Penny Nichols and the Mystery of the Lost Key Read online

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  PENNY NICHOLS MYSTERY STORIES

  Penny Nichols Finds a Clue (1936) Penny Nichols and the Mystery of the Lost Key (1936) Penny Nichols and the Black Imp (1936) Penny Nichols and the Knob Hill Mystery (1939)

  _by_ "Joan Clark" (Mildred A. Wirt, 1905-2002)

  Penny Nichols and the Mystery of the Lost Key

  _By_ Joan Clark

  *

  The Goldsmith Publishing Company

  CHICAGO

  COPYRIGHT 1936, BY THE GOLDSMITH PUBLISHING COMPANY

  MANUFACTURED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

  _CONTENTS_

  CHAPTER PAGE I. A Valuable Letter 11 II. A Mysterious Key 25 III. An Arrogant Guest 38 IV. A Face at the Window 51 V. The Lost Key 67 VI. Midnight Visitors 76 VII. "Ghost" Music 93 VIII. The Ivory Collection 102 IX. A Scrap of Paper 115 X. The Wall Safe 131 XI. A Night Adventure 140 XII. A Suspicious Act 150 XIII. The Secret Stairs 164 XIV. A Diamond Ring 175 XV. Penny's Evidence 186 XVI. Mrs. Leeds' Strategy 199 XVII. The Man in the Boat 209 XVIII. A Daring Theft 220 XIX. The Tables Turn 225 XX. A Break for Freedom 239

  CHAPTER I A Valuable Letter

  "Hurry, Susan! We have only ten minutes before the store closes!"

  Penelope Nichols, the slender girl in blue, urged her companion into therevolving doors at the entrance of the Bresham Department Store. Avigorous push sent the barriers spinning at such a rate that othershoppers turned to stare at the two girls.

  "You nearly took off my heels that time, Penny," Susan Altman protestedwith a laugh as they emerged into the crowded store.

  "Sorry, but we've no time to waste if I get that pair of white earrings.The clerks are starting to put things away already."

  Threading their way through the outgoing stream of shoppers, the girlswent directly to the jewelry counter. Penny peered anxiously into one ofthe glass cases to see if the coveted ivory ornaments were still ondisplay. They had not been sold.

  "Do you think they'll look all right with my red party frock?" she askedher chum as they stood impatiently waiting for a clerk. In matters ofdress she valued Susan's opinion more highly than her own.

  "Stunning. With your coloring you can wear anything. Now if you had askin like mine and a snub nose--"

  Penny did not hear the remainder of her chum's oft-repeated complaint forshe was trying vainly to attract the attention of a clerk. The onlyavailable girl at the counter was occupied in showing a tray of finerings to a tall man in gray tweeds.

  "We'll never be waited on," Penny murmured in annoyance. "You can tellit's going to take until closing time before he makes up his mind whichring he wants."

  Susan turned to survey the customer. He was expensively dressed and upona casual inspection appeared to be a gentleman of considerable means.Although the clerk offered several diamond rings for his approval none ofthem satisfied him.

  "Haven't you anything better than this?" he questioned. "Show me thatlarge diamond, please." He tapped the glass case lightly with his cane.

  The clerk obligingly placed the ring before him. The man examined thediamond closely, comparing it with another ring previously shown him. Forthe first time he appeared aware of Penny and Susan.

  "Wait on these young ladies while I make up my mind which ring I prefer,"he urged the clerk. "I am in no hurry and I can see that they are."

  The clerk hesitated. The rings in which the customer was interested werevaluable ones. It was a rule of the store to keep them always in thelocked case. Yet it would take her only a minute to wait upon the girls,and obviously the man was a gentleman. She turned to serve Penny.

  "I'll take that pair of earrings," Penny announced, indicating the ivorypieces. "They're three dollars, aren't they?"

  "Yes, that is correct. I'll have them wrapped for you."

  Penny offered the girl a five dollar bill in payment. She could notrestrain a little sigh as she saw it deposited in the store's cashdrawer. Perhaps she had been foolish to buy the earrings. It meant thatshe must do without a great many little things in order to keep withinher allowance. Penny sighed again. At times it was trying to have afather who believed in maintaining his daughter strictly upon a budgetplan.

