The Mystery of the Emeralds

supposed to be worn at that time every year.”
    “That’s just supposition again,” Brian said. “I’m sorry to burst your balloon, Sis, but you’ve got to have better proof than that, I’m afraid.”
    “Well, it just so happens I have,” Trixie answered, a smug look on her face. “You see, the necklace that Jenkins showed us was just a piece of junk jewelry!”
    “Are you sure?” Mr. Carver asked, his hands gripping the arms of his chair until the knuckles showed white.
    “Of course I’m sure!” Trixie said. “Didn’t you think so, too?” she asked, turning to Di and Honey.
    “I thought so, but I didn’t trust my own judgment,” Di said.
    “It’s just like the costume jewelry they sell in any department store,” Honey said. “It’s good junk jewelry, if you know what I mean, but it certainly isn’t real. There’s a different look to real stones.”
    “Why didn’t you say something when Jenkins was here?” Mart asked impatiently.
    “Well, Trixie gave us the high sign,” Di said, “so we just pretended to admire it, too.”
    “Well, what do you know!” Mart cried. “Leave it to the girls to know a genuine ‘jool’ when they see it!”
    “What was Jenkins’s idea of trying to palm off something like that on Mr. Carver?” Di asked, looking puzzled.
    “Oh, it’s simple,” Trixie said. “He wanted to draw a red herring across our trail, so he’d have more time to look for the real necklace.”
    “That’s right,” Brian agreed. “He probably thought Mr. Carver, like a lot of dumb males, wouldn’t know whether they were fake or not, and he obviously didn’t expect to find anyone else here who might question them.”
    “What did he say when he phoned you yesterday?” Trixie asked Mr. Carver.
    “Well, I must say, it was a rather strange conversation,” he replied. “He started out by saying he was sorry about my accident and asked if I was all right again. I wondered how he knew about it, and then today when he came in, I had an uncomfortable feeling that he had been right here in this room before.”
    “Oh, I’ve had that sensation,” Mart said. “Sometimes you’ll be doing something, and all of a sudden you’re sure you’ve been in exactly that same situation before. It’s kind of eerie, isn’t it?”
    “Yes, it is,” Mr. Carver said, his brows wrinkled in thought, “particularly since, so far as I know, Jenkins has never been in Green Trees. My lawyer handled all the details of the sale of Rosewood from his office, so there was no need of our meeting here.”
    “Well, try not to worry about it, Mr. Carver,” Trixie said reassuringly. “The important thing is that we didn’t fall into his trap.”
    “You’re right, Trixie,” he said, smiling down at her, “and we mustn’t forget you have some unfinished business to attend to. I hope the secret staircase is aired out by now. Let’s go in right now and see if the fan was any help.”
    “Now, you take it easy!” Brian warned Trixie as she got ready to go down the circular stairs. “If you begin to feel the least bit out of breath, you come back.”
    “I promise,” Trixie answered as she took the flashlight and disappeared into the opening.
    “The air’s a lot fresher today,” she called back after she had taken several steps down. “I don’t think I’ll have a bit of trouble.”
    Everyone heaved a sigh of relief at that and then waited in silent expectation for several minutes. Finally Jim couldn’t stand it another second. He called to see if she was all right.
    “Yes, and I think I’ve finally got to the bottom!” Her voice came back muffled but strong. Then, soon after, “There’s an opening down here, and it looks as if it goes into a tunnel!”
    “Don’t take any chances!” Jim shouted to her.
    “I won’t, but I’m going on in,” Trixie called back. “Don’t worry if you don’t hear me for a little while. I’ll be back soon.”
    There was another period of anxious waiting, and then the Bob-Whites and Mr. Carver heard her coming back up the stairs. As soon as she poked her head out into the room, they knew that she had discovered the secret passage!
    “It’s there! It’s there!” she cried, her eyes shining. “A tunnel big enough to stand up in, all made of brick!”
    “Hurrah for Trixie!” Mart cried as Jim grabbed her and swung her around. It was a wild scene for several minutes. Then Trixie happened to glance in the direction of the door to the hall, and