CHAPTER 22 UNFINISHED BUSINESS

The cardboard box contained in addition to the pencil bombs a shiny knife and several grooved, pear-shaped objects.

“What are those?” Louise asked curiously. “They look like hand grenades.”

“That’s what they are,” said Jerry, lifting one from the box. “It’s a mighty useful weapon for close fighting. A strong man can throw a grenade twenty-five to thirty-five yards and it does damage over a large area.”

Penny gingerly inspected one of the grenades.

“It won’t bite you,” Jerry laughed. “Nor will it explode in your hand. When you’re ready to throw a grenade you hold it with the lever under your fingers. Just before you toss it, pull the pin.”

“Isn’t it apt to explode while you’re holding it?” Penny asked dubiously.

“Not while the lever is held. When the grenade leaves the hand, the lever flies off. Then the fuse ignites and in about seven seconds you have your explosion.”

“Nice little gadgets,” Penny said. She replaced the grenade in its box and ran a finger over the sharp edge of the steel-bladed knife.

“Mrs. Deline evidently planted these weapons here for someone else to use,” Jerry remarked. “We’ll put them back just as they were.”

“Put them back!” Penny echoed. “Why, Jerry, wouldn’t that be playing right into their hands? Shouldn’t we destroy these things?”

“No, it’s much wiser to have the place watched.”

Light dawned upon Penny. “Oh, I see!” she exclaimed. “In that way you hope to learn Mrs. Deline’s accomplices!”

“Exactly.”

Jerry replaced everything in the box which he carefully buried in the sand. Then he obliterated all freshly made footmarks.

“It may be necessary to watch this place for days,” he said thoughtfully.

“And what of Mrs. Deline?” Penny asked. “Will she be allowed complete freedom?”

“That’s for my superiors to decide. It seems to me, though, that more is to be gained by allowing her to remain at liberty than by arresting her.”

“I’m all for jail myself,” said Penny.

“Just be patient,” Jerry smiled. “And whatever you do, don’t drop a hint to Mrs. Deline of what we suspect.”

“She knows I dislike her.”

“That’s all right, but don’t let her guess that you consider her guilty of anything more serious than making a play for your father.”

“What about Dad? Shouldn’t I warn him?”

“Let me take care of that part,” Jerry smiled.

“All right,” Penny agreed reluctantly. “Just be sure that you don’t muff it. Remember, you’re playing with my future!”

Jerry finished smoothing out the footprints in the sand and then escorted the girls to the hotel.

“I must report to Headquarters without delay,” he said, pausing at the hotel entrance. “Don’t worry about the package. We’ll have the place watched every minute.”

After Jerry had gone, Penny and Louise entered the hotel.

“Is my father here yet?” Penny asked the desk clerk.

“No, Miss. And there’s a message for him. As soon as he comes in he’s to call Major Gregg.”

Penny repeated the name thoughtfully. “That’s a new one on me,” she remarked. “Dad seems to have friends I know nothing about.”

“Oh, the Major comes to the hotel frequently,” the clerk returned, smiling. “He and your father are well acquainted.”

As the girls crossed the lobby to a drinking fountain, Louise said teasingly:

“I’m afraid you’ve lost track of your father lately, Penny. You’ve been so upset about Mrs. Deline that you’ve scarcely noticed anything or anyone else.”

“Dad’s been holding out on me, that’s evident. Wonder what he’s to call Major Gregg about?”

“Why not wait up and see?”

“Not a bad idea,” Penny approved instantly. “He and Mrs. Deline should be getting in anytime now.”

“I’m not waiting up,” announced Louise with a sleepy yawn. “In fact, I’m on my way to bed this minute.”

To prove her words she started for the elevator. Penny debated whether or not to follow and finally decided to remain in the lobby.

An hour elapsed. Penny was half asleep by the time Mrs. Deline and Mr. Parker entered the hotel together. They were chatting animatedly and would not have seen her had she not scrambled from the wing chair.

Seeing Penny, Mrs. Deline quickly bade Mr. Parker good night and vanished into an elevator.

“You shouldn’t have waited up,” Mr. Parker chided his daughter. “Why, it’s nearly midnight.”

“There’s an important message for you, Dad. You’re to call Major Gregg.”

Mr. Parker looked disconcerted. “How long ago did that call come, Penny?”

“About an hour ago. Or that’s when I learned of it.”

Mr. Parker went quickly to a telephone booth and was gone for some time. When he returned his face was animated.

“Good news?” Penny asked eagerly.

“Not exactly,” Mr. Parker replied, sliding into a chair beside her and dropping his voice. “A message from Interceptor Headquarters. Monitoring machines have traced the outlaw radio station again. The broadcast finished about an hour ago.”

“And where was the station located this time, Dad?”

“Seemingly at or near the lighthouse.”

“The lighthouse!” Penny exclaimed. She was so startled that her voice rose to a high pitch, attracting the attention of a passing bellboy.

“Not so loud, Penny,” her father warned. “The strange thing was that the broadcast seemed to come from a cave, the same as before, although the monitoring machines charted it as being close to the lighthouse.”

“The only one I know about near the Point is Crystal Cave,” Penny said thoughtfully. “Dad, maybe the broadcast did come from the lighthouse!”

“That’s government property. Penny, and the man in charge is beyond suspicion. Furthermore, the deep, echo effect couldn’t come from anywhere except a cave.”

“Unless it were a sound effect, Dad.”

“What’s that?” Mr. Parker asked, startled. “I don’t get you, Penny.”

“I mean, maybe the cave set-up is just a sound effect and nothing more. Only the other night I heard one in a radio play and it sounded as if the actors really were in a cave. Isn’t it done by an echo chamber or something of the sort?”

“That would be possible,” Mr. Parker agreed. “At Interceptor Headquarters it was assumed that a mistake had been made in charting the location of the station.”

“Then the lighthouse hasn’t been investigated?”

“Not to my knowledge.”

“Well, it should be!” Penny exclaimed. “Louise and I were there today and we saw—”

“Yes?” Mr. Parker questioned as she suddenly broke off.

“We saw a lot that didn’t look right,” Penny finished, deciding not to bring Mrs. Deline’s name into the discussion. “Mr. McCoy had visitors and while they were there he kept us locked up.”

“My word! Why didn’t you report to the police?”

“Well, we weren’t entirely sure,” Penny said lamely. “The door just closed and locked, and Mr. McCoy let on that it had a trick latch. Then he released us, but not until after the visitors had gone.”

“Did you see the persons?”

“No, we only heard their voices. We weren’t able to overhear any of the conversation.”

Without explaining what he intended to do, Mr. Parker again closed himself into a telephone booth. Not until he returned did he tell Penny that he had called Interceptor Headquarters and that Army men had been sent to the lighthouse to make a thorough check-up.

“Now it’s late,” he said briskly, “and you’re overdue for bed, Penny. Better fly up.”

“Aren’t you coming?”

“Not just now. I have a little unfinished business.”

Penny hesitated, unwilling to go to bed when she sensed adventure in the offing. As she groped in her mind for an excuse to remain, the doors at the front entrance to the hotel began to spin. Jerry came hurrying into the lobby. Seeing Penny and her father he made a straight line for them.

“The code’s been broken!” he announced, addressing Penny.

“What did they learn, Jerry?” she asked eagerly.

“It’s just as you thought, Penny.” Jerry dropped his bombshell. “Mrs. Deline definitely is an Enemy Agent. Apparently she was sent to Sunset Beach to aid that escaped prisoner I told you about!”