Ghost Beyond the Gate Part 22

The bus made few stops in the city. Once beyond the city limits, it sped along at a brisk speed. To Penny's satisfaction, the woman in black soon began to gather up her packages. She pressed a b.u.t.ton and the bus skidded to a stop at a crossroads.

With no show of haste, Penny followed the woman from the bus. Pretending to enter a grocery store at the corner, she waited and watched.

Apparently the woman lived nearby, for she started off down a narrow, winding road which ran at right angles to the main highway.

"Why that's the road that runs past the Harrison place," Penny thought.

"Wonder if she can be going there?"

Waiting until the woman was nearly out of sight, she trudged after her.

Walking was difficult for the road had not been cleared by a snow plow.

Fortunately for Penny, the woman did not once glance behind her. She kept steadily on until she came within view of the big estate house on the hill. Just before she reached the boundary fence, she cut across a field, approaching the dwelling from the rear.

Penny remained at the road, watching. The woman took a key from her pocket, unlocking a small, padlocked gate at the rear of the grounds. She snapped the lock shut again, and disappeared into the house.

Penny perched herself on top of an old-fas.h.i.+oned rail fence to think over what she had seen. The woman, whoever she was, obviously lived at the estate. Yet the cheap quality of her clothing suggested that she could not be the owner of such an expensive establishment.

"Probably a servant or caretaker," Penny reasoned. "But is she the one who ran away last night?"

Far over the hills in a lonely grove of pines stood Oakland Cemetery. On either side of Baldiff Road stretched dense woods, a growth that crept to the very boundaries of the Harrison estate. Penny instantly noted that it would be possible for a person to flee from the cemetery to the very door of the estate without once leaving the shelter of trees.

"Perhaps it was the same woman!" she thought. "If she lives here, it would be logical for her to specify Oakland Cemetery as a meeting place!

And escape would be easy for her, too!"

Penny slid down from the fence. It would do no good to question the woman. Rather, if she were guilty, questions might serve to place her on the alert. Far better, she reasoned, to bide her time.

"I'll learn everything I can about that woman," she thought. "Tonight I'll watch the house."

In making her plans, Penny did not take into account Mrs. Weems'

att.i.tude. Upon reaching home late in the afternoon, she found the housekeeper in a most discouraged mood. No favorable news had been received from any source.

"I've been worried about you too, Penny," Mrs. Weems confessed. "Where did you go after you left the _Star_ office?"

Penny told of her trip to Mattie Williams' garage and later to the Harrison estate. In particular she described the mysterious woman she had followed by bus.

"I plan to go back there tonight," she concluded. "For the first time since Dad disappeared, I feel I may have stumbled into a valuable clue!"

Mrs. Weems looked troubled. "But Penny," she protested, "you can't go to the estate alone!"

"I thought perhaps Louise would accompany me."

"Two girls alone at night! I can't give my consent, Penny. It's not safe."

"But I don't wish to call the police just yet, Mrs. Weems. I've no real evidence. Will you come with me?"

The housekeeper hesitated. Naturally a timid woman, she had no desire to stir from her own fireside that night. But she knew where her duty lay.

"Yes, I'll go with you, Penny," she consented. "Shall we start soon?"

"Not until after dark. One can't expect a ghost to show up in broad daylight."

"A ghost!" Mrs. Weems quavered. "Penny, what are you letting me in for?"

"Frankly, I don't know. Some strange things have been going on at the Harrison estate. Tonight I hope to solve part of the mystery at least."

Pressed for an explanation, Penny repeated Mose Johnson's story and told of seeing the strange white-robed figure with her own eyes. The tale did not add to Mrs. Weems' comfort of mind.

"We're crazy to go out there," the housekeeper protested. "Must we do it?"

"I think it may be our one hope of gaining a clue which will lead to Dad."

"Then I'm willing to risk it," agreed Mrs. Weems. "However, we'll drive out in a taxi. And I shall personally select the driver--a man to be depended on in an emergency."

So excited was the housekeeper that she had difficulty in preparing the evening meal. In the end Penny took over, shooing her out of the kitchen.

"I declare I don't know why I am so nervous," Mrs. Weems s.h.i.+vered. "I haven't felt so shaky since the time I attended a seance at Osandra's."

"You saw ghosts a-plenty on that occasion," smiled Penny. "I only hope we have as much luck tonight."

By eight o'clock everything was in readiness for the journey into the country. Dressing warmly and carrying an extra blanket, Penny and Mrs.

Weems walked to a nearby cab station. There the housekeeper selected a driver, a burly man who looked as if he might have been an ex-prizefighter.

"Sure, Ma'am," he said as Mrs. Weems questioned him, "you can depend on me to look after you."

"How are you at capturing ghosts?" inquired Penny, climbing into the cab.

The driver looked a trifle startled. "Swell!" he rejoined. "Bring on your spook, and if he don't weigh no more than two hundred pounds, I'll nail him!"

Penny and Mrs. Weems were satisfied that they were in good hands. They instructed the man, Joe Henkell, to drive directly to the old Harrison estate.

"By the way, do you know who owns the property?" Penny asked as the cab rolled toward the country.

"Fellow from the East," Joe flung over his shoulder. "I'm not sure. Think his name is Deming--George Allan Deming. Wealthy sportsman. Has his own plane an' everything."

"Married?"

"Couldn't tell you. The estate has been closed up this winter."

The cab soon approached the familiar grounds. Penny directed the driver to pull up some distance from the dark house.

"Switch off the headlights," she instructed. "We'll wait here. It may be a long time too, so make yourself comfortable."

Joe, taking Penny at her word, began to smoke a vile-smelling cigar which nearly drove Mrs. Weems to distraction. After an hour had elapsed, the housekeeper scarcely could endure the stuffy air of the cab.

"Penny, must we wait any longer?" she asked plaintively.

"Why, it's early, Mrs. Weems. I expect to stay until midnight at least."

"Midnight!" The housekeeper quietly collapsed.