Part 14 (2/2)
”You'll have to decide that,” Scotty said ”If you heard soht be a pretty good chance that's what happened I couldn't see any marks on the rail e looked” They had checked the rail during the first day at Steve's
Rick closed his eyes and made himself remember what it had been like when he went down the catwalk to the bow His mind drew a picture, and he saw himself bent forward into the wind In hisrain, the slipperiness of the wet anchor line He could visualize the water whipped into diaree loo as so hard hit the rail! There _had_ been a splash!+
He went over it again, searching his istered vaguely at the time He studied the shape and texture of the object he had seen so briefly He saw its red eyes open and glare at hi
He came out of his chair with a yell, arms extended to defend himself
Scotty stood next to him in the darkness ”Hey, take it easy, Rick! I didn't think I'd startle you so when I shook you”
Rick stared ”Did I fall asleep? Ito re about red eyes and claws--”
Scotty laughed softly ”If you've got to have nighto to bed”
Rick drea he couldn't have said what his dreams had been about, except that they had been pleasant
In the bright glare ofsee objects, probably balloons shaped like stingarees, were launched from a famous mansion that dated back to the days of the early Maryland colony But the sighting data couldn't be ignored Drea on at Calvert's Favor
The boys breakfasted in the fars substantially and wiping out the bacon reserve ”We'll have to shop sometime today,” Rick observed ”Steve has plenty of food here, but we don't want to use it when there's a store so close”
”Sure,” Scotty agreed ”But when? It o after Steve We can't very well leave the house, or at least both of us can't
Ken Holt ht call”
Rick nodded and poured hiht of that
They had to give Ken tiet the picture and check it out By the latest, they should hear before noon--unless the job turned out to be very difficult That would leave four hours before they would have to leave the house to pick up Steve Four hours was tiation Rick had in mind
After breakfast they settled doith the data sheets and notebook to review theed Two people thought, but weren't absolutely sure, that they had seen a spurt of fire froarees Rick wondered if they had seen a sudden flare of sunlight frohly reflective part of the object
It oBoth boys juot there first ”hello?”
”Rick?This is Ken Why don't you give us soo, and I was just taking the picture out when Sandy walked in He took one look and asked what I was doing with a snapshot of Lefty Caone, but it's Lefty”
Rick gasped ”My sainted aunt! Of course! I should have known it nized Lefty's small friend too This is an odd one, Rick The o by space Electronics Industries It was a big story for us, because the plant is located in the next town The reason he was fired caations Turned out he had been selling the firm's industrial secrets to its co reputation as an electronics wizard He got soh-speed syste Let's see--here's inator of a new and unusual system for the rapid telemetry of data from space The system is considered reround installation is scarcely larger than a console- to you, Rick”
”Thanks a million, Ken It seems to fit, but I'm not sure how”
”Let us know if you find out And if we can do anything else, you know the phone nuain, Ken”
Rick hung up and stared at the phone thoughtfully, trying to fit this new infor on the edge of his chair since the conversation started He said, with some exasperation, ”Well? Out with it!”
”Mr Merlin is Lefty Camillion His pal is an electronics wizard as fired by space Electronics Industries for selling industrial secrets to the firm's competitors” Rick rapidly sketched in the rest of the conversation
Scotty sank back into his chair ”His hair was black, and now it's white He o natural And he shaved off that mustache Probably that was dyed black, too”