CHAPTER 13 _A VACANT BUILDING_
Hastening to a main street, Penny and Louise waited many minutes for abus. Finally as a taxi cruised past they hailed it, knowing they couldobtain cab fare when they reached home.
"Let's go straight to my house," Penny said, giving the driver heraddress. "Dad should be there by this time. I know he'll be as worriedabout Jerry as we are."
A few minutes later the taxi drew up in front of the Parker home. Lightsburned in the living room and the girls were greatly relieved to glimpsethe editor reading in a comfortable chair by the fireplace.
"Dad, I need a dollar sixty for cab fare!" Penny announced, bursting inupon him.
"A dollar sixty," he protested, reaching for his wallet. "I thought youand Louise went to a picture show. What have you been doing in ataxicab?"
"I'll explain just as soon as I pay the driver. Please, this is anemergency."
Mr. Parker gave her two dollars and she ran outside with it. In a momentshe came back with Louise.
"Now, Penny, suppose you explain," suggested Mr. Parker. "Has walkingbecome an outmoded sport or are you trying to save wear and tear on rayonstockings?"
"Dad, Louise and I never went to the Rialto Theatre," Penny saidbreathlessly. "We've been at The Green Parrot!"
"_The Green Parrot!_"
"Oh, we didn't go alone," Penny explained hastily as she saw disapprovalwritten on her father's face. "We telephoned Jerry and had him accompanyus."
"How did you learn the location of the place?"
"We heard a man give the address to a taxi driver, and followed inanother cab. Dad, we saw Burt Ottman there!"
"Interesting, but it hardly proves that he is a saboteur."
"He arrived at exactly nine-fifteen," Penny resumed excitedly. "Aftertalking with that man we followed, they both left the dining room, thoughnot together. We saw Burt go downstairs and knock on a door which had apeephole."
"Did he enter?"
"I don't know," Penny admitted. "Louise and I weren't able to see. Justas things were getting interesting the head waiter came and politelyescorted us out of the building."
"Why didn't Jerry bring you home?"
"That's what I'm getting at, Dad. Jerry just disappeared."
"What do you mean, Penny?"
Together the girls told him exactly what had happened at The GreenParrot. Mr. Parker promptly agreed that it would not be like Jerry toleave the cafe without an explanation.
"Something has happened to him!" Penny insisted soberly. "Dad, why don'tyou call the police right away? It wouldn't surprise me one bit if TheGreen Parrot is a meeting place for saboteurs! There's no telling whatthey may have done to Jerry!"
By this time Mr. Parker had begun to share the alarm of the girls.Getting abruptly to his feet, he started toward the telephone. Before hecould take down the receiver, the bell jingled. Answering the incomingcall, a peculiar expression came over the newspaper owner's face. Aftertalking for a moment, he hung up the receiver and turned toward Penny.
"That was Jerry," he announced dryly.
"Jerry!" Penny became confused. "But I don't understand, Dad. Is he beingheld at The Green Parrot?"
"Jerry is at home. He called to ask if you and Louise arrived safely."
"Well, of all the nerve!" Penny cried indignantly. "Just wait until I seehim again!"
"Not so fast," advised her father. "There seems to have been a littlemix-up. After Jerry left the dining room to telephone, the head waitertold him that you girls had decided not to wait."
"And he told us that Jerry had gone!" Louise cried. "I wonder why?"
"Because he wanted to get rid of our entire party!" Penny declared. "Allthe time we were in the cafe that head waiter seemed to keep his eye onus. Dad, what did Jerry do about paying the bill?"
"He was told that he need not settle it--that he could pay later."
"Well, it's all very peculiar," Penny said with a sigh. "I'm glad Jerryis safe, but I still maintain we were hustled out of that place."
"No doubt you were," agreed her father. "I'm curious to see thecafe--especially that door with the peep hole."
"I'll take you there," Penny offered eagerly.
"Not tonight," Mr. Parker declined, yawning. "Tomorrow morning perhaps."
Penny had to be satisfied with the decision, though she yearned forimmediate action. After Louise had gone to her own home, she mulled overthe situation, discussing every angle of it with her father.
"Why do you think Burt Ottman was at the Parrot?" she tried to pin himdown. "Would you say he's one of the plotters?"
"I have no opinion whatsoever," Mr. Parker responded somewhat wearily.
Penny did not allow her father to forget his promise to visit The GreenParrot. The following morning she awoke early and at the breakfast tablereminded him that they had an important appointment together.
