“I don’t know how it got there,” Sally said quickly, reading suspicion in the other’s face. “I’m sure I never put it there.”
Miss Grimley took the brass from her, inspecting it briefly.
“This looks very much like one of the parts that has been disappearing from the stockroom,” she said, her voice icy.
“But I’ve never been near the stockroom!” Sally cried. “In the few days that I’ve been employed here, I’ve barely left my machine.”
Penny tried to intercede in the girl’s behalf.
“I’m sure Sally knew nothing about the article being in her locker,” she assured the forelady. “When she opened it a moment ago and lifted her jacket, the piece of brass fell from a pocket.”
“Someone must have put it there!” Sally added indignantly. “I’m certain I never did.”
“Have you given your locker key to anyone?”
“No.”
“And have you always kept it locked?”