“I’ll call a taxi for you,” the young woman said. “You’re really in no condition to walk far, Mr. Ottman.”
Penny stepped forward to offer her services. Her father, knowing that she might have use for the car, had left it parked outside the hospital.
“I’ll be glad to take Mr. Ottman home,” she volunteered.
The young man protested that he did not wish to cause anyone inconvenience, but allowed himself to be guided to the waiting automobile.
As the car sped along toward the riverfront, Penny stole quick glances at Burt. He sat very still, his gaze on the pavement ahead. She half expected that he would offer an explanation of the accident, or at least ask a few questions, but he remained silent.
“You took rather a hard blow on the head,” she remarked, seeking to lead him into conversation.
Burt merely nodded.
“Dad and I were astonished to find you lying in the alley at the rear of The Green Parrot,” Penny went on. “Don’t you remember how you came to be there?”
“Mind’s a blank.”
“You must have been struck by someone,” Penny said, refusing to be discouraged. “Can’t you recall whom you were with just before the accident?”