  Her eyes roved aimlessly toward the man at the ring counter. She saw himcast a quick glance about. Then he walked rapidly away, making for thenearest exit.

  Penny's keen blue eyes riveted upon the ring tray. The large diamond wasmissing.

  She had not seen the customer actually take it--his movements had beentoo deft for that--yet she knew for a certainty that while the clerk'sback had been turned he had secreted it somewhere upon his person.

  Penny did not hesitate. She darted after him.

  "Stop!" she cried. And then to the surprised shoppers who turned at thesound of her voice: "Don't let that thief get away!"

  The man wheeled sharply, his face convulsed in anger. With his cane hestruck viciously at a stout woman who clutched him by the coat.

  A store detective blocked the main exit.

  Recognizing that he could not hope to escape that way, the thief turnedand bolted up a moving escalator which was carrying a capacity load ofpassengers to the second floor.

  Penny, the detective, and a few of the more energetic customers took upthe pursuit.

  In a desperate attempt to escape, the thief elbowed women roughly asideas he darted up the stairway. Upon the uncertain footing of the movingtreads, several stumbled and fell. In an instant hysterical women werescreaming and clutching at one another for support.

  A slender girl in a shabby business suit was rudely jostled. Penny, halfway up the moving stairway, tried to save her from a hard fall. She wasnot quick enough. Down the girl went, and as she fell, the contents ofher pocketbook spilled out upon the moving stairway. The thief tookadvantage of the resulting confusion to melt into the throng of shoppersat the top of the escalator. While store detectives carried on thepursuit, Penny tried to help the terrified women to alight from thestairway.

  "Are you hurt?" she asked the girl who had fallen, trying to assist herto her feet.

  "Never mind me! Save
my pocketbook!" the other cried, franticallybeginning to gather up the scattered objects.

  The other passengers upon the stairway were more of a hindrance than ahelp. Yet by working fast Penny managed to accumulate nearly all of thelost articles before the brief ride approached its end.

  "My letter!"

  At the other girl's shrill cry, Penny saw a white envelope ridingserenely on the uppermost step. With a bound she covered the distancewhich separated her from it, pouncing upon the letter an instant beforethe moving belt disappeared into the flooring.

  Clutching it triumphantly in her hand, she turned to assist the girl whohad lost it.

  "Why, you're limping," she observed. "Here, lean on me."

  "It's nothing," the girl maintained staunchly. "I twisted my ankle when Ifell."

  Penny helped her to a nearby chair. Despite the girl's brave words, herlips quivered when she spoke and her attractive face had taken on anashen hue. Yet, strangely, her interest centered not in her injury but inthe letter which she had nearly lost.

  "Thank you for saving it," she told Penny gratefully. "I don't know whatI should have done if I'd lost that letter. It means everything to me."

  Penny stared at the envelope a trifle curiously but she was too well bredto ask personal questions. Before she could make any response storeofficials hurried up to take charge of the situation. The girl's name wasRosanna Winters, Penny learned, by listening. She lived at a roominghouse on Sixty-fifth Street, not a great distance from Penny's own home.

  Rosanna firmly turned down the suggestion of store officials that she besent to a nearby hospital for first-aid treatment.

  "It isn't necessary. I merely twisted my ankle. I'll soon be able to walkon it."

  "Let me take you home," Penny offered. "My roadster is parked justoutside the store. We live close to each other."

  The girl hesitated, then smiled as she said: "That's very kind of you,I'm sure. You don't really mind?"

  "Of course not. Here, let me help you downstairs."

  "Not by way of the escalator," Rosanna said hastily. "Hereafter I'll rideon the elevator. It's safer."

  Although the store's gong had announced the closing hour some minutespreviously, shoppers were slow to leave the building. As the girlsreturned to the street floor they were embarrassed to find themselves thetarget for many curious stares. Penny readily was recognized as the girlwho had observed the theft of the ring.

  "What became of that man who knocked me down?" Rosanna questioned. "Isuppose he escaped."

  "I'm afraid so," Penny admitted, looking about for Susan. "The last I sawof him he was running toward the kitchenware department with the storedetective after him."

