“Not the slightest. Papers of some sort, I suppose.”
“Did you find any leading clues?”
“Nothing of consequence. The fingerprints were worthless for the thief wore gloves. Would you like to have the case, Penny?”
“No thanks. I’ve involved myself in enough trouble as it is. You may not like what I’ve done, Dad.”
“And just what have you done?” the detective asked with twinkling eyes.
Penny gave a detailed account of her interview with Mrs. Dillon. Mr. Nichols frowned thoughtfully, but did not chide her.
“You made a bold attack, Penny,” he commented, “but perhaps no harm has been done. However, after this I must ask you not to do anything about the matter without consulting me. You see, I’ve taken the jewel theft case for the Insurance Company and I can’t afford to antagonize Mrs. Dillon until I learn whether she is involved in a plot to obtain fifteen thousand dollars under false pretenses.”
“You and Mrs. Dillon didn’t part upon such friendly terms the last time you met,” Penny reminded him with a smile.
“No, that’s true.”
“By the way, Dad, Mrs. Dillon requested me to offer you her apology. It seems she has just learned that her husband did insure the pearl necklace with the Reliance Company. He neglected to tell her about it.”
“Oh, I see,” Mr. Nichols commented dryly. “Well, I’ll talk with her tomorrow.”
Penny had finished picking the bouquet of flowers and was walking toward the house, when the detective called her back.
“Just a minute. I learned something today which may interest you.”
Penny halted, waiting expectantly.
“It’s about that new friend of yours.”
“Amy Coulter?” Penny inquired eagerly.
“Yes, the police have traced her to that new rooming house where you tell me she’s staying. She’ll probably be arrested sometime tonight.”
“Oh, Dad! Amy has done nothing wrong. Why can’t the police leave her alone?”
“It strikes me they are making a mistake in this case.”
“Of course they are. Oh, Dad, can’t I warn Amy?”
“It’s probably too late now.”
“Perhaps not. Let me try at least.”
Mr. Nichols had anticipated such a request. He did not believe in assisting a fugitive from justice, yet unknown to Penny he had investigated Amy Coulter, and was inclined to feel that she was innocent of the charge against her.
“All right, if you like,” he assented. “But if you see that the house is watched, have the good sense not to go in.”
“I’ll be careful,” Penny promised. “Tell Mrs. Gallup not to wait dinner for me.”
Mr. Nichols opened the garage doors for her and closed them again after she had backed the car to the street.
Penny parked a half block from Amy Coulter’s rooming house. She walked slowly past the place, carefully glancing about. No one was in sight and she doubted that the building was being watched.
Entering, she ran up the stairway to her friend’s room, rapping sharply on the door.
“Who is there?” Amy asked.
“It’s I—Penny. Let me in.”
Instantly the door was flung open. “I was afraid it might be the police,” Amy confessed, laughing nervously.
“That’s why I came,” Penny informed, closing the door behind her. “They have traced you here.”
“The police?”
“Yes, you must leave at once.”
“But where can I go? I have no friends and very little money.”
It occurred to Penny to mention that she had seen Amy accept payment from the museum workman, Hoges, but she refrained from doing so. Instead, she examined the contents of her purse.
“I can’t take money from you,” Amy said.
“But you’ll need it.”
“I’ll have enough to keep me for a few days. But I don’t know where to go.”
“You must find a new rooming house. I’ll help you pack.”
“But I can’t leave tonight,” Amy protested weakly.
“You must! Unless you do, the police will surely catch you.”
“It’s after six o’clock. How can I get my trunk moved?”
“You must abandon your trunk,” Penny advised. “I’ll help you pack your bags.”
Amy gazed disconsolately about the room at the many art objects and trinkets that she loved.
“After the trouble blows over you can come back for your things,” Penny said.
“But will it ever clear up?” Amy asked hopelessly. “It might be better to stay and face it.”
“If you can prove your innocence—”
“I can’t prove anything,” Amy responded. “No, you’re right. I must remain in hiding until the thief is captured.”
Penny had begun to gather up clothing. “Where are your bags?” she asked. “There’s no time to lose.”
“Under the bed,” Amy answered.
She ran to the closet and jerked her dresses from the hangers. Penny crossed the room to pick up a sweater which had been tossed into a chair. As she moved past the table which Amy used as a writing desk she noticed a stamped, sealed envelope lying there.
Unintentionally, Penny glanced at the name and address. It read:
“Mr. George Hoges, General Delivery, Belton City.”
For a moment Penny stared at the letter. The scene which she had witnessed in the park came back to her. Why should Amy and the ex-museum worker have business together? The next instant she was heartily ashamed of her suspicion, yet she could not let the matter pass without speaking of it.
“Amy,” she called.
“Yes.” The girl emerged from the closet with a pile of dresses in her arms.
“I don’t mean to be prying,” Penny said awkwardly, “but I couldn’t help seeing this letter.”
A faint flush crept over Amy’s face. She questioned defiantly: “What about it?”
“Nothing,” Penny answered shortly. If Amy did not feel like explaining, she could not bring herself to ask.
