“She intends to steal it!” thought the girl. “Why else would she take the keys?”
Snatching dress and coat from a chair, Penny scrambled into them without taking time to remove her pajamas. She tucked up the unsightly legs of the garment and put on her shoes. Thus clad she ran downstairs through the semi-dark lobby to the side exit of the hotel.
As she reached the outside door, she heard the blast of an automobile engine.
“That’s our car!” Penny thought, recognizing the sound of the running motor. “She’ll get away before I can stop her!”
The engine, evidently cold, sputtered a moment, then died.
Hopeful that she might still get there in time, Penny raced across the parking lot. Reaching the car just as it started to move backwards, she jerked open the door.
“Mrs. Deline!” she cried.
Startled, the woman released the clutch so suddenly that the motor died again.
[“Where are you taking our car?” Penny demanded], sliding into the seat beside the widow.
The girl’s unexpected arrival seemed to completely unnerve Mrs. Deline. She lost composure, but only for an instant. Lighting a cigarette, she gazed at Penny with cold disdain.