  Sighting Susan near the outside door, Penny steered her new friend inthat direction. Quickly she introduced the girls, mentioning Rosanna'sunfortunate accident.

  "I saw it all," Susan declared. "Penny, you certainly did stir up thingswhen you set the store detective on that thief."

  "And the worst of it was that he escaped," Penny acknowledged. "Ofcourse, he may be caught here in the building but I doubt it."

  In the excitement, she had completely forgotten her package at thejewelry counter. The girls would have left the store without it had notthe clerk come running after them with the purchase.

  "Thank you so much for calling out the alarm," she told Penny gratefully."If the thief isn't caught I may lose my job."

  "Oh, I hope not."

  "So do I, but I shouldn't have broken a store rule. I was completelytaken in by the man's appearance."

  "I don't wonder at that," Penny said. "He certainly looked anything but acrook. Was the ring a valuable one?"

  "It was priced to sell at eight hundred dollars. I don't see how I couldhave been so stupid."

  Penny felt sorry for the salesgirl, particularly so when the floorwalkercame up and began to question her sharply.

  "It really wasn't the clerk's fault," Penny insisted. "I feel certainthat man was a professional jewel thief."

  "Did you notice his appearance?" the floorwalker asked.

  "Yes, he was dressed in a gray tweed suit. I'd say he was approximatelysix feet in height, dark hair and eyes. His face was long and angular."

  The store official noted down the description and took Penny's address incase she might be needed later on to identify the crook if he werecaptured.

  "We're watching all the lower floor exits," the floorwalker informed,"but the chances are the man got away by means of one of the fireescapes."

  The store rapidly was clearing of shoppers. Penny and her companionslingered a few minutes longer and then they too were politely requestedto leave.

  "I'd like to know if the store detective caught that man," Penny declaredas they paused for an instant on the street. "I suppose now we'll have tofind out by reading our newspapers."

  Rosanna Winters turned as if to leave the girls.

  "Thank you again for saving my pocketbook," she said to Penny. "My ankleis much better now so I'll just take a streetcar home."

  Penny caught her by the elbow.

  "You'll do no such thing. Why, I can see that it hurts you every step youtake. It isn't more than a block or two out of my way to drive you home."

  Despite Rosanna's protests, she urged the girl into the roadster whichwas parked at the curbing. Penny was very proud of her car. Although itwas not a new model it ran very well and she spent most of her spare timekeeping it washed and polished.

  Since the Altman residence was close by, Penny dropped her chum offbefore taking Rosanna home. During the ride to Sixty-fifth Street, theWinters girl spoke scarcely a word. Several times Penny cast a curiousglance in her direction.

  Rosanna was the quiet type, she decided. A striking brunette with athoughtful, almost sad face.

  "I live at the next house," the girl said as they turned a corner. "Theone on the right."

  It was a modest but not unattractive boarding house. The porch was cleanand the yard more orderly than the majority in the neighborhood.

  "I'm only staying here a few days until I can find another place,"Rosanna mentioned, feeling that some explanation was due her companion.

  "You are a stranger in Belton City?" Penny guessed.

  "Yes, I came here looking for work. But now that won't be necessary."Rosanna hesitated, and then, because Penny had seemed so very friendly,decided to offer additional information. "I am an orphan, Miss Nichols.Until this week I had begun to think that fortune had turned against me."

  "And now you've had a piece of good luck?"

  "Yes," Rosanna's face glowed as she opened her purse and took out theletter which Penny had picked up from the escalator. "If you hadn't savedthis for me, I should have lost everything."

  "Then I'm glad I snatched it up in time," Penny smiled.

  She could not imagine the contents of the mysterious letter. It was allshe could do to keep from asking questions.

  "I'd like to have you read it if you care to," Rosanna said a trifletimidly. "I'm anxious to learn the opinion of another person."

  "Why, I'll be glad to look at it if you wish," Penny returned, a littlesurprised at the request. "And as far as advice is concerned, I love tooffer it."

  She accepted the envelope which Rosanna proffered. As she took out thefolded letter a key dropped out into her lap.

  "What's this?" Penny demanded.

  Rosanna laughed nervously. "If what the letter says is true, it seems tobe the key to my inheritance! But read the letter for yourself."