"Jack, you're to pick me up tomorrow morning," she advised him as she climbed aboard the Cat's Paw, "Don't forget."
The River Queen already had been anchored for the night in a quiet cove half a mile down river. With darkness approaching, lights were winking all along the shore. Across the river, the Gandiss factory was a blaze of white illumination. Farther downstream, the colored lights of an amusement park with a high roller coaster, cut a bright pattern in the sky.
Sally glanced for a moment toward the factory but made no mention of her unpleasant experience there. "Pop and I stay alone at night on the Queen," she explained as they approached the ferry. "Our crew is made up of men who live in town, so usually they go home after the six o'clock run."
Skillfully bringing the Cat's Paw alongside the anchored Queen, she shouted for her father to help Penny up the ladder. Making the smaller craft secure for the night, she followed her to the deck.
"What's cooking, Pop?" she asked, sniffing the air.
"Catfish," the captain answered as he went aft. "Better get to the galley and tend to it, or we may not have any supper."
The catfish, sizzling in butter, was on the verge of scorching. Sally jerked the pan from the stove, and then with Penny's help, set a little built-in table which swung down from the cabin wall, and prepared the remainder of the meal.
Supper was not elaborate but Penny thought she had never tasted better food. The catfish was crisp and brown, and there were French fried potatoes and a salad to go with it. For dessert, Captain Barker brought a huge watermelon from the refrigerator, and they split it three ways.
"It's fun living on a ferryboat!" Penny declared enthusiastically as she and Sally washed the dishes. "I can't see why you ever would want to work in a factory when you can live such a carefree life here."
The remark was carelessly made. Penny regretted it instantly for she saw the smile leave Sally's face.
"I worked at the factory because I wanted to help make airplanes, and because Pop can't afford to give me much money," she explained quietly. "It was all a mistake. I realize that now."
"I'm sorry," Penny apologized, squeezing her hand. "I didn't mean to be so stupid. As far as your discharge is concerned, you'll be cleared."
"How?"
"Mr. Gandiss has detectives working on the case."
"Detectives!" Sally gave a snort of disgust. "Why, everyone in the plant knows who they are!"
After dishes were done, the girls went on deck. Protected from the night breezes by warm lap rugs, they sat listening to the lallup of the waves against the River Queen. Captain Barker's pipe kept the mosquitoes away and he talked reminiscently of his days as a boy on the waterfront.
Presently, the blast of a motorboat engine cut the stillness of the night. Sally, straightening in her chair, listened intently.
"There goes Jack again!" she observed, glancing at her father. "To the Harpers', no doubt."
The light of the boat became visible and Sally followed it with her eyes as it slowly chugged upstream.
"I was right!" she exclaimed a moment later.
Penny's curiosity was aroused, for she knew that Jack absented himself from home nearly every night, and that his actions were a cause of worry to his parents. "Who are the Harpers?" she inquired.
"Oh! they live across the river where you see those red and blue lights," Sally said, pointing beyond the railing. "The house stands on stilts over the water, and is a meeting place for the scum of the city!"
"Sally!" her father reproved.
"Well, it's the truth! Ma Harper and her no-account husband, Claude, run an outdoor dance pavilion, but their income is derived from other sources too. Black market sales, for instance."
"Sally, your tongue is rattling like a chain!"
"Pop, you know very well the Harpers are trash."
"Nevertheless, don't make statements you can't prove."
Sally's outspoken remarks worried Penny because of their bearing upon Mr. Gandiss' son. "You don't think Jack is mixed up with the Harpers in black market dealings?" she asked.
