CHAPTER 3 _STRAIGHT FROM THE SHOULDER_
Mr. Parker did not slacken the speed of the car. Relaxing somewhat, heedged farther away from Penny, whose sodden garments were oozing water.
"A bottle!" he exclaimed. "Penny, for a minute you had me worried. Ithought you meant something important."
"But Dad, the bottle is important," she argued earnestly. "You see, itcontains a folded piece of paper, and I'm sure it must be a message."
"Of all the idiotic things! At a time like this when you should beworried about your health, you plague me about a silly bottle. We'regoing straight home."
"Oh, all right," Penny accepted the decision with a shrug. "Nevertheless,I'm curious about that bottle, and I mean to find it tomorrow!"
Mr. Parker dropped Jerry and Salt off at the newspaper plant and thendrove on to his home. The house, a modern two-story dwelling, wassituated on a terrace overlooking the river. Lights glowed from theliving room windows and Mrs. Weems, the stout housekeeper, could be seenhovering over the radio.
"I was just listening to the news about the dynamiting," she remarked asMr. Parker and his daughter came in from the kitchen. Turning her head,she stared at the girl's bedraggled hair and wet clothing. "Why, PennyParker!"
"I guess I _am_ a little bit moist," Penny admitted with a grin. Sittingdown on the davenport, she began to strip off her shoes and stockings.
"Not here!" Mrs. Weems protested. "Take a hot shower while I fix you awarm drink. Oh, I knew you shouldn't have gone sailing at night."
"But Mrs. Weems--"
"Scoot right up to the bathroom and get out of those wet clothes!" thehousekeeper interrupted. "You'll be lucky if you don't come down withyour death o' cold."
Carrying a shoe in either hand, Penny wearily climbed the stairs. By thetime she had finished under the shower, Mrs. Weems appeared with a glassof hot lemonade.
"Drink this," she commanded sternly. "Then get into bed and I'll fix youup with the hot water bag."
"But I'm not sick," Penny grumbled.
"You will be tomorrow," the housekeeper predicted. "Your father told mehow he allowed you to stay at the bridge while police searched for thesaboteur. I declare, I don't know what he was thinking of!"
"Dad and I are a couple of tough old news hawks," Penny chuckled. "Well,I suppose I'll have to compromise with you."
"Compromise?" Mrs. Weems asked suspiciously.
"I'll drink the lemonade if you'll let me skip the hot water bottle."
"Indeed not," Mrs. Weems returned firmly. "Now jump into bed, and no morearguments."
Although Penny considered the housekeeper entirely too thorough in hermethods, she enjoyed the pleasant warmth of the bed. She drank thelemonade, submitted to the hot water bottle, and then snuggling down,slept soundly. When she awakened, sunlight streamed in through theVenetian blinds. Cocking an eye at the dresser clock, she saw to herdismay that it was ten o'clock.
"My Aunt!" she exclaimed, leaping out of bed. "All this good timewasted!"
With the speed of a trained fireman, Penny wriggled into her clothes. Shegave her auburn hair a quick brush but took time to slap a little polishon her saddle shoes before bounding down the stairs to the kitchen.
"Is that you or a gazelle escaped from the zoo?" inquired Mrs. Weems whowas washing dishes at the sink.
"Why didn't you bounce me out of bed two hours ago?" asked Penny. "I havean important business engagement for this morning."
"You're not going to the river again, I hope!"
"Oh, but I must, Mrs. Weems." Penny opened the refrigerator and helpedherself to a bowl of strawberries and a Martha Washington pie.
"You're not breakfasting on that," said the housekeeper, taking thedishes away from her. "Oatmeal is what you need. Now why must you go tothe river?"
"Someone has to salvage the sailboat. Besides, I lost a valuable objectlast night--"
The telephone jingled, and Penny darted off to answer it. As she hadanticipated, the call was from Louise Sidell, who in a very husky voiceasked her how she was feeling.
"Fit as a fiddle and ready to go bottle hunting!" Penny replied promptly."And you?"
"I hurt in all the wrong places," Louise complained. "What a night!"
"Why, I enjoyed every minute of it," Penny said with sincerity. "Ifyou're such a wreck I suppose you won't care to go with me to the riverthis morning. By the way, what did you do with that blue bottle?"
"I haven't the slightest idea. I'm sure I had it in my hand when wereached shore, but that's the last I remember."
"Well, never mind, if it's anywhere on the beach I'll find it," Pennysaid. "Sure you don't want to tag along?"
"Maybe I will."
"Then meet me in twenty minutes at Ottman's dock. Signing off now togobble a bowl of oatmeal."
Without giving Louise a chance to change her mind, Penny hung up thereceiver and returned to the kitchen. After fortifying herself withoatmeal, a glass of orange juice, bacon, two rolls and sundry odds andends, she started off to meet Louise. Her chum, looking none toocheerful, awaited her near Ottman's dock.
"Why did you ask me to meet you at this particular place, Penny?" sheinquired. "It was a block out of my way."
"I thought we might rent one of Ottman's boats and row down to thebridge. It will be easier than walking along the mud flats."
"You think of everything," Louise said admiringly. "But where's theproprietor of this place?"
Boats of all description were fastened along the dock, but neither BurtOttman nor his sister were visible. Not far from a long shed which servedas ticket office and canoe-storage house, an empty double-deck motorlaunch had been tied to a pier. An aged black and white dog drowsed onits sunny deck.
"Guess the place is deserted," Penny commented. After wandering about,she sat down on an overturned row boat which had been pulled out near thewater's edge.
The boat moved beneath her, and an irate voice rumbled: "Would you mindgetting off?"
Decidedly startled, Penny sprang to her feet.
As the boat was pushed over on its side, a girl in grimy slacks, rolledfrom beneath it. Barely twenty years of age, her skin was rough and brownfrom constant exposure to wind and sun. A smear of varnish decorated onecheek and she held a can of caulking material in her hand.
"I'm sorry," said Penny, smiling. "Do you live under that boat?"
Sara Ottman's dark eyes flashed. Getting to her feet, she regarded thegirl with undisguised hostility.
"Very clever, aren't you!" she said scathingly. "In fact, quite thelittle joker!"
"Why, I didn't mean anything," Penny apologized. "I had no idea you wereworking under that thing."
"So clever, and such a marvelous detective," Sara went on, paying noheed. "Why, it was Penny Parker who not so long ago astonished Riverviewby solving the Mystery of the Witch Doll! And who but Penny aided thepolice in trailing The Vanishing Houseboat? It was our own Penny wholearned why the tower Clock Struck Thirteen. And now we are favored withher most valuable opinion in connection with the bridge dynamiting case!"
Penny and Louise were dumbfounded by the sudden, unwarranted attack. Byno stretch of the imagination could they think that Sara Ottman meant herwords as a joke. But what had her so aroused? While it was true thatPenny had solved many local mysteries, she never had been boastful of heraccomplishments. In fact, she was one of the most popular girls inRiverview.
"Are you sure you haven't a fever, Miss Ottman?" Penny demanded, her owneyes blazing. "I certainly fail to understand such an outburst."
"Of course you do," the other mocked. "You're not used to talk comingstraight from the shoulder. Why are you here anyhow?"
"To rent a boat."
"Well, you can't have one," Sara Ottman said shortly. "And if you nevercome around here again, it will be soon enough."
Glaring once more at Penny, she turned and strode into the boathouse.