"What a rig!" the reporter marveled. "Where did you get it?"
"Built it."
During the next half hour, while they waited for Duke to return, Rick told Jerry the story of the Megabuck Mob, omitting only what followed when Steve Ames arrived.
Then Duke returned, freshly barbered, trying to scratch his back. "One thing about this new barber," he greeted them. "He"s no better at keeping hair out of your shirt than Vince is. Why is it that barbers can"t cut hair without getting it into places where it itches?"
Rick smiled sympathetically. He knew how it was. No matter how careful a barber tried to be, it seemed impossible to get a haircut without a shower of hair clippings down the back. Usually they lodged where it was impossible to scratch.
Duke rubbed against the doorframe. "It"s Vince Lardner"s day off," he began.
Rick tensed. If the houseboaters were going to contact the barber, they would naturally try to choose a time when they could see him alone. Maybe there had been an earlier contact, and the barber had told them he would be alone today. That might account for the houseboat"s moving closer to Whiteside.
"Vince had gone fishing." The editor grinned. "I suspect that"s the only reason he got a helper, anyway, so he could go fishing more often. There isn"t really enough work in town for more than one barber."
"Did you look at the ma.s.sage machine?" Rick asked anxiously.
The editor nodded. "It"s nothing but a hood, with three ordinary ma.s.sage gadgets inside. Vibrator heads, I think they"re called."
That tallied with the description Steve"s agent had given. "Did you examine it closely?" Rick pursued.
"Yes. There"s only one cord attached--the power cord. But I did notice an interesting thing. Set around the edges are little disks, like round covers. I started to lift one up, but the barber asked me to stop. He said the machine is adjusted very carefully and I might upset the adjustment."
"Tough luck," Scotty said, disappointed.
"Oh, I don"t know." Duke"s eyes twinkled. "I got enough of a look to see two tiny holes in the piece of stuff the disk covered. The stuff was black, probably plastic. Like telephones are made of."
"In other words," Rick said slowly, "you saw holes for electrical plugs?"
"I think so. I don"t know what else they could be."
Rick and Scotty exchanged glances.
"What does it mean?" Jerry asked.
Rick answered. "We don"t know. And I"m not kidding. We really don"t know."
"I believe you," Duke said briefly. "Okay. I"ve done my bit, including getting my hair cut. Anything else?"
"We"d like to stick around," Rick replied. "Jerry already knows about this, but Barby is watching a houseboat anch.o.r.ed in North Cove. If anyone leaves the houseboat for the Whiteside pier, she"ll call us.
We"ll take over at the pier. It just might happen that the houseboater will pay a call on the barber."
Duke didn"t comment, but Rick knew the editor"s mind was at work.
"Make yourself at home," Duke said, and went back to his editorial writing.
Now and then Barby called, wanting to chat, but Rick discouraged her.
He was reasonably sure the enemy wouldn"t be listening in on the extremely short wave length on which the Megabuck network operated, but there was no use taking any chances. After each conversation he identified the sets with his own amateur call letters, even though it was unlikely anyone could hear the conversation. The little sets operated essentially on a line of sight because of the short wave length used. They couldn"t be heard beyond the horizon, if they were heard that far.
After an hour of waiting, Barby called in high excitement. Cap"n Mike was aboard the houseboat! The boys waited anxiously for some further report, but Barby was only able to say that the old seaman had departed after a ten-minute visit and was now fishing again.
At noon Jerry and Scotty slipped out for a sandwich. When they returned, Rick and Duke went to eat. According to Barby, all was quiet.
Around one o"clock Cap"n Mike returned to Spindrift and reported a friendly conversation with the houseboaters. They had anch.o.r.ed in North Cove because someone down the coast had told them fishing was good around there, which was a true statement.
The retired skipper had only one additional comment, which Barby relayed. The folks had been friendly, but he thought they were a little nervous, and anxious to get rid of him. He had no other information of value.
At midafternoon Jerry went on a brief sortie, came back, and reported business was slow in the barbershop, which was not unusual for a Tuesday. The barber was reading a magazine.
Rick and Scotty were restless. The chairs in the newspaper office were hard, and they had exhausted the reference materials on the bookshelf.
Duke Barrows looked up from a story he was editing and grinned.
"Espionage isn"t as adventurous as some folks would like you to believe. It"s generally nothing but sitting. And waiting. Just as you"re doing now."
Rick grinned back. Duke was telling him nothing he didn"t know. He had waited like this before.
Barby called urgently, "Rick! The pram is leaving. One man in it, and he"s just starting the outboard motor!"
"All right," he said swiftly. "Let us know which way he goes."
In a moment Barby answered. "He"s going to the pier!"
"Roger. We"re moving!"
CHAPTER XIV
Surveillance--with Cereal
The plan of action had been set in advance. Scotty hurried out, while Rick settled down to wait. Scotty, using Jerry"s car, would locate the houseboater at the pier. Rick would stand by, ready to take over as necessary.
A short time later Scotty called on the Megabuck network. "I"m in the pier parking lot. He"s tying the pram up."
"Can he see you?"
"Not unless he comes over and inspects the cars."
"Okay."
After a few minutes, Scotty reported again. "He"s hiking in the direction of Whiteside. Thumb out. He wants a ride."
"Don"t give him one," Barby interjected urgently. "He might recognize you."
"He"s. .h.i.tchhiking," Scotty explained. "He doesn"t even know I exist."
"What are his chances?" Rick asked.