Penny Nichols Finds a Clue Part 25

"You must have misunderstood me, Miss Altman," he said when she had finished. "We can't undertake to guarantee every car which leaves our shop. As a courtesy to our customers we do occasionally make a few minor repairs free of charge. We have found it impractical to go further than this."

"But in my case, the car has run less than five hundred miles!" Susan protested with growing anger. "It seems to me I'm ent.i.tled to service."

"You must see my repair man, Miss Altman. He adjusts all such matters."

"I have seen him, and I've had no satisfaction at all!"

"Then I'm afraid there's nothing more we can do for you."

"Your guarantee means nothing?"

"We stand behind our cars, Miss Altman, but you must have misunderstood my promise to service your new automobile free of charge."

"You said that at the end of five hundred miles my car would receive a complete overhaul!"

"But my dear young lady, you have just received this service."

"Your workman spent less than twenty minutes going over my car."

"Have you driven it since?"

"Well, no, I haven't," Susan admitted reluctantly.

"Then I know you will find everything satisfactory for our workmen are efficient. Good afternoon, Miss Altman."

The manager opened the door in pointed suggestion that the girls leave.

Outside in the hall they gave vent to their pent up feelings.

"You were right, Penny," Susan declared angrily. "I should have bought my car at another garage!"

"I never did like that man," Penny added. "He's such a smooth talker, and yet down under he's mean and selfish. I wonder if Jerry Barrows actually does work for him?"

"He was threatening him when we surprised them in the office."

"I know, and it annoyed Brunner because we saw him talking with the boy at all. I am as sure as anything that he'll never give me his real name or address."

"That's why he suggested that you come back later for it," Susan agreed. "When you return he'll have some other excuse."

"I mean to go back and annoy him just the same. Doesn't it strike you as odd that Jerry would be working for him?"

"Well, perhaps a trifle," Susan said thoughtfully. "But it may be that he hired the boy without inquiring too carefully into his past."

"The fact remains that Brunner was threatening him," Penny pointed out.

"It didn't appear to me that it was about any casual matter either."

The girls lowered their voices for they had come within earshot of a garageman who was working in the repair shop. Susan's car was nearby.

After some difficulty she managed to start it, but the engine knocked as badly as before.

"I suppose there's nothing to do but take the car to another garage,"

Susan said irritably. "I'll never come here again. I know that."

"Let's go for a swim and drown our troubles," Penny suggested. "The Big Dipper will be open."

Since the day had been sultry, the proposal appealed to Susan. They stopped at their homes only long enough to get their bathing suits, and a few minutes later arrived at the picturesque outdoor pool.

Penny found several of her school friends performing at the diving board and soon they were all rounded up for a vigorous game of water polo. After a fierce battle which left everyone exhausted, Penny's side conquered the opponents. The girls sat down on the edge of the pool to rest.

"Isn't that Betty Davis over there under the beach umbrella?" Susan presently inquired, indicating a girl in a black bathing suit who sat alone.

"Why, it is!" Penny agreed. "Shall we go over and speak to her?"

"After the way she treated us this afternoon?"

"We can't be certain she was in the house when we called."

"I think she was," Susan maintained. "She doesn't care for our company, that's all."

"She seemed to like us well enough at first. Betty is the sensitive type, Sue. It may be that she's embarra.s.sed on account of all her father's trouble. I believe I'll swim over and speak to her at any rate."

Penny arose from the side of the pool. Without having appeared to notice the action, Betty Davis hastily left the reclining chair under the umbrella and disappeared into the dressing room.

"I guess you're too late!" Susan laughed. "She saw you first."

Penny sat down again, a trifle nettled.

"You're right, Sue. She's deliberately avoiding us."

"She's a queer sort anyway," Susan said indifferently. "Let's ignore her from now on."

Penny gazed thoughtfully toward the dressing room door.

"There must be some reason for the way she's acting, Sue. I have a notion to corner her in the dressing room so that she'll have to say something to me."

"You're inviting a snub if you do. Forget her, Penny! Come on, I'll race you to the end of the pool!"

She plunged in and Penny reluctantly followed. They swam two lengths and then dived a few times from the high board.

"Oh, let's go home," Penny proposed presently. "I've had enough."

They stood for a few minutes under the cold shower, then entered the dressing room. To their surprise they observed a group of excited girls cl.u.s.tered around the matron's desk.

"I tell you it's my ring!" one of the bathers insisted angrily. "This girl stole it from my locker!"

"It isn't true. The ring is my own. Why, it belonged to my mother."

Penny and Susan pushed their way into the little group. They had recognized Betty Davis' low pitched voice but were unacquainted with the girl who was accusing her of the theft.

"Let's get to the bottom of this," the matron said severely, turning to the first girl. "Did you have your locker fastened securely?"