by John Blaine
“And as he piles up, the real light is put back on!” Scotty exclaimed.
“Yes,” Rick said excitedly. “And the man with the light in the tower just removes it, gets down, and runs for Creek House before the men on the Sea Belle have even picked themselves up!”
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“It makes sense,” Scotty agreed.“And how! Of course Tom Tyler knows he’s been tricked the minute he hits, and he knows why. So does Brad Marbek, but he’s in on it.BillLake , who’s pretty far behind, thinks the shift in the light is due to a patch of mist and a strong current.But how about Captain Killian?
He was closer to the light.”
“That’s why it’s important to get his story,” Rick said. His eyes had been scanning the dark coast line ceaselessly. Now, picking up the start of Brendan’s Marsh, he turned the wheel and swung out to sea.
Their study of the photographs had convinced them that the best way to approach Creek House was from the rear. To do that, they had to pass far enough out at sea so their engine noise would not be too noticeable and attract the attention of the Kelsos. Rick took a quick look around and saw no other boat lights. He leaned forward and snappedoff their own .
In a few moments they saw the lights of Creek House and Smugglers’ Light. When they were well past it, Rick turned inshore, throttled down to make as little noise as possible. There was a short dock in front of the abandoned Sandy Shores Hotel. He gauged distance carefully in the dim light and let his momentum carry him to it. Scotty jumped out and made the bow fast while Rick cut the engine completely and hurried to secure the stern. In a moment they were on the dock together looking toward the Creek House.
“Let’s go,” Rick whispered.
They made their way as noiselessly as possible behind the old hotel, then picked a careful path through accumulated junk past the rears of the Sea Girt, the Atlantic View, and the Shore Mansions. Twice they had to climb rusted fences and Rick was grateful that they had put on old clothes. Presently they were against the Creek House fence.
He touched Scotty’s arm and gestured. Then he led the way toward the place where the fence stopped at the marsh. They had planned the adventure up to the end of the fence. After that they would have to take advantage of whatever offered.
They hadn’t seen in the photograph that the fence extended into the marsh for a short distance. Rick’s first inkling of the fact came when one foot sank into muck above the shoe top. He let out a soft exclamation, and when he pulled the foot free it made a sighing sound.
The boys held a whispered consultation and decided there was nothing for it but to continue. Rick stepped forward, searching with his foot for firmer ground. Now and then he found a hummock, but there were times when he sank to the knee in clinging goo . Fortunately, there were only a few feet of swamp to navigate.
He reached the end of the fence and stopped, peering around it.
There were lights on the pier, and the Albatross was tied up to it, but the lights were too dim to illuminate anything over a few yards away. He crouched and moved over a little, making room for Scotty.
Together they surveyed the terrain.
“We can’t see much from here,” Scotty said, lips against Rick’s ear. “We’ll have to get closer.”
Rick nodded. He motioned along the fence, indicating that they should follow it, then he took the lead again. In a dozen muddy steps they were out of the marshland and on dry ground again, but Rick had to exercise utmost care because there was a litter of dry junk that crackled underfoot. He picked his way Page 49
carefully, hardly daring to breathe loudly.
Once he froze and felt Scotty tense behind him. Brad Marbek and Red Kelso walked from the hotel to the pier and stood looking upstream. Their backs were to the boys. Rick started moving again. There were no lights in the hotel on the fence side. He wanted to reach the safe darkness of that area before planning their next move. As he went, he wondered where Carrots was, and what had happened to Brad’s crew.
They reached the dark space between the hotel and the fence without incident and Rick straightened up with a little breath of relief. Now what? He reviewed the photograph of the hotel grounds in his mind.
Scotty tugged his sleeve and pointed. Rick looked up and saw that a window was open on the first floor. The room behind it was dark. For a second he was tempted, then he shook his head. Going into the hotel was dangerous, even though they probably could make their way to an upper floor and have an unobstructed view from a window. If they were trapped inside ... he didn’t like the thought. At least their retreat was open while they were out of doors. The top of the fence was within reach if they jumped.
