“A patched tire, my left eye!” Penny whispered to Louise. “It’s just as we thought! This garage must be a Black Market place!”
CHAPTER
14
A FAMILIAR FIGURE
Only for a moment did the girls dare remain at the door watching Sam Burkholder mount the tire. Then, their curiosity satisfied, they moved quietly away. Without speaking to Mattie Williams, they returned to the parked automobile.
“Well, wasn’t I right?” Louise demanded triumphantly. “What do you think we should do?”
The question plagued Penny. “I don’t know,” she confessed. “If only we were absolutely sure the tire was new—”
“It certainly looked new.”
“Yes, but it could have had some wear. It’s possible, too, that the customer had a legal right to buy a new tire.”
“Then you don’t intend to report to the police, Penny?”
“I want to talk to Salt about it first. We must move carefully, Lou. You see, my main objective is to learn the names of the higher-ups involved in the tire-theft racket.”
“And where does this garage fit into the picture?”