CHAPTER 16 _A DOOR IN A BOX_
Penny scarcely knew what to think of Harley Schirr's actions. All heraccusations were true, of that she was sure. But she was unable to decidewhether or not he had any information about her father's strangedisappearance.
"The old snooper may be hand in glove with the tire thieves!" she thoughtbitterly. "I wouldn't put it past him. If I could prove anything,wouldn't I like to turn him over to the police!"
Climbing the stairs, Penny explained briefly to the _Star_ deskman whathad occurred.
"Shirr here again!" he exclaimed. "Why, I'm sure he never came throughthe newsroom."
"No, he got into Dad's office by means of that old hall door. Tomorrow Iwant a new lock put on."
"I'll have it taken care of myself," promised the deskman.
Reentering her father's office, Penny gathered up the mail and carefullylocked both doors. She then returned to the waiting taxicab. During theride home she made no mention of Mr. Schirr, preferring not to worry thehousekeeper.
Later in Mr. Parker's study, she and Mrs. Weems examined every letterwritten in response to the reward offer. Not even one of them offered theslightest promise.
"I'll turn everything over to the police," Penny said with a sigh. "Maybethey'll find a clue I've not considered important."
Both she and Mrs. Weems were feeling the effects of such a long period ofstrain. Meals had been irregular, appetites poor. Penny in particular hadlost so much weight that she looked thin and sallow. Yet somehow shemanaged to keep up her strength and to face each day with hope.
"Mrs. Weems," she said the next morning at breakfast, "if you'll advanceme some money, I'm going on another taxi jaunt today."
"Not to the Harrison place."
"No, out to Mattie Williams' garage. I'm convinced that place is dealingin stolen tires. If only I can reconstruct the evidence which disappearedin Dad's portfolio, I may get a clue that will lead to him."
Without protest, Mrs. Weems gave Penny the money. Secretly she thoughtthat the girl would do much better to turn all of her information over tothe police. However, she realized that Penny needed activity to keep herfrom brooding, so she wisely did not discourage her.
"Don't get into any trouble," she warned anxiously.
"No danger of that, Mrs. Weems. I've not enough pep for it these days."
Engaging the same cabman who had served her so well the previous night,Penny motored to the Williams' garage. She had made no plans and scarcelyknew what she would say when she entered the place. As she debated, thebig doors of the building opened, and a tow car drove away with Mattie atthe wheel.
"There she goes!" thought Penny, disappointed. "I'm afraid my interviewwill have to wait."
Getting out, she sauntered into the garage office. Mattie's partner, Sam,was nowhere to be seen. Nor did he appear to be working in the main partof the building.
Penny waited a few minutes, then wandered about the floor where a numberof cars had been stored. No workmen were in evidence.
"This might be a good time to do a bit of looking around!" she thoughtsuddenly. "I'll never have a better chance."
Penny opened the doors into the room where she had observed SamBurkholder mount a new tire on the car of a customer. One wall wasstacked high with large wooden boxes, not unlike those she and Louise hadseen delivered by the truck driver, Hank Biglow, on the night of theblizzard.
She thumped one of the boxes with her knuckles. It gave off a hollow,empty sound. She tried another box with no better luck. Some of the bigcrates had been opened. They contained nothing except a little brownwrapping paper.
Disappointed, Penny turned away. But as she moved toward the exit, hereyes flashed upon one of the boxes which had escaped her attention.Boards were loose at one end, and could be hinged back on their nailslike a door.
Intrigued, Penny crossed to the crate. As she pulled on one of theboards, all swung back as a unit.
"Why, it's like a door!" she thought. "A door in a box!"
Penny gazed into the box and was further amazed. It had no back wall.Instead, she saw a long, empty tunnel formed by several crates piled onein front of the other. And at the very end stood a real door!
"Maybe this is the pay-off!" thought Penny excitedly.
Pulling the boards into place behind her, she stooped and made her waythrough the tunnel to the door. It was locked.
"I'll bet a cent stolen tires are stored in that room!" reasoned Penny."If only I could get in there!"
Her mind did not dwell long on the problem. A moment later she wasalarmed to hear a low murmur of voices. Someone was approaching thestorage room from the main part of the garage. Unless she wished to betrapped in the tunnel of boxes, she must abandon the investigation!
Penny started hurriedly toward the opening. Before she could get throughthe tunnel, the big double doors squeaked open and she heard heavyfootsteps in the room. Peering out through a knothole in one of theboxes, she saw Mattie Williams and her partner, Sam. They were arguingand their voices came to her plainly:
"Guess you didn't look for me back quite so soon, Sam," Mattiereprimanded her partner. "When I went off in the tow car you figured I'dbe gone a long time. Thought it would give you a good chance to tamperwith the books!"
