Smugglers' Reef: A Rick Brant Science-Adventure Story

  CHAPTER XVII

  Enter the Police

  Duke Barrows was waiting at the hangar when Rick and Scotty got out ofthe Cub. "I can see the headlines now," he greeted them with a grin."Young Birdmen Fly by Night. Subhead: Get Up Early to Catch Worms WhoBreak Law."

  "Speaking of getting up early," Rick retorted. He pointed to wheregrowing paleness in the east announced the coming of daylight. "Howdid you know we'd be landing?"

  "My house is near here," Duke reminded them. "I heard you buzz thefield a while ago and I knew you must have gotten the call. So Idressed and came over. I hadn't gone to sleep after getting home,anyway. Editors of morning papers are night owls, remember. Well, howdid it go?"

  Rick reached into the Cub and drew out his camera. He held it uptriumphantly. "The evidence is in here," he said happily. "We caught'em in the act, Duke." Then he sobered. "But we're worried." He toldthe editor about their misgivings.

  "Hmmmm." Barrows gazed at the night sky reflectively. "I agree thatMarbek probably wouldn't throw the stuff overboard, but he mightstreak for port. I think we'd better give Captain Douglas a call. Wewant state troopers waiting at Creek House when the _Albatross_arrives."

  Scotty groaned. "If they go now, that means we won't get any sleep."

  "You hadn't better plan on going with the troopers," Duke said. "Theyprobably prefer to handle things their own way. Besides, it might meanwaiting all day. I'd say it was more important for you to get thatfilm developed. I don't suppose you saw the name of the ship Marbekwas getting his stuff from?"

  "I didn't even think about it," Rick confessed. "I planned to, thenwhen the time came it slipped my mind completely. I was too busyflying the plane and taking pictures."

  Duke looked at the camera curiously. Rick had described it to him."It's hard to believe that you actually got pictures at night. I'manxious to see them."

  "Me, too," Scotty agreed.

  "Let's get organized," Barrows said. "First of all, how do you plan toget the film developed?"

  "There's a lab in New York that gives 24-hour service. They candevelop infrared, too. I hate to think how much they will charge me."

  "Can individual frames of the film be blown up and made into decentpictures?"

  Rick nodded. "The result looks a little grainy, but it can be done."

  "All right. Give me exclusive rights to use the pictures and thepaper will pay for them. Let me have the film and the address of thelab. I'll send Jerry to New York with them first thing this morning.Then we can have them back tomorrow. Is that okay with you?"

  "Swell."

  "Good. Now let's hop into my car and take a run over to the StatePolice Barracks. We'll get Captain Douglas out of bed and you can tellhim your story. He'll know how to carry the ball from there."

  Scotty got the binoculars from the Cub. He and Rick staked the planedown, then hurried to the editor's car.

  The police barracks were just outside of town on the Newark turnpike.Captain Douglas was in bed, but he got up quickly enough when thesergeant on duty gave him the names of the three visitors. Rickdescribed their night's work while the officer finished dressing. Whenhe had finished, Captain Douglas, a strapping man who had been aMarine officer before retiring and joining the state force, noddedbriskly.

  "Good work, Rick. I want to see that film the minute you know whetheryour camera worked well enough for evidence. Now, m'lads, I've got toget to work. Instead of barging into Creek House with sirens wailing,I just think I'll put a pair of my boys in civilian clothes on thejob, one on the water front and the other at the bridge. I have a pairof squad cars without insignia or state license plates that will beuseful, and both of them are radio-equipped. The minute this trawlershows up, we'll know about it and we'll move in on them. I'll ask fora search warrant soon as I can get someone on the phone at the mainoffice. How does that strike you?"

  "It sounds all right," Rick said. "But where do we come in?"

  "You don't," Captain Douglas retorted. "You go home and go to bed. Theonly thing you could do would be to hang around here all day waiting,because we couldn't let you go to Seaford and perhaps tip off the gangby accident. They must know it was your plane, and they're crazy ifthey don't assume you'll call the police. If no police show up and youdon't either, it may lull their suspicions somewhat. Tell you what.I'll phone Duke, or have the desk man do it, the minute we hearanything and he can phone you."

