The Penny Parker Megapack: 15 Complete Novels

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The Penny Parker Megapack: 15 Complete Novels Page 155

by Mildred Benson


  Curiously, she scanned the message. It was written on cheap tablet paper and had been signed with Ben Bartell’s name.

  “See me if you can,” was all it said. “I have a little information about the Snark.”

  Tucking the note into her pocketbook, Penny began to plan how she could visit Ben that day. She would not be off until five o’clock, and she had promised to meet Salt at six-thirty. If she were to get any dinner and see Ben at the waterfront, it would mean fast stepping.

  Only by an effort of will could Penny keep her mind on the work before her. There were rewrites to do, and an interesting feature. At four-thirty with two stories yet to be done, she became panicky that she could not finish on time. But by really digging in, she completed the stories exactly on the dot of five, and with a tired sigh of relief, dropped them into Editor DeWitt’s wire copy basket.

  “You’re just like a trained race horse, Penny,” he said jokingly. “But your work is okay. You’re improving.”

  Penny brightened at the praise, for Editor DeWitt was not given to complimentary words as a rule. Hurriedly washing carbon paper stains from her hands, she caught a bus which took her within a block of Ben’s shack.

  Smoke curled from the chimney, and as she thumped on the sagging door, she detected the odor of cooking bacon.

  “Come in, come in!” Ben greeted her heartily. “You’re just in time to share my supper. You got my note?”

  “Yes, I did, Ben. What’s up?”

  Without answering, the former reporter stepped aside for her to enter. The room was much cleaner than when Penny last had visited it. Ben looked better too. Although his clothes remained unpressed, his hair had been cut, and there was a brightness to his eyes which she instantly noted.

  “You’ve found work?” she surmised.

  “Odd jobs,” Ben answered briefly. “After talking to you I made up my mind I’d better snap out of it. If I can’t find newspaper work, I’ll try something else.”

  “I was thinking—” Penny sat down in a rickety chair, “—couldn’t you do free lance work? Write stories for newspapers out of town?”

  “Without a typewriter? I put mine in hock months ago, and it finally was sold for charges.”

  “I have a typewriter at home, Ben. I’ll lend it to you.”

  Ben’s face brightened, but he hesitated. “I’ve sure been lost without a machine,” he declared. “But I hate to take yours. You know what happened to my watch. This shack isn’t safe. Anyone might come in here and steal it.”

  “It’s only an old typewriter, Ben. I’m willing to take a chance. I’ll see that you get the machine within a day or so.”

  The former reporter stepped to the stove to turn the bacon. He kept his face averted as he said:“Penny, you’ve been a real friend—the only one. That day when you met me—well, I didn’t give a darn. I was only one step from walking off a dock.”

  “Don’t say such things, Ben!” Penny warned. “You’ve had a run of hard luck, but it’s changing now. Suppose you tell me what you learned about the Snark.”

  “Nothing too startling, so don’t get your hopes up,”Ben grinned.

  He set out two cracked plates on the battered table, two cups for coffee, and then dished up the bacon and a few fried potatoes. It was a meagre supper, but not for the world would Penny have offended Ben by refusing to share it.

  “Now tell me about the Snark,” she urged again, as Ben poured the coffee.

  “I’ve been watching the boat at night, Penny. Queer things go on there.”

  “We suspected that after seeing Webb pitched overboard.”

  “I’ve seen a lot of men come and go from that vessel,”Ben resumed. “It’s a cinch they couldn’t all be employed on her, because the Snark has been out of service for months.”

  “What do you make of it?”

  “Oh, the Snark is being used as a meeting place—that’s obvious. Just for the fun of it, I sneaked aboard last night.”

  “What did you learn, Ben?”

  “The men were having a confab in one of the cabins. I couldn’t hear much, but enough to gather that they are afraid Webb will talk to the police.”

  “About what, Ben?”

  “Didn’t learn that part. I aim to keep tab on the place for a while.”

  Penny told of seeing Webb that afternoon and also of his association with Professor Bettenridge.

