"We won't. Go get the plane warmed up and wait for me."

Rick hurried into the house and ran up the stairs to Barby's room.
Working fast, he went through the dresser, then through the shelves in
her closet. Not finding what he wanted, he paused to look around in
case he might have overlooked a possibility.

He didn't know where girls kept things, and he suspected that
sometimes the places weren't the same as boys might pick. But he could
see no possible place that he hadn't searched.

That meant Barby had her Megabuck unit with her, unless she had left
it somewhere else in the house.

He plugged in his earphone and called. "Barby!"

There was no reply. His lips set grimly. No use wasting time here. He
ran from the house, hearing the sound of the Sky Wagon as Scotty
warmed it up. Joe Blake was not in sight. Rick hurried into the lab
and found him watching Professor Morrison who was checking some
calculations on the lab's small computing machine.

"Joe, step outside with me for a moment, please."

Outside, Rick explained that the girls were missing, then asked, "Can
you get the plane frequency on your receiver?"

"Sure. It's an all-wave job. What's the frequency you use?"

Rick told him, then explained, "We don't know what's going on, so we
want to be prepared. If some of your Scout leaders can move down the
coast to North Cove and keep an eye on the houseboat, Scotty and I
will search from the air. If we see anything, we'll let you know on
the plane's radio. You won't be able to talk back, but at least you
can hear us, and you can let the Scouts know."

He wished his mind had worked faster. Then he could have taken
Scotty's Megabuck unit and given it to Joe. But there was no time
now, and this other arrangement probably would do as well.

"I'll pass the word to the gang on the mainland right away," Joe
agreed.

Joe went back into the lab while Rick ran to Pirate's Beach. Scotty
was waiting, the plane's engine turning over. Together, they launched
the Sky Wagon, then climbed in, Scotty in the pilot's seat.

As Scotty took off, Rick tried Barby again on the radio. "Barby, this
is Rick. Can you read me?"

There was no reply.

"Better fly as though we were heading for Whiteside," Rick suggested.
He rubbed his palms on his handkerchief. They were damp with nervous
perspiration. He was not as calm as he looked.

Scotty swung around on course and Rick scanned the water as they
passed over the north side o