  And with that, the two boys had to be content. Rick ran the rest ofthe film through his camera, unloaded it, and handed the can of filmto Duke Barrows. The editor drove them to the boat landing. "With anyluck," he said as they got from the car, "we may let folks read allabout it within a couple of days. See you later, fellows."

  Although it was scarcely daylight, Mr. and Mrs. Brant were already upand having an early breakfast. Rick knew it was just that they hadworried about Scotty and him, and he felt a little thrill of pride inthem. Even though they had worried, they had confidence in him and sothey had let him go. He was glad that he and Scotty always had playedsquare with them, sharing their adventures and discussing theirproblems.

  Over breakfast, the boys related the story of their night flight whilethe Brants listened with interest. "It wasn't bad at all," Rickfinished. "I did have one tough moment when we landed the first time,because I was a little too tense. But the second time was smooth asanything."

  "I'm glad you went right to Ed Douglas," Hartson Brant saidapprovingly. "These kinds of jobs belong to the law, Rick. An amateurcan go only so far, and then if he's wise, he calls the police."

  They had barely finished breakfast when the phone rang. It was Cap'nMike. He said that he had been standing on first one leg then theother ever since he first phoned, and would they please tell him whathad happened.

  Scotty obliged with a dramatic report and Cap'n Mike exclaimed hisdelight so loudly that Rick could hear him half the room away. Scottyhung up and grinned. "He's going to sort of wander over to that partof town himself, just to keep track of what's going on."

  "Hope he doesn't attract any attention," Rick said.

  "He's too smart for that. Well, what now? To bed to catch up on thatsleep we missed?"

  Rick couldn't have slept a wink, and he said as much. He was too woundup. "Let's go back to Whiteside," he suggested. "It's full daylightnow and one of us might as well bring the Cub back."

  "I'll do it," Scotty offered. "You've been getting all the practice,and you're the one who doesn't need it."

  On the way over by boat, Rick reviewed again the events of the night."Funny that the freighter was heading south," he said. In the coldlight of day, his speculation that there might be a whole smugglingring up and down the coast didn't look too sensible. "Of course shemay have reached there before Brad showed up and circled while she waswaiting. We didn't hang around to see if she headed north again afterthey finished unloading."

  "That could be it," Scotty nodded. "Probably is. Listen, what happensto the freighter if the police catch Brad with the goods?"

  "Can't say. Ordinarily, I'd think the police would call for the CoastGuard to go intercept them. But we're not sure of the identity of theship."

  "We missed there," Scotty said. "Has it occurred to you that we'regoing to be the star witnesses if this comes to trial?"

  Rick shook his head. "Not necessarily. If the State Police catch Bradand the Kelsos with the goods, they won't need us for anything. But ifthey identify the ship that supplied them, they may need us there."

  "Unless it's a foreign ship."

  "What do you mean?"

  "They were outside the twelve-mile limit," Scotty pointed out. "That'sthe high seas. I'm not up on my international law, but I doubt if theUnited States could do much about something done by a foreign ship onthe high seas."

  "Never thought of that," Rick admitted.

  He dropped Scotty at the landing, then turned the launch back toSpindrift. Once in his own room, however, he was too restless to doanything, even to sleep. He walked out to the lab building an
d satdown on the steps, looking out to sea. It was a beautiful morning.Soon as Scotty got back he would suggest a swim.

  In a short time he looked up to see Scotty approaching from Whiteside.He watched critically as Scotty swung wide and banked into theapproach over the lab building, then settled smoothly to the grass. Henodded approval. Scotty was a natural flier. He excelled at anythingrequiring a high degree of co-ordination between body and mind.

  Rick walked to meet him. "What kept you?"

  Scotty climbed out and they staked the plane down. "Jerry picked me upon the way to the airport. We talked for a while. He had the film andwas taking it into New York."

