Rick Brant 6 The Phantom Shark

by John Blaine

  He’s right outside.”

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  Van der Klaffens had come aboard at once as the Tarpon swung back into the dock. Jack left and returned with him. The Dutch trader looked at the circle of serious faces. “The crew is talking,” he said.

  “A shark’s tooth was found near the cut steering cables, no?”

  “That is correct,” Dr. Warren said. “Mr. Van der Klaffens, can you account for your movements all the time you were aboard ship?”

  The Dutchman’s eyes narrowed. “Ah, so that is the way of the wind!” Suddenly he smiled. “Behold me.

  I am dressed in a white suit, am I not? And my hands are clean. Is this not the same suit I wore when I met you on the pier, Mr. Brant?”

  Rick had to admit that it looked like it.

  “You must realize I have had no time to change. Also, your mate should be able to testify that my hands and suit were clean when I went ashore to meet you for lunch.”

  “That’s true,” Jack Pualani said.

  “Then I rest my defense. Could I have gone into a dirty engine room, cut your greasy cable and filled the cuts with black grease and still show no mark?”

  “You’ve got something there,” Tom Bishop admitted. “You couldn’t have done it and come out unmarked. Whoever did the job had to work in a tight space. He must have been marked with grease.”

  “How about the clerk?”Barby remarked.

  “What clerk?” Jack Pualani asked. “Mr. Van der Klaffens checked die lists with me.”

  “Wait!” Van der Klaffens interrupted. “Do you refer to the man with whom you talked as I came down the pier this morning?”

  Scotty nodded. “That’s the one. He looked like a half-caste.”

  “He was no clerk of mine,” Van der Klaffens said decisively. “I had never seen him before.”

  “But he came with your trucks,” Rick objected.

  “That may be true. I will find out.” Van der Klaffens walked to the door. “I feel that the honor of my concern is at stake. I will question my drivers and find out about this man.” He bowed and left.

  “I didn’t see any clerk that fits the description. How was he dressed?” Tom Bishop asked.

  “Khaki pants and shirt,” Scotty remembered.

  Dr. Warren rose. “He’s probably the one. Tom, will you see about repairs? I think I will consult theNoumea police. The rest of you might as well amuse yourselves. We’ll be in port for some time, it appears.”

  Mrs. Warren and the two scientists elected to remain aboard ship. Jack Pualani also remained aboard, to keep an eye open for further sabotage attempts. The four youngsters decided to go ashore with Tom Bishop, to see about repairs.

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  As they walked the length of the pier into town, Rick asked a question that had been on his mind. “What do you suppose that steel boat was trying to do? You’d think they would have more sense than to pole out from behind the pier just as we got underway.”

  Scotty looked at him sharply. “Maybe you’ve got something. If we’d hit them, the screws would have been dented, or maybe even broken, and we’d be in a much worse mess.”

  “I doubt that they poled into the way on purpose,” Tom Bishop said. “But it’s possible.”

  “Maybe we’d better find that boat and ask the men some questions,” Scotty suggested.

  “No harm in trying,” Tom agreed. “But don’t push them too hard or they might resent it with knives.

  These people are pleasant enough, but touchy.”

  Scotty nodded. “Coming, Rick?”

  Rick hesitated.“How about Barby?”

  “I’m going for a walk in the park,” Barby said.

  “What for?”

  “I just want to.”

  Rick saw by the stubborn set of her chin that she was determined. Knowing Barby as he did, he realized argument would get him nowhere.

  “I go with Scotty,” Chahda said.

  “Okay,” Rick said grudgingly. “I’ll stick with Barby.”

  “You don’t need to,” Barby said.

  “I feel like a stroll myself,” Rick said grimly. His sister was unpredictable. He sensed some reason behind her sudden yearning for a walk through the park.

  At the end of the pier, the party separated. Tom Bishop went to the left, toward a water-front store that looked as though it might be a ship chandler’s. Scotty and Chahda turned right, to follow the water front in search of the shore boat. Rick and Barby walked toward the park.

  Once out of earshot of the others, Rick said, “Come on, towhead. What’s on your mind?”

