CHAPTER 4 STOLEN TIRES

CHAPTER

4

“We’re very sorry,” Louise apologized to the policeman. “We didn’t suppose it would do any harm to look at the outside of the boxes.”

“Run along, run along,” the officer said impatiently.

Penny was tempted to make a rather pointed remark, but Louise pulled her away.

“Never argue with a policeman,” she whispered. “You always lose.”

“We weren’t doing any harm,” Penny scowled. “What does he think we are, a couple of female spies?”

Entering the garage, the girls saw that the car had been serviced. Salt could be seen inside the little glass-enclosed office.

“I’m waiting for Sam Burkholder,” he explained as they joined him. “He took care of the radiator and then disappeared.”

Penny and Louise loitered about the office, reading the evening newspaper. After a little delay, Mattie Williams appeared.

“Can you give me my bill?” Salt requested. “We’re in a hurry to get to Riverview.”

“I thought Sam was looking after you,” Mattie replied, making out the slip.

The bill settled, Salt backed the car from the garage. Penny noticed that Hank Biglow’s truck no longer stood in front of the cafe. The police car also had gone. She would have thought no more of it, had not Louise at that moment exclaimed:

“Penny, that truck is parked at the rear of the garage now! And they’re unloading the boxes!”

Penny twisted around to see for herself. It was true that the big truck had been backed up close to the rear entrance of the garage. Through the blinding snow, she could just see Hank Biglow and Sam Burkholder carrying one of the boxes into the building.

“Well, that’s funny!” she exclaimed. “Those crates can’t contain defense machinery or materials. Otherwise Hank wouldn’t be delivering them here.”

“What crates?” inquired Salt, shifting gears.

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