FIRE!
Sick at heart, the two girls realized with the Harper house aflame, their last chance of proving the guilt of the brass thieves might be gone. As they stood at the railing of the Queen, gloomily watching the spreading, creeping line of fire, a motorboat chugged up.
"Ahoy!" shouted a familiar voice. "Can you take aboard three more survivors? They're the very last we can find on the river."
"It's Jack!" Penny cried, recognizing his voice though unable to see his face in the dark. "After we get the passengers aboard, perhaps he'll take us upriver to the Harpers!"
The girls ran to help with the new arrivals, but sailors already had lifted them from the boat and carried them aboard the Queen.
"This is my last load," Jack called out. "Nearly everyone was saved. Coast Guard boats are patrolling now, and if there are other survivors, they'll be taken ashore."
"Jack!" Penny called down to him.
"That you, Penny?" he demanded in astonishment. "Why didn't you come back to Shadow Island this afternoon? We've all been worried about you!"
"It's a long story, and there's no time to tell it now! Jack, will you take us to the Harpers' in your motorboat?"
"Now?"
"Yes, the house is on fire."
Helping the girls into the boat, Jack turned to gaze upstream. "That's strange!" he exclaimed. "How could sparks from the Florence have carried so far?"
"The answer is, they didn't," Penny said grimly. "The house was set afire on purpose. Just get us to the pier as quickly as you can."
Somewhere along the shore a big city clock struck the hour of midnight. The young people did not notice. As the boat raced over the water, bouncing as it struck each high wave, they discussed what had happened just prior to the outbreak of fire aboard the Florence.
"I know part of the stolen brass was dumped into the river by Sweeper Joe," Penny revealed excitedly. "The remainder was locked in the basement of the Harper house the last I knew. And I'm satisfied the brass lantern taken from the Queen by Adam Glowershick is among the loot. All the thieves expect to skip town tonight. Probably they're gone by this time."
Beaching the boat some distance from the burning house, the three young people ran up the slope. Firemen had not yet reached the scene, and the few persons who had gathered, were watching the flames but making no effort to battle them.
"It's a hopeless proposition," Jack commented. "This far from the city, there's no water pressure. The house will burn to the ground."
"And all the evidence with it," Penny added gloomily. "What miserable luck!"
No boats were tied up at the dock, nor was there any sign of the Harpers or their friends in the crowd. Obviously, the entire party had fled.
"Isn't there some place where we can telephone the police?" Penny suggested impatiently. "If they act quickly, these men still may be caught. They can't be very far away."
"The nearest house is up the beach about an eighth of a mile," Jack informed. "Maybe we can telephone from there."
"You two go," Sally said casually. "I want to stay here."
At the moment, Jack and Penny, intent only upon their mission, thought nothing about the remark. Following the paved road which made walking easy, they hastened as fast as they could.
"Jack," Penny said, puffing to keep pace with him. "There's something I want to ask you."
"Shoot!"
"Why have you felt so friendly toward that crook, Glowershick?"
Jack's eyebrows jerked upward and he gave a snort of disgust. "Whatever gave you that crazy idea?"
"Well, he came to the island, and you borrowed money from me to give him--"
"So you recognized him that day?"
"Yes," Penny answered quietly. "You tried to hide his identity, so I said nothing more. I kept thinking you would explain."
"I'm prepared to pay you what I owe, Penny."
"Oh, Jack, it's not the money. Don't you understand--"