  “Well,” Barby said reasonably, “if we want to find out who cut the cables, and why, we have to find the Phantom Shark, don’t we?”

  Rick grinned. “That’s all. Dr. Warren went to the police, remember? And probably the police have been hunting the Shark for years without success. So how do you expect to find him?”

  “We women have intuition,” Barby said loftily. “I wouldn’t expect you to understand. I can’t imagine why there aren’t more women detectives.”

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  Rick could, but he didn’t feel like arguing the point. They reached the park and walked along the shady walks. Now and then they passed people sitting on the benches, but Barby kept going. Rick let her lead the way. She evidently had some destination in mind.

  Around a turn in the lane, they found it.A park bench, occupied by old Barthelemi. Barby gave him her best smile, which, as Rick had once said, could charm the flowers off the wallpaper. She sat down beside the old man.

  “How are you, Monsieur Barthelemi?”

  “I am well, Mademoiselle Barbara,” the oldster replied gravely. “Thanks to you, I have dined. Now I enjoy the sunshine. It is warming to my old bones.”

  Rick sat down on the other side of the old man and contented himself with listening.

  “You were kind,” Barby said. “You warned us about the Phantom Shark.”

  Barthelemi stiffened. He looked anxiously up and down the path, then, to make sure they were not overheard, he rose and explored the bougainvillaea shrub under which the bench rested. Satisfied, he said in a low voice, “You understand that even the name is dangerous? Mademoiselle, I beg of you,do not even think it!”

  “We have to,” Barby said. “The Shark cut our rudder cables.”

  The old man sucked in his breath. “I was afraid,” he groaned. “I knew you should not go aboard that ship!”

  “How did you know?” Rick asked quickly.

  Barthelemi shrugged.“As I told you. I read your destination in the paper.”

  “But you know more about the Shark than that,” Barby said coaxingly. “I know you do. Please, Monsieur Barthelemi, tell us who he is?”

  He shook his head. “I do not know. Even if I did, I could not give you such dangerous information.”

  Barby’s blue eyes narrowed thoughtfully. “Even if you don’t know who he is, you know how he works, don’t you? You know that the American who insulted you yesterday buys pearls from him.”

  Barthelemi trembled violently. “ SacrenomHow did you find that out? I could have sworn that onlyI ...”

  Barby sat back, satisfied. “And how did you know?”

  He made another quick inspection to be sure no one was listening.“By chance.Only by chance. There is a small hut where I sometimes sleep. It is on the beach, near Anse Vata . You know that place? I was there, asleep. I woke up and I heard this American. He was on the beach itself, and he talked with a person who had come in a small boat. I could see the boat.”

  “Could you see the other man?” Rick asked eagerly.

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  “Non. It was not possible. It was very dark. The flashlight carried by the American reflected once on his face, and I saw that he wore a black hood. Also, his clothes were black, and I believe he wore gloves. I was afraid, so I did not move. But I heard the American speak. He said that these were fine, and I believe he spoke of pearls. But also, he said they were not enough. He
spoke of great sums of money.

  Never did I hear the . . . the other speak. He would nod, or he would shake his head. Then the American asked, ‘When can I see you again? When will you have more?’ And the creature in black wrote a number in the sand, which he erased at once. I think that much money changed hands, but I do not know. Then the . . . the other one got in his boat and rowed away, toward He Nous . You know? It is that island in the bay. The American walked to the road and went down it towardNoumea . And that is all, I swear. I do not know any more.”

  Barby shivered. “But you actually saw him!”

  “What night was that?” Rick asked.

  “It was just three nights ago. I will never forget that night, Monsieur.”

  Barby gave Rick a meaning look, which he interpreted correctly. He took a few francs from his pocket.

  The old man shook his head. “Please. Yesterday I was hungry and you were kind. But I still have your money; I do not need more.”

  Rick respected the old man’s pride. He put the francs away. “One more question, please. You didn’t see the number the Shark wrote in the sand?”

  “Non. I could not see. I do not even know if it was a number. That is only what I think.”

