"I'm afraid it does," Penny admitted. "Only this time I indulged in seat covers instead of spare parts. As a result I'm flat broke. And I'm to meet Susan Altman at the tennis courts in ten minutes."
Mr. Nichols smiled indulgently as he reached into his pocket for a roll of bills.
"I'll come to the rescue this time, young lady, but mind, I'm charging it up to next week's allowance."
"That's fair enough." Carelessly, Penny picked up several papers from the desk, studying them curiously. "What's this? A new case?"
Her father nodded as he quickly retrieved the documents.
"I've been hired by the Reliance Insurance Company to track down a gang of auto thieves."
"Sounds interesting."
"Unless I miss my guess it will prove a baffling case. I am afraid we may have to postpone our vacation trip to the mountains, Penny."
"Can't you arrange to capture the bold, bad men a little ahead of schedule?" Penny bantered.
"I wish it would prove as simple as that."