  “A secret ray machine, my eye!” Ben exploded. “You may be sure it’s a fake if Webb has anything to do with it! Penny, this is no business for you to be mixed up in. Webb is a dock rat and as surly an egg as I ever met. You ought to give him a wide berth.”

  “I’ll certainly be careful,” Penny promised, arising. “Sorry to leave you with the dishes, Ben, but I must run or I’ll be late for another appointment.”

  She really hated to go, for she saw that her companionship had made the young man more cheerful. Ben walked with her through the waterfront district, and then reluctantly said goodbye.

  Hastening along the shadowy street, Penny noticed the large electric sign on top of the Gables Hotel.

  Impulsively, she stopped at the hotel.

  “That Navy official Professor Bettenridge spoke of may have arrived,” she thought. “Just to make certain, I’ll inquire again.”

  CHAPTER 15

  THE DEMONSTRATION

  Penny was due to meet Salt Sommers in ten minutes, but if she were late, she knew he would not leave without her.

  Entering the crowded hotel, she waited her turn at the desk and then inquired if any Navy officers had registered.

  “Not to my knowledge,” the clerk replied, consulting the register. “No, we’ve not had a Navy man in for at least a week.”

  “Any Army officers?”

  “The last was a sergeant who checked out two weeks ago. Most of our guests rent on a monthly basis. We have only a few rooms for transient guests.”

  “Can you tell me if a Professor Bettenridge has called here in the last few days?”

  “Not while I’ve been at the desk.”

  The information convinced Penny she had not misjudged the professor. She now was satisfied he never had arranged with Navy officers to inspect his ray machine. Instead, he had misinformed Mr. Johnson, no doubt hoping to impress him that others were interested in the invention.

  Quickly leaving the hotel, Penny hastened on to the news office. As she passed near the loading platform, Salt hailed her from a car parked there.

  “Here I am,” he called.

  Penny slid into the front seat beside him, apologizing for being late.

  “That’s okay,” returned Salt, shifting into gear. “But we haven’t much time unless we hurry. You know the way, don’t you?”

  “I do by daylight. And I think I can find the farmhouse, even if it should get dark before we reach there.”

  Salt was a fast and very skillful driver. He chose the less frequented streets and soon they were in the open. They made excellent time, reaching their destination just as it began to grow dark.

  “How shall we explain to the professor?” Penny inquired dubiously as the photographer parked the car under an oak tree along the highway. “He may think it strange that I returned.”

  “Let him,” said Salt, unconcerned. “I’m here to get my camera.”

  “Don’t go at him too hard,” Penny pleaded. “After all, there is a chance I was mistaken about the license number. In my excitement the night of the explosion, I may have remembered a wrong figure.”

  “That’s so,” Salt acknowledged gloomily. “Well, we’ll see.”

  “Why not pretend we’re here to get a feature story for the Star?” Penny suggested impulsively. “That way, I could ask him all the questions I like about the secret ray machine.”

  “Any way you want to do it,” Salt agreed amiably.

  He locked the car and they walked to the farmhouse. Learning that the professor and his wife were at the lake, they trudged down the lane.

  “Wait!” Penn
y suddenly warned in a whisper.

  Clutching Salt’s arm, she drew him into the shadow of a tree. At first he could not understand the need for caution. Then as Penny pointed, he saw a hunched figure with a lighted lantern, walking along the lake shore away from the cabin where Professor Bettenridge’s ray machine was kept.

  “There goes Webb now!” Penny whispered. “He’s evidently going to the shack where the mines are stored.”

  “What’s he carrying?” Salt inquired.

  Although too far away to see plainly, they thought that he had a small satchel tucked under his arm. As he drew closer they discerned that it was leather, and apparently used as a container for a long cylinder-shaped object.

  Passing a short distance away, the man did not see Salt or Penny. They watched until they saw the red glow of his lantern vanish over a hillock.

  “That’s the foot-path to the shack where the mines are stored,” Penny commented. “I wonder what’s inside the satchel?”

