CHAPTER X
The Vanishing Car
Penny fully intended to tell her father of her experience, but sheretired before he came home. She overslept the next morning. When shedescended to the breakfast room at nine o'clock, Mrs. Gallup told herthat the detective had been gone for nearly an hour.
"Your father wasn't in a very good mood this morning," the housekeeperinformed as she served Penny with a steaming hot waffle. "Hecomplained about the coffee. When he does that it's always becausesomething's gone wrong with his work."
"You mustn't mind Dad," Penny smiled. "We couldn't get along withoutyou."
Mrs. Gallup sniffed.
"I do the best I can. The coffee does taste all right, doesn't it?"
"It's perfect."
"When your father's working on a hard case he always likes it strong aslye," the housekeeper complained. "But I know he was worried aboutsomething this morning."
"What makes you think so?"
"I heard him muttering to himself. Something about the stupidity ofthe police. It seems they let some crook get away last night afteryour father had laid careful plans to catch him."
"Not Rap Molberg?"
"I think that was the name. Mr. Nichols didn't tell me anything, Ijust heard him talking it over with himself."
"It's the only person he will discuss his business with," Pennychuckled.
After Mrs. Gallup had gone back into the kitchen she mulled over theinformation which the housekeeper had given her. It struck her asprobable that the car which she had seen vanish down the dead-endstreet had been driven by Rap Molberg or one of his confederates.
"I wish I could have talked with Dad about it before he left thehouse," she thought.
Penny had not forgotten her resolution to visit the Hamilton Plant bydaylight. As soon as she had helped Mrs. Gallup with the dishes, sheleft the house, walking directly to the scene of the previous evening'sadventure.
The street was deserted. No one questioned her actions as she made acareful inspection of the old building which had housed the HamiltonManufacturing Company until its failure. She examined the walls inchby inch, but although she was convinced it was there, she could find nohidden entrance.
Regardless of her failure to find evidence, Penny was unwilling to giveup her original theory. She remained unshaken in her belief that themysterious automobile had disappeared into the Hamilton building.
"There's no other place it could have gone," she reasoned. "I'll talkit over with Dad and see what he thinks."
When she stopped at his office, Mr. Nichols was not there nor couldMiss Arrow tell her when he might return.
The detective did not come home for luncheon and late in the afternoontelephoned to say that he would take dinner downtown. Rather thanspend an evening alone Penny called Susan, arranging that they shouldgo to the library together.
The girls spent an hour in the reading room, but for some reason Pennycould not interest herself in the magazines. She kept turning throughthem and laying them aside. She felt unusually restless.
Presently an electrical magazine attracted her attention. She glancedover it carelessly until she came to a particular article which dealtwith photo-electric cells and the clever purposes for which they wereused.
"Why, these 'magic-eyes' are almost human," she commented in anundertone to Susan. "They turn lights on and off, cook meals, and opendoors, when a beam of light strikes the cell----"
"I've heard of them before," Susan interrupted in a tone which clearlyimplied that she was not in the least interested.
Penny took the hint and dropped the subject. But she became absorbedin the article. When she closed the magazine a half hour later, herface was flushed with excitement.
"Susan, let's get away from here," she proposed in a whisper. "I'vejust had an inspiration!"
Grumbling a little at being forced to leave a fascinating story beforeshe had finished it, Susan followed her friend from the building.
"What about this inspiration of yours?" she demanded as they walked toPenny's parked roadster.
"It's this way, Susan. I knew there was a logical explanation for themysterious disappearance of that car Rap Molberg was driving. Let's goover to the Hamilton Factory this minute and test out my new theory."
"You may know what you're talking about, but I'm sure I don't, PennyNichols."
"That's because you wouldn't let me tell you about that article I wasreading," Penny laughed. "But I'll explain everything as we go along."
Without pausing to consider that it might not be safe to investigatethe abandoned manufacturing plant at such a late hour, the girls drovedirectly into the hilly section of Belton City. Penny turned into thefamiliar dead-end street and was relieved to find no sign of othervehicles.
She halted her roadster at the very end of the pavement in such aposition that the bright headlights played upon the massive walls ofthe Hamilton building.
"It must be located higher up," Penny murmured to herself.
"What is?" Susan demanded. "I don't see what you're about anyway."
Without answering, Penny directed the beam of her spotlight upon thestone structure. Inch by inch she moved it systematically over thehigh wall.
"Perhaps it's only a silly idea," she acknowledged at last, "but Ibelieve that somewhere in the wall there must be a secret door--onemechanically operated. No doubt the outline of the opening isdisguised by the many irregular cracks in the masonry."
"If you're looking for a secret opening, why not come in the daytimewhen you can see much better?"
"I've been here in the daytime and the door can't be detected--at leastnot by the eye. I'm hoping to have better luck this time."
"I can't for the life of me see how," Susan began, but ended with astartled gasp.
A portion of the massive wall was slowly moving backward.
"Just as I thought!" Penny chuckled in delight. "Now we know how RapMolberg escaped from the police the other night."
In fascination the girls watched the widening gap in the wall. Soon itwas large enough for an automobile to easily drive through into theempty building.
"How did you open it?" Susan asked in awe.
"The beam of my spotlight struck a photo-electric cell which wassecreted near the eaves," Penny explained briefly. "You should haveread about it at the library."
"I wish I had now. It's almost uncanny."
"Let's drive in and have a look at the inside," Penny suggesteddaringly.
"Won't it be dangerous?" Susan demurred.
"The place seems to be deserted. But probably it would be wiser if youwaited here and I went in alone."
"No, if you're going to risk it, so am I!"
"Then here goes," Penny said.
She drove the roadster through the opening into what appeared to be anempty room. Curiously, the girls glanced about. Suddenly Susanuttered a stifled scream.
