when it occurred to her that her father might not wish the matter made
public, she changed her mind and ran downstairs.
Unlocking the rear door, she glanced carefully about the yard. There was
no one in sight, no movement behind any of the shrubbery.
"He's gone, of course," she thought.
Penny wore no shoes. Finding a pair of old galoshes on the porch, she
protected her feet with them, and hobbled into the yard.
The grass beneath Mrs. Weems' window had been trampled, but at first
glance there was no clue to indicate how the burglar had gained entrance
to the house.
"Obviously he used a ladder," she reasoned. "But how did he descend so
quickly? And what became of the ladder? I know he never had time to carry
away one of the ordinary type."
A dark object lying on the grass attracted Penny's attention. Picking it
up, she carried it to the porch and switched on a light that she might
see to better advantage. In her hand she held a torn strand of black silk
rope.
"This may be an important clue!" she thought excitedly. "I know now how
the man entered the house!"
As Penny examined the piece of rope, automobile headlight beams cut a
path across the yard. The Parker car drew up on the driveway and both
Mrs. Weems and Mr. Parker alighted.
"Dad, come here quickly!" Penny called as he started to open the garage
doors.
"What's wrong, Penny?"
Both the publisher and Mrs. Weems came toward the porch.
"We've had a burglar," Penny announced. "He broke into Mrs. Weems' room,
smashing the lock on the desk--"
"My money!" the housekeeper exclaimed in horror. "Oh, Penny, don't tell
me that it's gone!"
"He escaped with the contents of the drawer."
Mrs. Weems gave a moan of anguish. "Haven't you called the police?" she
demanded. "When did it happen? Tell me everything!"
"First, I'll set your mind at rest," Penny replied. "Your money is safe."
"Oh! I never was so relieved in all my born days." Mrs. Weems sagged
weakly into a porch rocker. "Penny, how could you torture me by letting
me think the money was stolen?"
"Because I have a confession to make, Mrs. Weems. You left the key to
your desk lying on the bathroom floor. I thought it might be a good joke
to move the money to another place."
"Oh, you darling blessed girl!" laughed Mrs. Weems. "Where did you hide
it, Penny? Are you sure it's safe?"
"It should be. I had it taken to the First National Bank and deposited in
your name. The thief carried off a package of fake money."
"Rather high-handed weren't you?" commented her father.
"Now don't you scold her," spoke Mrs. Weems quickly. "I am glad Penny
acted as she did. Otherwise, I might have lost my entire inheritance."
Penny drew a deep breath. "I'm relieved you feel that way about it. I
wish I could see the burglar's face when he discovers he stole worthless
money!"
Both the housekeeper and Mr. Parker pressed her with questions. She
revealed exactly what had occurred during their absence, showing them the
strand of black silk rope.
"Dad, I think this may be a valuable clue," she declared. "What does it
suggest to you?"
"Not much of anything, I am afraid."
"You remember that when the Kohls were robbed the police couldn't figure
out how the burglar gained entrance?"
"Yes, I recall the story."
"Well, I believe the same man committed both burglaries."
"Why do you think so, Penny?"
"At the Kohl's the police found two marks on the window ledge apparently
made by iron hooks. Similar marks are on the sill in Mrs. Weems' room.
For that matter, I distinctly saw the iron pieces bite into the wood."
"Let's look at them," proposed Mr. Parker.
"Only the marks are there now, Dad. The man jerked the hooks loose after
he descended. They must have been attached to his ladder."
"I thought you said he had none, Penny."
"There was no time for him to have carried away an ordinary, heavy
ladder. I think the one he used must have been made of silk."
"And this is a piece of it!" Mr. Parker exclaimed, examining the twisted
strand with new interest. "Your theory sounds plausible. It would be
possible for a man to scale a wall with such a ladder."
"He could jerk loose the hooks in an instant, too, Dad. The ladder would
fit into a small suitcase, or even his pocket!"
"There's one objection to your theory, Penny. How could such a ladder be
raised to the window ledge? It naturally would be limp."
"That part has me puzzled, I'll admit."
"I never even heard of a silken ladder," said Mrs. Weems doubtfully.
"I once saw one being made," declared Penny with deliberate emphasis. "At
a Japanese Shop on Dorr Street."
"That's right, you spoke of it!" exclaimed her father. "Penny, you may
have something!"
"I think so, Dad. This strand of twisted silk may lead straight to Kano's
Curio Shop."
"And from there?"
Penny hesitated, glancing at Mrs. Weems. She knew that the housekeeper
might take offense, but she answered quietly:
"My guess would be to Al Gepper, Dad. Who but he or an accomplice could
have known where the money was hidden?"
