The Mysterious Agent
Penny listened calmly to the woman's tirade, making no move to obey the
impolite command.
"I am sorry, Mrs. Dillon," she said, "but I do not intend to leave this
house until you have answered my questions."
"I shall call my servant. You are an insolent, impudent girl!"
"I should advise you not to call anyone until we have talked together,"
Penny said undisturbed. "After all, you know I have it in my power to
cause your arrest."
Mrs. Dillon grew pale. "What do you mean?" she demanded.
"It is useless to pretend. I know that you bought the Rembrandt and
have it secreted in your library. Unless you tell me where you
purchased the painting, I shall feel it my duty to go to the police."
"And if I do tell you?"
"Perhaps I can help you. You should be able to escape arrest for the
Rembrandt isn't genuine."
As she had anticipated, her words brought an astonished glint into Mrs.
Dillon's eyes. Without thinking she exclaimed:
"The painting is genuine. I paid----"
"How much did you pay for it?" Penny questioned, smiling at Mrs.
Dillon's confusion.
"Well, since you seem to be so familiar with my private affairs, I
suppose I shall have to tell you all about it. The painting is genuine
and I bought it with the sole intention of returning it to the museum."
Penny made no comment, although she did not believe a word of the
story. Mrs. Dillon was only trying to build up a defense for herself.
"How much did you pay for the picture?" she repeated, determined to tie
the woman to facts.
"Two thousand dollars," Mrs. Dillon answered grudgingly. "But that is
only the first payment. The next installment will soon be due."
Penny thought exultingly: "If Mrs. Dillon will only cooperate, it
should be possible to catch the dealer who cheated her." Aloud she
said: "Then you will see the dealer again--the man from whom you
purchased the picture?"
"Not the dealer. His agent."
"Tell me the name of the persons from whom you bought the painting."
"I can't."
"You are unwilling to do so, you mean?"
"I don't know the dealer's name. I never dealt with him personally."
"You bought the picture through a third party?"
"Yes, and the agent is very well known to me. A gentleman of high
standing."
Penny could not restrain a smile. She had her own opinion of a man who
would negotiate a deal for a stolen painting.
"Who is this agent, Mrs. Dillon?"
"That I cannot tell you. I promised never to reveal his name."
"But it is your duty to do so," Penny urged. "I have every reason to
believe that this man has cheated you."
"I will not give his name," Mrs. Dillon repeated firmly.
"He is a special friend of yours?"
"Perhaps."
"I appreciate your motive in trying to shield him," Penny said, "but
the matter is serious. This man has sold you a worthless picture,
representing it to be a stolen Rembrandt."
"The painting is genuine," Mrs. Dillon insisted. "I have proof of it."
"What proof, may I ask?"
"The picture was viewed by an expert--a man whose judgment I trust
implicitly. He assured me that it was genuine."
"This expert looked at your picture since it was delivered to the
house?"
"No, at the studio."
"What studio?" Penny asked quickly.
"I will tell you if you promise not to betray me to the police."
"I came here today because I wanted to help you, Mrs. Dillon. I have
no intention of going to the authorities if it can be avoided."
"The studio is on Franklyn Street," the woman informed. "On an upper
floor."
"Do you have the exact number of the building?" Penny asked quickly.
"Yes, somewhere."
Mrs. Dillon went to her desk and after examining a number of papers
found an old envelope upon which she had written the address. Penny
glanced at it and a look of disappointment came over her face.
"Oh, this clue will do no good!" she exclaimed. "I know about this
place. The men have gone. They moved out last night--secretly."
The address was the same building which Penny had investigated that
afternoon.
"Can you describe the person or persons whom you met in the studio?"
Mrs. Dillon shook her head.
"I did not meet the men personally. My friend took me there and showed
me the picture."
"This same expert to whom you referred?"
"Yes."
"And yet you feel that his judgment was unbiased?"
"I do," Mrs. Dillon maintained loyally, "but I did not depend entirely
upon his opinion. I am a very good judge of pictures myself."
"Has it occurred to you that possibly you did not receive the same
painting which you purchased? I understand that sometimes art thieves
prey upon innocent buyers by showing them a genuine picture and then
delivering into their hands only a cheap copy."
"I am too shrewd to be so easily duped," Mrs. Dillon retorted. "I
don't mind telling you that I protected myself against just such
trickery."
"How?"
"When I viewed the picture and satisfied myself as to its quality, I
marked the back of the canvas with a tiny symbol. In that way you see,
another painting could not be substituted, for the marking would be
absent."
"The symbol might be duplicated."
"No, I would instantly detect the difference."
Penny sat lost in thought for a moment. She now understood the
significance of the strange marking on the back of the Rembrandt which
had puzzled Amy and herself. Was it possible that the Coulter girl had
been mistaken in the quality of the painting?
