“You say you saw some big boxes at the garage,” he demanded. “What’s so suspicious about that?”
Penny tried to explain about the tunnel of boxes which led to a hidden storage room. Even to her own ears the story had a fantastic sound.
“What you think or surmise doesn’t go in this business!” the officer said rather rudely. “Did you actually see any stolen tires?”
“Well, no, I didn’t,” Penny admitted. “The door was locked.”
“Are you willing to swear out a warrant charging Mattie and her partner with dealing in stolen merchandise?”
“I don’t suppose I’d dare do that. I thought if police would investigate—”
“We can’t go on suspicions, Miss Parker. We act only on sound evidence.”
“Well, it doesn’t matter so much about the stolen tires,” Penny said desperately. “I have another clue—a really important one. I’ve found the woman who eluded Detectives Brandon and Fuller at the cemetery!”
“Now we may get somewhere,” replied the officer. “Who is the woman? Where did you see her?”
Penny told everything she knew about the woman who had taken her father to Mercy Hospital. Word for word she repeated their recent conversation together.