The Penny Parker Megapack: 15 Complete Novels

by Mildred Benson

  “You have a fine son,” Mr. Parker said warmly. “He’ll outgrow all these ideas.”

  “I hope so,” sighed Mr. Gandiss. “I certainly do.”His expression conveyed the impression that he was not too confident.

  The Gandiss home, surrounded by shrubs, was large and pretentious. At the front there was a long, narrow terrace which caught the breeze and commanded a view of the river for half a mile in either direction. There were tennis courts at the rear, and a garden.

  “I’m glad you folks will be here for the annual sailboat race,” Mr. Gandiss remarked, pausing to indicate the twinkling shore lights across the water. “If it were daytime, you could see the entire course from here. Jack is to race a new boat built especially for him.”

  “Sally Barker is his chief competitor?” inquired Penny.

  “Yes, in skill they are about equally matched, I should say. They take their feud very seriously.”

  In the open doorway stood Mrs. Gandiss, a silver-haired woman not yet in her fifties. Cordially, she bade the newcomers welcome.

  “What a dreadful time you must have had out on the river!” she said sympathetically. “The storm came up so quickly. My husband would have met you himself, but he was delayed at the factory.”

  A servant was sent for the luggage, and Effie, a maid, conducted Penny to her room. The chamber was luxuriously furnished with a green tiled bath adjoining. Pulling a silken cord to open the Venetian blinds, Penny saw that the window overlooked the river. She breathed deeply of the damp, rain-freshened air.

  “Where do the Barkers live?” she asked Effie who was laying out embroidered towels.

  “Wherever it suits their fancy to drop anchor, Miss. Since I came here to work, the only home they ever have had was aboard their ferryboat.”

  The luggage soon was brought up, and Effie unpacked, carefully hanging up each garment. Penny inquired if she would have time for a hot bath.

  “Oh, yes, Miss. The Gandiss’ never dine until eight. I will draw your tub. Pine scent or violet?”

  Penny swallowed hard and nearly lost her composure. “Make it pine,” she managed, “and omit the needles!”

  Exposure to rain and cold had stiffened her muscles and made her feel thoroughly miserable. However, after fifteen minutes in a steaming bath, she felt as fresh as ever. Her golden hair curled in ringlets tight to her head, and when she came from the bathroom, she found a blue dinner dress neatly pressed and laid on the bed.

  “Two weeks of this life and I won’t even be able to brush my own teeth,” she thought. “No wonder Jack is such a spoiled darling.”

  Penny wondered what Mrs. Maud Weems would say if she were there. The Parkers lived nearly a hundred miles away in a city called Riverview, and Mrs. Weems, the housekeeper, had looked after Penny since the death of her mother many years before.

  Mr. Parker, known throughout the state, published a daily newspaper, the Star, and his daughter frequently helped him by writing news or offering unrequested advice.

  In truth, neither she nor her father had been eager to spend a vacation with members of the Gandiss family, feeling that they were practically strangers. Jack, Penny feared, might prove a particular trial.

  In the living room, a cheerful fire had been started in the grate. Mr. and Mrs. Gandiss were chatting with Mr. Parker, trying their best to make him feel at home.

  An awkward break in the conversation was covered by announcement that dinner was served. Jack’s chair at the end of the table remained conspicuously empty.

  “Where is the boy?” Mr. Gandiss asked his wife in a disapproving tone.

  “I’m sure I don’t know,” she sighed. “The last I saw him, he was down at the dock.”

  A servant was sent to find Jack. After a long absence, he returned to say that the boy was nowhere on the island, and that the motorboat was missing.

  “He’s off somewhere again, and without permission,”Mr. Gandiss said irritably. “Probably to the Harpers’. You see what I mean, Mr. Parker? A growing boy is a fearful problem.”

  Penny and her father avoided a discussion of such a personal subject. An excellent dinner of six courses was served in perfect style, but while the food was well cooked, no one really enjoyed the meal.

  Coffee in tiny China cups was offered in Mr. Gandiss’ study. His wife excused herself to go to the kitchen for a moment and the two men were left alone with Penny.

