"I fear you may be prejudiced in this Coulter girl's favor, my dear."
"I'm not. Others said the same thing."
Directly after the dinner dishes were wiped, Penny slipped out to the street corner to purchase two other evening papers. She turned to the art sections and was gratified to discover that Hanley Cron's selection of the statue, "Winged Night," was severely criticized by various authorities. Amy Coulter's entry was highly praised and one writer ventured to say that it should have been awarded the five-thousand-dollar prize.
Penny showed the papers to Mrs. Gallup and her father, feeling that her judgment had been confirmed. However, she was deeply troubled by the similarity of the news stories regarding the theft of the painting. Each account mentioned that the police expected to make an arrest soon and one said that officials of the museum were of the opinion the painting had been stolen by a disgruntled contestant for the Huddleson prize.
"They must mean Amy," Penny declared. "I wonder if she has any idea she is under suspicion."
The telephone rang. It was a call from police headquarters for Mr. Nichols.
"I'll have to run down to the station for a few minutes," the detective announced as he returned to the living room after answering the summons. "The chief wants to talk with me about an important case."
"While you're there see if you can't get a little information about the stolen painting," Penny urged, helping her father into his coat. "Find out if they really are looking for Amy Coulter."
"So you can tip her off I suppose?" Mr. Nichols inquired dryly.
"I hadn't thought of it particularly, but it's an excellent idea," Penny twinkled.