Part 25 (1/2)
”You must have misunderstood me, Miss Altman,” he said when she had finished. ”We can't undertake to guarantee every car which leaves our shop. As a courtesy to our customers we do occasionally make a few minor repairs free of charge. We have found it impractical to go further than this.”
”But in my case, the car has run less than five hundred miles!” Susan protested with growing anger. ”It seems to me I'm ent.i.tled to service.”
”You must see my repair man, Miss Altman. He adjusts all such matters.”
”I have seen him, and I've had no satisfaction at all!”
”Then I'm afraid there's nothing more we can do for you.”
”Your guarantee means nothing?”
”We stand behind our cars, Miss Altman, but you must have misunderstood my promise to service your new automobile free of charge.”
”You said that at the end of five hundred miles my car would receive a complete overhaul!”
”But my dear young lady, you have just received this service.”
”Your workman spent less than twenty minutes going over my car.”
”Have you driven it since?”
”Well, no, I haven't,” Susan admitted reluctantly.
”Then I know you will find everything satisfactory for our workmen are efficient. Good afternoon, Miss Altman.”
The manager opened the door in pointed suggestion that the girls leave.
Outside in the hall they gave vent to their pent up feelings.
”You were right, Penny,” Susan declared angrily. ”I should have bought my car at another garage!”
”I never did like that man,” Penny added. ”He's such a smooth talker, and yet down under he's mean and selfish. I wonder if Jerry Barrows actually does work for him?”
”He was threatening him when we surprised them in the office.”
”I know, and it annoyed Brunner because we saw him talking with the boy at all. I am as sure as anything that he'll never give me his real name or address.”
”That's why he suggested that you come back later for it,” Susan agreed. ”When you return he'll have some other excuse.”
”I mean to go back and annoy him just the same. Doesn't it strike you as odd that Jerry would be working for him?”
”Well, perhaps a trifle,” Susan said thoughtfully. ”But it may be that he hired the boy without inquiring too carefully into his past.”
”The fact remains that Brunner was threatening him,” Penny pointed out.
”It didn't appear to me that it was about any casual matter either.”
The girls lowered their voices for they had come within earshot of a garageman who was working in the repair shop. Susan's car was nearby.
After some difficulty she managed to start it, but the engine knocked as badly as before.
”I suppose there's nothing to do but take the car to another garage,”