Part 4

"Dad, isn't it true that the operator of that secret station is an enemy agent?" Penny asked curiously.

"It's a possibility."

"Why not tell me all about it?"

"Nothing to tell yet, Penny. Confidentially I'll admit I came here hoping to help State authorities find the station. So far I've accomplished nothing."

"What clues have you gained?"

"Now Penny, don't quiz me," Mr. Parker laughed. "I'll tell you everything as soon as I'm free to do so."

"In the meantime, maybe I'll find out for myself!" Penny hinted. Abruptly swinging open the car door, she bolted through the rain to the tent.

Breakfast the next morning was a more cheerful meal than had been expected. During the night the rain had ceased and a hot morning sun soon dried out the drenched canvas. Mr. Parker prepared coffee, eggs and bacon, an unbelievable example of perfect cooking.

"Dad, I didn't think you had it in you!" Penny praised as she sat down on a camp stool beside him. "Maybe you'll develop into a real camper after all."

"Not if I have anything to say about it." Grinning, Mr. Parker dropped two plump fried eggs on his daughter's plate and took the remaining four for himself. "This life could be worse though."

"Dad, what time shall we start for the airport?"

Mr. Parker poured himself a cup of coffee and then answered: "Afraid I won't be able to go with you, Penny."

"But Dad! Louise will be expecting you."

"It's not me she wants to see," Mr. Parker corrected. "I have an important engagement I can't break."

Penny glanced quickly up. She was tempted to ask her father if he intended to see Mrs. Deline. Recalling that she had made her father a promise, she wisely withheld comment. Instead she asked if she might use the car.

"By all means," he consented. "Just go easy on the gasoline."

Breakfast over, dishes were dispatched and the camp put in order. By eleven o'clock Penny and her father were in Sunset Beach.

"Drop me anywhere," Mr. Parker instructed vaguely.

Leaving her father on a street corner, Penny drove slowly toward the airport a mile and a quarter away. There was little travel on the winding highway which curled along the beach. A government jeep whizzed past and two soldiers shouted and waved. Penny waved back.

There was no need to hurry for Louise's plane was not yet due. Penny took her time and enjoyed the ocean scenery. The tide was coming in and gulls free-wheeled over the waves, dipping down at intervals in search of food.

Gazing along the deserted beach, Penny was startled to see a familiar feminine figure hastening toward the lighthouse on Crag Point. The woman wore a white scarf that half obscured her face, yet the girl easily recognized her.

"Mrs. Deline!" she thought, idling the car. "She's certainly going to the lighthouse! I wonder if that gruff old keeper will drive her away as he did me?"

Curious to learn what would happen, the girl drew up at the side of the road. Mrs. Deline was too far away to observe the automobile. Intent only upon her own affairs, she walked swiftly along the beach until she reached the base of the lighthouse.

"Now to see the fun!" chuckled Penny.

The keeper had appeared on the platform and was gazing down upon the visitor. He called something to the woman that Penny could not hear. But to her amazement, Mrs. Deline started up the iron stairway.

Penny waited expectantly. She was certain that the keeper of the light would order Mrs. Deline away. Instead, he greeted her with a hearty handshake as if they were old friends. They entered the lighthouse tower room together, and the heavy door closed behind them.

CHAPTER 9 _A SURPRISE FROM THE SKY_

"Well, if that isn't strange!" Penny muttered. "I wasn't permitted to set foot inside the lighthouse, but in goes Mrs. Deline without a single question asked!"

Her curiosity aroused, the girl decided to wait and watch. Twenty minutes elapsed. During that time Mrs. Deline did not reappear. Penny grew tired of her vigil.

"Mrs. Deline evidently intends to stay there a long while," she thought as she drove on. "For all I know, she and the lighthouse keeper may be old friends. They did greet each other as if they were acquainted."

At the airport Penny parked on the crowded lot. She dropped into the lunch room for a sandwich and then wandered out on the cement runway. The noon passenger plane presently was announced through the loudspeaker system. A moment later Penny glimpsed the big silver twin-motor transport gliding down over the tree tops. As it taxied up to unload passengers, she held her breath. Knowing that there had been several last-minute cancellation of tickets, she was afraid that Louise might not be aboard.

