Chapter XIX: The Tables Turn

Max Laponi whirled about and looked directly into the muzzle of Penny's revolver.

"Drop that box and put up your hands," she ordered crisply.

Laponi gazed at her jeeringly.

"The gun isn't loaded," he sneered.

"You should know," Penny retorted. "It's your own revolver. I took it from your room."

The expression of the crook's face altered for he well remembered that the weapon had been left in readiness for instant use.

While keeping Laponi covered, Penny kicked the other revolver across the floor in Caleb Eckert's direction. The old man hastily snatched it up.

Laponi knew then that he did not have a chance. With a shrug of his shoulders he admitted defeat. He dropped the metal box on the table. Rosanna darted forward and snatched it up.

"I might have known you'd be the one to ruin things," Laponi said bitterly to Penny. "I was afraid of you from the first."

"Thank you for the compliment," Penny smiled. "Kindly keep your hands up, Mr. Laponi--if that's your true name."

"He's nothing but an impostor," Caleb Eckert broke in angrily. "I knew from the moment I set eyes on him that he was no relative of Jacob Winters."

"I can imagine that," Penny returned quietly. "But when explanations are in order, I think you'll need to clear up a few points yourself."

The old man looked confused. However, before he could answer, footsteps were heard on the stairs. Mrs. Leeds, wrapped in her bath-robe, came hurrying into the room. She had been disturbed by the sound of voices.

"Penny Nichols!" she cried furiously. "What are you doing in my house?"

Then she noticed the revolver and recoiled a step.

"What is the meaning of this?" she demanded. "Mr. Laponi, has this girl lost her senses?"

"Apparently, she has," the man sneered. "She claims I came here to steal that box while I was only trying to keep Caleb from making off with it."

"Release Mr. Laponi at once," Mrs. Leeds ordered haughtily. She glared at Caleb. "I always did distrust that man."

"Our dislike was mutual," Caleb retorted. "You are a grasping, selfish woman and your daughter is a chip of the old block!"

"How dare you!" Mrs. Leeds choked in fury. "Get out of this house, you meddlesome old man, or I'll have you arrested!"

Penny was actually enjoying the scene but now she decided to put an end to it.

"This little farce has gone far enough," she announced, turning to Caleb. "Tell them who you are, Mr. Eckert."

The old man nodded. Eyeing Mrs. Leeds with keen satisfaction, he exploded his bomb shell.

"I am Jacob Winters!"

Mrs. Leeds gasped in astonishment and even Max Laponi looked dazed. Of the entire group only Rosanna appeared pleased. Yet she too recalled that at times she had spoken with embarrassing frankness to the old man.

"I don't believe it!" Mrs. Leeds snapped when she had recovered from the first shock. "It's another one of your trumped up stories."

"He has no proof," Max Laponi added.

"If he hasn't, I have," Penny interposed. She took the small package from her dress pocket, giving it to Rosanna to unwrap for her.

"Why, it's a photograph!" the girl exclaimed. "It's of you, Mr. Eckert, taken many years ago."

"Look on the back," Penny directed.

Rosanna turned the picture over and read the bold scrawl:

"Jacob Winters--on the occasion of his fiftieth birthday."

"That's all the proof I need," Rosanna cried, her eyes shining. "You are my uncle, aren't you, Mr. Eckert? This isn't another of your jokes?"

"No, it isn't a joke this time, Rosanna, although for a time it looked as if the joke would be on me. And if it hadn't been for Penny Nichols this scoundrel certainly would have made off with my ivory collection."

"I didn't mean to pry into your private affairs," Penny apologized. "I shouldn't have taken the photograph only I suspected the truth and needed proof of it."

"It's just as well that you did take matters into your own hands. I guess I botched things up."

The little package of evidence which Penny had produced contained not only the photograph but the letter and key which she had found in Max Laponi's room.

Penny now directed attention to the signature appearing at the bottom of the letter.

"Compare it with the writing on the back of the photograph."

"They're identical," Rosanna declared.

"Then Caleb Eckert wrote those letters himself!" Mrs. Leeds cried furiously.

"Guilty," Caleb acknowledged with a grin.

"You ought to be arrested!" Mrs. Leeds fairly screamed. "It was a cruel joke to play. You led us all to believe that we had inherited a fortune."

"Tell me, why did you write the letters?" Penny inquired. "That's one thing I've not been able to figure out although I think I might make an excellent guess."

Caleb sank down in the nearest chair.

"I may as well tell the entire story," he said. "Since my wife died some years ago I have been a very lonely man. I longed for an agreeable companion in my old age, someone who would enjoy traveling with me. My friends were few for I had spent most of my time abroad. My only living relatives were unknown to me. I felt ashamed because I had never looked them up."

"So you decided to become better acquainted," Penny prompted as Caleb hesitated.

"Yes, but I wanted to be liked for myself and not my fortune. I conceived the plan of sending out letters inviting my relatives here. I thought I would subject them to a series of tests and all the while I could be studying their characters."

"An insane plan!" Mrs. Leeds interposed.

"The idea didn't work the way I expected," Caleb continued ruefully. "I sent out four letters but two of them were returned unopened as the individuals to whom they were addressed were no longer living. However, as you know, three persons came to Raven Ridge claiming to have received one of the communications."

"Max Laponi must have found the letter and key which Rosanna lost," Penny declared. "He was the impostor."

"You have it all figured out very nicely," the crook sneered.

