Ghost Beyond the Gate Part 24

"Mostly replies to that reward offer you made. A lot of 'em are screwball letters. Your father's been seen in every section of the city from the river to the Heights."

"Where is the mail?"

"I dumped it on your father's desk."

"I'll take it home to read," Penny said. "By going through every letter carefully I may stumble upon a clue."

She crossed the newsroom and opened the door of her father's office.

The light was not on. Groping for the wall switch, her keen ears detected stealthy steps moving away from her. Sensing the presence of someone in the room she called sharply: "Who's here?"

There was no reply. Across the room, a door softly opened and clicked shut. Penny was startled. Although the private office had two entrances, one leading directly into the hall, the latter had not been used in years. Usually the door was locked and a clothes tree stood in front of it.

Her groping fingers found the switch and she flooded the room with light.

A glance revealed that mail lying on the desk had been disturbed. One of the top drawers remained open. The clothes tree had been moved from in front of the hall door. Plainly, someone had just fled from the room!

Darting to the corridor door, Penny jerked it open. No one was in sight.

However, at the end of the deserted hall, she saw the elevator cage moving slowly downward.

"I'll get that fellow yet!" she thought grimly.

Taking the hall at a run, she plunged down the stairway two steps at a time. Breathless but triumphant, she reached the lower corridor just as the cage stopped with a jerk.

Harley Schirr stepped out, closing the grilled door behind him.

"Fancy meeting you here!" said Penny, her eyes flashing. "What were you doing in my father's office?"

Schirr regarded her coolly. Without answering, he tried to brush past her.

"You were looking for something in Dad's desk!" Penny accused, blocking the way. "I know how you got in too! Through the hall entrance. You're such a professional snooper you probably have a skeleton key that unlocks half the doors in the building!"

"I've had about enough of your insolence!" Schirr retorted. "There's no law which says I can't come to this plant. And speaking of law, I may sue you for libel."

"What a laugh."

"You'll not be laughing in a few days, Miss Parker! Oh, no! I've hired a lawyer, and we're preparing our case. You've insulted me, humiliated me in the eyes of my fellow newspapermen, but you'll have to pay. And pay handsomely!"

The threat failed to disturb Penny. Schirr, determined to wound her deeply, went on with grim satisfaction.

"You kid yourself you'll see your father again," he jeered. "Well, you won't! Mr. Parker is dead and you may as well get used to the idea."

Penny's eyes burned. "You say that only to torture me!"

"It's the truth. If you weren't so blind you'd acknowledge it. Your father tried to run a gang of professional tire-thieves out of this town, and they did for him."

"You seem very certain of your facts, Mr. Schirr. Perhaps you know some of the higher-ups personally."

"How would I?"

"Your knowledge is so complete," Penny said scathingly.

"I'm only telling you my opinion," Schirr growled, now on the defensive.

"If you want to ride along in a sweet dream that's Okay with me."

"I want to get at the truth," said Penny shortly. "Do you have one sc.r.a.p of evidence that Dad has fallen into the hands of enemies?"

Schirr hesitated, knowing well that an affirmative answer might lead to questioning from the police.

"I don't have any knowledge of the case," he said. "At least not for publication!"

Flashing a superior smile, he pushed past Penny, and went out of the building.

CHAPTER 16 _A DOOR IN A BOX_

Penny scarcely knew what to think of Harley Schirr's actions. All her accusations were true, of that she was sure. But she was unable to decide whether or not he had any information about her father's strange disappearance.

"The old snooper may be hand in glove with the tire thieves!" she thought bitterly. "I wouldn't put it past him. If I could prove anything, wouldn't I like to turn him over to the police!"

Climbing the stairs, Penny explained briefly to the _Star_ deskman what had occurred.

"Shirr here again!" he exclaimed. "Why, I'm sure he never came through the newsroom."

"No, he got into Dad's office by means of that old hall door. Tomorrow I want a new lock put on."

"I'll have it taken care of myself," promised the deskman.

Reentering her father's office, Penny gathered up the mail and carefully locked both doors. She then returned to the waiting taxicab. During the ride home she made no mention of Mr. Schirr, preferring not to worry the housekeeper.

Later in Mr. Parker's study, she and Mrs. Weems examined every letter written in response to the reward offer. Not even one of them offered the slightest promise.

"I'll turn everything over to the police," Penny said with a sigh. "Maybe they'll find a clue I've not considered important."

Both she and Mrs. Weems were feeling the effects of such a long period of strain. Meals had been irregular, appet.i.tes poor. Penny in particular had lost so much weight that she looked thin and sallow. Yet somehow she managed to keep up her strength and to face each day with hope.

"Mrs. Weems," she said the next morning at breakfast, "if you'll advance me some money, I'm going on another taxi jaunt today."

"Not to the Harrison place."

"No, out to Mattie Williams' garage. I'm convinced that place is dealing in stolen tires. If only I can reconstruct the evidence which disappeared in Dad's portfolio, I may get a clue that will lead to him."

Without protest, Mrs. Weems gave Penny the money. Secretly she thought that the girl would do much better to turn all of her information over to the police. However, she realized that Penny needed activity to keep her from brooding, so she wisely did not discourage her.

"Don't get into any trouble," she warned anxiously.

"No danger of that, Mrs. Weems. I've not enough pep for it these days."