Part 19 (1/2)

Have you switched thehtly ”I forgot,” she admitted ”Now it's off”

Rick looked at Jan ”Could you hear ?”

Jan shook her head ”No, I couldn't I was listening, too These are wonderful, Rick”

He sh I should have known, but it didn't occur to me The receivers are directional”

”What's that?” Barby asked

”Directional The antenna is a tiny coil When it's broadside to the inconal, the volume is loudest, but when it's end on, the volume is much less So, if you can't hear well, just turn sideways

Turn until the signal is loudest”

Scotty took his transceiver froer than a pack of playing cards, and its sensitive ht into the case The tiny antenna was a piece of stiff steel wire only two inches long The whole gadget fitted easily into an inside coat pocket without a noticeable bulge

Barby's rig was slightly different The antenna ran along one edge of the plastic strip At one end the microphone was in contact with her head just above the ear, allowing for transmission of voice by bone conduction, a new method developed by the United States Air Force At the other end of the band a tiny speaker made similar contact Rick had worried about the effectiveness of both mike and phone, since he had never used the types before, but the design had turned out very well

”Pretty neat if we do say so,” Scotty adree with you,” Barby said generously ”Nohat, Rick?

There isn't anything more to do, is there?”

”Not on these” But there wasfor word from JANIG Barby and Jan disappeared and returned in a few ratefully It was a warested

Rick was about to point out that they e at the laboratory, hailed hient

”The boys on the ,” Blake reported

”They searched from a half mile south of the pier to a half ers ”I had a hunch they wouldn't! Okay I'ht now and search the coast If that pram wasn't connected with the attack on Duke and Jerry, I'll eat it”

”Good luck,” Blake said ”Let me know if you need any help”

Rick hurried back to the porch The JANIG scout teaone fro the Whiteside area n of the pair that had attacked Rick's friends, but had turned up nothing suspicious

Then, at Rick's suggestion, they had undertaken a search for the pram

His point was simply that he had never seen a praers would not have known They ht was the best way of hiding their boat It would have been, if prao No sign of the prao with you?”

Rick considered, then nodded He could see no objection to taking them on what could only be a short plane trip

As they hurried to the plane, Scotty said, ”What bothers ?”

”They did,” Rick replied ”I asked the sa patrol had been by there a short ti suspicious After all, they can't postwatch on the tidal flats, in case anyone tries to cross fro”