  Both of them walked with less spring in their steps than usual.Knowing that nothing was in sight but waiting was a letdown after theactivity of the predawn hours. But Captain Douglas had spoken and thatwas that.

  "Wonder if we'll ever be able to prove that the Kelsos wrecked the_Sea Belle_?" Rick mused. "Even if the police catch them cold on asmuggling charge that won't necessarily tie them up with CaptainTyler."

  "That's right." Scotty bent and plucked a sprig of mint from the patchnext to the house and chewed it absently. "But we'll be able to showmotive and method once they're in jail and Tyler can talk. And withCaptain Killian's evidence, that will clear Tyler anyway. Why shouldwe worry whether the Kelsos get caught for that as long as he'scleared? We'll have them on the smuggling charge."

  "I guess so." Rick felt tired. "How about a quick swim? Then we cancrawl into bed and take a nap."

  "Good idea. What are we waiting for?"

  The water was too good to abandon after a few quick dips, however, andthey alternately swam and lazed in the sun until lunchtime. Only aftera good lunch of several sandwiches and almost a quart of milk apiecedid they feel like taking a nap. Then Rick said, "No word. I guessthat does it. Either Brad is ignoring our flying over him or he hasdumped his cargo. I'd like to know which. Otherwise, he would have putinto Creek House long ago."

  "Looks that way. But I'm too drowsy to care. Go on to bed and let medo likewise. We'll know soon enough what happened."

  Rick undressed, drew his shades and crawled in, luxuriating in thecomfort of cool sheets. But it wasn't easy to drop off to sleep. Hisactive mind persisted in going over and over the events at Seafordlike a record stuck in a groove, but after a while he slept.

  He didn't even hear the phone when it rang. Scotty had to wake him.Then, drowsily, he and Scotty went down the hall.

  "It's Mr. Barrows," Mrs. Brant called from below.

  "I'll take it," Rick said. He picked up the phone. "This is Rick,Duke."

  "Bad news," the editor said. "It's all over, and nothing came out ofit."

  Rick woke up sharply. "What? But, Duke, we saw them load!"

  "Tough luck. Brad came in at the usual time and Douglas was waitingfor him. They went over that ship from stem to stern and didn't turnup a single thing."

  Rick realized that it was dark outside. Mother had let them sleepright through dinner.

  "But the crates in the marsh," he exclaimed. "How about those?"

  "Gone," Duke said. "There wasn't a thing but flattened reeds and muddywater."

  Scotty had been holding his ear close to the phone. "Brad must havejettisoned his cargo," he said. "We didn't think he would."

  Duke heard him. "Was that Scotty? Well, Rick, if the pictures proveout, we'll know he must have thrown the stuff overboard. CaptainDouglas has faith in you. He says not to be discouraged."

  "Thanks," Rick said hollowly.

  "Oh, one other item of news. I talked with the agent who rented theCreek House to the Kelsos. They've given him notice that they'removing out next Saturday. What do you think about that?"

  Rick's shoulders slumped. "Unless they try to pull something betweennow and then, we're sunk. Duke, do you realize this may have beentheir last load? We might have scared them off with flying over Bradand then having the police raid them."

  "I'm afraid so, too. But Captain Douglas says they seemed pretty smug.They may try it again. By the way, Jerry says the film will be readyat five tomorrow night. I'll send him into New York early tomorrow andhe can do a few errands for me, then pick up the film on his wayhome."

  "Thanks, Duke," Rick said. He replaced the receiver and looked atScotty. "Did you get all that?"

  Scotty nodded silently.

  Mrs. Brant called from downstairs. "I saved dinner for you, boys. Wantto come get it now?"

  "Right away," Rick called. "Thanks, Mom."

  He and Scotty slipped robes over their pajamas and walked slowly downthe stairs. Neither of them felt much like eating after the phonecall. They had, with undue optimism, written the case off aspractically closed. But now everything seemed as far from a solutionas ever.