"The door! It's closing!"
Already the opening had narrowed to a mere slit. It was too late toretreat.
"Don't lose your nerve," Penny advised, although her own heart wasbeating at a furious rate. "We'll find some way to open that door."
"Someone may have seen us drive in and closed it deliberately!"
"I don't think so, Susan. It must have closed automatically."
"Anyway, we're prisoners inside this horrible place! We'll starve todeath before anyone will suspect we're here!"
"I got you into this and I'll get you out," Penny announced firmly."There must be some button or lever that opens the door from theinside."
Although the headlights of the roadster illuminated a portion of thelarge room, many of the corners and crannies remained dark. Taking herflashlight from the pocket of the car, Penny moved cautiously aboutsearching for some means of escape. Susan remained huddled in herseat, too terrified to move.
Penny examined the door, but it would not budge when she threw herweight against it. She could find no lock or catch.
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There were several windows high overhead but without a ladder she couldnot hope to reach them. She was growing more disturbed than she caredto admit, when Susan called to her.
"Penny, I think there's some sort of lever over here by the car."
Penny flashed her beam in that direction and was relieved to see thather chum was right.
"It must operate the door, Susan! We should be out of here in a jiffy!"
Confidently, she grasped the long handle and pulled with all herstrength upon the iron lever.
From below came the low rumble of moving machinery. Penny and Susanriveted their eyes hopefully upon the door. It did not open.
Instead, a square of floor upon which the roadster was resting, slowlybegan to sink.
Uttering a frightened scream, Susan tried to open the car door.
"Save me!" she cried frantically.
Penny leaped nimbly down upon the running board.
"It's all right," she laughed shakily. "We're only descending in anelevator."
"We'll be killed before we ever get out of this dreadful place!"
The elevator struck the lower floor with a gentle thud. Penny thenclimbed into the car and drove it a few feet forward. Relieved of itsweight the platform slowly rose again until it had resumed its formerposition.
"We're worse off now than we were before," Susan moaned.
"I think this must be the way out," Penny comforted.
She indicated a tunnel-like opening directly ahead. Susan who had beenlooking in the opposite direction had noticed a small room whichappeared to be an office. She called her chum's attention to it.Together, they cautiously peered inside.
Save for a battered desk and several chairs the tiny room was empty.Cigarette ashes and old papers were scattered over the floor, givingevidence that the office had been used recently. Penny tried the deskand found it locked.
She picked up a few scraps of paper from the floor. They were withoutinterest.
A folded newspaper lying upon one of the chairs drew her attention.Opening it, she noticed that an article on the front page had beenunderscored with pencil lines. The headline read:
"AUTO ACCESSORY THEFTS ON STEADY INCREASE HERE"
The story hinted that Belton City police had been unable to cope withthe situation and that local insurance companies long harassed by anorganized gang, had turned the case over to private detectives.
Above the latter statement someone had written the name of ChristopherNichols in pencil.
Penny carefully folded the newspaper, replacing it upon the chairexactly as she had found it.
"Let's get away from here before we're caught," she urged. "I suspectwe're in a Molberg hideout."
"Nothing would please me better than to leave this place," Susanretorted grimly. "Just lead me to an exit."
"I think the tunnel probably will take us out. Come on, let's see."
Returning to the roadster the dark passage seemed forbiddinglydangerous. Carefully examining the concrete floor, Penny discoveredtire patterns in the dirt. Other cars had used the tunnel.
With the engine at idling speed, they drove into it. The tunnel leddownward at such a steep angle that soon Penny was forced to use herbrakes to keep from going too fast.
"Where will this thing end?" Susan asked.
Even as she spoke they reached level ground. An ordinary double garagedoor barred the way. Susan sprang out to open it.
"Why, we're in an empty garage," she announced as she swung back thedoor.
Penny drove the roadster through and waited until Susan had closed thedoor behind her. Through a plateglass window the girls could now seethe street. But it took them some time to locate another unlocked doorwhich permitted them to escape.
Once safely out of the building, they pulled up at the side of the roadto take note of their surroundings. At first they could not imaginewhere they were.
"Why, this must be Arlington Avenue," Penny decided. "We're severalhundred feet lower than we were when we left that dead-end street onthe hilltop!"
"What a clever means for a crook to escape a police chase!"
"Yes, isn't it? I'm almost certain the place has been used by theMolberg gang."
"Then we can't get away from here too quick," Susan declared nervously.
Penny laughed.
"We're safe enough now. Besides, I imagine this escape is never usedexcept in an emergency--probably only when the police are hot on thetrail."
Susan glanced at her watch.
"It's after ten o'clock and I promised mother I'd be back at nine."
"I'll take you straight home," Penny promised. "I don't suppose I needto mention it, but I think we shouldn't tell anyone about what wediscovered tonight. At least not until the police have been notified."
"Of course not," Susan agreed instantly. "Why don't you have yourfather make the report for us?"
"I'd like to handle it that way, if you don't mind," Penny said eagerly.
"Then let's leave it that way. Aside from Mr. Nichols we'll not tell asoul about our discovery tonight."
A few minutes later the girls took leave of each other. Pennycontinued alone toward her own home.
Turning a corner in one of the outlying neighborhood business sections,she noticed a girl in blue hurrying along the street. RecognizingBetty Davis, Penny halted her roadster at the curbing.
The girl did not notice for she had paused to stare into the window ofa cafe. A group of young men could be seen within, laughing andtalking.
It was not the type of place frequented by women, and Penny wasastonished when the girl started to open the door. But with her handon the knob, Betty Davis seemed to reconsider, for she turned andwalked rapidly away.
Penny drew alongside in her roadster.
"Going my way?" she asked cheerfully. "I'll be glad to give you alift."