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.He was peering soclosely at some part of the coil that his red hair almost touched the floor."Here's some contact points I forgot to clean.That could be-" He didn'tbother finishing the sentence.He was giving all his attention to the delicatetask of working the nail file back and forth between the tiny points on thecoil's vibrator.Without looking up, he murmured, "Flashlight."Ken snatched up the light and knelt down to hold it on the spot where Sandywas working.Sandy moved the vibrator gently up and down, making certain thatthe two newly bright nubs of metal met each other squarely."O.K.," he said finally."We'll try it again." He wiped damp hands on histrousers, took a deep breath, and then picked up the wire between his fingers.He flicked it forward and it touched the wire from the coil.An angry buzz sounded from the vibrator, and across the spark-plug gap a bluespark leaped, crackling nois-ily.Sandy held the wires together for a long second.The spark snarled andquivered, hot and blue."You did it!" Ken's hand gripped Sandy's knee violently."You did it!"A faint ghost of a triumphant smile lighted Sandy's188 THE MYSTERY OF THE GREEN FLAMEface, and he flicked the two wires together several times, as if still unableto believe what he had achieved.Roberto cautiously moved closer.His bright eyes reflected the boys'excitement."Now we can talk to the police?" he whispered."Now we can askthem to come and take away the men who wait out there?"Ken and Sandy stared at each other for a long incredulous moment.Sandyfinally spoke the staggering thought that was in both their minds."What dopeswe are!" he groaned."We've got this all rigged up-and we don't know any code!What good is it?" On the last words his voice rose and cracked.From something he had read long ago, printed letters on a page leaped intoKen's mind.He waited an instant, afraid to rely on this sudden recollection.Then he knew that it would be better to take a chance than to discard alltheir hard work in complete despair."I know the code for-" His voice was thin and uncertain.He started over,firmly."I know the code for SOS, the international distress signal.Anyway, Ithink I do-three dots, three dashes, three dots."Sandy stared at him.Slowly his face became illuminated."You know," he saidsoftly, "I think you're right." Without another word he bent over hismechanism again.He brought the two wires together and then parted them, threetimes in quick succession.Each time they touched, the spark crackled.Then hemade three longer contacts, and followed them with another trio of short ones."That's it, all right," he breathed."That's the S O S signal." He wentthrough the routine once more.Page 78 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlZzz-zzz-zzz.Zzzzzzz-zzzzzz-zzzzzz.Zzz-zzz-zzz.His hands were steady now.His face was set in concentrated purpose."Switchto our parking lights," heDESPERATE ERROR 189told Ken briefly."We have to save the battery for this." Then, carefully,timing his signals, he began to send again."Check." Ken leaped for the car and the wide glow of the headlights reduceditself to two small beams that flattened themselves against the big doors.Inthe dimness that now filled the whole big room the little sparks glowed morebrightly.Ken stationed himself beside Roberto, with a reassuring arm acrossthe slight shoulders, and they both watched and listened as Sandy keptsteadily on with his task.Five long minutes went by.Ken found himself picturing the police station, and the activity that might betaking place there now because their signal had crackled its way through thepolice radio receiver.But suppose the receiver wasn't turned on? And even ifit was, were their signals strong enough to interrupt normal reception?Suddenly he struck his forehead with his fist."We can at least find out ifwe're getting through," he said, running the few steps to the car again.Ithad belatedly occurred to him that they could check the effects of theirsparks on their own radio.He flipped the switch, keeping the volume low."Anyidea where I should turn to on the dial?" he asked Sandy."It shouldn't make any difference," Sandy told him, pausing briefly."Thesesparks ought to be blanketing the entire dial-if they're doing anything atall." He went to work again.And suddenly the car's radio speaker erupted violently.In perfect time withSandy's sparks, it snapped and crackled."You're sending!" Ken didn't have to say the words aloud.Sandy, too, hadheard the echo of his carefully spaced sparks.190 THE MYSTERY OF THE GREEN FLAMEKen turned the dial.The crackling followed wherever he moved."It's allover!" Ken reported
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