“A great pal you turned out to be, Penny Parker! Remember—you left me standing at the door of the First National.”
“I’m terribly sorry, Lou,” Penny apologized. “I was inside much longer than I expected to be and when I came out, you were gone.”
“You never even telephoned to tell me what happened, you egg! I read all about it in the papers.”
“You may have read part of the story, but not all,” Penny corrected. “I called for you on Sunday when you were out, and since then I’ve been busier than a hop toad. Right now I’m on my way to the steamship office. Want to come along?”
“I suppose it’s the only way I’ll get any information out of you,” Louise grumbled, falling into step.
As they walked toward the docks, she asked leading questions and, by the time they reached the steamship offices, had gleaned most of the story.
“So you believe Mr. Rhett may be somewhere in Riverview?” she mused.
“Jerry and I thought so at first, but we’ve nearly abandoned the idea. The only clue we uncovered led to a dead end.”
Pausing near the tugboat office, the girls stood for a moment watching waves pound against the docks. A chill, persistent wind had sprung up which penetrated their light clothing.
“B-r! It’s getting colder!” Louise shivered, huddling close to Penny. “Maybe that storm the newspapers predicted is heading in this direction after all!”