unded worried. Wanted to know why we didn't come down
this morning."

"Afraid of getting smacked with a fresh tuna." Rick grinned. "By the
way, did you call Jerry while I was working on the camera?"

"I sure did. He got all excited. I had to calm him down a little
before he went and looked up the answer."

Scotty had phoned at Rick's suggestion to find out from Jerry's
newspaper sources what action to take in case they found evidence of
smuggling at Seaford.

"He said to report it to the nearest Federal authorities, either the
Coast Guard or FBI in this area. But he said to be sure we had
something more than suspicion to go on."

"A good idea," Rick agreed. "It wouldn't do to get the government all
steamed up over nothing. Besides, unless we could prove it, we'd be
laying ourselves open to a charge of slander. Well, let's go see if
Mom can scrape up a sandwich, and then get going for Seaford."

It was not yet two o'clock when Cap'n Mike greeted the boys as they
tied up at the old windmill pier. "Mighty glad you're here. Boys,
we've got to really buckle down to business."

"What happened?" Rick asked. He and Scotty fell in step with the old
captain and walked toward his shack.

"Tom Tyler's hearing has been set for Saturday morning."

Scotty frowned. "Today is Wednesday. That doesn't give us much time."

"I know it don't. But unless we find some answers right fast, Tom will
lose his license sure as shooting. And that's not all. He'll find
himself charged by the insurance company with deliberately running the
_Sea Belle_ on the reef."

Rick found a comfortable seat in the captain's shack and stretched out
his legs. "Let's hold a council of war. If we're going to do
anything, we'd better have a plan of action." He told Cap'n Mike of
their suspicion that the Kelsos and Brad Marbek might be engaged in
smuggling and waited for the old man's reaction.

Cap'n Mike rubbed his chin reflectively. "Now! It could be that you
boys have something there. It could just be!"

"But what would they be smuggling?" Scotty demanded.

"Shucks. I could make you a list a mile long. Most people think it's
only worth while to smuggle things like drugs or aliens, but I tell
you many a tidy sum has been made by smuggling things just to escape
paying duty on them."

"Suppose they _are_ smuggling," Rick pointed out. "How do we prove
it?"

"Catch 'em red-handed," Scotty said. "Red-handed instead of
redheaded."

Rick and Cap'n Mik