Penny Nichols and the Mystery of the Lost Key

by Joan Clark

  CHAPTER IV A Face at the Window

  The little room on the top floor of the hotel was as hot and unpleasantas Mr. Nichols had predicted. Even with all the windows open wide the airstill seemed close.

  "Rosanna, I shouldn't have forced you into this," Penny saidapologetically.

  "I've slept in far worse places than this," Rosanna laughed. "We have acomfortable bed and a private bath. I didn't fare half so well at Mrs.Bridges."

  "You're a good sport anyway, Rosanna. That's more than could be said forMrs. Leeds or her daughter."

  "I wonder how old the girl is? She looked about our age."

  "I'd guess she was two or three years older," Penny returned. "She had somuch paint on it was hard to tell."

  Both girls were tired from the long day's drive. Rosanna immediatelybegan to undress. Penny sat on the edge of the bed, thoughtfully staringinto space.

  "Did it strike you as queer the way Mrs. Leeds acted when I mentioned wewere going to Raven Ridge tomorrow?" she questioned her companion.

  Rosanna kicked off her slippers before replying.

  "Well, come to think of it, she did look a little startled. She put onsuch a scene downstairs that I didn't pay much attention."

  "We'll probably never see her again." With a shrug of her slim shouldersPenny arose and began to unpack her overnight bag.

  According to the plan which they had worked out with Mr. Nichols, thegirls expected to leave for Raven Ridge the next morning directly afterbreakfast. It was their intention to motor to the mountain resort,inspect the Winters' property and see if they could learn anythingconcerning Rosanna's uncle. They intended to return either the next nightor the one following.

  Few guests were abroad when the detective joined the girls at breakfast.It was only a little after seven o'clock.

  "Sleep well?" he inquired, looking over the menu.

  "Not very," Penny admitted truthfully. She might have added more had notMrs. Leeds and her daughter entered the dining room at that moment. Thetwo bowed slightly and selected a table in the opposite corner of theroom.

  "Social climbers," Mr. Nichols said in an undertone. "I can tell theirtype a mile away."

  Breakfast finished, the girls prepared to leave for Raven Ridge. Theirbags were already packed and downstairs.

  "Now drive cautiously over the mountain roads," the detective warned ashe accompanied the girls to the waiting car. "If you can't get back byevening send me a wire."

  As Penny took her place at the steering wheel she observed that Mrs.Leeds' automobile had been brought to the hotel entrance by an attendant.Apparently, she too was making an early morning departure.

  "You're not listening to a word I am saying!" Mr. Nichols said severely.

  "Yes, I am." Penny's attention came back to the conversation. "I'll drivecarefully and deliver your precious car back to you without a scratch."

  "I wasn't exactly worried about the car."

  "Well, there's no need to be uneasy about Rosanna or me. We'll have notrouble."

  With a laugh of careless confidence, Penny started the car and droveslowly away. It was not the first time she had driven over mountainousroads. She handled the wheel exceptionally well and used due caution onall of the sharp curves. The brakes were good but she dared not applythem too steadily on the steep inclines.

  "We'll have to rush if we get back to Mt. Ashland this evening," Pennyannounced, slowing down to read a signpost. "I declare, a mountain mileseems to be three times the length of an ordinary mile."

  They had gone only a short distance farther when a tire went down. Pennyknew it instantly by the feel of the steering wheel. She pulled off atthe side of the road.

  "Now we are in it," she said in deep disgust. "At least ten miles from agarage. I can change wheels on my own car, but I doubt if I can on Dad'sautomobile."

  The girls waited for a few minutes hoping that someone would come alongto help. When no one did, Penny dragged out the tools, and afterconsiderable trouble succeeded in jacking up the rear axle.

  "I see a car coming," Rosanna reported hopefully.

  "Let's flag it," Penny suggested. "I could do with a little masculinehelp."

  In response to her signal of distress, the approaching automobile sloweddown. The driver was a man and there were no passengers.

  "He's stopping," Penny said in relief.

  There was a screech of brakes as the automobile came almost to astandstill. Then surprisingly, it speeded up again. But not before Pennyhad caught a fleeting glimpse of the driver's face.

  "Well, of all things!" Rosanna exclaimed indignantly. "I call that a meantrick."

  "I believe he was afraid to stop," Penny announced excitedly. "I think Irecognized him. It was the same man who stole the ring from Bresham'sDepartment Store!"

