rmed
troopers and we dropped in. One of the Scout leaders turned out to be
a man who was in the same FBI class that I attended. He showed me his
identification card, so I gave him my phone number in case he needed
help. And that was that."

Scotty said thoughtfully, "I guess the hardest thing in the world is
keeping a secret."

"That's the second hardest," Douglas corrected. "The hardest usually
is finding out how the secret became public in the first place."

The boys went from the State Police barracks to the Whiteside _Morning
Record_ and found Jerry on the job. "The press never sleeps," he
greeted them. "What brings you two to town on a peaceful Sunday?"

"We brought you a boat," Rick explained. "In exchange for a favor."

Jerry eyed them suspiciously. "What kind of a favor?"

It took only a moment to explain. "Sure," Jerry agreed. "Duke won't
object to keeping you posted. We'll keep an eye open for you. And
we'll collect for the favor with an extra helping of pie tonight."

"It's a deal," Rick agreed.

As it turned out, Jerry's bargain of an extra helping of pie was
conservative. He had three for dessert that night.

Rick noticed that both Jerry and Duke eyed Dr. Morrison curiously, and
he knew they were trying to recall if they had ever seen a picture
that would help place him in their minds. Not that they would use the
information. It was just that newspapermen developed a high order of
frustration in the face of a mystery.

But Jan noticed something else. She came over to where Rick was
pouring fresh coffee for his friends. "Rick, those friends of yours
are nice. Have you noticed how much Mr. Barrows looks like Dad?"

Rick looked. The two were deep in conversation, and it was the first
time he had seen them together. They looked very much alike,
particularly in the gathering darkness. They were about the same
height, give or take a fraction of an inch, and both had the same
shock of unruly hair. They probably weighed within five pounds of each
other. Actually, however, the resemblance was superficial. They might
have been cousins, but not brothers.

"They do look alike," Rick agreed.

Later, he saw Jan deep in conversation with Jerry and wandered by, to
eavesdrop a little. He knew that Jerry was entirely trustworthy, but
his friend was also a nosy reporter who would try to pump the girl.
Rick intended to step in and break it up if that were the case.

"The Virgin Islands sound wonderful," Jerry