on drawing out every penny of money she had—in gold as far as possible, and who also insisted on having her securities, bearer bonds and such things, given into her own custody. I exclaimed on such an act of folly, and he mentioned casually that she was the former owner of the Red House. You see, Tuppence? She drew out all this money, and she hid it somewhere. You remember that Monica Deane mentioned that they were astonished at the small amount of her estate? Yes, she hid it in the Red House, and someone knows about it. I can make a pretty good guess who that someone is too.”
“Who?”
“What about the faithful Crockett? She would know all about her mistress’s peculiarities.”
“And that gold-toothed Dr. O’Neill?”
“The gentlemanly nephew, of course! That’s it. But whereabouts did she hide it? You know more about old ladies than I do, Tuppence. Where do they hide things?”
“Wrapped up in stockings and petticoats, under mattresses.”
Tommy nodded.
“I expect you’re right. All the same, she can’t have done that because it would have been found when her things were turned over. It worries me—you see, an old lady like that can’t have taken up floors or dug holes in the garden. All the same it’s there in the Red House somewhere. Crockett hasn’t found it, but she knows it’s there, and once they get the house to themselves, she and her precious nephew, they can turn it upside down until they find what they’re after. We’ve got to get ahead of them. Come on, Tuppence. We’ll go to the Red House.”