CHAPTER 5 _AN EVIL CHARM_
"Mother has disliked reporters ever since she married my stepfather, twoyears ago," Lorinda confided as the girls approached the house. "We werein the Eastern part of the country at the time, and papers played up thestory, suggesting that Mr. Rhett was a fortune hunter."
"Then he had no money of his own?"
"Not a great deal. You see, my stepfather loved travel, and until he metMother he never really settled down. He made a little by writing magazinearticles, and he spent it roving about the country and exploring farcorners of the world."
"It must have been an interesting life," Penny commented politely. "Yourmother enjoyed travel too?"
"Oh, mercy no! One hardly can get her away from Riverview. She and mystepfather never traveled together after they were married."
Penny gathered that Mr. and Mrs. Rhett were entirely different types ofindividuals, but she asked no additional questions, for by this time, thegirls had reached the house.
Crossing a stone terrace at the rear of the dwelling, they entered aspacious living room furnished with elegant though formal furniture.Shades were partially drawn, giving the interior a gloomy atmosphere,despite the vases of brightly colored chrysanthemums which decorated thetables.
A woman with dark hair tinged with gray sat reading a book. She wasimmaculately groomed, every curl of an elaborate hair-do in place, buther face lacked tranquility. Her eyes were not on the page before her,Penny noted, and as the two girls came in, she visibly started.
"Oh, it's you, Lorinda," she murmured in relief. "I declare, I am gettingjumpy! For a moment I thought it might be the police or that inquisitivereporter--"
"Mother," interposed Lorinda hastily, "allow me to present Penny Parker,from the _Riverview Star_."
Mrs. Rhett laid aside the book and stared at Penny, her face withoutexpression. Her voice was cold as she spoke.
"From the _Star_? Lorinda, I am _very_ sorry, but you know my feeling inthis matter."
"Penny really is very nice, Mother," Lorinda said, flashing her companionan encouraging smile. "She didn't want to come out here and question usabout father, but the editor sent her. He wants a picture, too."
Mrs. Rhett arose to terminate an interview which had never really begun."I am sorry," she repeated with emphasis. "There are to be no picturestaken."
"The editor especially wanted a photograph of your husband," Penny said."By publishing it in the paper, it may be easier to trace him."
"Miss Parker," replied Mrs. Rhett pleasantly but with no warmth, "if Ineed assistance in locating my husband I shall request it. Meanwhile, Ido wish people would not concern themselves with our affairs."
"Mother, we may not be able to avoid publicity," Lorinda rushed on."There's likely to be a scandal. You see, $250,000 in negotiable bondsdisappeared from the bank."
For a moment, Mrs. Rhett did not speak. A dagger-type paper cutter lay onthe polished table beside her. Nervously her fingers closed upon it, andunaware of the act, she jabbed the sharp point several times through alace doily centerpiece.
"Mother, you're ruining that!"
Mrs. Rhett dropped the paper cutter, which clattered on the table andtumbled to the floor. Without picking it up, she moved restlessly to thewindow, only to return.
"What were you saying about $250,000 in bonds, Lorinda?" she asked."Surely you didn't mean--"
"I only know what Penny told me. Soon after Father disappeared, AlbertPotts discovered the bonds also were missing."
"There can be no connection. Why, even the suggestion that my husbandwould steal is ridiculous! It's preposterous!"
"No one has accused your husband," Penny said quietly. "Perhaps the bondswill be found. Now that the police have stepped into the case, thereshould be developments."
"The police," repeated Mrs. Rhett with a shiver. "Oh, dear, must wesuffer their interference!"
A telephone in an adjoining room rang and Lorinda started to answer it.But her mother signalled to her.
"Let it go, Lorinda. It may be the police now, or another reporter. We'llhave nothing to say."
The telephone rang again. Footsteps were heard down a hallway and awell-built, dark-skinned house-worker of middle age padded into the room.She gazed with intent curiosity at Penny as she started toward thelibrary to answer the phone.
"No, let it ring, Celeste," Mrs. Rhett directed. "And if anyone comes tothe door asking for me, remember, I am not at home."
"Yes'm," mumbled the housekeeper. She bent to pick up the paper cutterfrom the floor and as she did so an object which was tied about her neckwith a cord and kept hidden beneath her starched uniform, swung intoview.
Penny obtained only a fleeting glimpse of the curious article, for thewoman hastily thrust it into her dress front again. However, it appearedto be a tiny packet of cloth.
