if it really is a genuine Rembrandt?" Penny thought.
The longer she gazed at it the more convinced she became that the
picture was merely a clever imitation. She wished that Amy Coulter
were there to offer an opinion. Penny did not trust her own judgment.
Her knowledge of art was so slight that she might be mistaken in
considering the Rembrandt a fraud.
Closing the panel, Penny sat down for an instant to think. She knew
she had made an important discovery, one which easily could cause Mrs.
Dillon serious trouble should she report her findings to the police.
Upon the other hand, the society woman was an important personage of
Belton City with many influential friends, and should she be falsely
arrested the trouble would descend like an avalanche upon the head of
Penny Nichols.
"I'll have to move cautiously," the girl reflected. "It's no crime to
own a copy of a stolen painting. If this picture is a fake, the police
would have no case against Mrs. Dillon."
The problem was too deep for Penny. She decided to reveal to no one
the discovery she had made until after she had discussed the matter
with her father. Quickly, she arose and went to the door.
To her surprise it did not open when she turned the knob. It took an
instant for the truth to dawn upon her. The door was locked!
"Mrs. Dillon must have turned the key when she went out," Penny
thought, recalling that she had heard a slight metallic click. "Now I
am in it!"
She considered calling for help but immediately abandoned the idea. It
would be difficult to explain how she had been locked in the library
without revealing the true details. And Mrs. Dillon would instantly
suspect that she had seen the hidden painting.
The room had two windows looking out upon the front lawn. Directly
beneath was a cultivated bed of flowers which Penny decided must be
sacrificed if necessary to the occasion. She switched out the electric
lights, and raising one of the windows peered in both directions to see
that the coast was clear.
Quickly she climbed over the sill, hung by her fingers tips for an
instant, then dropped lightly down to the ground, crushing several
choice plants underfoot.
Before she could turn she felt her arms pinioned behind her back in a
grasp of steel.
"Not so fast, young lady!" said a gruff voice.
Penny whirled around to face the man who had captured her. She began
to laugh.
"Dad!"
"Penny! I thought I had caught a young lady burglar. What are you
trying to do?"
"Escape from the library."
"So I observe. But have you any objection to using a door? In polite
society I believe that's the accepted method of leaving a house."
"The library door was locked," Penny explained hastily. "And I have
good reason for wanting to get away without being seen by anyone."
"In that case, always close the window after you," Mr. Nichols
chuckled. "Here, I'll boost you up and you can pull it down."
After Penny had lowered the sash, they hurriedly moved away from the
window.
"Now tell me all about it," the detective invited. "Did you lose your
bag of loot?"
"You know very well I wasn't doing anything I shouldn't," Penny
countered, "but you nearly frightened me to death when you nabbed me."
"I just happened to see you climbing out of the window as I came up the
path," the detective smiled. "I thought perhaps someone was escaping
with the family jewels."
"Speaking of jewelry, there's plenty of it around tonight. The
ballroom is fairly ablaze with it."
"Never mind the jewelry," Mr. Nichols said. "What were you doing in
the library?"
Leading her father to a secluded stone bench in the garden, Penny
related all that she had seen and heard.
"I wish you could see the picture," she ended. "I'm almost certain
it's a fake. If I can smuggle you into the library, will you look at
it?"
"No, Penny, I will not. You seem to forget that we're guests of Mrs.
Dillon."
"Yes, but if she has the stolen Rembrandt in her possession, isn't it
our duty to notify the police?"
"Do you know that she has the stolen painting?"
"No, in fact I rather suspect she's been cheated by a dishonest dealer."
"In that event, you'd only stir up a hornet's nest without doing a
particle of good. In fact, exposing Mrs. Dillon might give the real
thief a warning to lie low."
"How do you mean, Dad?"
"Why, the moment Mrs. Dillon is arrested, the dealer from whom she
purchased the picture will disappear. Then there will be no way to
trace the real thief."
"You're assuming that the dealer and the thief worked together even
though the painting which Mrs. Dillon bought may have been a fake."
"It's quite possible, Penny. Some day when the time is more opportune,
I'll explain to you how picture thieves work their racket. For the
moment I wish you'd accept my opinion that this case is packed with
dynamite. My advice to you is to be very sure of what you're doing
before you start any action."
"I guess you're right," Penny agreed. "I'll not do anything rash."
"The case may shake down in a few days," Mr. Nichols went on. "In the
meantime, Mrs. Dillon isn't going to dispose of her picture. She'll
not find it as easy to sell as she anticipates."
The detective arose from the bench after glancing at his watch.
"We'll have to go inside now," he said, "or the party will be over."
They entered the house and after wandering about for a few minutes
encountered Mrs. Dillon. She greeted the detective cordially and the
smile she bestowed upon Penny disclosed that she had not even noticed
the girl's long absence from the ballroom.
"How do you like her?" Penny whispered to her father as they sought the
refreshment table.
The detective shrugged. "She serves very good punch."
Mr. Nichols knew nearly all of the guests, either personally or by
reputation. Penny noticed that as he appeared to talk casually with
one person after another, actually he was surveying the throng somewhat
critically.
"You were right about the jewelry," he said in an undertone to his
daughter. "That necklace Mrs. Dillon is wearing must be worth at least
a cool ten thousand dollars."
"I should think she'd be afraid of losing it," Penny commented.
"Oh, it's probably insured for all it's worth," Mr. Nichols returned
casually.
The orchestra had struck up again and as other couples went out on the
floor, Penny tugged at her father's sleeve.
"Come on, Dad. Let's dance."
"You know I hate it, Penny."
"Just one," she pleaded. "I've had no fun at all this evening."
"Oh, all right," he gave in. "But remember, one dance is the limit."
"That depends upon how many times you step on my feet," Penny laughed.
Actually, Christopher Nichols was a far better dancer than he imagined
himself to be. His steps were introduced in a mechanical routine which
sometimes annoyed Penny, but otherwise he made an excellent partner,
gliding smoothly over the floor with the ease and grace of a young man.
"How am I doing?" he mumbled in his daughter's ear as he whirled her
deftly about to avoid striking another couple.
"Not bad at all," Penny responded, smiling. "Consider yourself engaged
for the next dance."
"Only one I said. I don't want to be laid up with rheumatism tomorrow."
"Rheumatism!" Penny scoffed.
She had spoken the word in an ordinary tone but it sounded as if she
had shouted it for the music ended unexpectedly in the middle of a
strain, trailing off into discordant tones. The amazed dancers halted,
looking toward the orchestra to see what was wrong.
Penny felt the arm which her father held about her waist stiffen. A
scream of terror rippled over the room.
Two men with white handkerchiefs pulled over their faces, had entered
the ballroom through the double French doors opening into the garden.
They trained their revolvers upon the dancers.
"This is a stick-up!" one announced grimly. "Put up your hands and
stand against the north wall!"