"Mrs. Dillon," she said after a long silence, "you confidently believe
that your painting is the same one which was stolen from the Gage
Galleries?"
"All I know is that my picture is a genuine Rembrandt. I did not learn
that a picture had been stolen from the museum until after I had made
my purchase. I do not know even now that I have this same painting."
"In the event that it is the same, you wish to return it to the museum?"
Mrs. Dillon glared at Penny in frank dislike. She had been fairly
trapped and knew it.
"Of course," she replied coldly. "I hope you do not think I would
intentionally keep stolen property?"
"I thought you would see it that way," Penny declared, smiling. "And
with your cooperation, the police should be able to capture the real
culprits."
"What do you want me to do?"
"When will you see this agent with whom you dealt?"
"He is coming either today or tomorrow for the second payment."
"I don't need to advise you to refuse to give him any more money. But
I wish you would try to learn from him the names of the original
dealers who handled the picture."
"I'll try to find out."
"And another thing, Mrs. Dillon. You must notify the Gage Galleries
immediately that you have the Rembrandt."
The woman made no response.
"You will do that?" Penny asked.
"Yes," Mrs. Dillon answered harshly.
"I'll see you again tomorrow," Penny said, arising to depart. "Until
then you have my promise that I will not talk with the police."
"I have nothing to fear from them," Mrs. Dillon announced proudly.
"Not if you show a willingness to cooperate," Penny agreed. "When you
think the matter over, I believe you will decide to reveal the name of
your friend--the agent who negotiated the sale."
She waited an instant, hoping that Mrs. Dillon would reconsider. When
the woman did not speak, she turned and walked from the living room,
letting herself out the front door.
Emerging upon the street, Penny's first thought was to find a good
hiding place where she could wait to view Mrs. Dillon's expected caller.
"I may have a tedious time of it," she reflected, "but if I learn the
identity of the agent with whom she dealt it will be worth all the
trouble."
A half block away she noticed a large truck parked along the curbing.
The vehicle had been abandoned, a cracked-up front wheel giving mute
evidence that it had been in an accident. The truck was of the closed
cab type and it dawned upon Penny that if she could get inside, she
would have a perfect observation post.
Luckily the cab of the truck had not been locked and she slipped into
the driver's seat, slamming the door shut.
An hour passed. The job of watching Mrs. Dillon's house became
irksome. No one had called except a peddler and a delivery boy from a
laundry.
Penny tried to pass the time by examining the many gadgets with which
the great truck was equipped. She imagined that it might be loads of
fun to drive such a powerful machine.
Suddenly her attention was arrested by an automobile which with a
shrill screeching of brakes came to a halt in front of the Dillon
residence. A well-dressed middle-aged man, carrying a black leather
brief case, got out of the car.
Penny was sure she had never seen him before. She observed him closely
as he emerged from his automobile. He crossed the street with a quick,
energetic stride as if he knew just where he was going and what he
intended doing after he arrived. She saw him standing patiently at
Mrs. Dillon's door, waiting for a servant to answer his ring.
Was the man the agent Mrs. Dillon had mentioned? The rogue who had
sold the fake painting to the gullible woman? He certainly did not
look like a crook, Penny thought, nor did he act like one. Just one
more reason, she decided, why she must take nothing for granted. She
produced a notebook and pencil from her purse and made a careful
notation of the stranger's automobile license number as well as its
make and model.
For perhaps forty-five minutes the man remained inside the house. When
he crossed the street to his car he skipped along with an agility
surprising in a man of his years. He smiled broadly as if his mission,
whatever it may have been, was successful. Scarcely had he driven away
when another automobile swung into the same parking space.
From her place of advantage, Penny fixed her attention on the newcomer,
but before she could see his face, she was startled by a gruff voice,
almost in her ear:
"Hey there! Come down out of that!"
A roughly dressed truck driver stood on the running board, gesturing
angrily. "What do you think this truck is?" he demanded. "A free park
seat?"
Penny hastily climbed out of the cab, making an offhand apology for her
presence.
"Okay Miss," the truck driver said, "seein' as you're a gal. But if
you had been a man, I would have taken a fall out of ya. It's a crime
that a man can't go for help without having some strange sister cuddle
down in his cab."
The trucker's loud, gruff voice had attracted the attention of the man
in the parked automobile. He stepped from his car and came toward the
couple.
"What's the idea of abusing a helpless young girl?" he asked.
Penny recognized the voice, and resisted an impulse to turn her head.
She knew that the newcomer was Hanley Cron. He had come to call upon
Mrs. Dillon. That was plain. She must not let him discover that she
was watching the house. Quickly, before either of the men were aware
of her intention, she darted behind the truck and fled down the street.