"Everything was exactly as Miss Nichols said. The place has been used by the Molberg outfit, that's clear. But there wasn't a sign of anyone, and the desk which Miss Nichols mentioned as being in the little office, was gone."
"Looks like they got wind of what was up, doesn't it?"
"That's the way I figure it," the officer returned. "Not much we can do except wreck the place so it can't be used again."
Mr. Nichols talked with several other policemen, and then, satisfied that he had learned all the details of the unsuccessful raid, took Penny home.
"I suppose this means we'll not be taking that vacation into the mountains very soon," she commented when they were alone in the living room.
"I'm afraid of it, Penny. Would you care to go by yourself?"
"No, I'd prefer to wait until you can go too. Besides, I've become deeply absorbed in this Molberg case."
"I've noticed that," her father smiled. "I never suspected that my own daughter had such hidden talents for sleuthing."
"Now you're teasing!" Penny accused.
"No, your discoveries have astonished me, Penny. Perhaps you were favored a little by luck, but you've unearthed information which even my most skilled investigators were unable to turn up."