Smugglers' Reef: A Rick Brant Science-Adventure Story

  CHAPTER XI

  The Hearing

  "You two have certainly got your nerve, going back to Seaford afterthat," Jerry Webster said.

  "We'll stay away from the Kelsos and Brad Marbek. Don't worry aboutthat," Rick assured him. "But we're not giving up, are we, Scotty?"

  "Not on your life," Scotty replied flatly.

  Jerry's car bounced over Salt Creek Bridge and sped toward the Seafordturnoff. The boys had phoned him early in the morning and found thathe had learned about Tom Tyler's hearing during his routine phonecalls to the Seaford authorities, and that he was going down to coverit.

  They had met him at the Whiteside dock, and on the way down hadbrought him up to date on their part of the case, including theirhumiliating experience of the night before.

  "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 thatfits."

  "Then where were the smuggled goods?"

  "We could have gotten there too late," Scotty reminded. "If it was asmall shipment, it could have been unloaded and disposed of before weshowed 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 mighteven 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 couldpretend the truck was changing a tire or something until it passed."

  "That's reasonable," Jerry admitted. "Did you talk it over with Cap'nMike?"

  Rick grinned ruefully at the memory of the two soaked, bedraggled,filthy specimens who had knocked on Cap'n Mike's door last night. "Wewere in no mood even to think about it," he said. "But we did find outone thing. Cap'n Mike said it would be easy for anyone to disconnectSmugglers' Light and then reconnect it. All he would need would be aninsulated screw driver."

  "And that's not all," Scotty added. "He said Tom Tyler was first oneback from the fishing grounds eight times out of ten because the _SeaBelle_ was the fastest boat in the fleet and the best handled."

  The more Rick thought about it, the more he was convinced that histheory of the wrecking of the trawler would hold water. Cap'n Mike hadplugged up another hole, too. Rick had wondered about the backside ofthe light. He had noticed that there was a red sector on thetownside, a common method of construction on lights of that sort. OnCap'n Mike's chart, shaded areas showed how the light worked. It wasvisible from the seaside in an arc of 180 degrees. It was dark in thequadrant toward the marsh and red in the quadrant toward the town. Butwarehouses and pier sheds blocked off the light from almost all of thetown except Million Dollar Row, and since the red portion would be outfor only a short time, it was long odds against anyone noticing it orinvestigating if they did.

  "It's pretty sound," Rick said. "Only I wonder if we'll ever proveit?"

  "Not in time for this morning's hearing, that's for sure," Scottycommented. "Maybe Captain Killian will have something to say. If heever gets back."

  Cap'n Mike had tried unsuccessfully last night to see Jim Killian. Hewas still visiting his mother.

  Jerry's car rolled down the main street of Seaford toward the townhall. Rick could see that an unusual number of cars was lined up alongthe curbs. The hearing was attracting a great deal of interest, ascould have been expected. He wondered if the Kelsos would be there.

  Jerry pulled into a convenient parking space. As they got out, heasked Rick, "Got your camera?"

  Rick held it up. "We've got our press cards, too. That makes us legalspectators for a change."

  "For a change is right," Scotty said. "Lead the way, Jerry."

  The hearing room was on the second floor. Jerry pushed his way throughthe crowd in the corridor with Rick and Scotty following, and foundthe entrance. A police officer stopped them at the door, thenpermitted them to enter when they showed their press cards. Rickwondered if the hearing would be closed to the public, but when he gotinside he saw that every seat was taken. He recognized a face here andthere, including that of Bill Lake. The others he recognized werefishermen he had seen during their trip to the pier with Cap'n Mike.Evidently some of them were taking the day off because of the hearing.

  The room was actually a small courtroom. Like most courtrooms, it hada low fence dividing the spectators from the participants. At a tableinside the fence, Tom Tyler was seated with four other men. Rickguessed from their appearance that they must be the members of hiscrew. One had an arm in a sling and he remembered Cap'n Mike had saidthe wreck had caused one broken arm.

  Jerry spoke to a man who seemed to be someone of authority, and theywere directed to seats in the front row. Across the aisle Rick sawMrs. Tyler and the little girl who had been with her on that firstnight. The captain's wife looked pale, but she seemed composed. Thenhe switched his glance to the captain himself.

