“Did you notice or hear anything else unusual, Jerry?”
“Well, no. Not unless you’d call pounding on a dishpan out of the ordinary.”
“A dishpan!” Penny exclaimed. “Who did it?”
“We couldn’t tell. Salt and I heard the sound soon after we had passed the Hawkins’ place on our way toward the swamp.”
“What sort of sound was it?”
“Just a metallic tap-tap-tap. It may not have been on a dishpan.”
“Were the taps in code, Jerry?”
“Couldn’t have been a very complicated one for the pounding only lasted a minute or two. It was irregular though.”
“Then I’m sure it was a code!” Penny cried. “Louise and I heard the same sound when we were with Trapper Joe in the boat!”
“Did the noise come from outside the swamp?”