CHAPTER
17
_KANO'S CURIO SHOP_
As Penny had anticipated, Mrs. Weems indignantly declared that she did
not believe Mr. Gepper could have had any connection with the attempted
robbery. Yet, even as she made the assertion, a startled expression came
over her face.
"Think back, Mrs. Weems," urged Mr. Parker. "How many persons knew where
you had secreted the money?"
"I told Mrs. Hodges."
"And Al Gepper?" Penny probed.
"Well--" The housekeeper looked ill at ease. "He may have heard me
talking with Mrs. Hodges. I remember he passed through the hall while we
were together."
"What day was that?" inquired Penny.
"Yesterday. After the seance. But I can't believe that Mr. Gepper would
try to steal the money. I just can't!"
"From what Penny has told me of the man, I should judge that he is a
schemer," contributed Mr. Parker. "You know the _Star_ has started a
vigorous campaign directed against such mediums as Al Gepper."
"But he told me such remarkable things about Cousin David," protested
Mrs. Weems. "Facts which couldn't be faked."
"Oh, Gepper doesn't make many false moves," acknowledged Penny. "He's a
smooth worker. All the same, he's a fake."
"How could he have faked Cousin David's message? You forget we actually
saw the picture of my relative painted without the aid of a human hand."
"Did the picture closely resemble your cousin?" inquired Mr. Parker.
"Oh, yes, indeed. It looked exactly as I saw him many years ago."
"Isn't that rather odd?" demanded Penny. "One would expect Cousin David
to age a little."
"Penny believes that a photographer's agent who came here a few days ago
was sent by Gepper to obtain a picture of your relative," explained Mr.
Parker. "Did the man ask you many questions about your cousin?"
"Well, yes, he did," Mrs. Weems admitted unwillingly. "I made a mistake
giving him the photograph."
"It seems fairly evident that the picture was used by Gepper," Mr. Parker
commented. "Whether he plotted to steal your money remains to be proven.
Penny, you saw the man plainly?"
"No, I didn't, Dad. Not his face. He was about the same build as Gepper."
"That's not much to go on."
"From the first Gepper was determined to get Mrs. Weems' money, Dad. He
sent a man here who pretended to be from the Bierkamp Investment
Company."
"You didn't tell me that," said Mrs. Weems.
"Well, no I didn't. I was afraid you would invest your money with him, so
I drove the man away. He must have been Gepper's accomplice. Failing to
acquire the money by that means, he plotted the burglary."
"Surely you don't agree with Penny?" the housekeeper asked Mr. Parker
unhappily.
"In general, I am afraid I do. Mr. Gepper is an undesirable character,
and I should like nothing better than to send him to jail."
"Come upstairs, Mrs. Weems," urged Penny. "I'll show you the desk."
Both the housekeeper and Mr. Parker followed her to the second floor. An
examination of the bedroom disclosed no additional clues, but after
studying the marks on the window ledge, the publisher favored Penny's
theory that a silk ladder had been utilized.
"It was unwise of me to keep my money here," Mrs. Weems remarked in a
crestfallen tone. "I--I've been silly about everything, I guess."
Penny gave her a quick hug. "No, you haven't. Anyone might have been
taken in by Al Gepper."
"I shall never attend another of his seances. I'll urge Mrs. Hodges to
turn him from her house."
"Mrs. Weems, are you willing to help get evidence against him?" asked Mr.
Parker abruptly.
"Why, yes, if I can."
"Then go to the Hodges' exactly as you have in the past," instructed the
publisher. "Penny has been warned by Gepper not to attend any of the
seances, but you'll still be welcome. Learn everything you can and report
to me."
"I'll be glad to do it, Mr. Parker."
"Don't allow him to guess that you have become suspicious. Above all,
never withdraw your money from the bank at his suggestion."
"You may be sure I won't. This has taught me a bitter lesson."
"Haven't you an assignment for me, Dad?" inquired Penny. "How about
Kano's Curio Shop?"
"Early tomorrow I'll send Jerry there to question the old Jap."
"Will you notify the police?"
"Not for the present. If we can crack this story I'd like to get it ahead
of the _Record_."
"I wish you would send me to Kano's instead of Jerry."
"Dorr Street is no place for you, Penny," Mr. Parker replied, dismissing
the matter. "Shall we get to bed now? It's nearly midnight."
After the doors had been locked once more Penny went to her room, but she
did not immediately fall asleep. Instead, she kept mulling over the
events of the night. The more she thought about it the more firmly she
became convinced that both the Kohl home and her own had been entered by
the same person.