"I suspected right off that he was the one," Caleb went on with his story. "I knew I had no relative answering to his name."

"Why didn't you send him away at once?" Rosanna questioned.

"I couldn't very well do that without exposing my hand. If I admitted my identity then my little plan would be ruined."

"You were caught in an awkward position," Penny smiled.

"It kept getting worse all the time. I soon suspected that Laponi was nothing less than a crook. When I discovered that he knew the ivory collection was in the house I decided to remove it from the safe."

"That was the day I came upon you when you were trying to open it," Penny recalled.

"Yes, but Laponi was prowling about the house and it was my bad luck that he happened in upon me at exactly the wrong time. Of course he guessed instantly that the ivories were locked in the safe.

"After that, I decided to get rid of him at any cost. I had a talk with him but even threats did no good."

"Why didn't you call in the police?" Penny asked. "Surely they would have provided you with protection."

"I thought I would make one more effort to get the ivories from the safe. Then if I failed I intended to admit my identity and send for help. I might have done it sooner only the police commissioner and I once had a little trouble--nothing serious. It was an argument over a tract of land. Still, I knew he'd enjoy making me look ridiculous if ever he learned what I had done."

"Your pride very nearly cost you a fortune," Penny commented. She directed her gaze upon Max Laponi as she questioned: "How did you learn that Mr. Winters kept the ivory collection in this house?"

"That's for you to find out," the man jeered. "You'll have a hard time proving anything against me."

"This letter will be evidence enough," Penny retorted. "It's a plain case of forgery with intent to defraud. And then there's the matter of the will."

"The will wasn't forged," Mrs. Leeds cut in although Penny had not made such a claim.

"There never was a will," Caleb informed.

Mrs. Leeds stared at him. "What of the document I found in the drawer of the desk?" she demanded.

"You mean the one you discovered in the _locked_ drawer," Caleb corrected with a chuckle. "The one that was made out in Rosanna's favor. That was just another of my little jokes. If you had examined the will closely you would have noticed that the signature was never witnessed. It was a fake."

"That was the document which I saw you burn in the fireplace," Penny accused.

Mrs. Leeds flushed angrily. She realized that she had trapped herself.

"By the way, how do you explain the will made out in your favor?" Penny probed maliciously.

Mrs. Leeds turned her gaze upon Laponi for an instant. Then she said glibly:

"I found the will just as I said."

"You didn't find one made out in your favor," Caleb contradicted. "Because I never wrote such a document."

"Let's take a look at it," Penny suggested. "Where is the will, Mrs. Leeds?"

"I don't know what became of it. I misplaced it."

"You're afraid to produce it," Penny challenged.

Rosanna had been looking through the desk. She now triumphantly brought to light the paper which Mrs. Leeds had claimed to be Jacob Winters' last will and testament.

"I never wrote a line of it," Caleb declared as he examined the document. "It's a forgery."

"Forgery is a serious offense, Mrs. Leeds," Penny remarked significantly.

"I didn't do it!" the woman cried nervously.

"I expect we'll have to send you to jail along with Laponi here," Caleb cackled.

Mrs. Leeds did not realize that he was only baiting her. She began to tremble with fright.

"Don't send me to jail," she pleaded. "I'll tell everything."

"Hold your tongue," Laponi cut in sharply.

Mrs. Leeds whirled upon him.

"You say that because you want me to take all the blame! Well, I won't do it. You forged that will yourself."

"At your suggestion, Mrs. Leeds."

"It wasn't my suggestion. I'd never have considered such a thing if you hadn't put the idea into my head."

"You burned the first will which you believed to be genuine."

"Perhaps I did. But I never forged anything in my life."

"That was because you were afraid you'd be caught," Laponi sneered. "You wanted someone else to take the rap for you."

"You tricked me," Mrs. Leeds accused. "If I had known you intended to rob Mr. Winters of his ivories I should have had nothing to do with you."

"I suppose you thought it wasn't robbery when you decided to cheat Rosanna Winters out of her inheritance?"

"She had no inheritance."

"But you thought she did. No, Mrs. Leeds you paid me well to forge the will in your favor. You're involved every bit as deeply as I."

Mrs. Leeds collapsed into a chair and burying her face in her hands began to sob.

Penny felt a little sorry for her, realizing that at heart the woman was not a criminal. She had been goaded on by an overpowering ambition to improve her social position by gaining Jacob Winters' fortune.

"We may as well call the police," Penny said after a slight hesitation. She had noticed that Laponi was casting cunning glances about the room and guessed that he was hoping for an opportunity to escape.

Mrs. Leeds sprang to her feet. She darted over to Jacob Winters, grasping him by the arm.

"Oh, please, please don't have me arrested. I didn't mean to do wrong. For the sake of my daughter let me go free. After all, we are relatives."

"Unfortunately, we are," he agreed. Turning to Rosanna, he said quietly: "It is for you to decide, my dear."

"Let her go free," Rosanna urged instantly.

"I think that is best," he nodded. "But as far as Max Laponi is concerned we can't get him to the lock-up soon enough to please me."

"If you'll guard him I'll telephone for the police," Penny offered.

Leaving the old man with both revolvers she went into an adjoining room to place the call.

No sooner had she disappeared than Max Laponi saw his opportunity to escape. For an instant Jacob Winters' attention wavered.

That instant was enough for Laponi. Seizing the metal box which Rosanna had replaced upon the table, he darted out through the doorway.