Some time yesterday the diagram was stolen."
"You don't say?" he said.
His voice had not been convincing enough; there had been a note of
mockery in it, and she knew he was guilty of the theft.
She looked at him fairly. "You took it," she accused.
"I didn't take it," he denied, returning her gaze. "But I've got it.
What are you goin' to do about it?"
"Nothing," she replied. "But do you think that was a gentleman's
action--to enter my room, to search it--even for something that
belonged to you?"
"No gentleman took it," he grinned; "therefore it couldn't have been
me. I told you I had it; I didn't take it."
"Who did, then?"
"Do you know Telza?"
"Telza?"
"Toltec," he said; "a Toltec from Yucatan. He got it yesterday--last
night--while you was gassin' to your friend, Neal Taggart."
She started, recollection filling her eyes. "A Toltec!" she said in an
awed voice. "I have heard that they are fanatics where their religion
is concerned; your father told me that his--that woman--Ezela--told
him. She said that the tribe would never give up the search for the
idol. He laughed at her; he laughed at me when he told me about it."
She drew a deep breath. "And so one of them has come," she said. "I
thought I heard a noise upstairs last night," she added. "It must have
been then.
Pages:
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
233
234
235
236
237
238
239
240
241
242
243
244
245
246