"Did you notice the exact time at which she left?" Hanley Cron demanded.
"No, but——"
"Then you have no evidence to offer. It looks to me as if you're trying to protect this girl."
"I only want to see justice done. And I do have evidence!" Penny's face brightened with excitement. "As my friend and I were coming into the building we met an attendant who was moving a small canvas-covered painting down a back corridor. We accidentally bumped into him and he became very confused."
"That's true," Susan added quickly. "We both noticed that the man acted strangely as if he had been caught doing something wrong."
"Do I understand that you are suggesting this attendant of the Galleries was the one who stole the painting?" Cron demanded with a superior, amused smile.
"I'm not suggesting anything," Penny returned, "but there's just as much evidence to support such a belief as there is that Amy Coulter took the picture."
"Can you describe this attendant?" the official questioned.
"He was short and heavy-set, with dark hair and eyes. His face was slightly furrowed and he wore a regulation blue uniform."
Susan was amazed at her chum's accurate description of the attendant, for she could not have recalled any of his features. However, Penny was naturally observant, as her father had trained her to take mental note of persons she met without making a special effort to do so.