Part 22 (1/2)
”Mrs. Weems and I have both been worried. It's going on nine o'clock.”
”So late? Didn't Louise telephone you?”
”Yes, she said you had gone on to the Kippenberg estate. Knowing you, I worried all the more. What mischief did you get into this time, Penny?”
”None. Jerry took care of that!”
Mr. Parker held the door open for his daughter and Jerry to pa.s.s through.
”Have you had your dinners?” he asked.
”We stopped at a roadside cafe, Dad. But the food was horrible. We didn't even try to eat it.”
”Mrs. Weems can find something for you, I'm sure. She's upstairs.”
”Don't call her just yet,” said Penny. ”First, we want to tell you what we've learned.”
Mr. Parker listened attentively as Penny gave a detailed account of her visit to the estate, the finding of the silk hat, and finally of her encounter with the two boatmen at the river cafe.
”I might have learned a lot more if only Jerry hadn't played grandmother,” she said crossly. ”He refused to follow the boat down the river--said it would only be a wild chase.”
”Jerry, I'm glad you had will power enough to overrule her,” declared Mr.
Parker. ”The possibility of those men being connected with the Atherwald case seems very vague to me.”
”Dad, you should have heard what they were saying! The one man drew a design on the tablecloth and asked his companion what he thought of the route. They talked about a quick get-away to the sea.”
”The men may have been fugitives,” Mr. Parker commented. ”But even that isn't very likely.”
”They spoke of being uneasy about a certain job they had agreed to do,”
Penny went on earnestly. ”They mentioned a girl and said that a fellow named Dietz would bear watching.”
Mr. Parker leaned forward in his chair. ”Dietz?” he questioned. ”Are you certain that was the name?”
”Yes, I heard it clearly.”
”I don't see how there could be any connection,” Mr. Parker mused. ”And yet--”
”Where did you hear the name before, Dad?” Penny asked, all eagerness.
”Well, DeWitt has been digging up all the facts he can about James Kippenberg. As it happens, the man once had a business a.s.sociate named Aaron Dietz who was dismissed because of alleged dishonesty.”
”Then there must be a relations.h.i.+p!” Penny cried. She whirled triumphantly to face the crestfallen reporter. ”You see, Mr. Jerry Livingston, my theory wasn't so crazy after all! Now aren't you sorry?”
CHAPTER 14 _THE STONE TOWER_
Louise Sidell was was.h.i.+ng the breakfast dishes when Penny walked boldly in at the back door.
”Don't you ever answer doorbells, Lou?” she demanded. ”I stood around front for half an hour, ringing and ringing.”