Inside the Temple, lights suddenly were turned on, for the brief struggle had been heard by Pete. The squat, stupid-faced man appeared in the doorway of the building, peering down the lane.
“Who’s there?” he demanded suspiciously.
Al Gepper uttered an angry word beneath his breath. It was not to his liking that Pete should be drawn into the affair. However, he could not avoid detection.
“It’s Al!” he called softly. “This girl broke up my séance tonight, and I trailed her here. She was prowling around the bell tower.”
As he spoke, he dragged Penny toward the Temple entrance. His words convinced her that he had not observed her remove the silken ladder from the belfry wall, nor was he aware that Slippery was a prisoner in the tower.
“Let’s have a look at her,” said Pete. He flashed a light directly into Penny’s face.
“She’s the Parker girl—daughter of the publisher,” informed Al.
“Yeah,” commented Pete. “I saw her at one of our meetings. Another girl was with her. How much has she learned?”
“Enough to get us all run out of town. The question is, what shall we do with her?”
“Bring her inside, and we’ll talk it over,” said Pete. “Maybe we ought to call a meeting.”