Explaining that the rooms must not be disturbed until Identification Bureau men had made complete fingerprint records, the officer locked Penny, Jerry and the maid outside the suite. He then went to a nearby apartment to telephone his report.
“Maybe this is an ordinary burglary, but it doesn’t look that way to me,” remarked Jerry as he and Penny went down the stairway.
“In any case, the story should be front page copy. Anything the Kohls do is news in Riverview.”
“How high would you estimate the loss?”
“Oh, I couldn’t guess, Jerry. Thousands of dollars.”
Passing groups of tenants who cluttered the hallway excitedly discussing the burglary, they evaded questioners and reached the street.
“Jerry,” said Penny suddenly, “I didn’t mention this to the policeman because he seemed to resent my opinions. But it occurred to me that I may have seen the man who robbed the Kohls—or at least had something to do with it.”
“How could you have seen him, Penny? We were together when the Kohl maid yelled for help.”
“Earlier than that. It was while I was at the theatre.”
Half expecting that Jerry would laugh, Penny told how she had observed the man in gray note down the license number of the Kohl limousine.