Brunner's Explanation
Jerry Barrows had recognized Penny instantly. Before she could recover
from her surprise at seeing him, he wheeled and left the office by a
side door.
Involuntarily, Penny started to follow, but without appearing to do so
intentionally, the manager neatly blocked her path.
"A disgruntled employee of mine," he announced blandly. "I've had a
great deal of trouble with him. He's a fine workman but difficult to
manage."
"What sort of work does he do?" Penny inquired alertly.
The manager was slightly taken aback at the question. He answered
evasively:
"Oh, he runs my tow truck and does odd jobs about the garage."
"I've seen him before," Penny remarked. "But his name has slipped my
mind. It's not Jerry Barrows is it?"
The manager scrutinized her intently for a moment. His eyes held a
fleeting expression of annoyance and dislike.
"Now I'm sorry but I can't tell you his name," he said apologetically.
"I don't know that I ever heard it, although it must be on our pay
rolls. Of course, I remember very few of my employees by their names."
Penny and Susan exchanged a quick glance which the manager noted. They
were both firmly convinced that Brunner knew the name but did not wish
to reveal it.
"Since the boy is an employee of yours, probably I could get his name
and address from the pay roll," Penny suggested pointedly.
Brunner hesitated, although only momentarily.
"Why certainly," he said genially. "I'll secure it for you myself.
Drop in any time next week and I'll have it for you."
"Couldn't I get it today?" Penny persisted.
"I am afraid that is impossible," Brunner smiled a trifle coldly. "It
is nearly time for me to leave the office now. Did you young ladies
wish to see me about another matter?"
Susan recounted her many unpleasant experiences in regard to the newly
purchased automobile. The manager listened politely but with
increasing frigidity.
"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 entitled 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,"
Susan said irritably. "I'll never come here again. I know that."
"Let's go for a swim and drown our troubles," Penny suggested. "The
Big Dipper will be open."
Since the day had been sultry, the proposal appealed to Susan. They
stopped at their homes only long enough to get their bathing suits, and
a few minutes later arrived at the picturesque outdoor pool.
Penny found several of her school friends performing at the diving
board and soon they were all rounded up for a vigorous game of water
polo. After a fierce battle which left everyone exhausted, Penny's
side conquered the opponents. The girls sat down on the edge of the
pool to rest.
"Isn't that Betty Davis over there under the beach umbrella?" Susan
presently inquired, indicating a girl in a black bathing suit who sat
alone.
"Why, it is!" Penny agreed. "Shall we go over and speak to her?"
"After the way she treated us this afternoon?"
"We can't be certain she was in the house when we called."
"I think she was," Susan maintained. "She doesn't care for our
company, that's all."
"She seemed to like us well enough at first. Betty is the sensitive
type, Sue. It may be that she's embarrassed on account of all her
father's trouble. I believe I'll swim over and speak to her at any
rate."
Penny arose from the side of the pool. Without having appeared to
notice the action, Betty Davis hastily left the reclining chair under
the umbrella and disappeared into the dressing room.
"I guess you're too late!" Susan laughed. "She saw you first."
Penny sat down again, a trifle nettled.
"You're right, Sue. She's deliberately avoiding us."
"She's a queer sort anyway," Susan said indifferently. "Let's ignore
her from now on."
Penny gazed thoughtfully toward the dressing room door.
"There must be some reason for the way she's acting, Sue. I have a
notion to corner her in the dressing room so that she'll have to say
something to me."
"You're inviting a snub if you do. Forget her, Penny! Come on, I'll
race you to the end of the pool!"
She plunged in and Penny reluctantly followed. They swam two lengths
and then dived a few times from the high board.
"Oh, let's go home," Penny proposed presently. "I've had enough."
They stood for a few minutes under the cold shower, then entered the
dressing room. To their surprise they observed a group of excited
girls clustered around the matron's desk.
"I tell you it's my ring!" one of the bathers insisted angrily. "This
girl stole it from my locker!"
"It isn't true. The ring is my own. Why, it belonged to my mother."
Penny and Susan pushed their way into the little group. They had
recognized Betty Davis' low pitched voice but were unacquainted with
the girl who was accusing her of the theft.
"Let's get to the bottom of this," the matron said severely, turning to
the first girl. "Did you have your locker fastened securely?"
"No, that's how she got in. I forgot to lock it. She had the locker
next to mine and she must have snatched the ring while I was in the
shower."
Betty's face was pale, but with an effort she remained calm as she
refuted the charge.
"I don't know anything about this girl's ring. The one I have is my
own."
