"Your description seems to fit one of our new employees," the official said slowly. "A man by the name of Hoges. I will question him immediately although I feel confident that he was only moving a picture according to orders."
After a very perfunctory examination the persons who had been detained in the exhibition room were permitted to leave. Penny and Susan lingered after many had gone, hoping to be of assistance in identifying the attendant who was under suspicion. As it turned out they had a long wait for nothing. The official who had made it his business to investigate Hoges' record reported that the attendant was not to be located. He had left the Galleries for the day.
"Isn't that rather suspicious?" Penny inquired.
"No, he was off duty at three o'clock."
"But we saw him moving the picture a little after that hour," Susan informed.
"He may have been working a few minutes overtime. Hoges is considered an honest employee. He came to us highly recommended. I am told that he had been ordered to move several pictures this afternoon."
There was nothing more that Penny or Susan could say. As they were departing the police arrived upon the scene to make an investigation of the theft. The girls saw Hanley Cron and the official talking with the officers and they heard Amy Coulter's name mentioned.
"It's ridiculous to try to throw the blame on her," Penny declared as she and Susan went to their parked car. "You can be sure that painting wasn't stolen by any novice."
"Amy might have done it out of spite," Susan suggested slowly. "Because she was provoked about the prize."
"It doesn't sound reasonable to me, Sue. Wait until the police get busy on the case. They'll soon prove that she had nothing to do with the theft."