e at once, do they?"
Scotty asked the captain.

"Nope. They don't all leave at once, but they usually come back at the
same time. And Brad has been coming back as far as Salt Creek with the
rest. So I guess Rick guessed right."

Cap'n Mike did some figuring. "Tell you what. I can sit on the beach
at the edge of town with a pair of night glasses. I'll borrow some. I
can tell if a ship turns up Salt Creek by its running lights.
Afterwards, I'll have to go a block and use the phone at Fetty's Drug
Store. We'll start tonight."

Scotty got up and yawned. "That's settled. Now I'd like to look into
something. We can't overlook any possible lead. Rick, remember the
tower?"

"Yes." Rick got to his feet, too. "And I remember something else. That
business about the shifting current and the light. Cap'n, have you
talked to Captain Killian?"

"Not yet, but I surely will today. That may be worth something." He
walked with them toward the pier. "But what's this tower business?"

Rick explained briefly. "We'll stop there on the way back to
Spindrift."

"Phone us if Captain Killian has anything interesting to say," Scotty
requested.

"I will. Now you boys be careful. Keep a weather eye out, and don't
forget those warnings."

"We're not likely to," Rick assured him.

As they sped past the Seaford water front toward Smugglers' Reef, Rick
plotted a plan of action. First, if they were to spy on Creek House,
they needed to know a little more about the area. He assumed that they
would hurry from Spindrift by boat, since it would take too long to go
to Whiteside and try to get a car. The Cub was out; there was no place
to land at Seaford.

The best way of finding a good hide-out from which to watch the Kelsos
would be to take a photograph from the air. He could do that this very
afternoon and develop it at home. An enlargement, which the photo lab
at Spindrift was equipped to make, would be better than a map.

He felt better now that they had an objective. But! "Suppose the
_Albatross_ doesn't do any smuggling before Saturday?" he asked
Scotty.

"Tough luck. Captain Tyler will just have to suffer a while longer.
Besides, this is only a hearing. If he's tried, it won't be until
later."

"Guess that's right," Rick agreed. He swung the launch around the tip
of Smugglers' Reef, past the light and the wreck of the _Sea Belle_.
For the first time since the fatal night, there was no one at the
trawler or on the reef. He put the l