Signal in the Dark

by Mildred A. Wirt

  CHAPTER 24 _A RAID ON THE_ SNARK

  "Oh, why didn't Mr. McClusky call the police instead?" Penny criedanxiously. "Ben may be in serious trouble!" Turning to her father sheadded: "Dad, we must go there right away!"

  "To the _Snark_?" Mr. Parker frowned and reached for the telephone. "Thematter is one for the police, Penny. I'll call the night inspector."

  Contacting the police station, the publisher explained why he believed itadvisable to search the _Snark_. He was assured that a squad would besent there at once to investigate.

  "We've had other complaints about that vessel," the inspector said. "Sofar we've not been able to find anything out of the way."

  Having notified the police, Mr. Parker felt that his duty was done, butnot Penny.

  "Dad, can't we go there too?" she pleaded. "Ben is in trouble and we maybe able to help him."

  "I don't see what we could do, Penny. Besides, you know how I feel aboutBen."

  "And you're dead wrong. You've done him a dreadful injustice. Tonight mayprove it."

  Mr. Parker wavered, then suddenly gave in. "All right, get your heavycoat," he instructed. "It will be cold along the waterfront."

  Penny raced for the warm garment and joined her father and Salt as theywere backing the press car out of the driveway.

  "The _Snark_ is tied up at Pier 23," Penny directed. "Straight down thisstreet and turn at Jackson."

  The car reached the docks, parking alongside a dark warehouse. There wasno sign of the police. A short distance away, the _Snark_ with only dimdeck lights showing, and no one in view, tugged at her heavy ropes.

  "We'll wait for the police," Mr. Parker decided.

  Within five minutes, two cars glided noiselessly up to the pier and adozen men in uniform leaped out. Captain Bricker, in charge of the squad,strode to the _Snark_ and called loudly: "Ahoy, there!"

  No one answered.

  "Ahoy, the _Snark_!" he shouted again.

  Still receiving no answer, he ordered his men aboard. Single file, theycrawled cautiously up a ladder to the dark deck.

  "Anyone aboard?" the captain called once more.

  Salt, Mr. Parker and Penny, eager for first hand information, followedthe policemen up the ladder.

  "My men will search the vessel," Captain Bricker told them, "but no oneappears to be aboard. Everything seems in order."

  Spreading out over the ship, the policemen returned one by one to reportthey could find nothing amiss. Not even a watchman was aboard.

  "This seems to be a wild-goose chase, Captain," Mr. Parker apologized."Sorry to have bothered you. We considered our information reliable."

  The policemen began to leave. Penny, lingering on deck until the last,was being helped onto the ladder by Captain Bricker, when they both hearda sound below decks.

  "What was that?" the officer muttered, listening alertly.

  "It sounded like someone thumping on a wall," Penny cried. "There it isagain!"

  The noise was not repeated a third time, but Captain Bricker had heardenough to make him believe that someone remained below. Drawing hisrevolver, and warning Penny to keep back, he started down the darkcompanionway.

  At a safe distance, Penny trailed him. His bright flashlight beam cutpaths of light over the walls as he tried the doors.

  "Anyone here?" he shouted.

  A thumping noise came from a room on the right. Guided by the sound,Captain Bricker tried the door. It was locked.

  A powerfully built man, the officer hurled his weight against the door,and the lock gave way. Keeping back, lest he become a target for abullet, he kicked the door open. The room was empty! But, the flashlightbeam caught the outline of a trapdoor in the floor. The officer flung itopen. Below, in the hold, lay a man gagged and bound hand and foot.

  Following the police officer into the room, Penny uttered a little cry asshe recognized Ben Bartell. Blinking owlishly in the light which had beenfocused upon him, he was a deplorable sight. His face was bruised, hishair matted with blood, and one eye was swollen almost shut.

  "Oh, Ben! What have they done to you?" Penny gasped in horror.

  Captain Bricker cut the young man free, and pulled the gag from hismouth. He helped Ben into a chair and then went to another cabin forwater.