In silence the girls continued their packing Presently Amy picked up the letter and thrust it into her pocketbook.
“I guess I’m ready,” she announced.
They each took a bag and started down the stairway. But as they reached the lower landing, Penny abruptly halted, warning her companion to keep back.
“What is it?” Amy whispered.
Penny indicated a man who was standing on the opposite side of the street, loitering in the doorway of a bakery shop.
“A detective from police headquarters! I’ve seen him at the station.”
Hastily the girls retreated back up the stairs to the bedroom. Amy flung herself into a chair.
“It’s useless trying to escape,” she murmured. “I may as well give myself up.”
Penny went to the window and looked out. The bedroom opened over an alley and she was elated to see that it had a fire escape. No one was in sight.
“You still have a chance, Amy,” she urged, “but you must hurry.”
“Thank you for everything you have done to help me,” the girl murmured gratefully, moving to the window which Penny had opened for her. “I’ll never forget it.”
“I’ve done nothing,” Penny replied, assisting her to climb over the sill. “Can you manage both bags?”
“Yes, I think so.”
“Will you let me know the address of your new rooming house, Amy?”
“Yes, of course. I have no idea now where I’ll go. I may not escape at all.”
“Keep to the alley,” Penny advised. “Good-bye and good luck.”
She stood watching from the window while Amy descended the fire escape to enter the alley. The girl waved her hand reassuringly and vanished.
Penny closed the window and straightened up the room so that there would be no appearance of sudden flight. She wondered if she had done right to help Amy escape the police.
She felt tro
ubled because the girl had failed to explain why she had written to Mr. Hoges. Yet the letter provided Penny with a valuable clue.
“Undoubtedly, the man told Amy to address him in care of General Delivery,” she thought. “That means he’ll call there for his mail. If I keep watch I may locate him.”
Since the day Penny had encountered the museum workman at the Gage Galleries, she had held to the theory that the man had something to do with the mysterious disappearance of the priceless Rembrandt. It had been her firm belief that if she apprehended Mr. Hoges for questioning, the establishment of his own guilt would result in Amy’s exoneration. But now that she had learned the two were friends, she did not know what to think. Certainly Amy’s association with the man did not tend to point to her own innocence.
“I’ll not help the girl again unless she reveals everything concerning her connection with Hoges,” Penny decided. “From now on matters must take their own course.”
Leaving the bedroom, she went downstairs and out the front door. The watchful detective was still stationed across the street, but Penny was so engrossed in her own thoughts that she cast only a casual glance in his direction.
She had walked a short distance down the street, when she felt a firm pressure on her arm.
“Just a minute, young lady!”
Penny whirled around to find herself face to face with the police detective.
CHAPTER XVI
Watchful Waiting
“What do you want?” Penny gasped. She felt certain the man intended to arrest her for aiding Amy Coulter to escape.
The detective stared down at her face.
“I beg your pardon,” he apologized. “When you came out of that rooming house I mistook you for another.”
He released his grip on her arm and continued to offer excuses as Penny walked away. She chuckled to herself, realizing that the plainclothes man had taken her for Amy Coulter. But the smile quickly left her face, for she did not feel very proud of the trick she had played on the police. If it should turn out that the girl was guilty, then indeed she would be sorry.
Dinner was over when Penny reached home, and Mrs. Gallup reported that Mr. Nichols had returned to his office to work on a case.
“Your food is in the oven, Penny,” she told the girl a trifle irritably. “I declare, I can’t see why you had to run off just when I was setting things on the table. Your father is the same way!”
“We’re a dreadful pair,” Penny agreed amiably as she dished herself up a generous helping of meat and potatoes. “Any gravy, Mrs. Gallup?”
“No, your father ate it all and I don’t feel like making any more.”
“Of course not. I have a big plate of food now. Just leave that pan of dishes, Mrs. Gallup, and I’ll do them for you.”
The housekeeper immediately softened. “You may wipe them if you like,” she said. “I am tired tonight. I don’t mean to be cross, only it’s annoying to have folks late for meals. I like food to be eaten when it’s good and hot.”
“You’re a dear,” Penny laughed, giving her a squeeze. “I’ll try not be late again.”
After the dishes were stacked in the cupboard, Penny spent a half hour reading, then she went to bed although it was only a little after eight o’clock. She could not remember when she had been so tired.
“You’re not sick?” Mrs. Gallup inquired anxiously, for usually Penny was the last one in the house to retire.
“No, I’m all right. Just sleepy.”
Penny might have added that she was likewise blue and discouraged. It seemed to her that she had made no progress at all in trying to solve the mystery which surrounded Amy Coulter.
As she slowly mounted the stairs, Penny’s attention was attracted by someone standing by the garage door. She paused, thinking that it might be her father. To her astonishment, the man darted back behind a group of tall bushes which banked the building.
Penny snapped out the light and watched. The man did not reappear.
“What are you doing?” Mrs. Gallup questioned.
“I think someone is watching the house. I just saw a man by the garage.”
“Oh! I’ll call the police!”
“No, wait!” Penny commanded. “I may have been mistaken.” She said it to reassure the housekeeper.
