"No, she was with Josie in her room for a time; but the door into
the patio was locked."
"Some one might have come in through the window."
"A fat chance, isn't there!" laughed Billie, pointing to the only
window in the room which was protected with long and heavy iron
bars, set so closely together that a child would have had trouble
in squeezing through--much less a man.
"Does look a little difficult," replied Adrian.
"Worse than difficult. Impossible," was Donald's comment.
"Did you hear any noise?" asked Billie of Lucia.
"None whatever."
"And you have never seen the box before?"
Lucia wrinkled her brows and thought deeply.
"Do you know," she finally said, "I have a sort of a dim
recollection that, away back in my childhood somewhere, I have
seen it or one just like it."
"Away back in your childhood," laughed Donald, "couldn't have
been so very far, Senorita."
Lucia made a little grimace.
"I'm nearly seventeen," she said.
"Botheration!" said Billie. "We are not here to discuss ages, but
to find out how this box came here. I have no doubt that Lucia
has seen many similar boxes in her time."
"Well," asked Donald, somewhat nettled, "what do you propose to
do?"
"In the first place, I want to search the house.
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