Rick Brant 7 Smugglers' Reef

by John Blaine

  He and Jerry went directly to the boat landing while Rick ran upstairs and picked up his infrared camera, just in case. If the police raided Creek House tonight, he intended to be on hand.

  Scotty had chosen the fast speedboat and already had the engine turning over. Rick jumped aboard and they roared toward Whiteside. At the dock they transferred to Jerry’s car and sped through the streets to the newspaper office. Duke Barrows had just finished with the early newscast and, taking advantage of the lull, had gone home for dinner; he would return in about an hour, the photographer said. He was the only man in the office. Jerry gave him the roll of film on which Rick had rephotographed the critical scenes from the movie and asked for two enlargements of each.

  “It’s urgent,” he said. “Duke will want to see these when he gets back.”

  “He’ll have ‘em.” The photographer headed for the darkroom.

  Rick and Scotty didn’t wait any longer. They took the file ofNew York papers from the rack and hurriedly leafed through them to the proper dates.

  “Here’s one!” Rick found a pencil and jotted down the name of the ship and its owner. The next date disclosed a ship of the same registry and owner, but with a different name. They worked rapidly and it took only a few minutes now that they knew what to look for, and presently they had the job completed.

  Jerry, who had been phoning Duke, joined them and looked over Rick’s shoulder as he read aloud.

  “All the same company and registry.It’s the Com- pania Maritima Caribey Atlantica .” He stumbled a little over the Spanish name. This was good evidence. He looked at his friends, eyes shining.“Now for today’s paper. Got it Jerry?”

  The reporter found it on Duke’s desk and they spread it out on a table. Three heads bent over it. There was no ship of that company and registry listed as sailing tonight. Then Scotty spotted a separate listing of ships now loading.

  “Got one!But it’s scheduled to sail night after tomorrow. And look! It’s the same ship that was here two weeks ago!”

  Rick sat down at Jerry’s desk. He still couldn’t escape the feeling of urgency. He had played his hunches before and he did so now. He leaned over and picked up a copy of theNew York phone directory. With the others watching curiously, he leafed through it, found the right page and ran his finger down it until he Page 93

  had the number, then he picked up Jerry’s phone and called it.

  While the operator made the connection, he held his hand over the mouthpiece.“A hunch. The shipping offices are closed now, but the Port Director atNew York will know.”

  A female voice said, “PortofNew York Authority.”

  “Information on ship sailings, please,” Rick requested.

  The operator rang an extension and a male voice answered.

  “I know you don’t usually bother with information of this kind,” Rick said, “but this is the Whiteside Morning Record and we need it for tomorrow’s edition. I’d like to know if there is any correction on the sailing date of this ship.” He read off the name and company and the pier number.

  “Just a minute, Whiteside.I’ll be glad to look it up.”

  Rick waited tensely.

  “Here it is. That ship was supposed to sail Friday night, but the sailing has been moved up. She leaves tonight atmidnight .”

  “Thanks,” Rick said. “Thanks!” He hung up and turned to his friends. “Tonight’s the night! I had a hunch something was up. Of course Brad and the Kelsos would have the sailing moved up, because they’re frightened. I’ll bet tonight will be their last load, then the Kelsos will clear out and Brad will go back to just fishing.”

  “Tonight or never,” Scott}’ echoed. “What do we do now?”

  “Call Captain Douglas.”Rick picked up the phone again and asked for State Police headquarters. There was a little delay while the officer was called to the phone, then Rick quickly outlined their findings from the movie film and theNew York paper. “If we get down there, we can catch them in the act of loading,”

  he said.“How about it, Captain?”

  Captain Douglas hesitated. “I hate to stick my neck out again after last night, but this looks like a sure thing. We’ll need a search warrant, Rick, and it will take a little time to rout out a judge. And I’ll have to see the pictures first. We have to showcause when we get a warrant, you know, and the judge will be a little reluctant after last night.”

  “The pictures are being printed now,” Rick told him. “You can have them in a little while.”