But as the door of the big transport swung back, her chum was the second passenger to alight. Fresh and trim in a yellow wool suit, she flung herself into Penny's arms.

"Have a nice trip, Lou?"

"Oh, heavenly! Only it didn't last long enough. We were here almost before I knew we'd started. I nearly lost my ticket to an Army Major too!"

"I was afraid you might not get here," Penny laughed, picking up Louise's light over-night case. "What happened to the Major?"

"Oh, at the last minute he changed his mind, so the company decided I could have my ticket back. And here I am! How's camping?"

"Not much fun so far," Penny confessed truthfully. "But I can feel things starting to pick up."

"We'll have a wonderful time together."

"You just bet we will!" Penny declared with emphasis. "Had anything to eat?"

"Oh, yes, lunch was served on the plane."

"Then we may as well start for camp. I have oodles to tell you, Lou."

Midway to the parking lot, Louise paused, calling attention to a Flying Fortress that was coming in against the wind.

"Let's watch it land," she pleaded. "Did you ever see such a beautiful ship?"

The huge Fortress came in fast for a perfect landing. Crew members began to tumble out through the door. One of the young men in captain's uniform evidently was a passenger for he carried a suitcase.

"Lou!" Penny grasped her chum's arm. "That flier looks like Jerry Livingston!"

"Oh, it couldn't be!"

"All the same, I think it is!"

Penny was so excited that she barely could control her voice. Jerry Livingston was one of her very best friends, a former reporter on the _Riverview Star_. In the days before he had joined the Army Air Force, she and Jerry had shared many an exciting adventure. However, since he had gone away there had been only a few letters and those brief communications had contained no real news.

"It _is_ Jerry!" Penny cried an instant later. "Oh, Lou, this must have been the surprise that Dad knew about! How could he keep it from me?"

Breaking away from her chum, Penny darted across the runway. As she called Jerry's name, the young man turned toward her. His handsome, wind-tanned face became a brilliant smile. A dozen long strides carried him to her side.

"Penny!" he cried. He didn't hesitate. He just swept her into his arms and kissed her.

"Sorry, Penny," Jerry apologized, his eyes twinkling. "Guess I shouldn't have done that. But when you've not seen your one and only girl for going on a year--"

"Your which?" Penny stammered, too confused to blush.

"You are my one and only, you know," Jerry grinned. "Always were for that matter. Even in the days when we tracked down news stories together."

Louise came hurrying up. Jerry turned to greet her and the conversation became less personal. But from the way Louise smiled, Penny knew she had seen the kiss and would demand lengthy explanations later on.

"Jerry!" she cried, noticing the decorations on his trim uniform. "They've given you the Distinguished Flying Cross! And the Purple Heart! You didn't write a word about that."

"Nothing to write."

Indignantly, the girls pried the story from Jerry. He had piloted a Flying Fortress in a highly successful raid over the Romanian oil fields. To reach its target, the Fortress had flown through flaming refineries, so low to the ground that fire actually had leaped up through the bomb bay of the plane. Swarms of enemy fighter ships had been fought off. Jerry's plane was one of the few to get back to its base safely.

"I was luckier than some of the other fellows," Jerry said modestly. "That was all. Now they've sent me home to rest up for a while."

"Oh, that's marvelous!" Penny said, guiding him toward the waiting car. "You can spend all of your spare time with us!"

Jerry grinned down at her. "I'd like nothing better. But I'm not exactly on furlough."

"I thought you just said--"

"I'm doing a special mission here at Sunset Beach for the Army."

"Anything you dare tell about?"

Jerry helped the girls into the car, stowed the suitcases away, and then slid in beside Penny.

"I can't tell you very much," he replied quietly. "But I can give you a general idea of why I'm here. There's a certain outlaw radio station that has been causing the government considerable annoyance. I've been sent here to try to trace its location."

"And that's why Dad's here too!" Penny cried. "So you two schemers intended to join forces all along! A pity no one could let me know!"

"I didn't want your father to tell you, because until the last minute I wasn't sure I was coming," Jerry explained. "The radio station assignment is only part of the reason why I'm here."

"What's the other?" Penny asked as she started the car.

"I'm on the lookout for an escaped German flier. The fellow escaped from a Canadian prison camp and was traced to this locality."

"And you're supposed to be taking a rest from flying!"