They could swing over it and run. Once outside the fence, the Kelsos would have a hard time catching up with them.
He remembered that the front of the hotel and part of the area on the creek side contained shrubs, relics of its original landscaping. The shrubs would give them cover. He touched Scotty and motioned. Then he started around the front of the hotel, crossing the driveway, which led into the grounds through a gate, closed now and looking like part of the fence.
The front of the hotel was dark. Swiftly he went past the porch, moving through the shrubbery with extreme caution. He gained the corner nearest the creek safely, Scotty behind him. When he peered around, he had a good view of the dock. Red Kelso and Brad Marbek were still talking. No one else was in sight. Somewhere inside, a door banged. Rick stiffened. That must be Carrots, or one of the crew.
He moved forward, spotting a hedge that had marked the edge of the garden. If they crouched behind that, they would have an unobstructed view. He dodged a shrub and reached the hedge; it was just waist-high. He sank to his knees and parted the twigs, searching for a good view through them. Beside him, Scotty knelt and did the same.
He put his mouth close to Scotty’s ear. “This is a good place,” he whispered.
“It’s a fine place,” a loud voice said. “Get up, both of you!”
Rick whirled, his heart stopping. He looked straight across the front sight of a rifle into the grinning face of Carrots Kelso!
CHAPTER X
Captured
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“I figured it was time for another look around,” Carrots said, “so I came out the side door and went around the back and up the side by the fence, then crossed over by the front. And just as I got to the corner,who did I see but our two wise-guy pals!” He poked the rifle in Rick’s back by way of emphasis.
Red Kelso and Brad Marbek looked at the two boys and then at each other. Marbek looked up the creek nervously. “Better get ‘em inside under cover,” he said in his high voice. “Jimmy, take ‘em into the cabin.”
Rick was seething inwardly, but he gave no sign. He was angry with himself. He should have known that there would be a guard.
He walked down the pier, Scotty at his side, the others following. At Carrots’ direction he climbed over the side of the trawler and went into the small cabin aft of the wheelhouse.
Red Kelso gestured toward a built-in bunk. “Sit down, both of you.” He went to the single window and slid the curtains shut.
Carrots took up a position in the corner from which he could cover the two boys. Brad Marbek pushed into the cabin and closed the door behind him. For a dozen heartbeats there was silence.
Red Kelso broke it. “What now?” he asked heavily. “We’ve got ‘em. What do we do with ‘em?”
Rick spoke up with much more boldness than he felt.“Nothing. Half a dozen people know we came here.”
Marbek and Kelso exchanged glances.
“We can’t just let ‘emgo ,” Carrots said. His glance at Rick was vindictive. “This is the smart joker that dove at me in his airplane. I owe him somethin ’ for that.”
“Be quiet, Jimmy,” Red Kelso said. “We’ve got to think about this.”
There was a hail from outside. Marbek started.“Red! Come outside. Jimmy, watch these two.”
Carrots lifted the rifle a lit
tle. The two older men went out and closed the door. Rick, listening carefully, thought he could hear oars.
Scotty spoke up. “You’re a good shot with that thing, Rick says. You put two shots right together over his head.”
“I should have picked him off,” Carrots snarled. “I ought to put a shot in his head right now for makin ’
me jump off the dock.”
“That evened us up,” Rick said quietly. “You dumped the fish on us.”
Carrotsgrinned his satisfaction. “You’re tootin ’ I did! And that ain’t all I’m goin ’ to do to you, either.”
“Don’t be too sure,” Scotty said.
Carrots’ thin lips tightened. “You got warned.Twice. What happens to you is on your own head.”
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The door banged open and Red Kelso and Brad Marbek came in again. For some reason they seemed in better spirits. Marbek was grinning.
Kelso stood before the two boys, his seaweed-green eyes surveying them coldly.“All right. Talk. What did you want in here?”
Rick and Scotty remained quiet.
