CHAPTER 14 _TEST BLACKOUT_
As Mr. Parker covered Burt Ottman with his overcoat, the young manstirred and opened his eyes. He gazed at the newspaper owner with a dazedexpression and for a moment did not attempt to speak.
"Take it easy," Mr. Parker advised.
"What happened to me?" the young man whispered.
"That's what we'd like to know. Were you struck?"
"Don't remember," Ottman mumbled. He closed his eyes again, but arousedas he heard the shrill siren of an approaching ambulance. "Don't let 'emtake me to a hospital," he pleaded. "Take me home."
The ambulance drew up in the alley. Stretcher bearers carefully liftedthe young man.
"I'm all right," he insisted, trying to sit up. "Just take me home."
"Where's that?" asked one of the attendants.
Burt Ottman mumbled an address which was on a street not far from theboat dock he operated.
"We'll take you to the hospital for a check up," the young man was told."Then if you're okay, you'll be released."
Deeply interested in the case, Mr. Parker and Penny followed theambulance to City Hospital. There, after an hour's wait in the lobby theywere told that Burt Ottman had suffered no severe injury. A minor headwound had been dressed, and he was to be released within a short while.
"What caused the accident?" Mr. Parker asked one of the nurses. "Did theyoung man say?"
"He couldn't seem to remember what happened," she replied. "At least hewouldn't talk to the doctor about it."
Overdue at the _Star_ office, Mr. Parker could remain no longer. However,Penny, whose time was her own, loitered about the lobby for an hour and ahalf until Burt Ottman came down in the elevator. The young man's headwas bandaged and he walked with an unsteady step as he leaned on the armof a nurse.
"I'll call a taxi for you," the young woman said. "You're really in nocondition to walk far, Mr. Ottman."
Penny stepped forward to offer her services. Her father, knowing that shemight have use for the car, had left it parked outside the hospital.
"I'll be glad to take Mr. Ottman home," she volunteered.
The young man protested that he did not wish to cause anyoneinconvenience, but allowed himself to be guided to the waitingautomobile.
As the car sped along toward the riverfront, Penny stole quick glances atBurt. He sat very still, his gaze on the pavement ahead. She halfexpected that he would offer an explanation of the accident, or at leastask a few questions, but he remained silent.
"You took rather a hard blow on the head," she remarked, seeking to leadhim into conversation.
Burt merely nodded.
"Dad and I were astonished to find you lying in the alley at the rear ofThe Green Parrot," Penny went on. "Don't you remember how you came to bethere?"
"Mind's a blank."
"You must have been struck by someone," Penny said, refusing to bediscouraged. "Can't you recall whom you were with just before theaccident?"
"What is this, a third degree?" Burt asked, and only a faint, amusedsmile took the edge from his question.
"I'm sorry," Penny apologized.
"It doesn't matter what happened to me," Burt said quietly. "I just don'tfeel like talking about it--see?"
"Yes."
"I don't mean to seem unappreciative," the young man resumed. "Thanks fortaking me home."
"You're very welcome, I'm sure," Penny responded dryly.
The car drew up in front of the home where Burt and his sister lived. Apleasant, one-story cottage rather in need of paint, it was situated highon a bluff overlooking the river.
As Burt stiffly alighted from the car, the cottage door opened, and Saracame running to meet him.
"You're hurt!" she cried anxiously. "Oh, Burt, what happened to you?"
"Nothing," he answered, moving away from her encircling arms.
"But your head!"
"Your brother was hurt sometime last night," Penny explained to Sara."Just how, we don't know. My father and I found him lying in an alley atthe rear of The Green Parrot."
"The Green Parrot--that night club!" Sara gazed at her brother in dismay."Oh, Burt, I was afraid something like this would happen. Those dreadfulmen--"
"Now Sara," he interrupted brusquely. "No theatricals, please.Everything's all right." Giving her cheek a playful pinch, he wobbledpast her into the cottage.
Sara turned frightened eyes upon Penny. "Tell me exactly what happened,"she pleaded.
"I honestly don't know, Sara. My father thought someone must have struckyour brother from behind, but he's not told us a thing."
"I just knew something of the sort would happen," Sara repeatednervously.
"What do you mean?" inquired Penny. "Does your brother have enemies whowould harm him?"
"Burt's been trying to find out who framed him in the bridge dynamiting.He won't tell me much about it, but I know he's been trailing down a fewleads."
"Isn't that work for the police?"
"The police!" Sara retorted bitterly. "Their only interest is in pilingup more evidence against Burt!"
"Your brother knows the identity of the saboteur?"
"He won't tell me, but I think he does have an idea who blew up thebridge."
Penny scarcely knew whether or not to accept Sara's explanation of herbrother's activities. Unquestionably, the girl believed that he wasinnocent of all charges against him. For one not prejudiced in his favor,there were many factors to be considered. Why had Burt denied losing theleather billfold? And with whom had he kept the Tuesday night appointmentat The Green Parrot?