"That's not so, Mattie. I was marking up some expenses like I always do."
"I've been aiming to have a straight talk with you for a long time, Sam,"the woman resumed. "That's why I asked you to step back here in thestorage room. No use having the customers know about our differences."
"I don't see what you've got to squawk about," Sam retorted. "Ain't youmade more money since I teamed up with you than you ever did before?"
"Yes."
"But you're always afraid I'll cheat you out of a penny."
"I've caught you in some dishonest tricks. About those tires--"
A loud, insistent tooting of an automobile horn broke up theconversation. Abandoning the argument, Mattie and Sam went to serve theimpatient customer.
Penny did not tarry. Crawling from the tunnel, she glanced about for ameans of escape. Fortunately, the room had an outside exit. Making use ofit, she returned to the waiting taxi, without seeing either Sam or Mattieagain.
"Police station, Joe," she instructed.
"How do you want to go?" the cab driver inquired. "This road or No. 32?"
"Let's drive past the old Harrison place."
"Sure," grinned Joe. "Maybe we'll see that spook again!"
The cab bumped along the frozen road, soon coming within view of thehillside estate. Joe slowed down without being requested to do so.
"I was tellin' the boys about that place last night," he flung over hisshoulder. "They tell me the owner is this guy Deming. He's gone East forthe winter. A big, fat, bald-headed man."
"Our ghost was a thin person."
"Yeah, I was thinking that," agreed Joe. "Maybe Deming's got a sickrelative or something."
The explanation did not satisfy Penny. With troubled eyes she gazedtoward the rambling old house which by daylight looked so deserted. Nosmoke curled from the chimneys. Had it not been for a trail of footprintsalong the fence, she easily could have convinced herself that she hadimagined the events of the previous night.
"Say, who's that trackin' through the fields?" Joe suddenly demanded.
Penny turned to glance in the direction that the cabman pointed. Herheart did a little flip-flop. A woman in a long black coat, market basketon her arm, was hastening toward the rear door of the estate house.
"Stop the cab, Joe!" she cried.
The car came to a halt with a little sideways skid. Leaping out, Pennyplunged through the drifts and was able to confront the woman at the reargate of the premises.
"How do you do," she greeted her breathlessly.
The woman was so startled that she nearly dropped her market basket.Confused, she stammered a reply and started to unlock the gate.<
br />
"Just a moment, please," requested Penny. "May I come inside and talk toyou?"
"About what?"
"My father's disappearance. You made an appointment to meet me at thecemetery. Why did you run away?"
The bold attack was not without an effect. The woman gasped, and fumblednervously with the key to the padlock.
"I don't know what you're talking about!" she muttered.
"Unless you tell me everything you know regarding my father'sdisappearance, I'll call the police!"
"The police--" the woman repeated, plainly frightened.
"Yes," Penny went on relentlessly, "this is a serious matter. It will doyou no good to bluff."
The woman gave up trying to unlock the gate. Setting her basket down inthe snow she said weakly: "You advertised a reward--"
"I'll still be glad to pay it for worthwhile information. What do youknow about my father?"
The woman drew a deep breath. "Well, I picked him up in my car after theaccident."
"You did?" Penny became jubilant. "Where is he now?"
"I can't tell you that. Mr. Parker asked me to take him to MercyHospital. I let him off at the entrance to the grounds. That's the last Isaw of him."
"My father entered the hospital?"
"I don't know. I didn't remain to watch."
The story was disappointing. If true, Mr. Parker's disappearance remainedas mysterious as ever. Penny was silent a moment and then she asked thewoman why she had fled from the cemetery.
"Because I saw a police car parked behind the bushes," the other answereddefiantly. "And those detectives chased me, too! I only intended to behelpful and maybe win a reward. Now I want nothing to do with the case.I've told you everything I know."
The woman unlocked the gate and started to enter the grounds.
"You're not Mrs. Deming?" Penny asked quickly.
"Who I am is my own business."
"I suppose the ghost is your own affair too!"
"Ghost? What ghost?"
"You live here, yet you haven't learned that the grounds are haunted?"Penny inquired significantly. "Nearly every night a man in white wandersback and forth in the garden."
"I don't know anything about it!" the woman said nervously. "I'll notanswer any more questions either!"
Plainly frightened, she snapped shut the padlock of the gate and fledinto the house.