Mrs. Gallup came to the window and peered out. There was no sign of anyone about the grounds.
“I’ll take a flashlight and investigate,” Penny proposed.
Mrs. Gallup caught her firmly by the arm. “You’ll do nothing of the kind. We’ll lock all the doors and not stir from the house until your father returns!”
The housekeeper insisted upon drawing all the blinds and fastening the doors and windows. It seemed an unnecessary precaution to Penny who believed that the prowler had gone.
An hour slipped by and the man was not seen again. Penny went wearily to bed, but Mrs. Gallup was so nervous that she declared her intention of remaining up until Mr. Nichols arrived home.
The detective drove in shortly after ten o’clock and Penny could hear the two talking in the living room. She dropped off to sleep before her father came upstairs.
In the morning Penny awoke feeling refreshed and cheerful again. After breakfast she walked to the post office, stationing herself near the General Delivery window. For an hour she watched men and women come and go, claiming their mail at the little window. George Hoges did not appear, but Penny had scarcely dared to hope that he would come so soon.
Presently, she walked over to the window and questioned the clerk who was in charge.
“Can you tell me if a man by the name of George Hoges gets his mail here?”
The clerk thumbed through a stack of letters before answering. “I don’t remember the man but he’ll probably call here sooner or later for he has two letters.”
Penny retreated to her post near the door. It was tedious waiting.
“When I get to be a taxpayer I’ll vote for chairs in every post office!” she thought.
Penny spent nearly the entire day waiting for George Hoges to appear. By nightfall she was so weary she could scarcely stumble home. She felt certain she would not have the fortitude to resume her watch the following day.
Mr. Nichols was amused when she told him of her unpleasant experience.
“A detective must learn to spend half of his time just waiting,” he declared. “Why, I’ve handled cases where we assign men to watch a certain street corner. Perhaps they’ll be required to keep it up for six months.”
“That’s a long time.”
“Not if the man you’re after comes along in the end.”
“If I keep up my vigil even six days I’ll have corns on the bottom of my feet,” Penny sighed. “Everything considered, I don’t believe I’m cut out to be a lady detective.”
However, the following day found her again at her station in the post office. The task of waiting and watching seemed even more tiresome than before. When she came home late in the afternoon Mrs. Gallup offered scant sympathy.
“I never heard of such a silly thing,” she declared. “Standing all day in the post office! I don’t know why your father permits you to play around at being a detective!”
“If you think it’s play just try standing in one spot for eight hours!” Penny said indignantly.
“I’d have better sense,” Mrs. Gallup retorted. Then she softened. “I know you’re tired, Penny. Sit down and rest while I make you a cup of hot chocolate.”
With a blissful sigh, Penny sank into an upholstered chair. She was looking at a magazine when the housekeeper returned with a pot of chocolate.
“Here is a letter for you,” she mentioned, dropping it into the girl’s lap. “It came this afternoon.”
Noticing that it was postmarked Belton City, Penny quickly tore it open. The envelope contained a brief note from Amy Coulter, who had written to give her new address.
For a long time after she had finished reading the message, Penny sat staring down at it without
being aware of her preoccupation.
“I hope it isn’t bad news,” Mrs. Gallup said anxiously.
“Oh, no.” Penny folded the message and thrust it into her pocket. “I was only thinking.”
Her thoughts had not been pleasant. She still liked Amy Coulter despite the girl’s strange actions, yet she felt that she could not continue to help her without positive proof of her innocence. If only Amy had explained her connection with George Hoges!
“You haven’t been a bit like your usual self, Penny,” Mrs. Gallup said severely. “You’re not sick, are you?”
“Of course not. I’m just tired.”
“You’ve had too much excitement lately. It seems to me this household is always in turmoil. The past week all I’ve heard of is robberies, prowlers and more robberies!”
“At least we’ve had no murder yet,” Penny chuckled. “By the way, what did Dad say last night when you told him about the man we saw hiding behind the garage?”
“He thought probably it was some crank. But I noticed he examined the ground for footprints.”
“Perhaps the prowler was the same person who broke into Dad’s office,” Penny remarked. “Only that doesn’t seem reasonable either, for what could anyone be after here at the house?”
“Silverware or possibly some of your father’s papers.”
“He doesn’t keep anything of great value here as far as I know.”
Before Mrs. Gallup could make a response the telephone rang and she went to answer it.
“Can you come, Penny?” she called a moment later. “It’s for you.”
The girl hurried to the adjoining room and was surprised as she took the receiver to hear Mrs. Dillon’s voice. The woman was greatly agitated.
“Miss Nichols, you were right about the picture,” she began abruptly. “I communicated with the museum authorities as I promised and they told me that the painting is a fake!”
“I thought it would turn out that way,” Penny commented in satisfaction.
“I can’t understand how I was duped,” Mrs. Dillon went on excitedly. “I was so careful. I’ve been cheated out of four thousand dollars.”
“Four thousand!” Penny exclaimed. “Why yesterday you told me you had paid only half that sum.”
“Since then I’ve made the final payment.”
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