CHAPTER 6 _FRONT PAGE NEWS_
Never in her life had Penny been more frightened. Breaking away from thegroup of people at the curb, she ran to the parked ambulance. A glanceinto the interior assured her that Mr. Parker had not been placed insideon a stretcher.
"Where is he?" she asked wildly. "Where's my father?"
A white-garbed ambulance attendant turned to stare at her.
"That's my father's car!" Penny cried, pointing to the battered sedan."Tell me, was he badly hurt?"
The attendant tried to be kind. "We don't know, Miss. Someone put in acall for us. Said we were to pick up an injured man. Evidently he wastaken to a hospital before we could get here."
"That's what happened," contributed a small boy who stood close by. "Awoman drove by in an auto. She offered to take the man to the hospitaland he went with her."
"A tall, lean man in a gray suit?" Penny asked quickly.
"Yes. He had a leather case in his hand."
"Then it was my father!" Penny cried. "How badly was he hurt?"
"Oh, he could walk all right," the boy replied. "He seemed kinda dazedthough."
Greatly relieved to learn that her father had escaped serious injury,Penny sought more information. The boy who had witnessed the accident,told her that the car which had caused the smash-up, was a blue sedan.
"Two men were in it," he revealed. "They started to go around yourfather's car and crowded him toward the curb. Next thing I saw, he'dplowed into the lamp post."
"The other car didn't stop?"
"I'll say it didn't! You should have seen 'em go!"
"Didn't you notice the license number?" Penny asked hopefully.
The boy shook his head.
Having learned all she could from him, Penny questioned other persons.Only one woman in the crowd was able to provide additional information.Her eye-witness account differed slightly from the boy's, but sheconfirmed that a middle-aged woman in a black coupe had taken theaccident victim to a hospital.
"Which hospital?" asked Penny.
The woman could not tell her. She did say, however, that the accidentvictim seemingly had suffered only minor scratches.
A police car drove up. Penny, frantic to find her father, did not wish tobe delayed by questions. Without revealing who she was to members of theinvestigation squad, she hailed a taxi. Mercy Hospital was only a fewblocks away. It seemed reasonable that her father would be taken therefor treatment.
A few minutes later, standing anxiously at the information desk of thatinstitution, she learned that Mr. Parker had not been admitted as apatient. The nurse in charge, noting the girl's agitation, kindly offeredto telephone other hospitals. After six calls, she reported that she wasunable to trace the accident victim.
"Are you sure that your father sought hospital treatment?" she askedPenny.
"Perhaps not. Dad wasn't badly hurt according to witnesses. He may havegone elsewhere."
Thanking the nurse for her help, Penny taxied swiftly home. Mrs. Weems,in an old coat and a turban, was pouring salt on the icy sidewalk infront of the house. From the look on her face it was evident she had notheard the news.
"Mrs. Weems, Dad's been hurt!" Penny cried, leaping from the cab. "In anauto accident!"
"My land!" the housekeeper gasped and allowed the bag of salt to fallfrom her gloved hand. "How bad is it?"
"I think he was more stunned than anything else. But I've not been ableto learn where he was taken. He didn't telephone here?"
"Not unless it was since I've been outdoors."
Picking up the bag of salt, Mrs. Weems followed Penny into the house.Without removing coat or hat, the girl dialed the _Star_ office. EditorDeWitt answered.
"Has Dad arrived there?" Penny asked abruptly.
"No, he hasn't returned. Anything wrong?"
Tersely Penny revealed what had occurred. The news shocked the editor forhe bore Mr. Parker a genuine affection.
"Now don't you worry," he tried to cheer her. "Your father can't be badlyhurt or he never would have walked away from that accident. Just sittight and our reporters will locate him for you."
During the next hour Penny and Mrs. Weems remained near the telephone.Each moment they waited, their anxiety increased. Mr. DeWitt did notphone. There was no word from the police station. They refused to believethat Mr. Parker had been seriously injured, yet it seemed strange hecould not be found.
"It's not like him to allow anyone to worry," declared the housekeeper."I simply can't understand why he doesn't call to relieve our minds."
Just then the telephone bell jingled. Penny snatched the receiver fromits hook.
"DeWitt speaking," said the familiar voice of the editor.
"Any news?" Penny asked quickly. "Did you find Dad?"
