The Mystery of the Singing Serpent - M. V. Carey [34]
“It is to us,” agreed Jupiter, “but remember, Miss Osborne wanted the crystal ball which had belonged to Ramon Castillo. Miss Enderby had a quarrel with her landlady and invoked the power of the serpent. Some very silly things can stir up strong feelings.
“And there is the desire for power. Shaitan said it — these people want power. Shaitan wants money. I wonder what Bentley wants. He’s the big question mark. He goes to work as a houseman, then disappears when his interest in magic and in the fellowship is discovered. What is his interest?”
“Maybe it’s money, too,” said Bob. “Maybe he is a blackmailer. Whatever it is, be glad.
He kept you from getting peppered with buckshot.”
“I am glad. He must have seen the gun in Max’s hands. He jumped on me and knocked me out of the line of fire and kept me down until Max had used up both his charges of shot.”
“So he’s still the mystery man,” said Bob, “but we know what the score is on The Fellowship of the Lower Circle. They’re a bunch of con men milking superstitious people like Allie’s Aunt Pat. What do we do now?”
“Tell the police?” suggested Pete.
“Would they believe us?” asked Jupe quietly.
“Mrs. Compton was hurt,” Pete insisted.
“An accident. A wheel comes off a car. Who knows why? If it was done cleverly enough, it could be impossible to detect. And even if we could persuade the police to visit the house in Torrente Canyon, what would they find? Two men and some black candles. We can’t go to the police. Not now, at any rate. We need proof.”
“Ariel?” said Bob. “He’s putting the screws on Aunt Pat for sure.”
“He’d never admit it, and she’d never testify against him,” decided Jupe. “She’s terrified of him. Whatever the fellowship wants from her, she will eventually give them. She’s afraid not to.”
“We can all guess what they want,” said Pete.
Jupe nodded. “Something that might be too hot to handle, unless you know the right people. They don’t want money from Miss Osborne. She hasn’t much. They want the Empress Eugénie necklace.”
“Which is safe in the vault at the jewelers’,” said Bob.
“Jupe! Jupiter, where are you?” The cry came to the boys through the air vent of the mobile home trailer. “Jupiter Jones!”
Jupe leaped up. “That’s Allie!”
Pete snatched open the trap door that led to Tunnel Two. “Never a dull moment when that kid’s around,” he said.
Bob and Jupe followed Pete through Tunnel Two to Jupiter’s workshop, then ran toward the driveway of the salvage yard. Allie was there, near the office. She was almost in tears, and there was an ugly red mark on one cheek.
“Dr. Shaitan!” she said. “He’s at the house!”
Pete whistled. “Did he do that?” he asked.
“What?” demanded Allie.
“Your face. It looks as if someone hit you.”
Allie pushed her hair back with both hands. “Aunt Pat,” she said.
“You’re kidding! Your aunt socked you?”
“She didn’t mean it,” said Allie hastily. “She was scared, that’s all. She looked out and saw this big car pull up, see, and it was Shaitan with his black cape and his cap and the whole bit. The other creep who lives in that house was dressed as a chauffeur. Aunt Pat told me to get out. I wasn’t about to do that, so she hauled off and whammed me a good one and shoved me out the back door just as the front doorbell was ringing. And she locked the door.” Allie gave a gasping little laugh. “I didn’t know she had it in her.”
“Now we call the cops!” declared Pete.
“No, we can’t. Don’t you see? She’s alone there with those men. They might hurt her.”
“Then we get to your house,” said Jupe. “Quickly!”
They raced up the street to the Jamison house, but they were only in time to see a black car pull away. Max was at the wheel and Ariel sat beside him. Shaitan, capped and caped, sat in the rear.
The front door of the house was unlocked. Allie rushed through and let it bang back against the wall. “Aunt Pat!” she shouted.
Miss Osborne was a lavender shadow in the green-gold living room. “Allie? Allie, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to strike you.”
Allie ran toward her aunt. “Are you all right?”
“Yes, I’m all right.” A single tear ran down Miss