  "Who did this to you?" Penny asked, rubbing the reporter's hands torestore circulation.

  He seemed too exhausted to reply so she did not urge him to speak. Thecaptain brought water which Ben drank thirstily.

  "He's evidently been tied up several hours," the officer commented.

  "Since last night," Ben whispered, moistening his cracked lips.

  "How did you get aboard?"

  "I sneaked on when no one was looking--wanted to see what I could learn."

  "Who were the men that tied you up?"

  "Don't know. But before they caught me, I heard plenty. The men on thisboat are mixed up in the dynamiting of the Conway Steel Plant."

  Penny nodded, for this information correlated with what she already hadlearned.

  "Was Webb Nelson involved in the plot?" she asked eagerly.

  "He set off the dynamite according to what I overheard last night," Benrevealed. "But he got into a fight with the gang over his pay for thejob. He tried to shake them down for a big sum, threatening to spilleverything to the police if they didn't cough up. It ended up in a fight,and Webb was pushed overboard."

  "Then we pulled him out of the river," Penny supplied. "But he refused totell us a thing."

  "He knew better than to spill the story because he would have implicatedhimself. And the gang aboard this boat had no fear either, because theyfigured he was only pulling a bluff."

  "But who was behind the plot?" Penny asked, puzzled. "What did the menhope to gain by dynamiting the plant?"

  "They did it on orders from a man higher up--a man who personally hatesthe owner of the Conway Steel Plant."

  "Then it was a grudge matter?" Captain Bricker inquired dubiously.

  "Not entirely," Ben returned. "Labor troubles are mixed up in it. Thisman, who represents a minor faction, has been trying to gain control overthe employes without much success. By planning a series of accidentssimilar to the dynamiting, he thought he might bring the managementaround to his way of thinking."

  "Who is the leader?" Penny demanded impatiently.

  Ben hesitated. "I hate to say," he confessed, "because I'm not absolutelycertain. In the conversation I overheard before I was caught, he wasn'tmentioned by name. But by putting two and two together, I have a fairlygood idea."

  "Guessing won't do in this business," said Captain Bricker.

  "I know that," admitted Ben. "But here is one bit of fact I gained. Thebig boss was at the factory on the night of the explosion. In fact, hewas nearly caught, and a photographer snapped a picture of him as hefled."

  "You're sure of that?" Penny demanded excitedly.

  "Yes, I heard the men talking about it. The boss has been worried forfear that picture will show up and convict him."

  "Now I'm beginning to understand," Penny murmured. "It explains why the_Star_ photography room was broken into several times. Someone was afterthose plates which weren't there!"

  "What became of the pictures?" Captain Bricker asked. "They'll provevaluable evidence."

  "Why, Salt Sommers has the camera and plates in the press car. Of course,we don't know what the plates will show until they're developed."

  "We must have them at once," the captain said. He turned again to Ben."Now did you know any of the men who attacked you?"

  "Not a one. But I can give you a fairly good description of most of them.They're waterfront riff-raff."

  "In that case some of them may have their pictures in our files," thecaptain said. "I'll issue orders to round up all loiterers in thisneighborhood. You should be able to identify most of them in a policeline-up."

  "I'm sure I can."

  "Now about the higher-up,
who engineered the scheme. You said you had anidea who he is."

  "That's right," agreed Ben. "The men spoke of him as a publisher. I don'tlike to accuse him outright, because I'll be suspected of trying to geteven with a man I hate."

  Light came swiftly to Penny. Into her mind leaped many facts hithertopuzzling, but which now seemed suddenly clear. The open skylight--thebuilding adjoining the _Star_--Webb Nelson's call upon the editor of the_Mirror_.

  "Ben, you don't need to accuse anyone!" she cried. "I'll do it myself.The man is Jason Cordell, and I think we can prove it too!"

  CHAPTER 25 _PICTURE PROOF_

  "Yes, Jason Cordell is the man responsible," Ben agreed soberly. "I can'tprove it, but in my own mind I'm sure."

