Penny had hoped that she would have an opportunity to speak with Perry. She wished to warn the boy to say nothing about her plan to help him escape from the house. She could only hope that he would be wise enough to remain silent concerning her presence near the barn.
Mr. Crocker did not unlock the front door. Instead he went around to the back porch and from a box which was stored there, counted out a dozen eggs into a paper sack. He returned to the car.
"How much do I owe you, Mr. Crocker?" asked Penny.
The man named a price fifteen cents above the town market. She paid it without a protest.
"How is your grandson, Perry?" Penny asked casually as she prepared to drive away.
Mr. Crocker glanced at her sharply but the girl's face disclosed only polite interest.
"Oh, the boy's fine," he answered gruffly. "He's somewhere around the place."
Penny said goodbye and drove away without disclosing that she knew Perry had been locked in the house during his grandfather's absence. Such treatment seemed nothing short of cruel to her. She could not understand why the townspeople would show such indifference to the lad's fate unless they were unaware of existing conditions.
Upon reaching the cottage, Penny drew her father aside and reported everything she had learned.
"You're sure that the boy told the truth about having no food?" the detective inquired.