"If your brother has any clue regarding the real saboteur, he shouldpresent his evidence to the police," Penny advised Sara.
"He'll never do that until he's ready to appear in court. Not after theway the police treated him."
Penny realized that nothing was to be gained by discussing the matterfurther with Sara. Offering a few polite remarks to the effect that shehoped Burt would soon recover completely from his injury, she drove away.
Later, in repeating the conversation to her father, she declared that shecould not make up her mind regarding Burt Ottman's guilt.
"The case does have interesting angles," Mr. Parker acknowledged. "Italked to the Police Commissioner this morning about The Green Parrot.The place long has had a reputation for cheating customers, and latelyit's been under suspicion as a rendezvous for anti-American groups."
"That would fit in with what the bakery woman told us. What became of TheGreen Parrot, Dad? Have the police been able to trace it to a newlocation?"
"Not yet. The cafe may not open up again, or if it does, under a newname."
For two days Penny divided her time between school and the river. As thewater remained too rough for safe sailing, she and Louise spent theirspare hours painting and cleaning their boat. Upon several occasions theycalled at the Ottman Boat Dock. Burt never was there, but Sara assuredthem that her brother had completely recovered from his recent mishap.
"Did he never tell you how he was struck?" Penny inquired once.
"Never," Sara returned. "I've given up talking to him about it."
With the river high, the girls had no opportunity to visit Old Noah athis ark. However, Sara told them that she was quite certain SheriffAnderson had not succeeded in getting rid of the old fellow and hisanimals.
"The ark is still anchored up Bug Run," she laughed ruefully. "I knowbecause a steady flow of blue bottles has been floating down here!"
"Do you always read the message?" Louise inquired.
"Not always," Sara replied. "Frequently I do because they're so crazy."
Since his arrest and subsequent release from jail, Burt Ottman had seldombeen seen at the boat dock. Harassed and overburdened, Sara endeavored todo the work of two people. She ran the motor launch, taking passengers upand down the river. She rented canoes and row boats, and looked afterrepair work which came to the shop. If she felt
that her brother wasshirking his duties, she gave no inkling of it to the girls.
"When does Burt's trial come up?" Louise remarked to Penny late Thursdaynight as they walked home from the Public Library. "Next week, isn't it?"
"Yes, the twenty-first," her chum nodded. "From all I can gather, he'llbe convicted, too."
"I feel sorry for Sara."
"So do I," agreed Penny. "At first I didn't like her very well. Now Iknow her brusque manner doesn't mean anything."
The girls were passing a drugstore. In the window appeared a coloredadvertisement, a picture of a giant chocolate soda, topped with frothywhipped cream. Penny paused to gaze longingly at it.
"That's a personal invitation addressed to me," she remarked. "How aboutit, Lou?"
"Oh, that same picture has been in the window for months," her chum saiddiscouragingly. "You can't get whipped cream unless you steal it from acow."
"Well, how about a dish of ice cream then? I'm horribly hungry."
"That's your natural state," teased Louise, pulling her on. "If we stopnow, we'll be caught in the test blackout."
"Is there one tonight?"
"Don't you read the papers? It's to be held between nine and ten o'clock.And it's ten after nine now."
"I think it might be fun to be caught out in one--just so long as it'snot the real thing."
"I want to get home before the street lights are turned out," Louiseinsisted. "In fact, I promised Mother I'd come straight home when thelibrary closed."
"Oh, all right," Penny gave in reluctantly.
The girls began to walk faster for they were many blocks from their ownstreet. Now and then they met an air raid warden and so knew that thetime for the test blackout was close at hand.
"Louise!" Penny suddenly exclaimed, stopping short.
"Now what?" the other demanded. "Don't you dare tell me you've leftsomething at the library!"
Penny was staring at a man who only a moment before had come through therevolving doors of the Hotel Claymore.
"See that fellow!" she said impressively.
"Yes, what about him?"
"He's the head waiter at The Green Parrot."
"Why, you're right!" Louise agreed. "For a minute I didn't recognize himin street clothes."
"Let's follow him," Penny proposed as the man started down a side street."Maybe we can learn the new location of The Green Parrot."
"Oh, Penny, I told Mother I'd come straight home."
"Then I'll follow him alone. I can't let this opportunity slip."
Louise hesitated, and then, unwilling to have Penny undertake anadventure alone, quickly caught up with her.
"There's no telling where this chase will end," she complained. "That manmay not be going to The Green Parrot."
"Then perhaps we'll learn where he lives and police can question him."
As Penny spoke, a siren began to sound. A car which was cruising past,pulled up at the curb and its headlights went off. All along the street,lights blinked out one by one.
"The blackout!" Louise, gasped. "I was afraid we'd be caught in it. Nowwe'll lose that man, and what's worse, I'll be late in getting home!"