"I should be at the office," Mr. Parker said, glancing at his watch."Besides, the cafe won't be open at this hour."
"The manager should be there, Dad. You'll be able to talk to him andreally look over the place."
"We can ask a few questions--that's all," Mr. Parker corrected. "Onecan't walk into an establishment and start searching."
"Let's go anyway," pleaded Penny.
More to please her than because he hoped to uncover vital evidence, Mr.Parker agreed to make the trip. With Penny at the wheel of the familycar, they drove to the street where The Green Parrot was situated.Parking not far from the entrance to an alley, they walked the remainingdistance.
"This is the place," said Penny, pausing before the familiar building."Why, what's become of the cafe?"
Bewildered, she stared at the doorway where the painted parrot sign hadswung. It was no longer there and the Venetian blinds had been removedfrom the window.
"This place doesn't have the appearance of a cafe," said Mr. Parker. "Areyou sure you have the correct address, Penny?"
"Why, yes, I know we came here last night. But the sign has beenremoved."
Descending the stone steps, Penny pressed her face against the uncoveredwindows. Only a large, empty room confronted her astonished gaze. All ofthe tables and chairs had been removed, even the palm trees anddecorations.
"It's deserted, Dad!" she exclaimed.
Mr. Parker came down the steps to peer through a window. Bits of coloredpaper and menu cards still littered the floor. Testing the door, he foundit locked.
"This certainly is strange," he remarked thoughtfully. "Let's inquirenext door."
Penny and her father chose to enter a bakery which adjoined the building.A stout woman in a white apron, who was arranging frosted cakes in ashowcase, favored them with a professional smile.
"Good morning," Mr. Parker greeted her, removing his hat. "Can you tellme what has become of the cafe next door?"
"Are you from the police?" the woman asked quickly.
"No, I'm connected with the _Star_."
"Oh, a reporter!" assumed the woman, and Mr. Parker did not correct her."I thought maybe you were from the police. Yesterday I saw a man watchingThe Green Parrot and I said to my husband, Gus, 'The cops are going toraid that place.'"
"And did they?" interposed Mr. Parker.
"Not that I know of. The outfit just moved out. And a queer time to bedoing it too, if you ask me!"
"When did they leave?"
"The van pulled up there about two o'clock last night. They were loadingstuff in until almost dawn."
"Can you tell me where they went or why they moved out?"
"No, I can't," the woman replied with a shrug. "Like as not they wereafraid the police were going to raid 'em. I'm telling you that placedeserved to be closed up."
"Just what went on there?"
"I never was inside the place, but some mighty queer acting people seemedto be running it. Why, I've seen men go in and out of there at fouro'clock of a morning, hours after the cafe closed up."
r /> "Foreigners?"
"I couldn't rightly say as to that. My husband, Gus, thinks a lot ofgambling went on. Anyway, I'm glad the outfit's gone."
Unable to learn more, Penny and her father left the bakery and walkedtoward their parked car. The information they had gained was not likelyto prove very helpful. Obviously, The Green Parrot had closed its doors,fearing an investigation. Whether it had moved elsewhere or gone out ofexistence, they could not know.
"The call that Jerry, Louise and I paid there last night may have hadsomething to do with it," Penny remarked. "I know the head waiter waseager to be rid of us."
As Mr. Parker and his daughter walked slowly along, several persons ranpast them toward an alley. Approaching its entranceway, they saw that athrong of people had gathered not far from the rear exit of The GreenParrot.
"Wonder what's wrong back there?" speculated Mr. Parker, pausing."Probably an accident of some sort."
"Let's find out," proposed Penny.
She and her father joined the group of excited men and women in thealley. They were startled to see a young man sprawled face downward onthe brick pavement. A garbage collector jabbered excitedly that he hadfound the victim lying thus only a moment before.
Mr. Parker pushed through the circle of people. "Has anyone called anambulance?" he asked.
"I'll send for one, Mister," offered a boy, hastening away.
Mr. Parker bent over the prone figure.
"He ain't dead is he?" the garbage man asked anxiously.
"Unconscious," replied the newspaper man, his fingers on the victim'swrist. "A nasty head wound. I'd say he either fell or was struck frombehind."
Carefully Mr. Parker rolled over the limp figure. As he beheld the face,he stared and glanced quickly at Penny.
"Who is he, Dad?" she asked, and then she saw for herself.
The young man was Burt Ottman.