Part 2 (1/2)
”Oh, skin diving, mostly”
”Gosh, that's wonderful!” Rick exclaimed ”Scuba or snorkel?”
There was the barest of hesitations before Steve replied ”Snorkel
There's nothing that'saround the reefs That's the only way to swi the fish”
Rick saw Scotty's mouth open to point out Steve's error, but he stepped on his friend's foot and said quickly, ”We're here for the swi, too Maybe we can join forces”
He knew the ansould be no Steve wasn't vacationing; he was on a case A vacationing skin diver would know that a snorkel is nothing but a tube that allows a swimmer to float face down on the surface of the water while looking for so to dive after Once the dive starts, the snorkel has no purpose, since its short length only allows it to project a few inches above the surface while a diver is floating face down On the other hand, the Scuba--Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus, like the boys' aqualungs, really does allow the diver to get down a the fish
”Thanks for the invitation,” Steve said He smiled ”I don't usually try a cover story unless I have it down cold Just for uidance, where did I slip? Your faces were quite a study”
Rick told hi plane, and I haven't been briefed yet By tonight I'll be an expert on skin diving”
The statement only whetted further Rick's over-sharp curiosity If Steve was to be briefed on skin diving, it sounded like a case that would interest him and Scotty
Steve continued to siveand htly less restraint, said, ”You knoe do”
”Fine Don't look In the doorway of the tailor shop is a dark-coray sharkskin suit He's a tail He picked h to lose hiht Never been here before today Take him out for me?”
Rick and Scotty nodded Neither looked toward the doorway ”Hoe get in touch with you?” Rick asked
Steve hesitated ”There's no one I'd rather see more of, and no one I'd rather have on my side But this case is not for you Just do et you saw me”
”You never knohen you'll need help,” Rick pointed out ”We won't horn in, but it won't do any harht we'll be at a hotel called Alexander's Rest Tomorroe take off for an island called Clipper Cay”
”All right If you really need to reach e I'll get it”
Rick turned slightly In a plate-glassacross the street he could see a reflection of the tailor shop Steve had mentioned, and he could make out the form of a man in the shadowed doorway He estimated that the shop was about fifty feet away
Scotty was alsothe situation He said, ”Walk away from us so the tail will have to corin, and was gone
Rick said loudly, ”Give ot a rock in ed, and Rick half turned as he did so He saw the ray sharkskin suit saunter out of the doorway and start toward the, one hand on Scotty's shoulder, the other hand fu with the shoelace on his lifted foot
The tail walked toward the his full attention to the paper; his actions said he didn't even know the boys existed
”You ought to get tighter shoes,” Scotty observed ”Then you wouldn't get stones in theot a knot in the lace”