"This assignment will be a vacation."

"I'd call it anything but one," Penny said indignantly. Her face suddenly became grave. "Jerry!"

"Yes?"

"What does that escaped prisoner look like?"

"Oh, I can't describe him. I have a photograph in my brief case. Why do you ask?"

"Maybe I've seen him."

"Where?" Jerry could not hide a smile.

"Why at our camp in the woods!" Excitedly Penny told of the bearded stranger who had robbed the Parker stores of food and clothing. Her description of the man was so vague that Jerry could make little of it.

"I'm afraid your thief isn't the man we're after," he said kindly. "After I get to a hotel and open my luggage, I'll show you his picture."

"And will you let me help you trail him?"

"Oh, sure," Jerry answered, only half meaning it. "By the way, drive me to the Crystal Inn. I have a reservation there."

Penny's face fell.

"Anything wrong with the place?" Jerry inquired, observing her change of expression.

Penny shook her head. "The place is all right. It's the people who stay there. Jerry--"

"Yes?"

"Are you susceptible to brunettes?"

"Never noticed it."

"You'll likely meet a Mrs. 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?"

Jerry managed to keep his face straight. "I'll do my best," he promised.

Penny drew a deep sigh. "Oh, I'm so glad you're here," she murmured gratefully. "With you fighting on my side, the war's as good as won!"

CHAPTER 10 _HELP FROM MR. EMORY_

With Jerry at Sunset Beach, the vacation already promised to take on a rosy hue. Penny was so thrilled to be with her friends again that she paid scant heed to her driving. Several times, enroute to the Crystal Inn, Louise had to warn her to steer more carefully.

"Oh, Jerry, now that you're here the fun will start!" Penny declared happily. "You've no idea how dull things have been without you."

"And that goes double," Jerry said with emphasis. "How's your father?"

"Oh, fine!" Penny laughed. "Camping has made him cross though. By the way, did he know you were coming?"

"Yes, I sent him a wire."

"I thought so! Dad's been keeping it from me. Why all the secrecy, I wonder?"

"Well, my trip here isn't exactly a pleasure jaunt. And if I have luck, I'll be gone again in a few days."

"I certainly hope you have no luck then," Penny said with a laugh.

The car drew up at the Crystal Inn and Jerry unloaded his suitcase. He was taller, Penny thought, or at least more filled out. The trim uniform set off his broad shoulders. As he bent to pick up his luggage, a group of women on the hotel veranda turned to stare at him.

"I'll check in and clean up a bit," Jerry said. "Then where can I meet you girls?"

"Oh, we'll be somewhere on the beach," Penny replied carelessly. "Do hurry, Jerry. We have a million things to talk over."

The girls parked the car not far from the hotel. As they walked along, scuffing their shoes in the loose sand, they saw Mrs. Deline coming toward them from the direction of Crag Point.

"She's evidently been at the lighthouse all this time!" Penny commented in an undertone. "Now how did she get in there for a visit when I couldn't?"

Mrs. Deline saw that she would meet the girls. Frowning, she glanced quickly toward the boardwalk as if seeking an avenue of escape. However, she could not avoid meeting them without appearing to do so deliberately.

"How do you do," she greeted Penny coldly.

Penny paused to introduce Louise. Mrs. Deline acknowledged the girl with an indifferent nod. Somewhat confused, Louise nervously twisted a silver ring she wore. It slipped from her finger and fell into the loose sand.

"Oh, how awkward of me!" she exclaimed, and stooped to retrieve it.

The ring buried itself deeper in the sand.

"You'll lose it entirely if you're not careful!" Penny warned. "Here, let me help you."

Getting down on their knees, the girls sifted the sand with their hands. Mrs. Deline seemed amused by their difficulties and did not offer to help.

"Well, I must be getting on to the hotel," she said casually. "I took a long walk this afternoon and I'm tired."

"To the lighthouse?" Penny commented, before she stopped to think.

Mrs. Deline glanced at her sharply. "No, not to the lighthouse," she replied in a tone meant to put the girl in her place. "I shouldn't think of walking that far."

"But I thought I saw you there."

"You saw me?" Mrs. Deline laughed. "Well, my dear, you certainly were mistaken. I walked to the 12th Street bridge. No farther."