  Tom Tyler seemed thinner in the few days since the wreck of his ship.He stared at the table before him, seemingly oblivious to the murmurof voices in the room. Rick felt compassion for him. If the theoryproved correct, Tom Tyler was the victim of unscrupulous men who hadwrecked his ship deliberately, just to remove danger from their path.

  He speculated about what might have caused the actual decision towreck the _Sea Belle_. There was only one sensible conclusion.Captain Tyler must have used the trawler to spy on Brad Marbek.Wrecking the ship would serve a double purpose: it would remove thepossibility of further spying on Brad and it would warn Tyler that thesmugglers meant business. After that, simply telling him that hisfamily would suffer if he kept on would strike home. Until the wreck,he probably had been inclined to treat Kelso's warning lightly.

  A door to the left of the judge's rostrum opened and three men cameout. One was a Coast Guard commander. The other two were civilians. Awhisper from Jerry informed Rick that they were officers of the UnitedStates Maritime Commission.

  Rick turned to see if the Kelsos or Brad Marbek were in the room. Hewas curious about Cap'n Mike, too. While he was searching the rows offaces, the procedure started. A clerk got up and announced somethingabout the hearing being held before the duly authorized board ofinquiry in the case of the wrecking on Smugglers' Reef of the motorvessel _Sea Belle_, of so many tons, and such and such a registrynumber, Thomas Lee Tyler, master, holding licenses numbers so and so.Jerry nudged Rick and pointed to the camera. Rick nodded and inserteda flash bulb. He caught the clerk's eye and held up the camera. Theclerk frowned, then motioned him to come inside the rail. Rick did soand snapped a picture of the tribunal. Then he turned and got a photoof Tom Tyler and the men at his table, with the audience in thebackground. He looked at Jerry. The young reporter nodded, indicatingthat two pictures would be enough.

  Rick resumed his seat.

  The middle man on the platform leaned over and asked, "Who isrepresenting Captain Tyler?"

  Tom Tyler stood up. "No one, sir."

  A murmur ran through the courtroom.

  "Captain," the man asked, "do you mean you have come into this hearingwithout counsel?"

  "Sir, I'm pleading guilty to whatever the charge is. I don't need alawyer for that." Tyler sat down again.

  There was whispered consultation among the three on the bench. Thenthe spokesman leaned forward again.

  "Captain, as I understand the facts presented by the officers whoinvestigated, if you plead guilty you will, in effect, state that youdeliberately wrecked your ship. If you so state, your insurancecompany will have no recourse but to ask your arrest on a charge ofbarratry. Do you understand that?"

  Tyler's shoulders straightened. "If that's the way it is, sir, I guessthat's the way it is. I'm pleading guilty."

  The murmur in the court rose.

  Rick leaned over to Jerry. "He's scared stiff. He must be, to takethis lying down."

  But if the Kelsos had threatened Mrs. Tyler and
their little girl,there wasn't much else he could do. Wrecking the trawler had shown himthey were capable of carrying out any threat. Rick was glad he had hadpresence of mind the night before to say that other people knew he andScotty were going to Creek House. He was sure that had the Kelsos andBrad thought that no one else knew, their fate would have been muchdifferent.

  A hand fell on his shoulder. He looked up into the face of the officerwho had been at the door.

  "You Rick Brant?"

  He nodded.

  "Cap'n Mike is outside. Says it's urgent. He wants you and Don Scott."

  "We'll come right away," Rick said. He leaned over and explained toJerry. "We'll meet you outside. Come on, Scotty."

  As quietly as possible he and Scotty left the room just as thespokesman for the board declared that the hearing would proceed.

  Cap'n Mike was on the steps in front of the town hall. His weatheredface lit up at the sight of the boys and he greeted them with a noteof worry in his voice. "Come on down to the sidewalk out of earshot ofthese folks," he said in a low tone.

  They followed him to a place where the crowd thinned out, then Rickasked, "What's the matter, Cap'n? Anything important come up?"

  "Important? I'll say it's important!" Cap'n Mike leaned forward. "JimKillian has disappeared!"