Jerry grasped Penny’s hand, helping her out of the vault. One of the blue-coated policemen aided Atherwald, unfastening the handcuffs which held him a prisoner.
“You’re all right, Penny?” the reporter asked anxiously.
“I—I feel like a drowned rat,” she laughed, shaking water out of her hair. Then, with a quick change of mood she asked: “Did you get Aaron Dietz and his men?”
“No,” Jerry answered in disgust. “When we crossed the river five minutes ago, the cruiser was still there. No sign of anyone around. I brought the police here, and now I suppose they’ve made their get-away.”
“Oh, Jerry, we can’t let them escape! Send the police—”
“Now don’t get worked up,” the reporter soothed. “A squad started back just as soon as we found out what had happened here.”
“Dietz and his men must have seen the police crossing the river,” speculated Penny. “They may have hidden in the bushes, biding their time. By now they’ve slipped away in their boat.”
“I’m afraid of it,” Jerry admitted. “I traveled as fast as I could.”
As one of the policemen lifted Penny out of the pool, a noise which sounded like the back-firing of an automobile, broke the stillness of the night. It was followed by a volley of similar sounds.
“Gunfire!” exclaimed Penny.