Mildred A. Wirt

“ Giant waves were washing very close to the Parker automobile left on the beach.
“Ye fishes!” Penny exclaimed in horror. “I forgot all about the car!”
“And the tide’s coming in fast!”
“The Point will be cut off in a few more minutes!” Penny added, recalling Mr. Emory’s warning. “We’ll have to travel, and travel fast!”
Scrambling down from the rocks, the girls plunged through the dunes to the beach. A wind was blowing and the sea had an angry look.
“If just one wave strikes the car, the wheels will sink in the sand, and then we’ll be in it!” Penny cried. ”

“ The car went over a hard bump. Penny bounced and opened her eyes. She was surprised to see that it had grown quite dark. The automobile was moving in a wide curve between long rows of pine trees.
“What time is it?” she asked, pressing her face to the window.
“Not so late,” replied her father. “We’re running into a rain storm. Just our luck.”
Dark clouds had entirely blotted out the late afternoon sun. Even as Mr. Parker spoke, several big raindrops splashed against the windshield. ”

“ Penny speculated. “Won’t it be detected by the patrol planes?”
“Tonight’s a bad night,” Jerry pointed out. “Besides, the shore is so indented at this point of coast that perfect protection is almost impossible. They’re sending a boat, that’s sure!”
A small craft had been launched from the wave-washed deck of the submarine. Manned by two men who rowed with muffled oars, it slowly approached the shore. When it was very close the watchers behind the sand dune saw by its grotesque sausage shape that it was a large, rubber boat. Like a gray ghost it slid over the water. ”

“ Jerry illustrated, “imagine that the landscape is like the face of a clock. Now what do you see on the hour of two?”
“I don’t get it,” Louise complained.
“Oh, I do!” laughed Penny. “A big tree!”
“That’s right,” agreed Jerry. “And at the hour of six?”
“Why, a signboard!” chuckled Penny. “At the hour of seven there’s a big sand dune!”
“If you picture things in your mind as if they’re on the face of a clock it’s much easier to remember and keep them in proper proportion. Now, using that same system can you recall anything more about the place where Mrs. Deline buried the package?” ”

“ Louise gasped.
“We’ll have to go out and meet her,” Penny decided instantly. “Let’s pretend we just happened to be coming this way. But we’ll stick around and see who she’s meeting.”
Mrs. Deline stiffened visibly as the girls sauntered out of the woods toward her.
“Well, this is a surprise meeting you,” she said in a tone none too friendly. “Is your camp located near here?”
“Down the trail a short distance,” Penny replied, thoroughly enjoying the widow’s discomfiture. “Having a picnic?”
“Why, yes. I love the outdoors and thought I’d take a hike this afternoon.” ”

“ Deline at the hotel,” Penny warned. “Don’t have a thing to do with her.”
“Why should I?” Jerry was amused.
“She’s already made a jelly fish of Dad,” Penny went on. “Jerry, stop grinning! This is serious.”
“Sorry, I didn’t know I was smiling.”
“I need your help, Jerry. The truth is, I’m terribly worried about Dad.”
“If I know your father, there’s no need to worry about him.”
“But you don’t understand this Mrs. Deline,” Penny said desperately. “She’s a very clever, scheming woman. Jerry, will you promise to help me try to save Dad from her clutches?” ”

“ Mrs. Deline’s tone was scornful. “Well, let me tell you this! I’ve already given you as much of an explanation as I intend to! I need the car.”
“I thought you said you only intended to go for a little drive—to quiet your nerves,” Penny reminded her.
“That’s what I meant.” Mrs. Deline tossed her cigarette through the open window and stepped on the car starter. “I intend to go too.”
Penny, equally determined, switched off the ignition.
“Why, how dare you!” Mrs. Deline turned furiously upon the girl. “In all my life I never met such a spoiled child.” ”

“ Deline has taken all the fun out of me. Want to go for a ride?”
“Where?”
“Oh, just up the beach.”
“Isn’t it dangerous to drive on the sand?”
“Everyone does it at low tide. The sand is hard and firm along this stretch of beach.”
Louise offered no further objection, so Penny drove slowly away from the hotel. The car rode on silken tires, making only a soft swishing sound as it rolled smoothly over the sand.
“Oh, this is fun!” Louise cried in delight.
“We might drive to the lighthouse,” Penny proposed, steering to avoid two bathers who crossed in front of the car. ”

“ Louise gazed at her chum suspiciously.
“It’s no use being surrounded by mystery if one can’t get into the thick of it. So far all the adventure has by-passed us.”
“We might stir up a little excitement by looking for that package Mrs. Deline buried in the sand.”
“Not today,” Penny said with a sigh. “Too tired. Besides, I told Jerry about it and he wasn’t much impressed.”
“So that’s the reason for your gloom,” Louise remarked wisely. “As a detective you don’t rate.”
“Something like that. Jerry met Mrs. Deline at the hotel today and he thought her a very charming lady.” ”