"The telephone was ringing when I came from the movie," she recalled.
"Now I wonder who called? It may have been a trick of the thief to learn
if anyone were in the house. When no one answered, the assumption would
be that the coast was clear."
Penny felt rather well satisfied with the way matters had developed. In
one bold stroke she had saved Mrs. Weems' inheritance, convinced the
housekeeper that Al Gepper was not to be trusted, and had made definite
progress in gaining evidence to be used in her father's campaign against
the charlatan invaders of Riverview. Yet it annoyed her that the story,
now that it had reached an active stage, was to be turned over to Jerry.
"I have a notion to visit the Kano Curio Shop ahead of him," she thought.
"That's exactly what I'll do!"
Having made up her mind, she rolled over and promptly fell asleep.
In the morning Penny ate breakfast and wiped the dishes with a speed
which astonished Mrs. Weems. Shortly after her father left for the
office, she backed her own maroon car from the garage, and offering only
a vague explanation, departed for Kano's Curio Shop.
Dorr Street was quite deserted at such an early hour, and the Japanese
shop owner had just unlocked his doors. He was sweeping the floor as
Penny boldly entered.
"Good morning, Mr. Kano," she greeted him. "You remember me, I believe?"
Mr. Kano bowed, regarding her warily. "Yes," he replied. "You are the
young lady whose curiosity is very large."
Penny smiled. "You are right, Mr. Kano. It is very large, especially
about a certain silken ladder."
Mr. Kano frowned as he leaned on his broom. "I am very sorry," he said.
"I am a merchant, not one who answers what you call the quiz-bee."
Penny understood that the Japanese never would tell her what she wished
to know save under compulsion. She decided to adopt firm tactics.
"Mr. Kano," she said, "my father is the owner of the _Riverview Star_ and
he intends to expose certain crooks who have been robbing wealthy persons
such as the Kohls. You read in the paper that their home was entered?"
"Yes, I read," the Japanese shrugged.
"My own theory is that the thief gained entrance by means of a silk
ladder," Penny declared. "_A ladder made in this shop!_"
The shopkeeper's eyes narrowed. "I know nothing," he replied. "Nothing.
You go now, please."
"If I go," said Penny, "I'll return with the police. You would not like
that, I take it?" Her voice was crisp and full of menace.
Mr. Kano lost some of his poise. "No!" he answered sharply. "I am an
honest man and want no sad trouble with the police."
Chancing to glance toward the street, Penny observed Jerry Livingston
standing on the opposite corner. He was gazing thoughtfully toward the
Curio Shop, and she knew that he must have been sent by her father to
interview Mr. Kano. Inspired, she turned again to the old Japanese.
"You see that young man yonder?" she asked, indicating Jerry. "I have but
to summon him and he'll come here."
"Detective?" demanded Mr. Kano, peering anxiously through the window. "Do
not call him! I am an honest man. I will answer your questions."
"Then tell me about the silken ladder."
"I know little," the shopkeeper insisted. "I made the rope for a man who
said: 'Do this or we will burn your shop down, Mr. Kano.' So I made the
ladder and he paid me well for fashioning it."
"And what was the man's name?"
"His name I do not know. But his eyes were small and evil. His skin was
dark, his nose crooked."
Mr. Kano ceased speaking with an abruptness which caused Penny to glance
toward the door. Her first thought was that Jerry had entered. Instead a
strange young man stood there, regarding her suspiciously.
As she stared at him he quickly retreated, but not before she had caught
a fleeting impression of a face which matched Mr. Kano's description with
startling accuracy.
"Was he the one?" she demanded as the door slammed. "The man for whom you
made the ladder?"
"No, no!" denied the Japanese.
His words failed to convince Penny. Darting to the door, she saw that the
young man already was far down the street, walking rapidly.
"He is the one," she thought. "I'll follow him."
"Wait," called the Japanese as she started away, "I have more to tell
you."
It was a ruse to detain her, Penny knew. Pushing past the shopkeeper who
sought to bar the exit, she reached the street and ran toward Jerry
Livingston.
"Why, Penny!" he exclaimed in surprise. "What are you doing in this part
of town?"
"Never mind that," she answered hastily. "If you're after a story, come
along with me. We're trailing the man who just left Kano's Shop."
CHAPTER
18
_THE BELL TOWER_
Jerry fell into step with Penny. As they walked along, she told him of
her conversation with Mr. Kano.
