Part 28 (1/2)

Scribbling a brief note of explanation, Penny left the paper in a corner of the sofa and hobbled down the stairway to the first floor. She let herself out the back way without attracting undue attention. Safely in the open once more she retreated to her bench under the ice-coated trees.

”I need to give this whole problem a good think,” she told herself. ”Here I have a number of perfectly good clues but they don't fit together. I'm almost as far from getting evidence against Fergus and Maxwell as I was at the start.”

Penny could not understand why the hotel would have need for teletype machine service. Such machines were used in newspaper offices, for railroad communication, brokerage service, and occasionally in very large plants with widely separated branch offices. Suddenly she recalled that her father had once told her Mr. Maxwell kept in touch with his chain of hotels by means of such a wire service. Surely it was an expensive and unnecessary means of communication.

The cleaning woman's information that messages came through in unintelligible form convinced Penny a code was being used--a code to which she had the key. But why did Maxwell and Fergus find it necessary to employ one? If their messages concerned only the routine operation of the various hotels in the chain, there would be no need for secrecy.

The one message she had interpreted--”No Train Tomorrow”--undoubtedly had been received by teletype transmission. But Penny could not hazard a guess as to its true meaning. She feared it might be in double code, and that the words did not have the significance usually attributed to them.

”If only I could get into Room 27 and get my hands on additional code messages I might be able to make something out of it,” she mused. ”The problem is how to do it without being caught.”

Penny had not lost interest in the Green Room. She was inclined to believe that its mystery was closely a.s.sociated with the communication system of the hotel. But since, for the time being at least, the problem of penetrating beyond the guarded Green Door seemed unsolvable, she thought it wiser to center her sleuthing attack elsewhere.

”All I can do for the next day or so is to keep an eye on Ralph Fergus and Harvey Maxwell,” she told herself. ”If I see a chance to get inside Room 27 I'll take it.”

Penny arose with a sigh. She would not be likely to have such a chance unless she made it for herself. And in her present battered state, her mind somehow refused to invent clever schemes.

The walk back up the mountain road was a long and tiring one. Finally reaching the lodge after many pauses for rest, Penny stood for a time watching the skiers, and then entered the house.

Mrs. Downey was not in the kitchen. Hearing voices from the living room, Penny went to the doorway and paused there. The hotel woman was talking with a visitor, old Peter Jasko.

”Oh, I'm sorry,” Penny apologized for her intrusion. She started to retreat.

Peter Jasko saw her and the muscles of his leathery face tightened.

Pus.h.i.+ng back his chair he got quickly to his feet.

”You're the one who has been trespa.s.sing on my land!” he accused, his voice unsteady from anger. ”You've been helping my granddaughter disobey my orders!”

Taken by surprise, Penny could think of nothing to say in her own defense.

After his first outburst, Peter Jasko ignored the girl. Turning once more to Mrs. Downey he said in a rasping voice:

”You have my final decision, Ma'am. I shall not renew the lease.”

”Please, Mr. Jasko,” Mrs. Downey argued quietly. ”Think what this means to me! If I lose the ski slopes I shall be compelled to give up the lodge. I've already offered you more than I can afford to pay.”

”Money ain't no object,” the old man retorted. ”I'm against the whole proposition.”

”Nothing I can say will make you reconsider?”

”Nothing, Ma'am.”

Picking up his cap, a ridiculous looking affair with ear m.u.f.fs, Peter Jas...o...b..ushed past Penny and went out the door.

CHAPTER 19 _PETER JASKO SERVES NOTICE_

After the old man had gone, Penny spoke apologetically to Mrs. Downey.

”Oh, I'm so sorry! I ruined everything, coming in just when I did.”