“She couldn’t have learned everything, but probably enough to ruin my story. When did Francine leave, Mr. Jasko?”
“All of fifteen minutes ago.”
“Then I never can overtake her,” Penny murmured. “This is absolutely the worst break yet! Francine will reach the telegraph office first and hold the wire so I can’t use it. After all my work, her paper will get the big scoop!”
CHAPTER
25
SCOOP!
Penny knew that she had only one chance of getting her story through to Riverview, and that was by means of long distance telephone. At best, instead of achieving a scoop as she had hoped, she would have only an even break with her rival. And if connections could not be quickly made, she would lose out altogether.
Hastily saying goodbye to Peter Jasko, Penny raced for the stairway. She did not have a word of her story written down. While she could give the facts to a rewrite man it would take him some time to get the article into shape.
“Vic Henderson writes such colorless stories, too,” she moaned to herself. “He’ll be afraid some fact isn’t accurate and he’ll jerk it out. This is the one yarn I want to write myself!”
Penny ran full tilt into Sheriff Clausson. She brought up shortly, observing that he had a prisoner in custody.
“Miss Parker, we caught this fellow down in the tunnel,” he said. “Can you identify him?”
“I’m not sure of his name. He works for Fergus and Maxwell as a teletype attendant. He may be George Jewitt.”