Penny started to reply, then thought better of it. There was no point in arguing with Mrs. Deline. However, she was certain she had seen the widow at the lighthouse. Why the woman should deny it she could not imagine.

After Mrs. Deline had gone, Penny and Louise searched in vain for the missing ring. They knew it could not be many inches away, yet it kept eluding them.

"Oh, I can't afford to lose the ring!" Louise wailed.

"How valuable is it?"

"It's not worth much from a money standpoint. I drew it as a prize in a piece of wedding cake and I've always kept it as a good luck piece."

"We'll find it," Penny said confidently. "That is, if the tide doesn't catch us first."

Just as she spoke, a wave came rippling up the beach. It broke only a few feet away, showering the girls with spray and wetting their shoes.

"If the tide flows over this spot, I never will find the ring," Louise cried in vexation. "Such wretched luck!"

"Having trouble?" inquired a deep masculine voice.

Penny and Louise raised their heads. Unnoticed by them, a stranger had approached. The man wore a wet bathing suit plastered with sand. He had on glasses and a moment elapsed before Penny recognized him as the same fisherman who had warned her about the tide at Crag Point.

"I'm George Emory," he introduced himself. "Have you lost something?"

"My ring," Louise explained.

The man helped the girls search for the missing trinket. By now waves were creeping higher and higher on the beach. A particularly big one sent Penny and Louise scurrying for safety.

"It's no use looking any longer for the ring," Louise gave up. "Perhaps I can find it after the tide turns."

"By then it will be washed away," replied Mr. Emory. "Ah! What's this?"

He stooped to pick a shiny object from the sand.

"It's my ring!" Louise cried in delight. "Oh, thank you for finding it!"

The three retreated to higher ground. As Penny and Louise were about to start for the hotel, Mr. Emory suggested that they might like to share a picnic lunch with him. Neither of the girls was hungry, but to offend the man after he had found Louise's ring was unthinkable. Accordingly, they accompanied him to one of the gaily painted wooden umbrellas along the beach. Beneath its shade Mr. Emory spread a paper tablecloth and produced ample supplies of sandwiches, fruit and lemonade.

"Were you expecting to eat all this food yourself?" Penny asked in amazement.

"No, I was hoping to find a companion who would share it," replied Mr. Emory. "The truth is, I'm a pretty lonely old fellow."

Penny and Louise stole a quick look at the stranger. By no stretch of the imagination could they call him old. Judging from appearances, he was not yet forty years old.

"My wife died a few years ago," Mr. Emory explained sadly. "Since then I've been like a ship without a rudder. I have plenty of money, but I don't get much enjoyment out of life. I go wherever it suits my fancy, stay until I weary of it, then move on."

"Oh, I see," Penny murmured with a show of sympathy.

She felt ashamed of herself that the story did not move her more deeply. Mr. Emory evidently was a lonely fellow, deserving of companionship. Yet for some reason, he failed to interest her.

"Have you been at Sunset Beach long?" she inquired politely.

"Oh, about a month. I know every nook and cranny along the shore."

"You do?" Penny asked, and her interest revived. "Are there many caves near Sunset Beach?"

"Plenty of them, though none very close. There are several near the lighthouse, back among the rocks. Crystal Cave probably is the most interesting. Then there are half a dozen scattered on up the shore. Interested in caves?"

"Oh, in a general way," Penny replied carelessly.

"Penny is interested in anything that suggests mystery," Louise volunteered with a grin.

"Mystery?"

"Lou's joking," Penny said quickly. She gave her chum a hard look which was not lost upon Mr. Emory.

"Why, Penny!" Louise refused to be silenced. "Only a few minutes ago you were telling me about a radio broadcast said to come from a cave!"

"That was just my idea," Penny said, confused. She jumped hastily to her feet. "We really should be going, Lou."

"Oh, don't hurry away." Mr. Emory offered Louise another sandwich. "Speaking of mysterious radio stations, I've heard of one that is said to be located in a cave somewhere along these shores. Fact is, I've searched for it."

"You have?" Penny asked, sinking back into the sand. "Any luck?"

"None. But I did manage to kill quite a few afternoons. I take it that your father came to Sunset Beach to help the authorities search for the station. Right?"

