CHAPTER 12 NIGHT PROWLER

When Penny, her father, and the Gandiss family returned late that afternoon to Shadow Island, a strange motorboat was tied up at the dock. On the veranda a man sat waiting. Although his face appeared familiar, Penny did not recognize him.

Her father, however, spoke his name instantly. “Heiney Growski! Anything to report?”

Penny remembered then that he was the detective who had been placed in charge of the junk shop near the Gandiss factory.

The man arose, laying aside a newspaper he had been reading to pass the time. “I’ve learned a little,” he replied to Mr. Parker’s question. “Shall we talk here?”

“Go ahead,” encouraged Mr. Gandiss carelessly. “This is my son, Jack, and our guest, Penny Parker. They know of the situation at the factory, and can be trusted not to talk.”

Though seemingly reluctant to make a report in the presence of the two youngsters, the detective nevertheless obeyed instructions.

“Since opening up the shop, I’ve been approached twice by a man from the factory,” he began.

“That sweeper, called Joe?” interposed Mr. Parker.

“Yes, the first time he merely came into the place, looked around a bit, and finally asked me what I paid for brass.”

“You didn’t appear too interested?” Mr. Parker inquired.

“No, I gave him a price just a little above the market.”

“How did it strike him?”

“He didn’t have much to say, but I could tell he was interested.”

“Did he offer you any brass?”

“No, he hinted he might be able to get me a considerable quantity of it later on.”

“Feeling you out.”

“Yes, I figure he’ll be back. That’s why I came here for instructions. If he shows up with the brass, shall I have him arrested?”

Mr. Parker waited for the factory owner to answer the question.

“Make a record of every transaction,” Mr. Gandiss said. “Encourage the man to talk, and he may reveal the names of others mixed up in the thefts. But make no arrests until we have more information.”

“Very good, sir,” the detective returned. “Unless the man is very crafty, I believe we may be able to trap him within a few weeks.”

After Heiney had gone, Jack and Penny went down to the dock together to retie the Spindrift. The wind had shifted, and with the water level rising, the boat was bumping against its mooring post.

“By the way, Jack,” said Penny as she unfastened one of the ropes to make it shorter, “I forgot to congratulate you upon winning the race this afternoon.”

“Skip it,” he replied grimly.

Penny glanced at him, wondering if her ears had deceived her.

“Why, I thought you were crazy-wild to win,” she commented.

“Not that way.” Jack kept his face averted as he tied a neat clove hitch. “I guess I made myself look like a heel, didn’t I?”

For the first time Penny really felt sorry for the boy. Resisting a temptation to rub salt in his wounds, she said kindly:

“Well, I suppose you felt justified in asking for the trophy.”

“I wish I hadn’t done that, Penny. It’s just that Sally gets me sometimes. She’s so blamed cocky!”

“And she feels the same way about you. On the whole, though, I wonder if Sally has had a square deal?”

Jack straightened, staring at the Spindrift which tugged impatiently at her shortened ropes. Waves were beginning to lap over the dock boards.

“You mean about the factory?” he asked in a subdued voice.

Penny nodded.

“I never did think Sally was a thief,” Jack said slowly. “Judging from Heiney Growski’s report, someone may have planted the brass in her locker. Probably that fellow Joe, the Sweeper.”

“Don’t you feel she should be cleared?”

“How can we do anything without proof? This fellow Joe isn’t convicted yet. Besides, he’s only one of a gang. Sally could be involved, though I doubt it.”

“You’re not really convinced then?” Penny gazed at him curiously.

“Yes, I am,” Jack answered after a slight hesitation. “Sally’s innocent. I know that.”

“Then why don’t we do something about it?”

“What? My father has employed the best detectives already.”

“At least you could tell Sally how you feel about it.”

Jack kicked at the dock post with the toe of his tennis shoe. “And have her tear into me like a wild cat?” he countered. “You don’t know Sally.”

“Are you so sure that you do?” Penny asked. Turning she walked swiftly away.

Jack came padding up the gravel path after her.

“Wait!” he commanded, grasping her by the arm. “So you think I’ve given Sally a raw deal?”

“I have no opinion in the matter,” Penny returned, deliberately aloof.

“If I could do anything to prove Sally innocent you know I’d jump at the chance,” Jack argued, trying to regain Penny’s good graces.