  Unexpectedly, Mr. Gandiss said:

  “Anthony, I suppose you wonder why I really invited you here.”

  “I am curious,” Mr. Parker admitted, lighting a cigar. “Does your son Jack have anything to do with it?”

  “I need advice in dealing with the boy,” Mr. Gandiss acknowledged. “It occurred to me that association with a sensible girl like your daughter might help to straighten him out.”

  “I wouldn’t count on that,” Penny interposed hastily. “As Dad can tell you, I have a lot of most unsensible ideas of my own.”

  “Jack is a problem,” Mr. Gandiss resumed, “but I have even more serious ones. How are you two at solving a mystery?”

  Mr. Parker winked at his daughter and paid her tribute. “Penny has built up quite a reputation for herself as an amateur Sherlock Holmes. Running down gangsters is her specialty.”

  “Dad, you egg!” Penny said indignantly.

  Both men laughed. But Mr. Gandiss immediately became serious again.

  “My problem is difficult,” he declared, “and I believe you may be able to help me, because I’ve heard a great deal about the manner in which you have solved other mysteries.”

  “Only in the interests of gaining good stories for our newspaper, The Star,” Mr. Parker supplied.

  “This probably would not net a story for your paper,” the island owner said. “In fact, we are particularly anxious to keep the facts from getting into print. The truth is, strange things have occurred at my airplane factory in Osage—”

  Mr. Gandiss did not finish, for at that moment someone rapped loudly on an outside screen door.

  CHAPTER 4

  THROUGH THE WINDOW

  “Now who can that be?” Mr. Gandiss remarked, startled by the knock on the door. “I heard no motorboat approach the island.”

  He waited, and a moment later a servant entered to say that two detectives, Jason Fellows and Stanley Williams, had arrived from the factory and wished to report to him.

  Penny and her father politely arose to withdraw, but Mr. Gandiss waved them back into chairs.

  “No, don’t go,” he said. “I want you to meet these men.”

  The two detectives, who had reached the island in a rented motorboat, appeared in the doorway. Mr. Gandiss introduced them to Penny and her father, and then inquired what had brought them to the house at so late an hour.

  “It’s the same old story only more of it,” Detective Williams said tersely. “Another large supply of brass disappeared from the factory yesterday.”

  “Any clues?”

  “Not a one. Obviously the brass is being stolen by employes, but so far the guilty persons have eluded all our traps.”

  “Have you calculated how much I am losing a year?” Mr. Gandiss asked bitterly.

  “At the present resale value of brass and copper, not less than $60,000 a year,” Mr. Fellows reported. “However, the thieves are becoming bolder day by day, so your loss may run much higher.”

  “See here,” Mr. Gandiss said, showing irritation. “I’m paying you fellows a salary to catch those thieves, and I expect action! You say you have no clues?”

  “Several employes are under suspicion,” Mr. Williams disclosed. “But we haven’t enough evidence to make any accusations or arrests.”

  “Then get some evidence!” Mr. Gandiss snapped. “This ring of petty thieves must be broken up! If you can’t produce results, I’ll turn the case over to another agency.”

  After the two detectives had gone, the island owner began to pace the floor nervously.

  “Now you know why I wanted you
to come here, Mr. Parker,” he said, slumping down into a chair again. “My plant, which is making war materials, is being systematically looted of valuable copper and brass. The pieces smuggled out are small in size, but they count up to a staggering total.”

  “Sabotage?” Mr. Parker inquired.

  “I doubt it,” the island owner replied, frowning. “While the thefts slow up our war work, the delay is not serious. Materials disappear from the stock rooms and from the floors where the girls work. I hold a theory that the metal is being taken by employes who resell it for personal gain.”

  “It looks like a simple case of theft,” Mr. Parker declared. “I should think your detectives would have no trouble running down the guilty persons.”

  “That’s what I thought at first,” Mr. Gandiss answered grimly. “It appeared as easy as A B C. But all ordinary methods of catching the thieves have failed. Obviously, the thefts are well organized by someone thoroughly familiar with the plant. It’s getting on my nerves.”

  “Have you called in the police?”

  “No, and I don’t intend to. The matter must be handled quietly. That’s why I need your advice.”