"Why, whatever made you think that?" Penny asked, instantly on guard. "Do you know my father?"

"I regret I haven't the honor. I chanced to overhear a conversation at the hotel."

"Oh," Penny murmured. She was certain that the information could have leaked out in only one way. Her father had told Mrs. Deline, who in turn had spread the news about the hotel.

"I trust I'm not inquiring into secrets," Mr. Emory went on cheerfully. "Fact of the matter is, I might be able to help your father."

"I'm sure Dad will want to talk with you."

"I'll look forward to meeting your father. Think you can arrange it?"

"Why, I suppose so," Penny said, though with no great enthusiasm. Again she experienced a queer, uneasy feeling. She did not entirely trust Mr. Emory.

The man smiled and seemed to relax. As the girls arose to leave he tried once more to detain them.

"See that old fellow down the beach?" he inquired, pointing to an aged man who was picking up objects from the sand with a sharp-pointed stick.

"Yes, what about him?" Penny asked, turning to stare. "Just an ordinary beachcomber, isn't he?"

"I'd not call Old Jake Skagway ordinary," Mr. Emory corrected. "If you're really interested in solving the radio station mystery, I'd advise you to keep watch of that rascal."

"But why him?" Penny asked.

"I can't explain," Mr. Emory said with finality. "It's just a tip. Take it or leave it."

Yawning, he stretched himself full length on the sand and turned his back to the girls.

CHAPTER 11 _A MAN OF MYSTERY_

The following day when Penny told her father of Mr. Emory's desire to meet him, Mr. Parker showed little interest.

"I've no time to waste getting acquainted with strangers," he said. "Why is the man so eager to know me?"

"He thinks he may be able to help you locate that hidden radio station."

Mr. Parker's annoyance visibly increased. "Penny," he said severely, "you've evidently been talking out of turn."

"I didn't mean to let him know why you're at Sunset Beach, Dad. It sort of slipped out."

Louise, who was washing the breakfast dishes, spoke quickly.

"It was my fault," she insisted. "Penny tried to stop me, but I gave the information before I thought."

"Well, it doesn't matter," Mr. Parker assured her kindly. "I came here mostly for a vacation. If I should be lucky enough to dig up a few facts about the radio station, well and good. If not, no harm will have been done."

"You sent for Jerry to help you?" Penny inquired curiously.

Mr. Parker shook his head. "No, I knew he was coming, but I didn't send for him. If I had, I'm afraid the Army wouldn't have been obliging enough to have filled my order."

Penny helped Louise put away the camp dishes and pick up loose papers. It was only eight-thirty but already most of the work had been done. With Louise to help, camping no longer was a burden. Even Mr. Parker seemed to have moments of enjoying the outdoor life.

"Anyone riding to Sunset Beach with me?" he inquired cheerfully. "I have a date with Jerry this morning."

Penny and Louise both wanted to go. They washed at the brook, changed into becoming "town" dresses, and soon were ready.

At the Crystal Inn, Jerry was not to be found. A clerk explained that the young man had left the hotel a half hour earlier but was expected to return soon.

"He probably went somewhere for breakfast or a walk," Mr. Parker remarked, sinking into a comfortable chair. "I'll wait for him."

Penny and Louise loitered in the lobby. Presently Mrs. Deline came from the dining room and Mr. Parker politely arose to greet her. The widow took a chair beside him and they began to chat in an animated way.

"Let's get away from here!" Penny muttered to Louise. "I don't like the scenery."

The girls went outside into the warm sunshine. Because the Parker automobile was at the curb they climbed into it and sat watching the sea.

"Why do you dislike Mrs. Deline so intensely?" Louise presently asked her chum.

"Because she's aiming to be my stepmother, that's why!"

"Oh, Penny!" Louise laughed outright. "I'm sure you have a mistaken idea about the entire situation. Your father isn't serious in liking her."

"Then he's certainly developed remarkable talents for acting," Penny retorted with a sniff. "I wish we'd never come to Sunset Beach."

"You'd be willing to forego the mystery?"

"Who cares about a radio station?" Penny asked crossly. "Dad won't tell me anything about the case, and probably Jerry won't either. It seems to be one of those affairs for the experts only."

"If I know you, Penny, you'll manage to get in on the affair," Louise said, her eyes twinkling.