“ Then the heavy oak door swung back and Jim McCoy, the burly keeper, peered out at the girls. His bushy brows drew together in an angry scowl.
“You here again!” he exclaimed.
“Yes,” said Penny, making the word crisp and firm.
“I’ll have to report you if you keep pestering me,” the keeper scolded. “How many times have I told you no visitors are allowed?”
“But you don’t treat everyone the same!” Penny remonstrated. “Mrs. Deline just came here.”
“Mrs. Deline? Who’s she?”
“Why, a woman who stays at the hotel. She came through this door not five minutes ago!” ”

“ The question caught Penny off guard. She stammered a few words which only caused the widow to smile in a knowing, amused way.
“I don’t mind telling you what I buried in the sand,” she resumed. “It may save you a little trouble. The package contained nothing but fish bones.”
“Fish bones!”
“Yes, I had just visited my friend, Jim McCoy, at the lighthouse. It’s most difficult to bury anything there because of so many rocks. He asked me to dispose of the scraps for him.”
“Oh,” Penny murmured, completely deflated.
“I’ve been watching you girls through the spyglass,” Mrs. Deline went on. ”

“ Too late Penny realized the same thing. She could feel the car starting to bog down. The motor began to labor. Then the car stalled completely.
“We’re stuck!” she gasped.
Both girls sprang out to look at the wheels. Their spirits sank. On one side, front and rear tires were bogged deep in sand.
“Start the engine again!” Louise urged desperately. “I’ll try to push.”
Penny obeyed, but her chum’s puny strength made not the slightest impression upon the car. It could not be moved a foot. The spinning wheels only drove deeper and deeper into the sand. ”

“ Deline to go swimming with us is beyond me!” Louise opined as she and Penny left the hotel, their bathing suits swinging over their arms. “It’s none too warm today. She dislikes us both intensely. Furthermore, she never swims.” ”

“ Louise, unhappy to have stirred up such a hornet’s nest, said hastily: “Maybe it wasn’t Mrs. Deline I saw. The car went by so fast.”
“Oh, I’m not worried. Dad can handle a bigger package of dynamite than Mrs. Deline. It just makes me irritated because he doesn’t get here.”
Tossing her head, Penny crossed to the loaded automobile where she switched on the radio. She tuned it carelessly. ”

“ The rule seemed a reasonable one, but after such a long hike, Penny was disappointed. Walking back to the main section of the beach, she looked about for her father. He had disappeared.
“I’ll bet a cookie he’s at the Crystal Inn!” she thought indignantly.
But Penny could not find her father there nor at any other place along the water front. After an hour’s search she decided that he must have returned to camp. Returning there, she approached the tent, noticing that the flap was closed, though not buttoned as she had left it.
“Dad must be here,” she thought. ”

“ Leaving the keys on the dresser, she leaped into bed again and settled herself for a comfortable sleep. Mrs. Deline presently turned out the light and took the other bed. For a time Penny was annoyed by voices from the hallway, then all became quiet. She slept.
Much later Penny awoke. She stirred and rolled over. The rain had ceased and moonlight was flooding into the room. A beam fell directly across Mrs. Deline’s bed, revealing a mass of crumpled sheets and covers. ”

“ Selecting a mound of sand several feet from Penny, she began to dig with a will. The mysterious package proved elusive. Scarcely had the girls started work than a few raindrops splattered down.
“Oh, it’s going to storm!” Louise exclaimed, turning startled eyes toward the dark sea.
[107]
The rain came down faster and faster. Faced with a choice of abandoning the search or being drenched, the girls decided to make a dash for the hotel.
As they darted up the steps at the Crystal Inn, they were surprised to see Mrs. Deline sitting on the veranda. A spyglass lay in her lap. ”

“ Penny cried, aghast. “Can’t he see that we’re stuck here with the tide rolling in?”
The girls shouted again and again. If the man heard, he gave no sign.
“I don’t believe he wanted to help us!” Penny declared furiously. “Probably he’s afraid he’ll over-strain himself pushing!”
Unwilling to give up without a last try, she sprang into the car and once more started the engine. It roared and labored but could not pull the vehicle. Sick with despair, Penny allowed the motor to idle. She slumped behind the steering wheel, only to straighten suddenly as she thought she heard her name called. ”

“ There ain’t no music to equal it.”
Again the beachcomber struck the stalagmites, listening raptly while the sounds died slowly away.
“Come on, Penny,” Louise urged, tugging at her hand. “Let’s get out of here. That old goof has lost his buttons.”
Decidedly crestfallen, Penny permitted herself to be pulled along the passage and up the steps. As the girls groped their way to the cave’s mouth, they still could hear the weird echoing tones.
“That was a good joke on you!” Louise teased. “You thought you were going to find a hidden radio station!”
“Well, we did find a cave,” Penny said defensively. ”