  “Right.Ill round up the men I need and bring them with me. And I’ll get the judge on the phone and ask him to make out the warrant and promise to show him the evidence when I pick it up.”

  “How long will it take?” Rick asked.

  “We’ll be on our way in an hour. I’ll get going right now.”

  The captain hung up. Rick looked at his watch and then at the rapidly fading light outside. “They won’t be in time,” he said desperately. “If they rush the loading, they can have the Albatross out of there. Then what happens? They’ll have to get another warrant to search the trawler at the pier, and there won’t be Page 94

  any evidence to tie the cargo up with the Kelsos!”

  Scotty held up the infrared camera. “Unless we get it,” he said.

  Rick’s eyes widened. Go back to Creek House? But even as he shuddered at the thought of what would happen to them if they were caught again, he knew there was no other way.

  “Jerry,” he said crisply, “we’re going on ahead. Run us down to the dock and we’ll get started. Then you come back here and wait for Captain Douglas and Duke. Give them the pictures and this dope from the shipping news, and for the love of Rick and Scotty, tell them to step on it when they start forSeaford

  !”

  Jerry protested halfheartedly as they sped to the dock, but they convinced him it would be better for him to wait and impress on the others the need for speed. He dropped them at the speedboat with a plea to be careful, then headed back to the office.

  Scotty got behind the wheel while Rick cast off and they roared out to sea with the throttle wide open.

  The speedboat climbed to the step and planed along like a racer, leaving a foaming wake. Then, as they passedSpindriftIsland and met rougher water, it began to bounce from one wave crest to the next. Spray swirled over the windshield and into the boat. Scotty started the wipers. Rick crouched down under the dashboard and rechecked his camera, trying out the infrared dynamo and the camera motor. Just to be on the safe side, he had brought the camera case, which contained the extra film and a tripod. Now he got the tripod ready but waited to see what would happen before he placed the camera on it.

  He sat back in the seat, satisfied that everything was in readiness, and looked around him. Suddenly he stiffened. There were ship running lights on the horizon. The trawler fleet was returning toSeaford , and Brad Marbek would be among them! He leaned over and switched outtheir own running lights.

  Scotty glanced around, saw the masthead lights, and nodded his understanding.

  “Better make a plan,” he suggested. “What do we do when we get there?”

  “Stick our heads into the lion’s mouth,” Rick replied unhappily. “I hate to try getting into the Creek House grounds again after last time!”

  “Do we have to? How about watching from the boat?”

  “We couldn’t get near enough without being seen. Wait! We could at that!” Rick struggled to remember details of the photo they had taken showing the marsh opposite Creek House. “We could go into the marsh. Remember that inlet nearest the creek? That branched off in the right direction. There are emergency oars in this and we could use them as poles and shove our way in. We might get close enough.”

  “And if we don’t, we canwade the rest of the way.” Scotty leaned over and wiped mist from the windshield. “Good idea.” He laughed, without mirth. “Brad and the two redheads would have a fine time chasing us through the swamp. Here’s one pigeon they’d never catch.”
/>
  “Make it two pigeons,” Rick corrected.

  They were making good time, even though the slapping of the speedboat over the rough water was giving them a bad jouncing. They roared past the last group of summer cottages before Brendan’s Page 95

  Marsh, leaving a wake that set the boats anchored near the shore to rocking.

  At Rick’s suggestion, Scotty throttled down as they swept along the edge of the marsh. The noise of the wide-open engine might be heard at Creek House and arouse suspicion. Then, as Smugglers’ Light neared and they knew they were getting close, Scotty throttled down still more. Rick unlashed the pair of oars from their position along the gunwale and got them ready. It was fully dark now and difficult to see, although the moon was rising.

  Scotty leaned over and cut the ignition. “Don’t dare to use the engine any nearer than this,” he said, his voice low.

