“If only Jerry would wire or return from his vacation!” Penny commented anxiously. “I can’t understand why he doesn’t reply to my message.”
The reporter’s long absence had caused considerable worry at the Star office. Jerry was the one person who could divulge the contents of the stolen portfolio documents, but repeated wires failed to bring any response.
“Jerry will show up one of these days,” Mr. Parker said confidently. “The only trouble is, by that time the higher-ups of the tire-theft gang may have skipped town.”
“Dad, can’t you remember the men who took you away in the taxi?”
“Only vaguely. I’ve described them to police as best I can. So far, no action.”
Penny was silent for a moment. In her mind she had been turning over a way to bring the crooks to justice. It seemed to her that the men might be identified through Black Market operators with whom they must have dealings.
“Now what are you keeping from me?” inquired Mr. Parker lightly.
“I was thinking about a place known as Mattie Williams’ garage,” replied Penny. “I’ve good reason to suspect it deals in stolen tires.”
She went on to tell of her recent adventure in the storage room of the garage. The information did not excite Mr. Parker as she had feared it might. Instead, it fired him with a determination to get at the truth of the matter.
“Penny, we’ll break our story yet!” he exclaimed, reaching for his hat. “Let’s go to Mattie’s place now!”