Sandy’s eyes took on a sudden gleam. “Budl Wouldn’t Tom have had his pencil radio switched on to hear from the Sea Hound?” she asked.
Bud nodded. “Sure. Arv said that before he phoned the hotel, they kept trying to raise Tom but got no response.”
Sandy turned to Raeburn. “Inspector, I have an idea! Suppose your police transmitter were to broadcast a loud, continuous tone over the special radio frequency used by Swift Enterprises. If Tom’s radio is turned on, wouldn’t the signal be audible quite a distance from the crate?”
“Sandy, you’re terrific!” Bud exclaimed excitedly. “The crate probably is on some dock. The noise of the signal might tip off its location!”
“By jove, you may have something there, Miss Swift!” Inspector Raeburn agreed. “While the signal’s being transmitted, I’ll have all available manpower combing every warehouse along the Thames River!”
The inspector wrote down Enterprises’ special radio frequency, then snatched up the telephone. Bud and the girls settled down tensely to await the outcome of Sandy’s plan.
CHAPTER IX
THE UNDERSEA MESA
JAKE Swithins, foreman of the Thames Warehouse, was dozing at his desk at the end of a hard day. One of the warehouse crew shook him.
“Well, what’s the matter?” Jake grunted.
“Can’t you ‘ear it?”
” ‘ear what?”
“That noise.”
The foreman listened. Above the dockside clamor outside the warehouse, he heard a shrill hum. “Where’s it coming from, Bill?”
“That crate we got for Channel shipment. Better come and ‘ave a look.”
Jake hoisted his bulk off the chair and accompanied the other man through the gloomy aisles of the warehouse. The hum grew louder as they approached a knot of workmen clustered around a large wooden crate.
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