  “But I’m no detective,” Mr. Parker protested. “Why call on me?”

  “Because you and your daughter have solved some pretty tangled cases.”

  “Only for the newspaper,” Mr. Parker replied. “How many employes do you have at the plant?”

  “About 5000. And not a scrap of real evidence against any individual. There seems to be a perfect system in accounting for all the stock, yet somehow it gets away from the factory.”

  “Have you had employes searched as they leave the building?”

  “No, we haven’t dared resort to that,” Mr. Gandiss answered. “You can’t search such a large number of workers. If we tried it, half the force would quit.”

  “I’d be glad to help you, if I could,” Mr. Parker offered. “Unfortunately, I don’t see how I can if professional detectives have failed.”

  “Let me be the judge of that,” said the island owner quickly. “Will you and your daughter visit the factory with me in the morning?”

  “We’d welcome the opportunity.”

  “Then we’ll go into the records and all the details tomorrow,” Mr. Gandiss declared, well satisfied. “I know you’ll be able to help me.”

  Penny and her father were tired, and shortly after ten o’clock went to their rooms. Mr. Gandiss’ problem interested them, though they felt that he had greatly overrated their ability in believing they could contribute to a solution of the mystery.

  “I’m not certain I care to become involved,” Mr. Parker confessed to Penny, who in robe and slippers had tiptoed into his room to say goodnight.

  “But Dad, we can’t decently refuse,” Penny returned eagerly. “I think it would be fun to try to catch those thieves!”

  “Well, we’ll see,” yawned Mr. Parker. “Skip back to bed now.”

  Penny read a magazine for an hour, and then switched off the light on the night table. Snuggling down under the silk coverlet, she slept soundly.

  Sometime later, she found herself suddenly awake, though what had aroused her she could not guess. The room remained dark, but the first glimmer of dawn slanted through the Venetian blinds.

  Penny rolled over and settled down for another snooze. Then she heard a disturbing sound. The wooden blinds were rattling ever so slightly, yet there was no breeze. Next her startled gaze focused upon a hand which had been thrust through the window to stealthily push the blinds aside.

  A leg appeared over the sill, and a dark figure stepped boldly into the bedroom.

  Terrified, Penny sat up so quickly that the bed springs creaked a loud protest. Instantly the intruder turned his face toward her.

  “Keep quiet!” he hissed.

  With mingled relief and indignation, Penny recognized Jack. He tiptoed to the bed.

  “Now don’t let out a yip,” he cautioned. “I don’t want Mom or my father to hear.”

  “Well, of all the nerve!” Penny exclaimed indignantly. “Is this my room or is it your private runway?”

  “Don’t go off the deep end. All the doors are locked and the servants have orders not to let me in if I am late.”

  “It’s nearly morning,” said Penny, hiding a yawn. “Where in the world did you go?”

  “Town,” Jack answered briefly.

  Penny began to understand the cause of Mr. Gandiss’worry about his son.

  “Now don’t give me that ‘holier than Thou’ line,”Jack said, anticipating a lecture. “I’m not going to the dogs nearly as fast as the old man believes. He’s an old fossil.”

  “You shouldn’t speak of your father that way,”Penny replied. “After all, hasn’t he given you everything?”

  “He tries to keep me tied to his apron strings.” Jack sat down on the bed, stretching luxuriously. “Mom isn’t quite so unreasonable.”

  “Both of your parents seem like wonderful people to me.”

  “Maybe I know ’em better than you do,” Jack grinned. “Oh, they’re okay, in their way. Don’t get me wrong. But my father always is trying to shove me around. If it hadn’t been for your open window, I’d have had to sleep out in the cold.”

  “And it would have served you right too! You went off without saying a word to your parents, and worried them half to death. Now kindly remove your carcass from this bed!”

  “Oh, cut the lecture,” Jack pleaded, getting up and yawning again. “Gosh, I’m hungry. Let’s find something to eat in the kitchen.”

  “Let’s not,” retorted Penny, giving him a shove. “Clear out of here, or I’ll heave the lamp at you!”

  “Oh, all right, kitten,” he said soothingly. “I’m going. Remember your promise not to go wagging your tongue about what time I got in.”

