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  CHAPTER 6 _AMBULANCE CALL_

  Penny ran across the stage to kneel beside Jerry, who lay limp on thefloor. In horror, she saw that the red stain covered a jagged area on hisshirt front.

  "Oh, Jerry!" she cried frantically. "Speak to me!"

  The reporter groaned loudly and stirred.

  "Hold me in your arms," he whispered. "Let my last hours on this earth behappy ones."

  Penny's hands dropped suddenly to her sides. She straightened upindignantly.

  "You faker!" she accused. "I should think you'd be ashamed to frighten usso! That's not blood on your shirt! It's red ink!"

  Jerry sat up, chuckling. "Ruined a good shirt too!"

  "You shouldn't have done it," Penny said, still provoked.

  "I wanted to put a little drama into the act. Also, I was curious to seehow you would react."

  Penny tossed her head, starting away. "You needn't be so smug about it,Jerry Livingston! And don't flatter yourself I was concerned about you! Iwas thinking what a scandal it would mean for Dad and the paper!"

  "Oh, sure," Jerry agreed, pursuing her backstage and down a corridor."Listen, Penny, it was only a joke--"

  "Not a very funny one!"

  "Penny, I'm sorry--I really am. I didn't realize anyone would get soworked up about it."

  "I'm not worked up!" Penny denied, spinning on a heel to face him. "Itjust gave me a little shock, that's all. First, that threat from DannyDeevers. Then when I saw you flattened out, for a minute I thoughtsomeone had substituted a real bullet in the revolver and that you hadbeen shot."

  "It was a rummy joke--I realize that now. Forgive me, will you, Penny?"

  "I suppose so. Just don't try anything like it again."

  "I won't," Jerry promised. "Now that my part is finished here, suppose wego somewhere for a bite to eat?"

  "With that blotch of red ink on your shirt front?"

  "Oh, I'll change it. I brought an extra shirt along. Wait here and I'llbe right with you."

  Jerry stepped into the dressing room to make the change. Penny, whilewaiting, wandered back to the stage wings to talk to Salt. However, thephotographer had gone out front and was busily engaged taking pictures ofvisiting celebrities.

  After a few minutes, Penny went downstairs again. Jerry was nowhere to beseen.

  The door of the dressing room stood slightly ajar. Penny tapped lightlyon it, calling: "Get a move on, Jerry! You're slower than a snail!"

  No answer came from inside.

  Penny paced up and down the corridor and returned to listen at the door.She could hear no sound inside the room.

  "Jerry, are you there?" she called again. "If you are, answer!"

  Still there was no reply.

  "Now where did he go?" Penny thought impatiently.

  She hesitated a moment, then pushed open the door. Jerry's stained shirtlay on the floor where he had dropped it.

  The reporter no longer was in the dressing room. Or so Penny thought atfirst glance.

  But as her gaze roved slowly about, she was startled to see a pair ofshoes protruding from a hinged decorative screen which stood in onecorner of the room.

  Jerry, very definitely was attached to the shoes. Stretched out on thefloor again, his face remained hidden from view.

  Penny resisted an impulse to run to his side.

  "Jerry Livingston!" she exclaimed. "You've carried your stupid jokeentirely too far! Our date is off!"

  Turning her back, she started away. But in the doorway, something heldher. She glanced back.

  Jerry had not moved.

  "Jerry, get up!" she commanded. "Please!"

  The reporter made not the slightest response. Penny told herself thatJerry was only trying to plague her, yet she could not leave withoutbeing absolutely certain.

  Though annoyed at herself for such weakness, she walked across the roomto jerk aside the decorative screen.

  Jerry lay flat on his back, eyelids closed. A slight gash was visible onthe side of his head where the skin was bruised.

  One glance convinced Penny that the reporter was not shamming this time.Obviously, he had been knocked unconscious, perhaps by a fall.

  "Jerry!" she cried, seizing his hand which was cold to the touch.