"I believe this man we're following is the same one who entered our house
last night," she declared. "He's the same build as the fellow I grabbed.
Besides, he fits Kano's description of the person who bought the silken
ladder."
"Here's hoping you're right," replied Jerry. "If I muff this assignment,
I may wake up looking for another job."
Fearing that the man ahead would discover he was being followed, Jerry
and Penny dropped farther and farther behind. Presently they saw him
enter a pawnshop.
"I know that place," commented Jerry. "It's run by Spike Weiser, a
notorious _fence_. He buys stolen goods and gets rid of it at a profit.
Has a swell home on Clarmont Drive."
"Why don't the police arrest him?"
"Oh, they watch the place, but Spike is too smart to be caught. He has a
system for handling _hot_ goods."
"I'll venture some of the Kohl loot was sold through him, Jerry."
"It wouldn't surprise me. But if the police search the place they won't
find a thing."
Loitering on the opposite side of the street, Penny and the reporter kept
close watch of the pawnbroker's shop. Thirty minutes elapsed. The man
whom they had trailed, did not reappear.
"He must have slipped out the back door," Jerry remarked. "Probably knew
he was being watched."
"I'm beginning to think so myself."
Jerry glanced at his watch. "I can't take any more time," he said. "I'll
have to get back to the office."
"I'll watch a few minutes longer," answered Penny. "If anything develops
I'll try to telephone."
Jerry walked hurriedly away. Scarcely had he disappeared when the door of
the pawnshop opened, and the young man who had entered a half hour
earlier, appeared. Penny hastily moved back into the vestibule of an
office building.
Without observing her, the stranger crossed the street and walked briskly
toward an intersecting boulevard. There was no opportunity for Penny to
telephone the _Star_ office. Following, she was hard pressed to keep the
man within view.
Not until they reached the entrance of Butternut Lane did it dawn upon
her that the Celestial Temple might be their destination. Then, indeed,
her pulse stepped up a pace.
"It's exactly as I guessed!" she thought triumphantly. "He's connected
with Al Gepper and the other mediums!"
Not wishing to attract attention in the deserted lane, Penny took a short
cut through the cemetery, emerging at the rear of the Celestial Temple.
There was no door on that side of the building but a window had been left
raised. Placed beneath it, as if for her particular convenience, was a
large rock.
Penny stood on it, peering into the Temple. The room was unoccupied.
However, as she waited, the same man she had trailed, quietly let himself
in through the front entrance, using a key. He glanced about and called
in a low voice: "Pete! Pete! Anyone here?"
There was no answer, which seemed to please the young man. He moved
quickly down the aisle, crossed the platform to a door which opened into
the bell tower. Kneeling he began to fit keys into the lock, seeking one
which would serve.
As Penny watched, the young man suddenly straightened. Apparently he had
heard footsteps in the vestibule for he moved away from the bell tower
door.
A middle-aged woman with dyed hair and a skin of unusual pallor entered
the Temple. She stopped short as she saw the young man.
"You here, Slippery?" she commented, gazing at him with distrust.
"Where's Pete?"
"Hello, Sade. I was wonderin' about Pete myself. Just got here a minute
ago."
The woman's gaze fastened upon the key which had been left in the bell
tower door.
"Say, what's coming off here?" she demanded. "You were trying to get
inside!"
"Now don't ruffle your feathers, Sade," the man said soothingly. "I was
only testing the door to make sure it was locked."
"I'll bet! You were aiming to break in! Slippery, they sure named you
right. Why, you'd double-cross your own mother!"
"Oh, quiet down," the man retorted angrily. "I only came here to make
sure Pete was on the job. The lazy loafer has skipped out and left the
place unguarded."
The woman deliberately seated herself in a chair beside the bell tower
door.
"I'm parking here until Pete shows up," she announced. "Maybe you're on
the square, Slippery, but I don't trust you."
"Thanks for your flattering opinion," the man responded mockingly. "You
give me a pain, Sade. I do all the dangerous work, and what do I get? A
measly ten per cent."
"Plus what you stick in your pocket when you're on a job," the woman shot
back with rising anger. "You've been doing pretty well for yourself,
Slippery--you and Al. But the boys are getting wise. From now on it may
not be so easy. Better play fair with the rest of us--or else."
"You always did have a wagging tongue," the man retorted. "Always trying
to stir up trouble. Don't you realize we've got to work together or we'll
be jailed separately? Our ranks must be united."
"Gettin' sort of jittery, ain't you?"
"Maybe you haven't been reading those editorials in the _Star_."
"Sure, I read them and get a big laugh. This guy Parker has to blow off
steam. Nothing will come of it."