  Rick saw that they were perilously near the creek mouth. He turned to look at the incoming trawlers and saw the nearest one almost abeam of them a quarter mile out. “Watch for that inlet,” he whispered. “And let’s get into the next seat back. The windshield will interfere if we try to paddle from here.” He hadn’t rigged the oarlocks, knowing they would be unable to row in the narrow inlet. They would have to use the oars as paddles.

  They climbed over the seat back and each took an oar, kneeling like canoeists. Rick was on the inland side, and he saw the inlet mouth first. “Here,” he whispered, and backed water with his oar. The bow of the boat swung around.

  Rushes and marsh grass scraped past them. The lights of Creek House were still invisible. Rick strained his eyes to see; it was almost inky black in the tall rushes. Then Scotty reached out and felt with his oar.

  “Left turn,” he whispered. He had found the inlet branch that led toward the hotel. Now he backed water, trying not to splash, while Rick poled ahead. The boat swung into the narrow channel, reeds touching it on both sides and making a hissing noise as they progressed.

  “Only a few feet of water,” Rick said softly. “And mud at the bottom.” Each time he lifted his oar he felt the weight of a ball of muck on the end.

  The boat slid gently to a stop. Both boys put their weight on the oars, but it moved only two feet ahead then stopped once more. They put their heads together and discussed it in a low whisper because they were near the creek.

  “We’re aground,” Scotty said.

  “Guess we get out and walk,” Rick returned. “Better take our shoes and socks off. It will be muddy.”

  “We’ll be lucky if we don’t sink in up to our necks.”

  Scotty took his arm sedately. Rick started to ask whatwas the matter , then he heard it, too. The cough of a Diesel engine exhaust and the clanking of gear told him that a ship was nearing. A shiver ran through him. Brad Marbek, coming in to load!

  “Let’s step on it, he whispered. He sat down and removed his shoes and socks, then climbed up on the gunwale and walked forward, brushing against the rushes but trying not to make too much noise. He took his oar and shoved straight down from the bow. There was about a foot of water, then another eighteen inches of mud before the bottom firmed. It would be hard going. He started back, but Scotty came to meet him, carrying the camera and power pack.

  Page 96

  “The tripod,” Rick requested in a low whisper. “If the ground is so soft I can’t get a firm stance, I’ll need it.”

  Scotty handed him the equipment, then went back and got the tripod. Rick screwed the camera into place with a few turns of the tripod nut. Scotty disconnected the power cord that led from the power pack to the camera and coiled it up. They could reconnect it when they needed it. Meanwhile, it would interfere with their progress. He slung the power pack over his shoulder.

  Rick put the camera and tripod on the deck, then turned his back to the creek and lowered himself. The water was cold and the muck seemed to reach up for him. He felt firmer ground under his toes and let himself go, then held his hands within reach of the boat as he continued to sink. He was up to his thighs when the ground finally held. He reached up and took the camera, holding it high in the air, and started forward.

  Each step was an effort. He had to lift his leg high before each step, and the mud clung. Behind him, he heard the sucking, splashing, of Scotty’s progress.

  Then the ground began to get firmer until at last there was only a thin filial of water and about a foot of mud. The lights of Creek House could be seen through the rushes now. He held up his hand as a warning to Scotty. They were close to the bank. In a moment he parted the reeds and looked through. Scotty moved to his side. The Albatross was tying up at Creek House pier, and Brad Marbek was just leaping to the dock where the Kelsos waited. But the boys were too far down toward the creek mouth. They would have to move along the bank. Rick gave Scotty a little push in that direction and Scotty understood. He went back into the marsh a few feet, then led the way.

  It was easier going, but still far from pleasant. The muck gave every step a slurping sound, and it clung in gobs. Then the vantage point Scotty selected was reached, directly opposite the pier. They parted the rushes slightly and looked out.

  The crew of the Albatross was climbing down under the pier. As the boys watched, they poled out a shallow-draft, broad-beamed rowboat about fifteen feet long. It was the barge on which the contraband had waited in the swamp.

  Rick put his lips to Scotty’s ear. “Wonder why Captain Douglas didn’t see that?”

  “He probably did. It wouldn’t mean anything with the cargo gone.”