“Don’t make me beat it out of you,” Kelso warned.
Rick thought quickly. He jerked his thumb at Carrots. “You can blame him. First he dumped half a ton of menhaden on us and then he took a shot at me while I was climbing the old tower.”
“Why were you climbin ’ the tower?” Marbek demanded quickly.
Rick shrugged, nonchalantly, he hoped. “Why does anyone climb a tower?Just for the fun of it.”
Carrots snorted. “Nuts! Then why didn’t you go all the way to the top?”
Red Kelso’s eyes swiveled from his son to the boys. “Let’s cut the comedy,” he snapped. “Jimmy had nothin ’ to do with your comin ’ here. Now give us a straight story or you’ll suffer for it!”
Rick’s mind was working at top speed. He couldn’t tell them everything, but he might be able to stall.
“You warned us,” he said.“Twice. Anyway, we thought it was you, then your son just admitted it.” He grinned at Kelso. “We had to find out why you were warning us, didn’t we?”
Red looked at Carrots and then at Brad. “I told you it was a mistake to try to warn ‘em off,” he grated.
“All right. Did you find out why we warned you?”
“We didn’t have time,” Scotty pointed out. “We had just arrived when we got caught.”
Brad Marbek’s high voice was cold. “Do you think my coming here is funny?”
Scotty’s reply was equally cold. “You’re not trying to kid anyone that you tie up at this pier before unloading your fish just because you want to be sociable, are you?”
Marbek took a step forward. Red Kelso’s hand on his shoulder restrained him. Rick held his breath, wondering if Scotty had said too much.
“Okay, you snoopers,” Red said. “You’re goin ’ to take a nice long look around, see? You’re goin ’ to do exactly what we say, and you’re goin ’ to find out for yourselves just what’s goin ’ on here. Now how do you like that?”
“Fine,” Rick said feebly. There didn’t seem to be anything else to say.
“Start at the house,” Brad growled. “Get goin ’.”
On deck, Rick took a quick look around. Nothing had changed, nor was anyone in sight. With Carrots’
rifle at their backs, he and Scotty marched to the side door of the hotel. Inside Red Kelso pointed at Page 52
another door. “Open it and go downstairs. Step on it, we haven’t all night.”
Rick caught his breath. Why were they forcing them into the cellar? A little fearfully, he went down the stairs as Red snapped on lights.
At the bottom of the steps, the three faced them.
“Start looking” Brad commanded. “Go on. Stick your noses in every corner. Get busy!” He gave Scotty a shove that sent him staggering in the direction of the coal cellars. Then Red Kelso gave Rick a hard push that landed him on his knees.
The boy stood up again and looked around him uncertainly. “What do you want us to do?”
“Look,” Red snapped. “That’s what you came for. Look in every blasted corner until you’re satisfied there’s nothin ’ more to look for. Now get goinT
And Rick and Scotty looked. Even though they knew now nothing would be found in the old house, they had no choice. With the three hovering over them they searched in corners, under stairs, in bins. They sounded walls and rapped floors. As they passed through the kitchen, four men were playing cards, evidently members of Brad’s crew. They inspected the butler’s pantry and even the refrigerator, then they were pushed on through the other first-floor rooms and up the stairs.
Rick was tired of the whole affair, but every time he hesitated, Brad or Red gave him a headlong shove that kept him moving, and always Carrots was behind with the rifle. When there were no bulbs in the rooms a flashlight Red produced provided illumination. Room by tiresome room they worked their way to the attic.
From the attic they were run down the stairs again and out into the grounds and forced to cover every inch of land. Then they were taken to the garage-boathouse and made to work their way through what had been the servants’ quarters. Downstairs, they inspected the only car, and Rick automatically made a mental note of the make and theNew York license number. Then they looked under the seats and into the rope locker of a motor whaleboat that was the only craft in the boat-house, and they were forced to crawl under the boat-house where it rested on piles.