Lorinda also had observed the object. Fixing the woman with a stern gazeshe said: "Celeste, you're wearing one of those heathenish _ouange_charms again! You promised Mother you wouldn't!"
"This only keeps away bad sickness," the woman retorted, with a slightaccent which nevertheless made her words hard to understand. "A good_ouange_. Now that my master is away, you are not to tell me what to do."
"Lorinda, don't plague her," Mrs. Rhett said wearily. "We have enoughtrouble as it is. Let her wear the charm, or a dozen of them, if it givesher any satisfaction."
Lorinda subsided into injured silence, while Celeste flashed a triumphantsmile.
Mrs. Rhett turned again to Penny. In a tone which could be interpretedonly as a final dismissal she said: "I am sorry, Miss Parker, that Icannot help you. At present I do not know my husband's whereabouts or whyhe went away. If you will excuse me now, I shall go to my room for arest."
With dignity she crossed the living room to a handsome circular stairwaywith a railing of polished mahogany. Her head held proudly, she presenteda regal figure as she slowly climbed the steps.
But half way up, she suddenly halted, her body jerking taut. Uttering alow cry which was almost a scream, she stared at an object lying on thestep in front of her.
"Why, Mother! What's wrong?" cried Lorinda.
With Penny and Celeste, she hastened to the staircase. Mrs. Rhett's facewas as colorless as if she had seen a ghost. Her lips trembled. Withoutspeaking, she pointed to the stair carpet.
There at her feet lay two burnt match ends tied together with a bit ofscarlet string.
"An _ouange_! An evil _ouange_!" whispered Celeste in horror.
Lorinda turned upon her angrily.
"Celeste, don't say such things! You know how nervous Mother is, and howeasily she becomes upset! If this is one of your charms--"
"No! No!" the woman protested. She stared fixedly at the object on thefloor. "This charm is not mine and it is not Anton's!"
"Then how did it get here?"
"I do not know. It is a sign of evil--a sign of death."
"Superstition!" exclaimed Lorinda.
Mrs. Rhett started on up the stairs, but as she would have stepped overthe burned matches, Celeste seized her by the skirt, pulling herbackwards. Frightened, the woman screamed and fell heavily against thewall.
Celeste kept her from collapsing, all the while muttering words Pennycould not understand.
"Stop that gibberish!" Lorinda commanded.
Mrs. Rhett broke away from Celeste, and with an hysterical cry, moveddown the stairway and into the library. Though she closed the door behindher, the girls could hear her sobs.
"Now see what you've done!" Lorinda accused Celeste.
The woman paid no attention to her. Bending over the match sticks, sheswayed back and forth as she muttered a strange chant. As Lorinda soughtto pick up the charm, Celeste struck her wrist a sharp blow.
"Fool!" she exclaimed. "Would you let your mother die a slow and painfuldeath? Do not touch this thing of evil until I have finished! If she hadstepped over it, nothing wou
ld have saved her."
Celeste kept on with her mutterings until at last she was through. "Ihave done all I can," she said with a deep sigh. Gingerly she picked upthe match ends and, dropping them into the living room fireplace, sawthem consumed by flame.
"Now what is all this stupidity about Mother dying a slow death?" Lorindademanded sternly. "How did that thing get into this house, and what doesit mean?"
"How it came here I do not know," replied the woman. "Its meaning issimple. In the jungles such symbols are sometimes placed on new graves,that the departing spirit may kindle a little fire and warm its coldhands in the other world."
"That's enough!" interrupted Lorinda. "Don't tell me any more. It's allso silly."
"It is the truth."
"Well, true or false, Mother is not to be told such nonsense. She's upsetenough as it is."
"Your mother already knows," said the housekeeper. "That is why sheweeps. She fears that even now the spell is upon her."
"Celeste, you must be out of your mind!" Lorinda cried in exasperation."You never said such dreadful things or acted like this when Father washere. What has taken possession of you?"
"I fear for the family. It bodes ill that my master should remain away.If only the Zudi drum were out of the house--destroyed--"
Lorinda's patience had been overtaxed. "The Zudi drum!" she cried. "Oh,Celeste, you're impossible! Go find Anton and if you must, talk suchnonsense to him! But not another word of it before us! Do youunderstand?"
Celeste stood facing the two girls defiantly. Her eyes burned with anangry fire, and Penny expected her to make a bitter retort to Lorinda.Instead, she seemed to withdraw into herself, and with downcast head,scurried toward the kitchen.