  "You used to work for him, didn't you?" the police captain inquired, theinflection of his voice implying that he thought the former reportermight be prejudiced.

  "I was fired," Ben admitted readily. "Cordell let me go and blacklistedme everywhere to prevent me from exposing him. He wanted to discredit me,so that anything I might say would carry no weight."

  "Why were you really discharged, Ben?" Penny asked. "What did you learnabout Mr. Cordell?"

  "That he had pulled off no end of crooked deals and that he was mixed upwith this outlaw labor group. Over a period of three or four years,Cordell has made a mint of money, and not from his paper either!"

  "We'll question Cordell tonight," Captain Bricker promised. "The tricknow is to get you to the station for first aid treatment. Then we'll wantyou to look through the police morgue and identify the pictures of asmany of the _Snark's_ crew as you can."

  The officer turned to Penny. "As for those undeveloped plates, can youget them right away?"

  "I think so," Penny returned. While Captain Bricker helped Ben up thecompanionway, she ran ahead to find her father and Salt and tell them ofthe latest developments.

  The two were waiting in the press car. But when Mr. Parker learned howsignificant the pictures of the Conway Plant explosion might prove to be,he surprised Penny by declining to turn them over immediately to thepolice.

  "We may want those plates for the _Star_," he declared. "If the policeonce get their hands on them, it might be a job to get them back again intime to be of any use to us."

  "But Jason Cordell's arrest may depend upon them," Penny protested.

  "We'll have the plates developed, and let police see them," Mr. Parkerdecided. "But the plates must remain in our hands. Come on, let's go!"

  At a nod from the publisher, Salt started the press car, and withoutbeing instructed, headed for the _Star_ building.

  "How long will it take you to develop those plates?" Mr. Parker asked thephotographer.

  "Ten minutes."

  "Good!" approved the publisher. "If they reveal anything, we'll telephonethe police station at once."

  As the car coasted to a standstill alongside the _Star_ building, Penny'sgaze roved to the darkened offices next door. All of the floors save onewere without light. But in the suite occupied by the _Mirror_, a manplainly could be seen moving to and fro.

  "There is Jason Cordell now!" she drew attention to him. "Why do yousuppose he's at his office so late tonight?"

  "There's no crime in that," replied Mr. Parker. "He may be guilty as Bensays, but I'll not believe it until I have the proof."

  Letting themselves into the newspaper building, the three went up theback stairs to the photography studio. Salt immediately set aboutdeveloping the plates.

  "Something is coming up all right!" he declared jubilantly, as he rockedthe developer tray back and forth.

  In a few minutes, Salt had washed the plates and was able to examine thembeneath the red light. One was blurred and revealed little. But the otherplainly showed a man fleeing toward a waiting car.

  "Why, the man is Webb Nelson!" Penny exclaimed, recognizing him.

  "But notice the driver of the car," Salt said. "It's Jason Cordell! Benwas right."

  "Then the man is guilty!" Penny cried. "Oh, Dad, I was certain of it!"

  Mr. Parker scanned the plate carefully to ascertain there was no possiblemistake.

  "Yes, it's Jason Cordell," he agreed. "The truth is hard to believe. Why,I lunched with him only yesterday--"

  "Dad, he's a criminal no matter how respectable he has acted."

  "You're right," acknowledged Mr. Parker. "I'll notify the police at onceand have him picked up for questioning."

  Transmitting the important information to police headquarters, Mr. Parkertalked with Captain Bricker who promised to take personal charge of thematter. As the publisher hung up the receiver, he was startled to havePenny grasp his arm. Excitedly, she pointed out the window.

  "Now what?" he asked, failing to understand.

  "The light just went off in Mr. Cordell's office! He's leaving!"

  "Then we'll stop him," her father decided. "Salt, you stay here and rushthat plate through! I'll detain Cordell by one means or another until thepolice arrive!"

