She located the catch, but not until the driver had managed to halt the car. With an enraged snarl he caught her roughly by the arm just as she flung open the door.
Penny wriggled from his grasp and started to run down the road.
"Stop or I'll shoot!" the driver shouted furiously.
Penny paid no heed. She raced as fast as she could go down the hill.
The driver, an agile man despite his heavy build, took up the pursuit. Penny could hear his feet pounding on the hard road behind her. He was gaining.
Her breath began to come with increasing difficulty. She could run no faster.
At the foot of the hill Penny noticed an automobile without headlights. She was sure it had not been parked there a few minutes earlier when the cab had passed. Had some of Rap Molberg's men followed the taxi? In that event, she was running straight into another trap.
Penny had no choice but to continue toward the waiting automobile. But as three men sprang from behind it with drawn revolvers, her heart sank within her. Her brave attempt at escape must end in failure.
A stone lay in the road. Penny did not see it. She stumbled, and, completely exhausted, fell face downward into the dirt.
"Stay where you are!" a cool voice ordered. "Don't move!"