  The two Brants thanked him, then walked in the direction Scotty and Chahda had taken.

  “How’s my intuition?” Barby asked pertly. “Pretty good, don’t you think?”

  Rick grinned. “Not bad, for a beginner. Do you know, we’ve proved that Van der Klaffens isn’t the Shark?”

  “Because he was inSuvathree nights ago.What time was it when we landed there?”

  “Aroundmidnight , and he was waiting. He’s in the clear, all right.”

  Barby wrinkled her nose thoughtfully.“How about Mr. Kenwood? He was here three nights ago, and I remember Van der Klaffens said he traded in shell. He must have meant pearl shell.”

  “How do you know?” Rick looked at her in astonishment.

  “My book. Daughter of the Moon. It’s all about pearls.”

  “I’d better borrow it,” Rick said.

  “Not on your life,” Barby replied firmly.

  Rick got a glimpse of Scotty and Chahda far down the water front. The boys were walking toward them. Rick and Barby stopped and waited.

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  “It couldn’t be Kenwood,” Rick said. “He’s gone. He couldn’t have cut the cables, anyway. And don’t forget what Jerrold said.”

  “I remember. When he offered to buy some pearls for me, he said he would meet the man who had them tomorrow night. That’s tonight. And wasn’t he careful not to say who the man was!”

  “For plenty good reason,” Rick said. He hailed Scotty and Chahda. “What luck?”

  They shook their heads. Then, as they came to within conversation distance, Scotty said disgustedly,

  “We still don’t know. We found the boat and the men, but we didn’t get a thing out of them.”

  “But we got some information,” Barby said proudly. She told them of what they had learned from old Barthelemi.

  Scotty nodded his approval.“Looks like our little sister has the makings of a detective.”

  Barby’s nose went into the air. “Makings, huh?” she said tartly. “Well, I’ve uncovered more information than either of you. So there!”

  She took Chahda’s arm and half dragged him away.

  Scotty started to follow, but Rick put a hand on his arm.

  “Wait a minute. I have a brain storm. Remember what Jerrold said about seeing the man who has the pearls? Well, that’s tonight.”

  Scotty nodded.“Got it. We keep an eye on Mr. Jerrold.”

  “That’s it. We’ll have to sneak away without Barby knowing, but we can do it. I have a hunch that brother Jerrold will lead us to the Phantom Shark!”

  CHAPTER VII

  The Watcher on the Beach

  Sometimes it seemed to Rick that there was a special angel who looked out for him. He had worried about getting away from the Tarpon, knowing that Dr. Warren would certainly object to his tracking Jerrold.

  Rick cooked up various schemes with the help of Scotty, but Dr. Warren returned from his visit to the authorities and made them all unnecessary. The police chief, with a shrug of the shoulders, had promised an investigation, but had held out no hope. The police had been concerned with this Phantom Shark for years, but to no avail. Dr. Warren, disgusted with the chief’s defeatist attitude, had demanded to see the governor. The governor had been most polite, and had insisted that they discuss the matter at a formal dinner in honor of the visiting scientists, at his residence.

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  “That invitation didn’t include us, did it?” Rick asked anxiously.

  Dr. Warren smiled his understanding.“Not anxious to dine with the governor, eh, Rick? Well, we’ll interpret his invitation to mean only those of voting age.Unless Scotty, Barby, and Chahda want to go.”

  Here Mrs. Warren interrupted. “We’ll take Barbara with us. And, Chahda, you may come along as her escort. I suspect that Rick and Scotty will never miss us.”

  Barby glanced suspiciously at the two boys, but their faces were blank. She made a face and then exclaimed, “That will be wonderful, Aunt Helen!”

  So, at eight-thirty in the evening, because the sailors had taken the opportunity to go ashore, only Rick and Scotty and Jack Pualani were left aboard ship. The two boys sat on the afterdeck, looking out into the fast-darkening harbor.

  “Time to go,” Rick said.

  They walked around to the opposite side of the deck where Jack Pualani had a chair pulled up next to the gangplank.

  “Going ashore?” he asked.