  "Are you sure?" Rosanna demanded incredulously.

  "I couldn't be absolutely certain, of course. He was traveling too fastfor me to catch more than a passing glimpse of his face. But if he didn'trecognize us, why did he slow down and then speed up?"

  "He did act suspiciously. But what can we do about it?"

  "Nothing, I'm afraid. We may as well devote our energies to this wheel."

  Rosanna was more than eager to help but she had never even seen a tirechanged and had no idea how to go about it. After a little annoyingexperimentation, Penny got the wheel in place and tightened the lugs.

  "There, it's done," she said in relief, "but my dress is a mess. I'mafraid we'll have to stop at the first garage and have the old wheelfixed, for I don't carry another spare."

  A signpost at the next bend in the road advised them that Simpson'sGarage was located only six miles away. They made it in a few minutes.There was no town, only a post office, one general store, and the garagewhich obviously was a remodeled blacksmith shop.

  "I'm glad it's nothing more than a tire which needs repairing," Pennycommented as the garageman came to learn what they wanted.

  He promised that the tire would be ready in half an hour. Glancing at herwrist watch, Penny saw that it was already past lunch time. She inquiredif there was a cafe nearby.

  "Not in Hamilton, there ain't," the garageman told her. "Ma Stevens,across the street in the big white house, serves meals to tourists nowand then."

  Rather than spend an unpleasant half hour in the garage, the girls walkedover to the rambling white house. They were reassured to see that theyard was well kept and that everything appeared orderly and clean.

  "Let's take a chance on the food," Penny decided. "I'm hungry enough toeat a fried board!"

  Mrs. Stevens, a motherly looking woman in a blue checked gingham dress,opened the door. She looked slightly troubled at their request for food.

  "It's later than I usually serve," she explained. Then noticing theirdisappointed faces, she added hastily: "But if you're not too particular,I can find you something."

  The "something" consisted of a generous platter of mountain trout, freshfrom the stream and fried to a golden brown, French fried potatoes, asalad, and cherry pie.

  "Dear me, after such a meal, we may not be able to get to Raven Ridge,"Penny remarked, finishing her second piece of pie. "I never ate so muchin my life."

  "Did you say you were going to Raven Ridge?" Mrs. Stevens inquired.

  "Yes, we're waiting now to have a tire patched."

  "You're the second party through here today that's heading for RavenRidge," Mrs. Stevens informed. "A man stopped for lunch about an hourago. Only he thought it wasn't cooked well enough for him."

  "He must have been particular," Penny commented. "What did he look like?"

  "He was tall and dark and he had a sharp way of watching one."

  "I wonder if it could have been that man who passed us on the road?"Penny mused. "Was he driving a gray coupe?"

  "Yes, I believe he was."

  Penny was convinced that the man Mrs. Stevens described was the sameperson who had declined to help her on the road. She
wondered whatbusiness took him to Raven Ridge. Could she have been mistaken inbelieving him to be the thief who had stolen the diamond ring?

  Paying for the luncheon, the girls went back to the garage. The tire wasready for them. Soon they were on their way again.

  They had driven for perhaps an hour when Penny observed that the roadseemed to be leading them out of the mountains. She began to wonder ifthey had taken a wrong turn. She stopped at the next filling station toinquire. To her dismay, she was told that she had traveled nearly twentymiles out of her way.

  "I thought this didn't seem like the right road," Penny declared ruefullyto her companion. "Now we'll be lucky to get to Raven Ridge by dinnertime, to say nothing of returning to Mt. Ashland tonight."

  "I've put you to a great deal of trouble," Rosanna said regretfully.

  "Not at all. This trip to Raven Ridge is an adventure, and I like it. Itwill be more fun to stay over night anyway."

  An occasional road marker reassured the girls that at last they were onthe right highway. The mountain curves were sharp, and Penny did not makeas good time as she had anticipated. She became a little alarmed to seethat storm clouds were rapidly gathering.

  "It looks as if we may have rain," Rosanna commented.

  "A great deal of it, I'd judge. Those clouds are black as ink."

  In less than half an hour the storm struck them in full force. A greatgust of wind dashed huge drops of water against the windshield, there wasa vivid flash of lightning, then the rain came down in steady sheets.

