"Yes, he'll be a long way from here by this time," Penny agreed.
Armed with a flashlight, they slipped outside and after making a tour of the house walked as far as the edge of the timber. They found no one.
"It's no use going on," the detective declared. "We'd never catch the fellow now. He may have been a tramp who noticed that our door was unlocked."
"I wonder if Michael Haymond is in his room?" Penny asked abruptly.
"Why wouldn't he be?"
"It seems odd he didn't awaken with me screaming all over the place."
"Mrs. Masterbrook slept through it," Mr. Nichols replied.
"Just the same I'm curious to know if Michael is in his room. Dad, why don't you——"
"Penny, I'll not do it," the detective interrupted. "I like that young man and I'm not going to barge into his room in the middle of the night and ask him a lot of stupid questions."
"All right," Penny returned with a sigh. "But how easy it would be just to peep in the door and see if he's there."