  With Penny close beside him, he ran down the back stairs to the street.Breathlessly they arrived at the next building. The elevator was notrunning, but they could hear someone coming down the stairway. Then JasonCordell, a brief case tucked under his arm, came into view. He stoppedshort upon seeing Mr. Parker and his daughter.

  "Working late?" Mr. Parker inquired pleasantly.

  "That's right," agreed the other. He would have walked on, but thepublisher barred the exit.

  "By the way, I met a friend of yours tonight," Mr. Parker said, stallingfor time.

  "That so? Who was he?"

  "Webb Nelson."

  Mr. Cordell's face did not change expression, but his eyes narrowedguardedly.

  "Not a friend of mine," he corrected carelessly.

  "But I've seen him in your office," Penny said.

  Mr. Cordell looked her straight in the eyes and smiled as if inamusement. "That may be," he admitted, "but all who come to my office arenot my friends."

  He tried to pass again, but Mr. Parker stood his ground. "Say, what isthis?" Mr. Cordell demanded, suddenly suspicious.

  "I'm afraid I'll have to ask you a few questions about your friend WebbNelson. Suppose we go back to your office."

  "Suppose we don't," Cordell retorted. "I'm tired and I'm going home. Ifyou want to see me, come around tomorrow during business hours."

  "Which may be too late."

  "I don't know what you're talking about," the _Mirror_ editor blustered."Furthermore, I'm not interested. Get out of my way."

  Instead, Mr. Parker grasped him firmly by the arm. Cordell tried to jerkfree, and in so doing, dropped his brief case, which Penny promptlyseized.

  "Give that to me!" the man shouted furiously.

  Penny smiled, for through the plate glass window she had observed theapproach of a police car. Another moment and uniformed men were swarmingabout Mr. Cordell.

  "What is the meaning of this?" the man demanded angrily. "I'll report youall to the Safety Director who is my friend!"

  "You'll report to him all right," agreed Captain Bricker. "Now come alongquietly. If you can answer a few questions satisfactorily, you'll beallowed to return home."

  "What do you want to know?" Cordell asked sullenly.

  "Where were you on the night of the 16th?"

  "Now how should I know?" the man retorted sarcastically. "I can'tremember that far back. But probably I was home in bed."

  "You're wanted in connection with the Conway dynamiting," the officerinformed him.

  Mr. Cordell snorted with anger. "Of all the ridiculous charges! I knownothing about the affair."

  Out of the door burst Salt Sommers. He was without a hat, but he carrieda picture, still wet, in the palm of his hand.

  "So you know nothing about the dynamiting," he mimicked. "Well,gentlemen, take a look at this!"

  Mr. Cordell and the policemen gathered about him, studying thephotograph. Plainly it s
howed Webb Nelson fleeing toward a car driven bythe _Mirror_ editor.

  "What does this prove?" the man blustered. "I admit the car is mine. Iwas driving past the plant at the time of the explosion. This fellow,Nelson, leaped into my auto and ordered me to drive on."

  "A moment ago you claimed you weren't even near the Conway Plant," Pennytripped him. "You knew Webb Nelson very well. Furthermore, you enteredthe _Star_ offices several times trying to get your hands on thispicture!"

  "Ridiculous!"

  "At least once when you found the stairway door locked, you went inthrough the skylight," Penny accused.

  "Of all the crazy ideas!" The editor laughed jeeringly. "Imagine mecrawling through a skylight!"

  "I notice your coat has a torn place," Penny said, taking a scrap of bluewool from her purse. "This, I believe, is a perfect match."

  Mr. Cordell gazed at the wool and shrugged. "All right," he admittedcoolly. "I did crawl through the skylight twice to see if I could findthe picture. I knew this fool photographer had snapped a picture of me,and I feared I might be falsely accused."

  "Then you knew Nelson was mixed up in the dynamiting?" Captain Brickerquestioned.

  "I wasn't certain," Mr. Cordell said in confusion. "The reason I didn'treport to the police was that I was afraid of being involved. After thatnight, Webb Nelson tried to blackmail me. Because of my position, I daredhave no publicity."

