CHAPTER 7 _THE GREEN DOOR_
Before Penny could ask another question, the signal board flashed asummons, and the attendant slammed shut the door of the elevator. He shotthe cage up to the fifth floor and did not return.
Hesitating a moment, Penny wandered over to the desk.
"How does one go about obtaining a card for the Green Room?" she inquiredcasually.
"You're not a guest here?" questioned the clerk.
"No."
"You'll have to talk with the manager. Oh, Mr. Fergus!"
Penny had not meant to have the matter go so far, but there was noretreating. The hotel manager came out of his office, and recognizingher, smiled ingratiatingly.
"Ah, good afternoon, Miss--" He groped for her name but Penny did notsupply it. "So you decided to pay us a visit after all."
"This young lady asked about the Green Room," said the clerksignificantly.
Mr. Fergus bestowed a shrewd, appraising look upon Penny.
"Oh, yes," he said to give himself more time, "Oh, yes, I see. What wasit you wished to know?"
"How does one obtain a card of admission?"
"It is very simple. That is, if you have the proper recommendations andbank credit."
"Recommendations?" Penny asked blankly. "Just what is the Green Roomanyway?"
Ralph Fergus and the clerk exchanged a quick glance which was not lostupon the girl.
"I see you are not familiar with the little service which is offeredhotel guests," Mr. Fergus said suavely. "I shall be most happy to explainit to you at some later time when I am not quite so busy."
He bowed and went hurriedly back into the office.
"I guess I shouldn't have inquired about the Green Room," Penny observedaloud. "There seems to be a deep mystery connected with it."
"No mystery," corrected the clerk. "If you will leave your name andaddress I am sure everything can be arranged within a few days."
"Thank you, I don't believe I'll bother."
Penny turned and nearly ran into Francine Sellberg. Too late, sherealized that the girl reporter probably had been standing by the deskfor some time, listening to her conversation.
"Hello, Francine," she said carelessly.
The girl returned a haughty stare. "I don't believe I know you, Miss,"she said, and walked on across the lobby.
Penny was rather stunned by the unexpected snub. She took a step as if tofollow Francine and demand an explanation, but her sense of humor came toher rescue.
"Who cares?" she asked herself with a shrug. "If she doesn't care to knowme, it's perfectly all right. I can manage to bear up."
After Francine had left the hotel, Penny made up her mind that she wouldtry to learn a little more about the Green Room. Her interest wassteadily mounting and she could not imagine what "service" might beoffered guests in this particular part of the hotel.
Choosing a moment when no one appeared to be watching, Penny mounted thestairway to the second floor. She followed a long corridor to its end butdid not locate Room 22. Returning to the elevator, she started in theopposite direction. The numbers ended at 20.
While Penny was trying to figure it out, a group of four men and womencame down the hall. They were well dressed individuals but their mannerdid not stamp them as persons of good breeding. One of the women whocarried a jeweled handbag was talking in a loud, excited tone:
"Oh, Herbert, wait until you see it! I shall weep my eyes out if youdon't agree to buy it for me at once. And the price! Ridiculously cheap!We'll never run into bargains like these in New York."
"We'll see, Sally," replied the man. "I'm not satisfied yet that thisisn't a flim-flam game."
He opened a door which bore no number, and stood aside for the others topass ahead of him. Penny caught a glimpse of a long, empty hallway.
"That must be the way to Room 22," she thought.
She waited until the men and women had gone ahead, and then cautiouslyopened the door which had closed behind them. No one questioned her asshe moved noiselessly down the corridor. At its very end loomed a greenpainted door, its top edge gracefully circular. Beside it at a smalltable sat a man who evidently was stationed there as a guard.
Penny walked slowly, watching the men and women ahead. They paused at thetable and showed slips of cardboards. The guard then opened the greendoor and allowed them to pass through.
It looked so very easy that Penny decided to try her luck. She drewcloser.
"Your card please," requested the doorman.
"I am afraid I haven't mine with me," said Penny, flashing her mostbeguiling smile.