  “Shall we try to find out?”

  “Let’s talk to Professor Bettenridge first,” Penny proposed, going down the lane.

  The door of the cabin stood slightly ajar. Inside the lighted room were the professor, his wife, Mr. Johnson, and several other persons Penny had never seen before. However, she took them to be town residents who had heard of the test and were eager to see it.

  “Well, professor,” they heard Mr. Johnson say jovially. “We’re all here, so why not go ahead? Show us what the machine will do.”

  “All in good time, all in good time,” the professor rejoined. “You must give my assistant an opportunity to drop the mine into the lake. He will signal us by lantern when he is ready.”

  Penny tapped on the door. The professor whirled around, decidedly startled. Then, observing Salt and Penny, he abruptly came over to speak to them.

  “Well?” he asked in a tone which was not friendly.

  “We came to see the demonstration,” Penny said brightly.

  “Glad to have you,” the professor replied, though without cordiality.

  “We want to write a feature story about your machine too,” Penny continued. “For the newspaper.”

  The request displeased the professor. Scowling, he said curtly:

  “I am sorry, but there must be no publicity at this time—orders of the Navy, you know.”

  “The Navy is interested in buying your machine?”Penny asked, hoping to lead him on.

  “The deal is concluded except for my signature,” the professor said, darting a quick glance at Mr. Johnson. “I should have signed at once, but I promised Mr. Johnson first chance to buy the machine.”

  “I suppose the Navy men are in town now?” Penny inquired.

  “In Riverview.”

  “At the Gables Hotel?” Penny pursued the subject.

  The professor looked at her sharply, for the first time suspecting that she was inducing him to reveal far too much.

  Without answering, he turned his back, and began to talk to Mr. Johnson about technical details of the machine.

  “I am convinced it is a wonderful invention,” the latter declared. “But before I invest $200,000, I must be absolutely certain that it will do everything you claim.”

  “You shall not be disappointed,” reassured the professor. “Only be patient for a few minutes, and you will witness a demonstration that will convince you beyond a shadow of a doubt.”

  Ignored by the professor and his wife, Penny and Salt did not enter the cabin. Instead, they walked a short distance away to discuss their next move.

  “The demonstration won’t start for a few minutes,” the photographer said. “Suppose we ankle down to the lake and find out what Webb is doing.”

  Proceeding down the path which led around the lake shore, they soon sighted the man’s glowing lantern. He had set it down on the ground while he trundled out one of the heavy mines from the shack. As they watched from a distance, he loaded it into a boat, picked up the lantern, and slowly rowed out into the lake.

  “Apparently he’s going to drop it overboard for the test,” Salt said. “While he’s out there, let’s take a look in the shack.”

  He tried the door. It was locked.

  “I don’t know how it’s done, but I’m sure those mines are doctored in some way,” Penny declared. “Louise and I saw Webb working on one when we were here yesterday, but what he did I couldn’t guess.”

  “We’ll learn nothing here,” Salt said. “Let’s go back to the cabin and see how the professor pulls off the demonstration. Apparently he has Mr. Johnson two-thirds convinced already.”

  “Whatever you do, don’t get into an argument with the professor about your camera until after the test,” Penny pleaded as they started up the slope again. “I want to watch the demonstration. If you accuse him of deliberately keeping the camera, he may throw us out.”

  “Okay, I’ll wait,” Salt promised.

  Reaching the cabin, the pair became instantly aware of a tenseness in the attitude of the professor and his wife. Although they did not tell the newcomers they were unwelcome, it was evident by their expressions that they distrusted Penny and Salt.

  Professor Bettenridge stood behind his machine, explaining its many parts to the awed spectators. Penny could make nothing of the technical jargon.

  “The demonstration will soon start,” the professor declared, looking at his watch. “I will turn on the motors now, as they must heat for several minutes.”