“ In the first place, didn’t she get Dad to bring her with us to Sunset Beach?”
“But what does that prove? She has no car of her own and the trains are so crowded.”
“I think she knew that Dad was coming here to try to dig up a story about the outlaw radio station,” Penny went on, unruffled. “She’s probably pumped him of information.”
“Your father knows how to look after himself.”
“That’s what he thinks!” Penny muttered. “I wouldn’t place any wagers on it myself. Why, he’s been as blind as a bat.”
“I’m afraid you see enough for two or three people,” Louise chuckled. ”

“ Though camping would be far more interesting with Louise to share her experiences, it also would give her father added opportunity to see Mrs. Deline.
“Maybe he didn’t think of that angle,” Penny reflected uneasily. “I’ll keep it to myself.”
The following day Mr. Parker spent the entire day in camp. With the gasoline stove in working order, hot meals were prepared though not without endless effort. There were dishes to wash, beds to make, and by the time the tasks were done, neither Penny nor her father had any energy left for hiking. ”

“ Returning to the hotel, the girls looked in vain for Mr. Parker. The publisher was not in his room nor anywhere in the lobby. Jerry apparently had not returned from Intercept Headquarters.
“There’s Mrs. Deline,” Louise whispered, jerking her head toward a high-backed chair not far from the elevator.
The widow was reading a newspaper. If she saw the girls she paid no attention to them.
“Let’s talk to her and see what we can learn,” Louise suggested.
Penny had another thought. “No,” she vetoed the suggestion. “Mrs. Deline would be more likely to learn things from us. That woman is clever.” ”

“ Deline came here,” Penny stammered.
“There’s been no one today except early this morning when a government inspector paid me a visit.”
Penny did not believe the man but she deemed it wise to appear to do so.
“I’m sorry,” she apologized. “I guess we have made nuisances of ourselves.”
“That’s all right,” the keeper said in a less unfriendly tone. “Kids are kids. Now that you’re here, look around a bit.”
“Oh, thank you,” Louise replied gratefully. “I’ve always wanted to see the inside of a lighthouse.” ”

“ Penny replied glaring at her own reflection in the car mirror. “At any rate, I saved the car for you.”
“That accusation was ridiculous, Penny. Mrs. Deline is a wealthy woman who could buy herself a dozen cars in ordinary times. She merely gave in to a sudden whim.”
“Just what do you know about Mrs. Deline, Dad?”
“Not a great deal,” Mr. Parker admitted. “I met her at the club. She served as a special War correspondent in China, I believe. She has traveled all over the world and speaks a half dozen languages.”
“I never heard of her until she came to Riverview,” Penny said with a sniff. ”

“ Deline,” she told Louise triumphantly as they dressed in adjoining booths. “Now what do you say?”
“That you’re a genius!” Louise praised. “Mrs. Deline certainly is mixed up in some shady business.”
Once dressed, the girls wrapped the jade elephant in a handkerchief and carried it to the hotel. Jerry was nowhere to be found, and a bellboy told Penny that her father had gone for a walk.
“Perhaps we can work the message out ourselves,” Penny suggested hopefully. “Let’s try.”
In their hotel room, the girls spent an hour attempting to decipher the strange jargon of letters appearing on the paper. ”

“ Penny apologized. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ll go to bed.”
Undressing quickly, she crawled beneath the covers. Mrs. Deline smoked still another cigarette and then began to prepare for bed. As she removed the jacket of her suit, Penny noticed that the woman wore a beautiful jade elephant pin.
“Why, what an attractive ornament!” she exclaimed. “Is it a locket or just a pin?”
“I bought it in China,” the widow answered without replying to the question.
“In China! Have you been there?”
“Of course!” Mrs. Deline gave Penny an amused glance. ”

“ The question placed Penny on the defensive. “You shouldn’t have taken the car without asking Dad,” she said stiffly. “We barely have enough gasoline to reach Sunset Beach.”
“Oh, I had no thought of going far. I’ll just drive a few miles and come back.”
“At this time of night? It must be nearly two o’clock.”
“I always enjoy night driving. Particularly if I am nervous and unable to sleep. Now run back to bed like a good child.”
Penny did not like the widow’s tone of voice. She liked it less that Mrs. Deline ignored her hint that the car was not to be used. ”

“ Jim McCoy stepped away from the door, and the girls hastened down the iron stairway. No one was in sight on the beach. Whoever had visited the lighthouse during the time they were imprisoned, had disappeared.
When they were well down the beach, Louise and Penny slackened their pace. Glancing back they saw that the keeper of the light still stood on the tiny iron balcony watching them.
“That man gives me the creeps,” Louise remarked. ”