The smile was entirely lost upon the man. "Then I can't let you in," hesaid.
"Not even if I have lost my card?"
"Orders," he answered briefly. "You'll have no trouble getting another."
Penny started to turn away, and then asked with attempted carelessness:
"What's going on in there anyway? Are they selling something?"
"I really couldn't tell you," he responded.
"Everyone in this hotel seems to be blind, deaf and dumb," Penny mutteredto herself as she retraced her way to the main hall. "And definitely, fora purpose. I wonder if maybe I haven't stumbled into something?"
She still had not the faintest idea what might lie beyond the Green Door,but the very name had an intriguing sound. It suggested mystery. Itsuggested, too, that Ralph Fergus and his financial backer, HarveyMaxwell, might have developed some special money-making scheme whichwould not bear exposure.
Into Penny's mind leaped a remark which her father had made, one to theeffect that Harvey Maxwell was thought to have his finger in manydishonest affairs. The Green Room might be a perfectly legitimate placeof entertainment for hotel guests, but the remarks she had overheard ledPenny to think otherwise. Something was being sold in Room 22. And to avery select clientele!
"If only I could learn facts which would help Dad's case!" she toldherself. "Anything showing that Maxwell is mixed up in a dishonest schememight turn the trick!"
It occurred to Penny that the editor of the _Riverview Record_ might havehad some inkling of a story to be found at Pine Top. Otherwise, why hadFrancine been sent to the mountain resort? Certainly the rival reporterwas working upon an assignment which concerned Harvey Maxwell. Sheinadvertently had revealed that fact at the Riverview airport.
"Francine thinks I came here for the same purpose," mused Penny. "If onlyshe weren't so high-hat we could work together."
There was almost no real evidence to point to a conclusion that theFergus hotel was not being operated properly. Penny realized only toowell that once more she was depending upon a certain intuition. Aninvestigation of the Green Room might reveal no mystery. But at leastthere was a slender hope she could learn something which would aid herfather in discrediting Harvey Maxwell.
Without attracting attention, Penny descended to the main floor and leftthe hotel. As she retrieved her skis from the snowbank she was surprisedto see Francine standing close by, obviously waiting for her.
"Hello, Penny," the girl greeted her.
"Goodness! Aren't you mistaken? I don't think you know me!"
"Oh, don't try to be funny," Francine replied, falling into step. "I'llexplain."
"I wish you would."
"You should have known better than to shout out my name there in thelobby."
"I don't follow your reasoning at all, Francine. Are you travelingincognito or something?"
"Naturally I don't care to have it advertised that I am a reporter. Irather imagine you're not overly anxious to have it known that you arethe daughter of Anthony Parker either!"
"It probably wouldn't be any particular help," admitted Penny.
"Exactly! Despite your play-acting at the airport, I know you came hereto get the low-down on Harvey Maxwell. But the minute he learns who youare you'll not even get inside the hotel."
"And that goes double, I take it?"
"No one at Pine Top except you knows I am a reporter," went on Francinewithout answering. "So I warn you, don't pull another boner like you dida few minutes ago. Whenever we're around Fergus or Maxwell or persons whomight report to them, just remember you never saw me before. Is thatclear?"
"Moderately so," drawled Penny.
"I guess that's all I have to say." Francine hesitated and started towalk off.
"Wait a minute, Francine," spoke Penny impulsively. "Why don't we burythe hatchet and work together on this thing? After all I am moreinterested in gaining evidence against Maxwell than I am in getting a bigstory for the paper. How about it?"
Francine smiled in a superior way.
"Thank you, I prefer to lone wolf it. You see, I happen to have a verygood lead, and you don't."
"Well, I've heard about the Green Room," said Penny, hazarding a shot inthe dark. "That's something."
Francine stopped short.
"What do you know about it?" she demanded quickly. "Maybe we could worktogether after all."
Penny laughed as she bent down to strap on her skis.
"No, thanks," she declined pleasantly. "You once suggested that a cleverreporter finds his own answers. You'll have to wait until you read it inthe _Star_!"