  The _Mirror_ editor's explanation carried a certain amount of conviction,and Penny was dismayed to hear Captain Bricker assure him that if amistake had been made he would be granted freedom immediately after hehad talked to the police chief.

  "I shall accompany you without protest," the _Mirror_ editor returnedstiffly. "Later I shall file charges against those who have tried todamage my character."

  Captain Bricker asked Salt for the picture which he intended to take topolice headquarters.

  "May I see it a moment?" Penny requested.

  He gave the picture to her. She studied it and her face brightened."Captain Bricker, look at this!" she exclaimed, pointing to an object inthe car which barely was noticeable.

  Everyone gathered about Penny, peering at the photograph. On the rearseat of the car driven by Mr. Cordell was a box which plainly bore theprinting: "Salvage Company--Explosives."

  "Ed McClusky who works for the Salvage Company, told me that dynamite hadbeen stolen from his firm," Penny declared. "And here it is in Mr.Cordell's automobile! Apparently, he wasn't just driving by the plant atthe time of the explosion! This picture proves why he was there!"

  "Right you are, young lady," chuckled Captain Bricker. "You've pinned thegoods on him for fair." Prodding the _Mirror_ editor with his stick, heordered curtly: "Get along, you! This puts a different face on it. You'llbe spending the rest of the night in the Safety building."

  After Mr. Cordell, still protesting his innocence, had been taken away,Penny, her father, and Salt returned to the deserted newspaper building.

  "Will Cordell manage to get free?" she asked anxiously.

  "Not a chance of it," Mr. Parker answered. "That picture tags him right.With Ed McClusky and Ben to testify against him, he's the same asconvicted now."

  "Speaking of Ben, what's to be done about him, Dad?"

  "We'll give him a job here. He's had unfair treatment, but we'll make itup to him. However, we'll have to let one employee go."

  "Not me?" Penny asked anxiously.

  "No," her father laughed. "It's your friend, Elda Hunt. Her attitudeisn't right. We've tried to give her a chance, but over and over she hasdemonstrated that she isn't cut out to be a newspaper woman."

  "She'll probably blame me for her discharge," Penny sighed. "Not that itmatters. I ceased worrying about Elda a long while ago."

  "She'll have no difficulty getting work elsewhere, and I hope she'll bebetter adjusted."

  "How about the story of Mr. Cordell's arrest? And the picture?" Pennyinquired. "Will the _Star_ print them tomorrow?"

  "On the front page of our first edition," Mr. Parker chuckled. "Saltdidn't turn over the plate to the police, so we're all set. By morning,the story should be bigger and better than ever. By then, the guilt willbe well pinned on Cordell, and some of the _Snark_ gang may have beenrounded up."

  Curious to learn the very latest details, Salt called the police station.He was told that Ben Bartell had identified several of the _Snark's_ crewfrom police pictures, and it was expected all would be arrested withintwenty-four hours.

  "Not a bad night's work," Mr. Parker chuckled, as he snapped off thephotography room lights. "Everything locked?"

  "How about the skylight?" asked Penny.

  "Open again," reported Salt as he checked it. "It's just no use trying toget folks to cooperate around here. Too many fresh air fiends."

  "Let it stay unlocked," Mr. Parker directed carelessly. "With our prowlersafely behind bars, we've no further cause for worry." He looked at hiswatch. "Now, even though it is late, suppose we go and celebrate?"

  "Oh, fine!" cried Penny. "And why not stop at the Safety building and askBen Bartell to go with us? I want to tell him about his new job."

  "So do I," agreed her father heartily. "Where shall we go?"

  Penny linked arms with Salt and her father, skipping as she piloted themdown the dark hall.

  "Just a quiet place where they serve big juicy steaks," she decided. "IfI know Ben, that's what he would like best of all."

  Transcriber's Notes

  --Replaced the list of books in the series by the complete list, as in the final book, "The Cry at Midnight".

  --Silently corrected a handful of palpable typos.