  “I didn’t promise a thing!”

  “But you will,” chuckled Jack confidently. “See you in the morning.”

  He tiptoed from the room, and Penny heard him stirring about in the kitchen. The refrigerator door opened and closed several times. Then at last all became quiet again.

  “The conceited egg!” she thought irritably. “Now I’m so thoroughly awakened, I can’t possibly go back to sleep.”

  Tossing about for a few minutes, she finally arose and dressed. Deciding to take an early morning walk about the island, she moved noiselessly through the house to the kitchen.

  There she paused to note the wreckage Jack had left in his wake. The refrigerator door was wide open. As she closed it, she saw dishes of salad, chicken, pickles and tomatoes in a depleted state. Jack had topped off his feast with a quart of milk, and the bottle, together with, a pile of chicken bones, cluttered the sink.

  A step was heard in the dining room. Startled, Penny turned quickly around, but it was too late to retreat.

  The Gandiss’ cook stood in the kitchen doorway, eyeing her with obvious disapproval.

  CHAPTER 5

  UNWANTED ADVICE

  “Just having an early morning snack?” Mrs. Bevens, the cook, inquired.

  “Why, no,” stammered Penny. “That is—.” Confronted with the empty milk bottle, a chicken skeleton, and two empty food dishes, it seemed futile to deny such incriminating evidence. Though tempted to speak of Jack, she decided it would not be sporting of her.

  “Young people have such healthy appetites,” the cook sighed. “I had counted on that chicken for luncheon. But never mind. I can send to the mainland for something else.”

  Feeling like a criminal, Penny fled to her room.

  “I could tar and feather Jack!” she thought furiously. “If he ever gets up, I’ll make him explain to the cook.”

  The breakfast bell rang at eight o’clock. When Penny joined the group downstairs, she was surprised to see Jack in a fresh suit, looking little the worse for having been out all night.

  “What time did you get in, Jack?” his father inquired pointedly.

  “Well, now I just don’t remembe
r,” the boy answered, winking at Penny.

  “How did you get in, might be a better question. If I recollect correctly, all of the doors were locked last night at midnight.”

  Penny, decidedly uncomfortable, would have confessed her part, had not Jack sent her a warning glance. As everyone went in to breakfast, the matter was allowed to rest.

  Ravenously hungry, Penny ate two waffles and several pieces of bacon. Observing the butler’s amazed gaze upon her, she guessed that the cook had told him of the chicken episode.

  Breakfast over, she managed to get Jack into a corner.

  “Listen,” she said indignantly, “why don’t you tell your parents exactly what happened. Mrs. Bevens thinks I ate up all the chicken.”

  “Does she?” Jack chuckled. “That’s rich! Don’t you dare give me away!”

  “You give me a pain!” Penny retorted, losing all patience. “If I weren’t a guest in your house, I think I might slug you!”

  “Go ahead,” Jack invited, unruffled. “You’re a little spitfire just like Sally! Oh, by the way, how about a trial run in the Spindrift?”

  “Not the new sailboat?”

  Jack nodded, his face animated. “She was delivered yesterday and is smooth as silk. The mast may need to be stepped back a notch or so, but otherwise she’s perfect for the race. Want to sail with me?”

  “I’d love to,” Penny said, forgetting her resentment.

  Hand in hand they ran down the path to the docks. The Spindrift, built to Mr. Gandiss’ specifications, at a cost of nearly two thousand dollars, was a magnificent boat. Sixteen feet from bow to stern, its new coat of white was satin smooth, and its metalwork gleamed in the morning sun.

  “She’s fast,” Jack declared proudly. “Sally Barker hasn’t a chance to win that race!”

  “Will she have a new boat?”

  “No, the captain can’t afford it. She’ll have to sailCat’s Paw again.” In all honesty, Jack added: “It’s a good boat though. Captain Barker built it himself.”

  Together they put up the snowy white mainsail, and Jack shoved off from the dock. Heading upstream, the boy demonstrated how close to the wind the Spindrift would sail.

  “She’s good in a light breeze too,” he declared. “No matter what sort of weather we get for the race, I figure I’ll win.”