"So far we haven't," the editor confessed. "I've personally called thepolice station, every hospital and private nursing home in Riverview."
"Dad may have gone to a doctor's office for treatment."
"I thought of that," replied DeWitt. "We've checked all the likely ones."
"What could have become of him?" Penny asked desperately. "Mrs. Weems andI are dreadfully worried."
"Oh, he'll show up any minute," comforted Mr. DeWitt. "Probably hedoesn't realize anyone is looking for him."
Penny asked the editor if he had learned the identity of the hit-skipdriver.
"No one took down the license number of the car," Mr. DeWitt returnedregretfully. "Our reporters are still working on the story though."
"The story," murmured Penny faintly. For the first time it occurred toher that her father's accident and subsequent disappearance would beregarded as front page news.
"I don't expect to run an account of the accident until I've talked toyour father," DeWitt said hastily. "Now don't worry about anything. I'lllet you know the minute I have any news."
Penny hung up the receiver and reported the conversation to Mrs. Weems. Aclock on the mantel chimed one-thirty, reminding the housekeeper thatlunch had not been prepared.
"No food for me," pleaded Penny. "I don't feel like eating."
"I've rather lost my own appetite," confessed the housekeeper. "However,it's foolish of us to worry. Your father must be safe. No doubt he had anappointment."
Penny's face brightened. "Why, of course!" she exclaimed. "Don't know whyI've been so dumb! Dad may still be in conference with ProsecutorGilmore! I'll call there."
Darting to the telephone, she waited patiently until she was connectedwith the State prosecutor's office. The lawyer himself talked to her.
"Why, no, Mr. Parker hasn't been here," he replied to her eager inquiry."I expected him at ten-thirty. Then he telephoned that he had beendelayed and would see me at eleven-thirty. He failed to keep thatappointment also."
The information sent Penny's hopes glimmering. She explained about theaccident and listened to the Prosecutor's expression of sympathy.Replacing the receiver, she turned once more to Mrs. Weems.
"I'm more worried than ever now," she quavered. "Dad didn't keep hisappointment with Prosecutor Gilmore, and it was a vitally important one."
"We'll hear from him soon--"
"Perhaps we won't." Penny took a quick turn across the room.
"Why, such a thing to say! What do you mean, Penny?"
"Dad has enemies. Harley Schirr told me today that if any attempt wasmade to expose a certain gang of thieves, it would mean real trouble."
"But your father has had no connection with such persons."
"He and Jerry worked on a case together," Penny explained. "Today at thetime of the accident, Dad carried a brief case with all the evidence init!"
"Even so, I fail to see--"
"According to the report, Dad's car was practically forced off the road,"Penny added excitedly. "I think that auto crash was deliberatelyengineered! Don't you understand, Mrs. Weems? He's fallen into theclutches of his enemies!"
"Now, Penny,"
soothed the housekeeper. "I'm sure we're making far toomuch of the accident. We'll soon hear from your father."
"You're saying that to comfort me, Mrs. Weems. Something dreadful hashappened! I can _feel_ it."
Penny ceased pacing the floor and went to the hall closet for her hat andcoat.
"Where are you going?" asked the housekeeper, her eyes troubled.
"To the newspaper office. If word comes, I want to be there to get it thevery first minute."
Mrs. Weems started to protest, then changed her mind. She merely said:"Telephone me the moment you have any news."
A brisk walk to the _Star_ office did much to restore Penny's saggingcourage. As she entered the newsroom, brushing snow from her coat, shesaw a group of reporters gathered about Mr. DeWitt's desk.
"News of Dad!" she thought, her pulse pounding.
Glimpsing Penny, the men at the desk began to scatter. They gazed at herin such a kind, sympathetic manner that she became frightened again.
"What is it, Mr. DeWitt?" she asked the editor. "Has Dad been found?"
He shook his head.
"But you must have had some news," she insisted, her gaze on a foldedpaper which he held. "Please don't hide anything from me."
"Very well," DeWitt responded quietly. "We found this letter in yourfather's waste-basket."
Penny took the paper. Silently she read the message which had been typedin capital letters.
"MR. PARKER," it warned, "THIS IS TO ADVISE YOU TO LAY OFF ON TIRE THEFTSTORIES IN YOUR PAPER. UNLESS YOU CHANGE YOUR POLICY YOU MAY WAKE UP IN ADITCH."