"It will be very dull," her father warned.
Directly after dinner, they motored to Mr. Nichols new office opposite the Brunner garage. Since the detective expected to occupy it only a few weeks at the most, it was equipped with the barest of necessities. There was a battered desk, three chairs and two telephones. Nothing more.
"What in the world do you do here?" Penny questioned.
"Mostly sit and wait," the detective admitted. "I receive reports from some of my men here. During the day I watch the street."
With a wave of his hand he indicated a powerful field glass which lay upon the desk.
Penny picked it up, training it upon the Brunner garage on the opposite side of the street.
"Why, it brings everything remarkably close! Do you sit here at the window and watch for the auto thieves?"
"Something like that. We've set a trap."
"A trap?" Penny was all interest.
"Yes, we've planted several expensive new cars in key positions on the street. Our men are secretly watching them, of course. We hope that the auto thieves will select one of our models to strip."