“You really mean that?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Then why don’t you try to get a little evidence against this man Joe, the Sweeper?” Penny proposed eagerly. “You visit the factory nearly every day. Keep your eyes and ears open and see what you can learn.”

“Everyone knows who I am,” Jack argued. “There wouldn’t be a chance—” Meeting Penny’s steady, appraising gaze, he broke off and finished: “Oh, okay, I’ll do what I can, but it’s useless.”

“Not if you have a plan.”

Jack stared at Penny with sudden suspicion. “Say, what are you leading up to anyhow?” he demanded. “Do you have one?”

“Not exactly. It just occurred to me that by watching at the gate of the factory when the employes leave, one might spot some of the men who are carrying off brass in their clothing.”

Jack gave an amused snort. “Oh, that’s been done. Company detectives made any number of checks.”

“That’s just the point,” Penny argued. “They were factory employes, probably known to some of the workers.”

“I’m even more widely recognized,” Jack said. “Besides, Clayton, our gateman, has instructions to be on the watch for anyone who might try to carry anything away. He’s reported several persons. When they were searched, nothing was found.”

“Your gateman is entirely trustworthy?”

“Why not? He’s an old employee.”

Penny said no more, though she was thinking of the conversation overheard while at the factory gatehouse. Even if Jack took no interest, she decided she would try to do what she could herself. But there really seemed no place to begin.

“If you get any good ideas, I’ll be glad to help,” Jack said as if reading her thoughts. “Just to barge ahead without any plan, doesn’t make sense to me.”

Penny knew that he was right. Much as she desired to help clear Sally, she had no definite scheme in mind.

As the pair turned to leave the docks, they heard a shout from across the water. The Cat’s Paw, with canvas spread wide, was sailing before the wind, directly toward the island. Sally, at the tiller, signaled that she wanted to talk to them.

The boat came in like a house afire, but though the landing was fast, it was skillful. Sally looped a rope around the dock post, but did not bother to tie up.

“Penny,” she said breathlessly. “I didn’t get half a chance to thank you this afternoon for helping me in the race.”

“I didn’t do anything,” Penny laughed. “I merely went along for the ride.”

“That may be your story, but everyone who saw the race knows better. What I really came here for is to ask you to spend the night with me aboard the River Queen. We’ll have a chance to get better acquainted.”

The invitation caught Penny by surprise. Sally mistook her hesitation for reluctance.

“Probably you don’t feel you want to leave here,” she said quickly. “It was just one of those sudden ideas of mine.”

“I want to come,” Penny answered eagerly. “If Mr. and Mrs. Gandiss wouldn’t mind. Wait and I’ll ask.”

Darting to the house, she talked over the matter with her father and then with her hostess. “By all means go,” the latter urged. “I imagine you will enjoy the experience. Jack can pick you up in the motorboat in the morning.”

Packing her pajamas and a few toilet articles into a tight roll, Penny ran back to the dock. Jack and Sally were arguing about details of the afternoon race, but they abandoned the battle as she hurried up.

“Jack, you’re to pick me up tomorrow morning,” she advised him as she climbed aboard the Cat’s Paw, “Don’t forget.”

The River Queen already had been anchored for the night in a quiet cove half a mile down river. With darkness approaching, lights were winking all along the shore. Across the river, the Gandiss factory was a blaze of white illumination. Farther downstream, the colored lights of an amusement park with a high roller coaster, cut a bright pattern in the sky.

Sally glanced for a moment toward the factory but made no mention of her unpleasant experience there. “Pop and I stay alone at night on the Queen,” she explained as they approached the ferry. “Our crew is made up of men who live in town, so usually they go home after the six o’clock run.”

Skillfully bringing the Cat’s Paw alongside the anchored Queen, she shouted for her father to help Penny up the ladder. Making the smaller craft secure for the night, she followed her to the deck.

“What’s cooking, Pop?” she asked, sniffing the air.

“Catfish,” the captain answered as he went aft. “Better get to the galley and tend to it, or we may not have any supper.”

The catfish, sizzling in butter, was on the verge of scorching. Sally jerked the pan from the stove, and then with Penny’s help, set a little built-in table which swung down from the cabin wall, and prepared the remainder of the meal.

Supper was not elaborate but Penny thought she had never tasted better food. The catfish was crisp and brown, and there were French fried potatoes and a salad to go with it. For dessert, Captain Barker brought a huge watermelon from the refrigerator, and they split it three ways.

