CHAPTER
22
A PARK BENCH
Penny and her friends were heartsick with the knowledge that Mr. Parker had fallen into the hands of ruthless members of the tire-theft gang. The taxi which had borne him away had left the mansion fully an hour earlier. There seemed little likelihood that the trail could be picked up quickly.
“I’ll telephone the boys at the newspaper office,” Salt offered. “The police too! We’ll put a description on the radio. We’ll have everybody in Riverview watching for that yellow taxi.”
“Call the cab companies too,” urged Penny. “We may be able to trace it through the driver.”
Salt made good use of the Deming telephone which had not been disconnected during the winter months. While he phoned, Penny ran outside to find the policeman assigned to guard the mansion. She soon returned with him and placed Mrs. Botts in his custody.
“Oh, Mr. Deming, don’t let them take me to jail,” the housekeeper pleaded. “I didn’t mean to do anything wrong.”
“Mrs. Botts, I can’t help you,” her employer returned coldly. “Your offense is a very serious one. The court must decide your fate.”
The housekeeper broke into tears again and for several minutes was quite hysterical. When her act moved no one, she resigned herself to the inevitable. Packing a few articles in a bag, she prepared to leave the house in the custody of the policeman.
“I’m sorry about everything,” she said as she bade the girls goodbye. “I hope Mr. Parker is found. I really do.”
After Mrs. Botts had gone, Penny was too upset to remain quietly in a chair. She longed to join in an active search for the yellow taxi. Common sense told her that the cab undoubtedly had reached its destination, yet she hoped she might pick up a clue.