  Even with the wiper going Penny could see only a few feet ahead of thewindshield. She pulled up under a huge oak tree at the side of the road.The girls waited a quarter of an hour and still the rain fell intorrents. At length, however, it slackened slightly, and not wishing tolose any more time, Penny cautiously drove on.

  "It can't last much longer," Rosanna said optimistically.

  Despite her hopeful words, the rain showed no sign of stopping. Pennyreconciled herself to a slow pace for the remainder of the journey. Shewas beginning to grow tired. Her back and arms ached and it was a strainto keep such close watch of the road.

  With the sun hidden from view, night came on early. Nervous at thethought of driving over unfamiliar mountain roads after dark, the girlsdid not stop for dinner. Nine o'clock, in a pouring rain, found themdrawn up at a filling station to inquire how much farther it was to RavenRidge.

  "Why, you're practically there now," the attendant informed. "What placeare you looking for?"

  "The Jacob Winters' estate," Penny replied.

  "Then keep on this road for about two miles more. When you come to thetop of the ridge, take the gravel road to the left. It will lead you tothe house. There's no one there though, unless maybe a caretaker."

  "Oh," Penny murmured, "then perhaps you can direct us to a place where wecan spend the night."

  "The nearest is at the town of Andover, five miles beyond the Winters'place."

  The girls thanked the man for his assistance, and once more followed thewinding road up the mountainside.

  "Shall we go on to Andover or stop at the Winters' house?" Penny askedher companion.

  "I don't know what to do," Rosanna faltered. "We're both so tired."

  "The place surely must have a caretaker, Rosanna. Let's take a chance andstop."

  At the top of the ridge they watched for the gravel road and were elatedto find it. The entrance was barred by a white gate. Rosanna stepped outin the rain to open it.

  "This may have been a foolish thing to do," Penny admitted as they drovebetween tall rows of whispering pines. "We could have gone on to Andoveronly I dreaded driving down the mountainside with slippery roads."

  Rosanna huddled closer to her friend. The road was dark and the rustlingof the wind in the pine needles made her uneasy.

  Soon they came within view of the house. It was built of native stone,half hidden by the luxuriant growth of shrubbery and trees whichsurrounded it. No lights gleamed in the windows.

  "There's no one here," Rosanna declared.

  "Let's knock anyway. The caretaker may be at the rear somewhere."

  They parked the car as close to the front door as possible and made adash for the porch. Penny knocked several times on the massive door butthere was no response.

  "We might try your key, Rosanna," she proposed. "If it fits I'll begin tothink there's something to that mysterious letter you received."

  Rosanna groped in her pocketbook for the key. Impatient for action, Pennyturned the handle of the door. To her astonishment the latch clicked.

  "Why, the door is already unlocked, Rosanna!"

  "But of course we won't dare go in."

  "Why not?"

  "Well, it doesn't seem right. The people may not be at home."

  "Someone must be around or the door wouldn't be unlocked. Besides, youhave a key, Rosanna. And according to the letter, this is yourinheritance."

  Penny swung wide the door. She peered inside but could see nothing. Herhand groped for the electric switch. She found the button by the door andpressed it. Instantly everything was flooded with light.

  The girls found themselves in a long, narrow living room. The ceiling wasbeamed, the furniture was rustic, and a great fireplace occupied one endof the wall.

  Penny crossed over to the hearth. There was no fire but logs were inreadiness to make one.

  "I don't feel right about coming in here," Rosanna said nervously.

  "Nonsense, if it's your property you're not trespassing," Penny insisted."Besides, it looks to me as if you were expected, for everything seems inreadiness for guests. I'm going to build a fire and see if I can't thawout my chilled bones."

  Reluctantly, Rosanna went to help her. Soon they had a roaring fire inthe hearth. As they grew more comfortable they took more interest intheir surroundings. The room was plainly but expensively furnished.Curious objects from many lands occupied the tables and bric-a-bracshelves.

  "Your uncle must have lived an interesting life," Penny commented,picking up a tiny ivory box from a nearby stand.

  "Yes, Mother often told me----"

  Rosanna's voice broke in the midst of the sentence. Turning, Penny sawthat her friend's eyes were fastened upon the window. All color haddrained from Rosanna's face. Her eyes were dilated with fear.

  "What is it?" Penny demanded.

  Rosanna clutched her hand.

  "I saw someone just then," she whispered. "A man's face at the window!"