  Sensible, Rick thought. There would have been no occasion for the captain to mention it. He searched for a bit of firmer ground on which to rest the camera and found it. He began to worry about the hum of the dynamo. Would it be heard when they turned it on?

  And the filament of the infrared searchlight would be visible, too, against the dark background of the marsh. Did they dare try it?

  The crew of the Albatross was in the flatboat-it scarcely could be called a rowboat-already heading upstream. The Kelsos and Marbek walked toward the house.

  Good! That would give them a chance to try the camera. Rick waited impatiently until the boat rounded the turn leading to Salt Creek Bridge, then he sighted in on the Albatross, checked his settings, and started both the camera and infrared light. The dynamo and camera motor hummed quietly. He breathed a sigh of relief.Surely that much sound would blend imperceptibly with the normal night noises. Peepers in Page 97

  the fresher water upstream made more noise than that. He walked ahead of the camera and peered into the infrared searchlight. If anyone looked real closely, they might see it. He hoped the men on the opposite shore would be too busy to glance his way.

  He switched off the mechanism and settled down to wait. His trousers were wet and heavy with mud, and his legs and feet were chilled. Mosquitoes whined around his head and little gnats settled down for a meal on his exposed neck and head. He began to wonder if it was worth it.

  Carrots Kelso came out of the house, and he had his rifle. The boys watched as he disappeared behind the hotel, taking up his position as guard.

  Each minute had lead in its shoes. Why didn’t the boat return? And then, suddenly, it was rounding the bend! Rick moved behind the camera and loosened the pan-head. He swung the lens upstream. Scotty parted the rushes for him and he began to shoot. Infrared illuminated the boat clearly. He saw the faces of the crew, saw the cases stacked from stem to stern and even read their labels.Hummer sewing machines. He didn’t believe for a moment that there were really sewing machines in them, but he couldn’t guess their actual content.

  He stopped shooting and rewound the camera while Scotty cranked the dynamo spring, then he took another brief sequence, stopped, and waited. No more now until they actually reached the dock and started to transfer the stuff.

  Red Kelso and Brad Marbek came out of the hotel and he started shooting again, then he switched to a telephoto lens and took a close-up of their faces as they watched
the boat draw near.

  Carrots appeared around the front of the hotel and Rick got him, too, before he vanished again, patrolling the grounds.

  The boat touched the dock. A crewman leaped to the place where Kelso and Marbek stood. There was conversation with much gesturing and pointing into the boat. Then the crewman jumped down again and motioned to one of his fellows. Rick started shooting. Clearly, as though it were day, he saw the two bend over something in the bow. They heaved upright and a chill shot through him. A man, bound and gagged! Then they turned the man over to hand him up to the dock and Rick’s teeth clamped on his lip so hard that he groaned.

  It was Jerry Websterl

  CHAPTER XIX

  The Fight at Creek House

  Rick and Scotty watched helplessly as Jerry was carried into the hotel, then they looked at each other wordlessly. In a moment the seamen who had carried him returned, but Brad and Red didn’t.

  The one who had first reported to Brad, probably the mate or bosun , stood on the dock and called to the men in the boat. The boys could hear him clearly. “Let’s get busy. We’ve got to load this stuff fast.”

  Page 98

  One of the men in the boat asked, “What they going to do with the kid?”

  “Find out what he knows, then knock him on the head and shove him under the fish until we’re out where we can dump him.”

  Rick and Scotty grabbed for each other at the same time. They knew without speaking what they had to do. Rick snatched up the camera, hauling it out of the muck recklessly. He pulled the power plug and Scotty reeled it in. They plowed through the swamp as fast as they could without making too much of a disturbance.

  Scotty led the way, cutting straight through the marsh to the boat, his highly developed direction sense showing him the way.

  It seemed forever to Rick, but it was actually only a few minutes before they were climbing into the boat.

  “What do we do?” he asked desperately as he stowed the camera. “If we start the boat, they’ll hear it, and it would take too long to pole out.”