Part 11 (1/2)
”What do you know about Calvert's Favor?”
Harris rubbed his chin, and ht correction in the crab boat's course ”Present owner is a man named Merlin No one knows anythin'
about hi with hiettin' nosy Most folks got snubbed and drew back, so to speak Jiot beaten up Hardin's not easy to lick After that, folks stopped speakin' to Merlin and co's the couard, a little squirt with no chin, and three others
Cooks and bottle washers, likely Would it be polite to ask why you're interested?”
Steve had been studying Harris since the two boats joined up, Rick knew, so he wasn't surprised when Steve gave a direct reply
”You'll keep this to yourself, please The boys have been doing a little research, and it's clear these unidentified flying objects people have been seeing come from Swamp Creek That points to the old mansion, especially since Mr Merlin is so secretive about hiet up before the people at the mansion were likely to be about, and look the place over If it looks pro an eye on it”
Harris nodded ”I'll keep it to arees gets solved, we may find out what happened to Cousin Link I'll help if I can”
”You know these waters pretty well,” Steve returned ”Is there any way of getting to Calvert's Favor, or within watching distance, without going up this creek?”
The crabber reached over and turned a switch, cutting his engine ”There is, for that boat you're in About thirty yards downstream from the entrance to this creek, there is a break in the line of swa the shore It's a little lead, a channel maybe six feet wide and froht at the place where the water gets too narrow for the boat, a h the brush to an old duck blind right across froht good view of the whole thing”
”We couldn't see the mansion from the boat?” Rick asked
”The brush is too thick Tell you what, if you got ground tackle aboard, drop a hook and come over with ood look If anyone's out watchin', they'll only see a crab boat lookin' for a place to set lines”
”Scotty,” Steve directed, ”there's a grapnel on a line up on the bow, under that small hatch Toss it in, please”
Scotty stood up on the seat, stepped to the bow, and found the sed anchor He dropped it into the water, let out line, and tied the line fast to the bow cleat ”Okay, Steve”
The three got aboard the crab boat as Harris started his engine ”Make yourselves colasses on the engine box”
With the binoculars Rick and Steve had brought, thatthe boat around expertly and headed upstreaht now, and far overhead a wisp of cirrus was glowing pink, a warning of counwale and looked ahead The creek narrowed for a few hundred yards, then widened again The left bank, going upstreaan to change, the swahtly froht bank was nearly three feet above the water, and the scrub had given way to an occasional tree, and sorassland that hadn't been mowed this year
Then Calvert's Favor ca plantation house The tall columns made Rick think of pictures of the Old South, but as the boat turned slightly and more of the house came into view, he saw that it had a strictly Maryland character
Attached to the largest portion of the house, the one with the coluhtly s the picture It was a ”telescope house”--the kind that the Eastern Shore natives referred to as ”big house, little house, and one in the stone walks and trees, extended frowoods, with a single hugefor extra shade There was a ss next to it, Rick saw that the original pier had been er
A white barn stood at a short distance froht, ns of life and saw none There was a boat, he noticed, an outboard skiff perhaps fifteen feet long, pulled up on the bank under an oak tree at the edge where the lawnlooked inviting, and he speculated that Merlin and friends must spend considerable time there Some of the chairs were of the padded variety, covered with plastic wet fro dew
Scotty pointed to the roof of the mansion ”Must be a ham radio operator there Look at that hay rake”
Both Rick and Steve had the sahts as they stared at the tall antenna, with its cluster of sles on top of the pole The antenna e-area television--or, on the other hand, it ht be a communications antenna, as Scotty had said
”Looks interesting,” Steve said