“Yes, you have, darling,” agreed Louise. “But would a spy necessarily hide a package? If Mrs. Deline had information to communicate wouldn’t she send it to her superiors? Besides, Sunset Beach isn’t even an important manufacturing town.”
“That’s true. But I’ve heard Dad say that the Coast Guards watch this place closely. Because of its isolation and jagged coastline it’s considered a likely spot for surprise night landings by the Enemy.”
“Only this morning you thought old Jake Skagway was a rascal,” Louise chuckled. “You don’t catch me falling for your theories this time.”
“Then you have no interest in that hidden package?”
“Of course I have! I merely don’t agree that Mrs. Deline is a spy.”
“Quiet!” Penny warned. “Here she comes!”
Mrs. Deline had arisen from the sand and came rapidly down the beach. She did not see the girls until she was very close to them. Involuntarily, she paused, and looked somewhat disconcerted. Recovering, she spoke coldly.
“Hello,” Penny responded, her gaze on the woman’s white flannel skirt. It bore not a single tell-tale mark.
Mrs. Deline went on down the beach.
“You see,” Louise whispered when the woman was beyond hearing, “she didn’t write anything on her dress.”