  Badly frightened, Penny darted to the door and called loudly for help.

  Without waiting to learn if anyone had heard her cry, she rushed back toJerry. On the dressing table nearby stood a pitcher of water and a glass.

  Wetting a handkerchief, Penny pressed it to the reporter's forehead. Itseemed to produce no effect. In desperation, she then poured half a glassof water over his face.

  To her great relief, Jerry sputtered and his eyelids fluttered open.

  "For crying out loud!" he muttered. "What you trying to do? Drown me?"

  Raising a hand to his head, the reporter gingerly felt of a big bumpwhich had risen there. He pulled himself to a sitting position.

  "What happened, Jerry?" Penny asked after giving him a few minutes torecover his senses. "Did you trip and fall?"

  The question seemed to revive Jerry completely. Without answering, he gotto his feet, and walked unsteadily to the window overlooking the alley.

  Penny then noticed for the first time that it was open. She also becameaware of a heavy scent of tobacco smoke in the room--the same cigaretteodor she had noticed earlier. Now however, it was much stronger.

  Jerry peered out the window. "He's gone!" he mumbled.

  "Who, Jerry? Tell me what happened."

  "Things aren't too clear in my mind," the reporter admitted, sinking intoa chair. "Wow! My head!"

  "Did someone attack you?"

  "With a blackjack. I came in here and changed my shirt. Had a queerfeeling all the while, as if someone were in the room."

  "Were you smoking a cigarette, Jerry?"

  "Why, no."

  "Did you notice smoke in the room? The odor still is here."

  Jerry sniffed the air. "Neco's," he decided. "They're one of thestrongest cigarettes on the market and not easy to get. Now that youmention it, the odor was in the room when I came in! But I didn't thinkabout it at the time."

  "Then whoever struck you must have been in here waiting!"

  "Sure. Whoever it was, came in the window. He was hidden behind thatscreen. As I started to leave, he reared up and let me have it frombehind! That's all I remember."

  "Then you didn't see him?"

  "No, it happened too fast."

  "Jerry, it may have been Danny Deevers!"

  "Maybe so," the reporter agreed. "But I always figured if he caught upwith me, he wouldn't fool around with any rabbit punches."

  "He may have been frightened away, hearing me in the hall," Penny said."Jerry, do you have other enemies besides Danny?"

  "Dozens of them probably. Every reporter has. But I don't know of anyonewho hates me enough to try to lay me out."

  The dressing room door now swung open to admit Mr. Parker and severalother newspapermen.

  "Penny, did you call for help?" her father demanded. "What's wrong?"

  "Jerry was slugged," Penny answered, and told what had happened.

  "How do you feel, Jerry?" the publisher inquired. "That's a nasty lookingbump on your head."

  "I'm fit as a fiddle and ready for a dinner date," Jerry announcedbrightly, winking at Penny. "How about it?"

  "Well, I don't know," she replied. "Are you sure you feel up to it?"

  "I'm fine." To prove his words, Jerry got to his feet. He started acrossthe room, weaving unsteadily.

  Had not Mr. Parker and another man seized him by the arms, he would haveslumped to the floor.

  "Jerry, you're in no shape for anything except a hospital checkup," thepublisher said firmly. "That's where you're going!"

  "Oh, Chief, have a heart!"

  Mr. Parker turned a deaf ear upon the appeal.

  "For all we know, you may have a fractured skull," h
e said, helping toease the reporter into a chair. "We'll have you X-rayed."

  "I don't want to be X-rayed," Jerry protested. "I'm okay."

  "Besides, with Danny Deevers still at large, a hospital is a nice safeplace," Mr. Parker continued, thinking aloud. "Perhaps we can arrange foryou to stay there a week."

  "A week! Chief, I'm not going!"

  "No arguments," said Mr. Parker. "You're the same as in RiverviewHospital now. Penny, telephone for an ambulance."