CHAPTER XVI THE “BAIT” VANISHES

Simple and clever, Dick’s plan appealed to Mr. Everdail.

His library, that evening, made Sandy think of a “mass meeting of creditors or stockholders who have been tricked.”

The room sheltered a mixed assembly. Jeff was there, and so was the seaplane pilot, Tommy Larsen, and his former “passenger” supposed to be a special agent from London.

Miss Serena, with the yacht stewardess, uneasy but clinging close to the older woman, made up the representatives of the ladies’ side, while Captain Parks, his chef, mate, engineer and their helpers and crew, with the caretaker and all the new servants, filled one end of the room.
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“Now you know why there was so much excitement as the yacht came in,” Mr. Everdail completed a long speech in which he told the astonished gathering about the missing emeralds. “That is, those of you know who didn’t know before,” he added meaningly, and went on quickly. “I decided to tell you because somebody on that yacht was ‘in cahoots’ with somebody else, and if any of you know who it is, it will be worth ten thousand dollars to you to point out the right one and help me prove you’re right!”

“That will start something!” mused Larry as many exclaimed, and others looked startled at the disclosure of the large reward.

By agreement Mr. Everdail watched the sailors and servants to note the effect of his story. Sandy, without doing it openly, watched Jeff. Larry’s eyes covertly observed Tommy Larsen and his associate and Dick noted the action and expression of Captain Parks.

“There’s some one who knows something!” Larry decided as he saw the passenger of the cracked-up seaplane bend forward, intent, but without a trace of expression. He had the sort of face that can completely conceal its owner’s emotions.

“I’ve discovered that Captain Parks has a hand in this somehow,” Larry determined, as he saw the mariner’s eyes shift. Larry followed the swift, instantly changed direction of the seaman’s glance.
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“He looked smack at the stewardess,” Larry added to himself.

Sandy’s watchfulness drew blank.

“Jeff didn’t turn a hair,” Sandy murmured under his breath. “He knew all about it, of course. But—just you wait, Jefferson-boy, till Mr. Everdail ‘springs’ the trap.”

As soon as the sensation created by the large offer was over, everybody looked suspiciously at his or her own neighbor.

No one spoke.

The millionaire waited a decent interval for someone to come forward, and Miss Serena finally broke the spell of silence by saying, quietly:

“You won’t find out anything by that, Atley.”

“Why not?”

“Because—” She spoke in harmony with her name, pronouncing her words serenely:

“Because—the person who threw the jewels off the Tramp—isn’t here—and wasn’t suspected or seen.”

“As I live and breathe!” The rich man rose, while Dick, Larry and Sandy almost bounced out of their chairs.

“Serena, explain that!” he added.

“It was your wife’s French maid—Mimi!” she said quietly.
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“How do you know?”

“Did you see her?” broke in Sandy, astonished.

“I did not see her,” Miss Serena replied to Sandy while she answered the older man’s question in the same breath. “But I saw a glimpse of dress just afterward.” Her expression showed confident assurance.

“Why, Miss Serena!” Jeff was stunned. “I didn’t know you was one of these-here detectives.”

“I’m a woman and I use my eyes,” she responded quietly. “A woman needs only to catch a flash of a dress to identify it. Mimi’s maid’s outfit has a distinctive cap—and I saw her cap just as she turned into the after cabin—I was on the bridge. I went there immediately but she had gone out through the galley door and I could not locate her.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” her cousin demanded.

“There was no need. She had taken only the imitations—the ones you found.”

“But she knew them,” objected Dick. “She wouldn’t throw over the wrong ones and she couldn’t get the right ones.”

“She threw over both sets!”
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The Sky Patrol gasped in unison. So did all the others.

“But she couldn’t get the real ones!” persisted Dick.

“She did not know she was throwing them over!”

There was another chorus of amazed exclamations.

“Explain that,” commanded the millionaire sharply.

“She—did—not—know—that the real emeralds—had been—hidden—in the life preserver she used!”

“Who put the real ones there?” Larry spoke abruptly in the astonished silence.

He did not need to have her reply. Captain Parks was red and white by turns.

“I hid them to keep them secure!” he stammered, turning toward his employer. “I had no wish to take them. I felt—sure—nobody knew the combination of the cabin safe—but I couldn’t say that a clever man, some ‘Jimmy Valentine’ fellow, might not get in. So I decided to hide the real emeralds—and what was safer than a life preserver?”

While eyes were fixed on him, surprised, accusing, unbelieving, he spoke haltingly to his employer:
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“I hope you’ll take my word for it, sir.”

The millionaire hesitated.

“I believe you!” Larry spoke earnestly, reassuringly. “It’s a perfectly reasonable explanation.”

“But how did you get them into the life preserver?” asked Sandy.

“Took off part of the cover, cut the rubber, put them in, wrapped in oiled silk to make a tight pack, then used some rubber patching cement I keep for torn rubber coats or boot patching, and with a hot electric iron I vulcanized the rubber together and put back the covering.”

“Then there weren’t any stitches to be discovered!” exclaimed Dick.

“None!”

“Then we’re all right!” Larry leaped to his feet. “We can restore the jewels!”

“Certainly we can!” agreed Sandy. “And Mr. Everdail can telegraph his wife to have Mimi arrested——”

“And she will have to tell who was her partner,” added Dick.
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“Now you had better go and get that life preserver, and we’ll cut it open,” suggested Mr. Everdail. “I guess it’s safe enough hidden in the tail of Jeff’s plane—” He was baiting their trap. “Don’t look so surprised, Jeff—that was what caused your ‘hoodooed’ crate to go out of control—but we don’t suspect you of putting it there!”

Sandy, Dick and Larry had left the room by the time he completed his sentence.

Reaching the hangar, with Mr. Everdail’s private key they opened the smaller door, and used a flashlight to locate, reach and climb to the tail of the airplane’s fuselage.

“Now—out comes—why!——”

Dick and Sandy saw Larry’s dazed face.

Instantly they knew the worst!