"Why be in such a hurry?" Penny asked. "The race is a week away. In that time we may be able to find the trophy. After all, we have a good clue."
"What clue?" asked Jack.
Penny showed him the pin. As he gazed at the picture on the face of the badge, a strange expression came into his eyes.
"You know the man?" Penny asked instantly.
"He works at our factory. But that's not where I've seen him."
"At the Harpers?" Sally asked.
"Yes," Jack admitted unwillingly. "I don't know his name, but he is a friend of Ma Harper and her husband."
"And of that no-account Joe, the Sweeper?"
"I don't know about that." The questioning had made Jack uncomfortable.
"The man should be arrested!"
"We have no proof, Sally," Penny pointed out. "While we're satisfied in our own minds that the man who took the lantern is the person who lost the badge, we can't be certain."
"The badge may have been dropped by a passenger yesterday," Jack added. "Let me find out this fellow's name first, and a few facts about him."
"I don't believe your friends, the Harpers, will tell you much," Sally said stiffly. "They're the scum of the waterfront. How you can go there--"
Penny, who saw that another storm was brewing, quickly intervened, saying it was time she and Jack started for the island. Sally, taking the hint, allowed the subject to drop.
But as she went on deck to see the pair off in Jack's motorboat, she whispered to Penny:
"See me this afternoon, if you can. I have an idea I don't want Jack to know about. If we work together, we may be able to trace the trophy."