  He turned several switches and the room was filled with a low humming sound. Two tiny lights buried deep in the complicated mechanism began to glow a cherry red. The professor bent low over the machine, frowning thoughtfully. He adjusted three of the concave mirrors, and switched on another motor.

  Despite a dubious attitude, Penny found herself becoming deeply impressed. Was it possible, she wondered, that she had misjudged the professor and his machine? She dismissed the thought. The mine never would explode unless it had been tampered with—she was certain of that.

  “Watch closely now,” the professor directed. “At any moment my assistant will signal with his lantern that he has dropped the mine and is safely away from the area.”

  The professor’s wife had gone to the doorway. Tensely she watched the lake. Minutes passed. Then from out on the water, there came a moving circle of red—the signal from Webb.

  “Now!” exclaimed the professor’s wife.

  Everyone in the little cabin held his breath. Dramatically, Professor Bettenridge took a metal tuning fork and struck it sharply against the crystal ball in the center of his machine.

  “It will take a moment for the sound to reach the lake,” he said softly. “But only a moment. Watch closely.”

  All persons in the room crowded to the door and the windows. Suddenly a huge burst of flame appeared on the lake, fanning out on the surface of the water. A moment later came the dull boom of a terrific explosion.

  CHAPTER 16

  SUSPICION

  Everyone who witnessed the spectacular demonstration was awed by the sight of the flames rising above the lake. As they died away, Professor Bettenridge, strutting a bit, walked back to his machine and covered it with the canvas hood.

  “Now are you satisfied?” he inquired triumphantly. “Is there anyone here who doubts the remarkable possibilities of my invention?”

  “It was a fine demonstration! Magnificent!” approved Mr. Johnson, fairly beside himself with excitement. “I am convinced of the machine’s worth and if we can agree upon terms I will write you a check tonight.”

  Professor Bettenridge’s expression did not change, but the brief glance he flashed his wife was not lost upon Penny or Salt.

  “You understand, of course,” he said smoothly,“that the Navy probably will insist upon ultimate purchase of the machine even if I relinquish ownership?”

  “Certainly,” agreed Mr. Johnson. “I should expect to make such a sale. The machine would have no practical use except in warfare.”

  P
enny was tempted to ask the man if he considered it patriotic to try to obtain control of a machine in the hope of selling it to the government at a high profit to himself. But she wisely remained silent.

  Salt, however, had a few pointed remarks to offer.

  “How come,” he observed, “that if this invention is so remarkable, the Navy hasn’t already snapped it up?”

  Professor Bettenridge froze him with a glance. “Young man,” he said cuttingly, “you evidently do not understand how government business is conducted. Negotiations take months to complete. My wife and I need cash, so for that reason, we are willing to sell the machine quickly.”

  “Yesterday I understood you to say that Navy men were ready to complete the deal,” Penny interposed innocently. “Did they change their minds?”

  “Certainly not!” Professor Bettenridge’s dark eyes flashed, and only by great effort did he maintain control of his temper. “You understand that while their recommendation would eventually be acted upon, a sale still would take many months to complete.”

  “Will your machine explode mines on land as well as in the water?” Salt inquired.

  “Of course!”

  “Then why not give us a land demonstration?”

  “Us!” the professor mocked, his patience at an end. “Young man, you were not invited here, and I might add that your presence irritates me! Are you in any way associated with Mr. Johnson?”

  “I am not.”

  “Then kindly do not inject yourself into our negotiations.”

  “The young man raises an interesting point,” Mr. Johnson interposed, frowning thoughtfully. “Perhaps we should have a land demonstration before I pay over the money.”

  “So you doubt my honesty?” the professor demanded.

  “Not at all. It’s only that I must be very careful before I purchase such an expensive machine. I must satisfy myself that it will do everything you claim for it.”

  “You have just witnessed a successful demonstration. What more do you ask?”

  “A successful water test,” Salt remarked softly,“does not necessarily mean a successful land test.”

  “I think we should have a land test,” Mr. Johnson decided. “If you convince me that the machine will work equally well under such circumstances, I will write the check instantly.”

 

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