  “For a while,” Rick replied.

  The boys hurried along the pier and into the town. It was almost fully dark now, and there were few lights. Only a handful of people were abroad. On the hill above the town, near the great cathedral that was Noumea ’s principal landmark, they saw bright lights and guessed that it was the governor’s house.

  “They’ll be returning to the ship abouthalf past ten ,” Scotty said. “Hope Jerrold doesn’t wait until then.”

  “He won’t. This town goes to bed early. Bet he waits only until things have quieted down.”

  It was a good guess. They took up stations in an alley, next to the hotel where Jerrold had his suite.

  There were lights in his sitting room, and once they saw him silhouetted against the light. Then, about a half hour later, the lights went out.

  Rick squeezed Scotty’s arm. “Here we go. We’d better separate. Then, if he spots one of us, the other one can keep after him.”

  “Good idea. And what do we do when we find this Phantom Shark?”

  That stopped Rick. He hadn’t thought that far ahead. “I don’t know. Try to get a look at his face, I suppose. If that isn’t possible, try to follow him.”

  “Suppose he’s in a boat again?”

  “Keep moving with him, along the shore. He’ll have to put in somewhere, especially if it’s only a rowboat, as old Barthelemi said.”

  “Okay. I’ll hike down the street.”

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  Scotty moved noiselessly away and Rick was left alone. The town was quiet now and lights were winking out in the houses.

  Rick flattened against the wall as the big American came out of the hotel, lighting a cigar. For a moment Jerrold stood still, then, the cigar drawing well, he moved off toward the main street. Rick let him get half a block ahead, then slipped after him.

  Jerrold was in no hurry. He walked slowly, savoring his cigar and evidently enjoying the night air.

  Sometimes Rick had to lean against a building or a tree to keep from catching up. Scotty was nowhere to be seen, nor did Rick expect to see him. When it came to tracking, the ex-Marine had few peers.

  The way led along a street called Rue de General Gallieni . There were no stores now, and the houses were farther apart. The street was approaching the water front.

  As they reached the outskirts of town, Jerro
ld threw his cigar away. He whirled suddenly and looked back. Rick melted into the shadow of a clump of brush. For long moments Jerrold watched, then he turned and started off again with lengthened stride. Rick realized they were heading toward Anse Vata .

  It was the way Henri had driven them in his car.

  The road was at the water’s edge now. It followed the water in a sweeping curve, the other side of the highway varying from flat land to occasional hummocks. Half a mile down was a good-sized hill. Rick remembered that the road ran around the hill, cut away from the water for a short distance,then went straight, paralleling the sea. He tried to recall if he had seen any houses on the road and couldn’t remember any. He did recall the shack Barthelemi had mentioned. It was little more than a lean-to. Odds were against the old man being there. He would be too frightened to return, just in case the Phantom Shark frequented the place.

  Rick kept to the side of the road, ready to drop behind a convenient bush in case Jerrold should turn suddenly. There was no moon, but the stars were fully out and very bright. He could see the man dimly ahead of him.

  A couple of times he looked for Scotty, but there was no sign of his friend. He couldn’t be sure whether Scotty was ahead or behind, or even to one side, climbing over the hummocks.

  Jerrold turned to watch the road as they rounded the corner of the big hill. Rick saw the man stop and he dropped to his knees, moving sideways into the shelter of a big rock. Presently Jerrold continued on, evidently satisfied.

  Jerrold passed the hill and continued along the beach road at a faster clip. Rick surveyed the terrain carefully as he went. Along the rocky beach, the road was straight. On the side away from the water was a flat stretch, then the beginning of a high ridge. A thousand yards beyond the first hill was another, around which the road made a turn. Right behind the second hill was the sandy Anse Vata beach where Barthelemi’s hut was located.

  As Jerrold reached the second hill, Rick hesitated. Then, instead of following the road, he cut behind the hill. It was hard going, over rocks and thornbush , but he was very quiet. Presently he came out on a knoll overlooking the beach. He could see Jerrold clearly, silhouetted against the white sand and the water.Now to find a good vantage point.