"Give it to me," the matron ordered. Reluctantly, Betty removed the
ring from her finger. It was a white gold band with a cluster of three
tiny diamonds. In the act of handing it over, she suddenly changed her
mind.
"I'll not give up my own property! This was my mother's engagement
ring. And she's dead now."
"Can you prove your story?" the matron questioned.
"You can call my father. Jerome Davis--he is on the police force."
"Yes, but he won't be there long!" the first girl said scornfully.
"Everyone knows he's to be let out because of dishonesty. And your
brother----"
"Don't you dare say a word against either my father or Jimmie!" Betty
cried.
"Girls! Girls!" the matron chided severely. "We'll discuss this
matter calmly please."
Penny stepped forward. "I think I may be able to help," she said
quietly. "I happen to know that the ring belongs to Betty Davis, for I
have seen her wearing it."
"You're a friend of hers," the other girl accused.
"On the contrary, I scarcely know Miss Davis. But I believe in seeing
justice done. If you actually lost a similar ring, you may find it on
the floor near your locker."
"Have you looked carefully?" the matron questioned.
"Of course I have! The ring is gone and this Davis girl stole it!"
"I'll search your locker myself," the matron decided. "Show me which
one it is."
Penny and the others followed to witness the inspection. Article by
article, the matron removed everything from the locker, but the ring
was not found.
"Wait and I'll sweep the floor," Penny offered. She ran to find a
broom, returning with it a minute later. Carefully she swept the space
in the vicinity of the locker.
"You see, it's gone!" the other girl insisted, eyeing Betty Davis
furiously. "You'll never find it because _she_ is wearing it."
As Penny's broom brushed past a dark corner of the room, there was a
little metallic click. She stooped down and picked up a ring.
Although it was similar in appearance to the one which Betty wore, the
resemblance was not close.
"Is this yours?" she inquired, offering it to the owner of the locker.
"Yes, it is," the girl admitted. "I don't know how it came to be on
the floor."
"It was there because you dropped it," the matron said sternly. "Next
time be more careful about accusing persons."
Penny and Susan turned to go to their own lockers, but before they
could leave, Betty came toward them timidly.
"Thank you so much," she said in a low tone. "I owe you a great deal."
"Not at all," Penny returned, a trifle stiffly.
"I feel ashamed of the way I have acted lately," the girl went on
hurriedly, avoiding Penny's penetrating gaze. "I've been so upset
about everything. I wish I could explain--but I can't."
"I think perhaps I understand."
Betty stared hard at Penny. But she quickly masked the fleeting
expression of alarm. After thanking her friends again, she turned and
disappeared in the direction of the hair drying room.
"Just what is it that upsets that girl so?" Penny said in an undertone
to Susan as they went to their own lockers. "She acts as if she's
afraid we'll discover something about her."
"Yes, she does. I can't figure it out at all."
The girls quickly dressed but by the time they had dried their hair and
were ready for the street, it was long past supper time.
"I had no idea it was so late," Susan declared as they hurried toward
the parked automobile. "Mother will be worried for fear something has
happened to us."
"You might telephone."
"It would take me ages to find a 'phone. I'll be home in a minute or
two now anyway."
It had grown quite dark, but although automobiles had been parked close
together near the swimming pool, the girls experienced little
difficulty in locating Susan's car. As they came up to it they
observed that a garage service truck had drawn up to an automobile only
a short distance away. The uniformed garage man was busy changing a
wheel.
"Some poor fellow had a flat," Susan said sympathetically. "Strange I
didn't pick up the nail instead. My luck must be changing."
Penny had paused to survey the service car more critically. The garage
man, aware that he was under scrutiny, gave her a sharp glance. Then
abruptly he threw his tools into a bag, jumped into his truck and drove
away, leaving his work unfinished.
"Quick! See if you can get the license number!" Penny cried.
"I can't. The car is too far away."
"I got the last three numbers," Penny informed with satisfaction.
"--684. I want to write it down before I forget."
Susan supplied pencil and paper from her purse. Penny jotted down the
number.
"Why did you want it?" Susan asked curiously. "You don't think that
man was trying to steal a wheel?"
"I certainly do. Otherwise why would he have left so hurriedly when we
came up? See, the wheel is only half changed."
They walked over to the nearby automobile to look. The wheel obviously
was a new one and apparently had not been damaged.
"That man was a tire thief all right," Penny announced. "It means that
the Molberg gang is starting activities again. I must get in touch
with Father immediately."
"I'll take you straight home," Susan offered.
"If I'd been just a little quicker I'd have caught the entire license
number," Penny said regretfully. "Even so, it may be possible to trace
the car."
Returning to their own automobile, they drove rapidly toward the
Nichols home.