CHAPTER 5 OVER THE AIR

The ranger’s order so discouraged Penny and her father that they lost all zest for supper. Too weary for conversation, they tore up the beds, repacked the dishes, and pulled the tent stakes.

“I’ve not worked so hard in years,” Mr. Parker sighed. “What a mistake to call this a vacation!”

“Perhaps it won’t be so hard once we get settled,” Penny said hopefully. “After all, we’ve had more than our share of bad luck.”

Bad luck, however, continued to follow the campers. In the gathering darkness, Penny and her father had trouble finding the specified camp ground. It was impossible to drive a car into the cleared space, so they were forced to carry all of the heavy luggage and equipment from the automobile to the camp site.

By that time it was quite dark. Mr. Parker misplaced one of the tent stakes and could not find it without a lengthy search. As he finally drove it in, he hammered his thumb instead of the metal pin.

“Drat it all! I’ve had enough of this!” he muttered irritably. “Penny, why not give it up—”

“Oh, no, Dad!” Penny cut in quickly. “Once we get the tent up again, we’ll be all right. Here, I’ll hold the flashlight so you can see better.”

Finally the tent was successfully staked down, though Mr. Parker temporarily abandoned the idea of putting up the front porch. Penny set up the cots again and made the beds.

“Hope you packed plenty of woolen blankets,” Mr. Parker commented, shivering. “It will be cold tonight.”

Penny admitted that she had brought only two thin ones for each bed. “I didn’t suppose it could get so cold on a summer night,” she confessed ruefully.

Worn by his strenuous labors, Mr. Parker climbed into the closed car to smoke a cigar. Penny, finding the dark tent lonesome, soon joined him there. She switched on the car radio, tuning in an orchestra. Presently it went off the air so she dialed another station. A strange jargon of words which could not be understood, accosted her ears.

“Hold that, Penny!” exclaimed Mr. Parker.

“What station can it be?” Penny speculated, peering at the luminous dial. “It sounds like a short wave broadcast. Must be a station off its wave band.”

She and her father listened intently to the speaker who had a resonant, baritone voice. Not a word of the broadcast could they understand. Obviously a message was being sent in code.

“Dad, that sounds like the same station I heard yesterday!” Penny broke in. “Where can it be located?”

“I’d like to know myself.”

Penny glanced quickly at her father. His remark, she thought, had definite significance. Before she could question him, the strange jargon ceased. The deep baritone voice concluded in plain, slightly accented English: “This is the Voice from the Cave, signing off until tomorrow night. Stand by, Comrades!”

“That was no regular station,” Penny declared, puzzled. “But what was it?”

Mr. Parker reached over to turn off the panel switch. “It was an outlaw station,” he said quietly. “The authorities have been after it for weeks.”

“How did you learn about it?”

“Through various channels. Most outlaw radio stations can be traced quite easily by the use of modern radio-detecting devices. The enemy agent who operates this station is a particularly elusive fellow. Just when the police are sure they have him, he moves to another locality.”

Penny was silent a moment and then she said:

“You seem to know quite a bit about this mysterious Voice, Dad.”

“Naturally I’ve been interested in the case. If the police catch the fellow it will make a good story for the Star.”

“Where is the station thought to be located, Dad?”

“Oh, it moves nightly. The fellow obviously has a portable broadcasting outfit.”

“But isn’t the general locality known?”

Mr. Parker smiled as he knocked ashes from his cigar.

“Authorities seem to think that it may be somewhere near here. Sunset Beach has countless caves, you know.”

“Really?” The information excited Penny. “You never told me that before, Dad. And I suspect that you’re keeping a lot of other secrets from me too!”

“Sunset Beach’s caves are no secret. They’re part of the tourist attraction.”

“All the same you never mentioned them, Dad. I thought it was odd that you chose this place for a vacation. Now I’m beginning to catch on.”

Mr. Parker pretended not to understand.

“Isn’t it true that you came here to do a bit of investigation work?” Penny pursued the subject relentlessly.

“Now don’t try to pin me down,” Mr. Parker laughed. “Suppose we just say we came here for a vacation.”

Penny eyed her father quizzically. From the way he sidestepped her questions she was certain that he had more than a casual interest in the outlaw radio station.

“Dad, will you let me help you?” she pleaded eagerly.

“Help me?” Mr. Parker joked. “Why, you seem to think that I’m a Government investigator in disguise!”

“You don’t deny that you came here largely because of your interest in that station?”

“Well, I may be a tiny bit interested. But don’t jump to conclusions, young lady! It doesn’t necessarily follow that I have set out to track down any enemy agent single handed.” Mr. Parker brought the discussion to an end by opening the car door. “I’m dead tired, Penny. If you’ll excuse me, I’ll turn in.”

After her father had gone to the tent, Penny remained for a while in the car. Soberly she stared at the stars and thought over what she had learned.

“I don’t care what Dad says,” she reflected, “he came here to find that radio station! But maybe, just maybe, I’ll beat him to it!”