“Now,” Brad Marbek said grimly, “let’s take a look at the trawler.”
“Do we have to?” Scotty said wearily. “We know you wouldn’t make us look if there was anything to be seen.”
Brad’s big hand landed in the middle of his back, smashing him toward the dock. “March!” he commanded.
The tiresome routine started again. Through wheel-house and cabin and galley and enginehouse and rope and gear lockers they hunted, picking up accumulated layers of dirt and grease on the way, until finally only the huge fish holds were left.
Rick looked into the forward one and thought, “Oh, no!” He started to protest, but Brad’s open hand caught him on the side of the face. “Dig!” the skipper commanded. “You asked for it. Dig!”
And dig they did, through tons of stinking menhaden and cold ice until they choked and their mouths felt full of scales. Once or twice they protested, but there was always big Brad Marbek ready to strike out Page 53
and Carrots and Red Kelso backing him up.
An eternity later they clawed their way up the pile of fish in the last hold.
Rick took a deep breath of clean air. “Anything else?” he asked.
Carrots stepped forward. “You poor jokers got dirty,” he said with false concern. “You need a bath.”
He pointed to the end of the dock. “Go on, jump in.” His rifle lifted menacingly.
That, at least, was no hardship. Rick walked to the end of the dock and dropped into the water, savoring is cool cleanliness. Scotty was right beside him.
Overhead, the three waited, and Carrots’ rifle was still on them. “Back to the bank,” he commanded.
Rick and Scotty swam, clambered up on shore, and stood waiting.
“Hike.”
They were herded like two sheep to the front gate. Red Kelso produced a key and the gate swung open.
“You had your look,” he said. “You came to spy and we helped you out. Now you know there’s nothin
’ wrong here. We warned you because we didn’t like you, see? And that’s all. Now get goin ’ and don’t ever come back, or we’ll work you over so you’ll never be the same again.Now git !”
They were shoved violently forward and landed sprawling on the hard macadam road. Behind them the gate slammed shut, and as they got to their feet and looked at each other ruefully, the sound of Carrots’
raucous laughter was like salt on raw flesh.
CHAPTER XI
The Hearing
“You two have certainly got your nerve, going back
toSeaford after that,” Jerry Webster said.
“We’ll stay away from the Kelsos and Brad Marbek. Don’t worry about that,” Rick assured him. “But we’re not giving up, are we, Scotty?”
“Not on your life,” Scotty replied flatly.
Jerry’s car bounced overSaltCreekBridge and sped toward theSeaford turnoff. The boys had phoned him early in the morning and found that he had learned about Tom Tyler’s hearing during his routine phone calls to theSeaford authorities, and that he was going down to cover it.
They had met him at the Whiteside dock, and on the way down had brought him up to date on their part of the case, including their humiliating experience of the night before.
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“So your theory about smuggling must be wrong,” Jerry said. “Otherwise, you’d have found something.”
“I’m not convinced,” Rick argued. “It’s still the only answer that fits.”
“Then where were the smuggled goods?”
“We could have gotten there too late,” Scotty reminded. “If it was a small shipment, it could have been unloaded and disposed of before we showed up.”
“Disposed of?How?” Jerry wanted to know.
Rick recalled that he had heard the sound of oars while in the cabin. Red and Brad had rushed out right away, too, after hearing a hail. “They might have taken the stuff up the creek,” he mused. “They might even have had a truck waiting at the bridge. There’s not much traffic, so it wouldn’t be too great a risk.
And even if a car came, they could pretend the truck was changing a tire or something until it passed.”
“That’s reasonable,” Jerry admitted. “Did you talk it over with Cap’n Mike?”
Rick grinned ruefully at the memory of the two soaked, bedraggled, filthy specimens who had knocked on Cap’n Mike’s door last night. “We were in no mood even to think about it,” he said. “But we did find out one thing. Cap’n Mike said it would be easy for anyone to disconnect Smugglers’ Light and then reconnect it. All he would need would be an insulated screw driver.”