“It’s fun living on a ferryboat!” Penny declared enthusiastically as she and Sally washed the dishes. “I can’t see why you ever would want to work in a factory when you can live such a carefree life here.”

The remark was carelessly made. Penny regretted it instantly for she saw the smile leave Sally’s face.

“I worked at the factory because I wanted to help make airplanes, and because Pop can’t afford to give me much money,” she explained quietly. “It was all a mistake. I realize that now.”

“I’m sorry,” Penny apologized, squeezing her hand. “I didn’t mean to be so stupid. As far as your discharge is concerned, you’ll be cleared.”

“How?”

“Mr. Gandiss has detectives working on the case.”

“Detectives!” Sally gave a snort of disgust. “Why, everyone in the plant knows who they are!”

After dishes were done, the girls went on deck. Protected from the night breezes by warm lap rugs, they sat listening to the lallup of the waves against the River Queen. Captain Barker’s pipe kept the mosquitoes away and he talked reminiscently of his days as a boy on the waterfront.

Presently, the blast of a motorboat engine cut the stillness of the night. Sally, straightening in her chair, listened intently.

“There goes Jack again!” she observed, glancing at her father. “To the Harpers’, no doubt.”

The light of the boat became visible and Sally followed it with her eyes as it slowly chugged upstream.

“I was right!” she exclaimed a moment later.

Penny’s curiosity was aroused, for she knew that Jack absented himself from home nearly every night, and that his actions were a cause of worry to his parents. “Who are the Harpers?” she inquired.

“Oh! they live across the river where you see those red and blue lights,” Sally said, pointing beyond the railing. “The house stands on stilts over the water, and is a meeting place for the scum of the city!”

“Sally!” her father reproved.

“Well, it’s the truth! Ma Harper and her no-account husband, Claude, run an outdoor dance pavilion, but their income is derived from other sources too. Black market sales, for instance.”

“Sally, your tongue is rattling like a chain!”

“Pop, you know very well the Harpers are trash.”

“Nevertheless, don’t make statements you can’t prove.”

Sally’s outspoken remarks worried Penny because of their bearing upon Mr. Gandiss’ son. “You don’t think Jack is mixed up with the Harpers in black market dealings?” she asked.

“Oh, no!” Sally got up from the deck chair. “He goes there to have a good time. And if you ask me, Jack ought to stop being a playboy grasshopper!”

Captain Barker knocked ashes from his pipe and put it deep in his jacket pocket. “The shoe pinches,” he told Penny with a wink. “Sally never learned to dance. I hear tell there’s a girl who goes to the Harper shindigs that’s an expert at jitter-bugging!”

“That has nothing to do with me!” Sally said furiously. “I’m going to bed!”

Captain Barker arose heavily from his chair. “How about the day’s passenger receipts?” he asked. “Locked in the cabin safe?”

“Yes, we took in more than two hundred dollars today.”

“That makes over five hundred in the safe,” the captain said, frowning. “You’ll have to take it to the bank first thing in the morning, I don’t like to have so much cash aboard.”

Going to the cabin they were to share, Sally and Penny undressed and tumbled into the double-deck beds. The gentle motion of the boat and the slap of waves on the Queen’s hull quickly lulled them to sleep.

How long Penny slumbered she did not know. But toward morning she awoke in darkness to find Sally shaking her arm.

“What is it?” Penny mumbled drowsily. “Time to get up?”

“Sh!” Sally warned. “Don’t make a sound!”

Penny sat up in the bunk. Her friend, she saw, had started to dress.

“I think someone is trying to get aboard!” Sally whispered. “Listen!”

Penny could hear no unusual sound, only the wash of the waves.

“I distinctly heard a boat grate against the Queen only a moment ago,” Sally pulled on her slacks and thrust her feet into soft-soled slippers which would make no sound. “I’m going on deck to investigate!”

Penny was out of bed in a flash. “Wait!” she commanded. “I’m going with you!”

Dressing with nervous haste, she tiptoed to the cabin door with Sally. Stealing through the dark corridors to the companionway, they could hear no unusual sound. But midway up the steps, Sally’s keen ears heard movement.

“Someone is in the lounge!” she whispered. “It may be Pop but I don’t think so! Come on, and we’ll see.”