"No." The scientist shook his head, eyes dark with worry. "Coggleston says we can be practically certain the spy got that formula. He says the man in charge was having a staff meeting of his aides, and they had it written out on a blackboard for discussion."
"Joseph--"
"Ray"s on his way over now. He wants to ask you some questions about the man"s description--"
Even as the words left the savant"s mouth, they heard a car roar up the driveway. Major Ray Coggleston hurried in the door, a sergeant at his heels. He wasted no time on preliminaries.
"What did he look like?" he demanded.
"Well, he had red hair...."
"Yes, yes. We know that."
"He was pretty big. Almost as tall as Joseph."
"Yes. Go on."
"I guess he talked sort of loud."
"Got it."
Henry hesitated. Tugged at his goatee, his face screwed with concentration.
"Really, Major Coggleston, that"s about all I can remember about him,"
he said at last.
The officer swore. He paced the floor in a frenzy of anxiety.
"We"ve nothing to go on!" he fumed. "The description"s meaningless. It could fit any one of a thousand men in this area. We don"t even know where to start to hunt."
"Excuse me, major--" gulped Henry.
The military man whirled on him.
"What is it? Have you thought of something else?"
"Why, about where to start to hunt--"
"Yes?"
"Why don"t you try the nudist camp?"
"The nudist camp?" Professor Paulsen exploded. "Are you completely crazy, Henry? Why would a spy be in a nudist camp?"
Henry glared back at him.
"No, I"m not completely crazy," he snapped peevishly. "And I don"t know what a spy is doing in a nudist camp, but that"s where he was when I sold him my gla.s.ses." He sniffed. "Really, Joseph, I get awfully tired of your acting like you were the only one around here who was half smart."
But Major Coggleston interrupted.
"Let"s get this straight," he pleaded. "Where did you meet this red-headed man? How"d you come to sell him the gla.s.ses?"
"Oh, that?" Henry sniffed so hard his gla.s.ses slid down his nose. "Why, he was one of the men who was out peeking at the nudists." He turned to Professor Paulsen. "You remember, Joseph. He"s the one who said I was telling the truth about my X-ray eyegla.s.ses being able to look through the fence."
"Yes, heaven preserve me, I remember!" groaned the professor. "But why didn"t I think--"
"So he asked me to sell him my gla.s.ses," Henry continued. "And when Joseph told me to get rid of them, I took them over to the nudist camp and sold them to him for fifty dollars."
"But how"d you know he was in the nudist camp?"
"How?" Henry"s goatee jerked with contempt. "How would I know anyone was there? I saw him. He was right behind the blonde with the cute--"
"Henry!"
"Oh, all right. Anyhow, he was right behind a blonde girl. I saw him when I looked through my gla.s.ses while I was showing Joseph how to use them."
Again Major Coggleston paced the floor. His face was lined with worry.
He bit nervously at his lip.
"I"ll be d.a.m.ned if I know what to do!" he exploded. "I"ve got to find that spy. But I can hardly seize a whole nudist camp just because a red-headed man bought a pair of binoculars."
"Couldn"t you ask that all red-headed men be brought to the gate?"
suggested Professor Paulsen.
"No." The officer shook his head. "If the man we want is there, that would tip him off."
"Excuse me, sir," broke in the sergeant who accompanied Major Coggleston, "but why not just search the whole place with the men you"ve got detailed for guard duty? It wouldn"t be much of a job."
The major nodded.
"If I have to, that"s just what I plan," he replied. "However, there are women in that camp. Nude women. And, frankly, I don"t hanker after any of the kind of publicity which undoubtedly would result from such a search. So I want to avoid it if I can."
"Then what--"
"I"ll go in alone! That"s it!" Major Coggleston straightened, suddenly decisive. "Sergeant, go back to the laboratory and round up all but a skeleton guard. Bring them back to the nudist camp and surround it.
Don"t let anyone escape! Do you understand me?"
"Yes, sir. I am to surround the nudist camp with our men as soon as possible, leaving only a skeleton guard on the laboratory."
"Right. On your way."
The sergeant strode out, and a moment later the car in the driveway roared to life. And back in the house, the major drew a deep breath.
"Well, I"m off!" he snapped. "Wish me luck!"