"The police have visited this place once already."
"And what did they find? Nothing."
"That's no guarantee they won't try again. I tell you this town is
getting too hot for comfort."
"Figurin' on blowing?" the woman inquired, watching him shrewdly.
Slippery's laughter had an unpleasant edge. "You sure do get ideas, Sade.
Don't start peddling that line of talk. Understand?"
"I hear."
Suddenly losing his temper, the man strode nearer, seizing her arm.
"Just start something and see where you wake up!" he said harshly. "One
word to Pete or any of the boys and you won't do any more pretty fortune
telling!"
The woman jerked her arm free, gazing at the man in sullen silence. Nor
did she speak as he left the Temple, slamming the door behind him.
CHAPTER
19
_PENNY INVESTIGATES_
Penny debated whether or not to follow Slippery. Deciding that she should
try to keep him within sight, she abandoned her post beneath the window
and ran to the front of the building.
Already the young man was far down the lane, walking rapidly. Before
Penny could overtake him he hailed a taxi and drove away. By the time she
obtained another cab, pursuit was futile.
"To the _Star_ office," Penny ordered the driver.
Although Slippery had eluded her, she did not feel that her morning's
work had been wasted. She believed that her father would be very much
interested in a report of her findings.
"It's evident that Slippery is connected with Al Gepper and various
mediums of the Celestial Temple," she reflected. "I am sure, too, that
he's the one who broke into our house, but to prove it may not be so
easy."
Penny had not fully understood the conversation which she had overheard
between Slippery and Sade. That they distrusted each other was evident,
but why had the woman feared Slippery might break into the bell tower
during the guard's absence?
"Something of great value to the organization must be kept there," she
reasoned. "But what can it be?"
Penny believed that her father would not delay in requesting police to
search the bell tower of the Celestial Temple. However, a disappointment
awaited her.
Upon arriving at the newspaper office DeWitt stopped her as she went past
his desk.
"Don't go in there," he said, jerking his thumb toward Mr. Parker's
private room.
"Why not?" asked Penny in surprise. "Is Dad having a conference?"
DeWitt nodded as he composed a two column headline. "With J. P. Henley."
"The _Star's_ Sugar Daddy?"
"Our biggest advertiser. He's threatening to go over to the _Record_."
"Why, that's serious!"
"It is if he quits the _Star_. The old man--Mr. Parker--" DeWitt
corrected hastily, "has been trying to soften him up for the past two
hours. Whatever you do, don't bust in there now."
"I won't, Mr. DeWitt, but I did wish to see Dad."
"Anything I can do for you?"
Penny hesitated. "Well, I wanted to talk to him about something I learned
today at the Celestial Temple."
"Oh, yes," nodded the city editor, his attention on a sheet of copy. "Mr.
Parker is handling the campaign personally. Sorry I can't be of service."
Rather startled by DeWitt's unusual politeness, Penny glanced hopefully
toward Jerry Livingston's desk. It was littered with papers, but quite
deserted.
With a sigh she left the building and walked to Dorr Street where she had
left her maroon car. Upon reaching home she found that Mrs. Weems was not
there and she had forgotten her own key. For a time she sat
disconsolately on the front porch. Then she decided to go to the Hudell
Garage where Leaping Lena had been left for repairs three days earlier.
The car was ready, and with it a bill for eight dollars and forty-two
cents.
"I'll have to give you a dollar on account and pay the remainder next
week," said Penny. "Or would you rather keep the car as a deposit?"
"Give me the dollar," said the garage man hastily.
Penny became even more depressed as she drove the automobile home. Not
for the world would she openly admit that she had made a mistake in
repurchasing Lena. Secretly she acknowledged that two cars were an
unbearable financial drain upon slender resources.
Turning into her own street, Penny saw Mrs. Weems walking toward home,
and stopped for her.
"I've just come from the Hodges'," the housekeeper commented, climbing
into the car.
"You have?" inquired Penny eagerly. "Did you learn anything?"
"No, I didn't. Mr. Gepper seemed very unwilling to conduct another
seance. He acted so different this time--almost as if he bore me a
personal grudge."
"He's probably provoked because your inheritance eluded him."
"He did tell Mrs. Hodges that he doubted I had any money," Mrs. Weems
responded.
"What happened at the seance?"
"Why, nothing. The table moved and we heard a few raps. That was all."
"No message from Cousin David?"
"Not a word or a sign. Mr. Gepper seemed very indifferent about it all.
He said he couldn't give me another appointment unless I paid for it."