thing about it had brought fear. Or was it
that the fear had brought the wreck?

"Let's go," Jerry said. "Got a deadline to make."

* * * * *

Rick lay awake and stared through the window at the darkness. Jerry
had the pictures and story and there seemed to be nothing else to do
except to cover the hearing that would follow. The results were a
foregone conclusion. Trawler skipper admits he ran ship aground while
drunk. Case closed.

Again Rick saw the fear written on Mrs. Tyler's face. Again he sensed
the tension among the men who gathered at the wreck. And he believed
Cap'n Mike had left some things unsaid in spite of his apparent
frankness.

"Scotty?" he whispered.

Scotty's voice came low through the connecting door. "I'm asleep."

"Same here. Let's go fishing tomorrow."

"Okay. I know where the blackfish will be running."

"Do you? Where?"

Rick grinned sleepily as Scotty's whisper came back.

"Off Smugglers' Reef."

CHAPTER III

The Redheaded Kelsos

The Spindrift motor launch rolled gently in the offshore swell as the
New Jersey coast slid by off the starboard beam. Behind the wheel,
Rick steered easily, following the shore line. In the aft cockpit,
Scotty prepared hand lines for the fishing they planned to do to keep
up appearances.

Their decision to revisit Smugglers' Reef had been made on the spur of
the moment. The case of the wrecked trawler was none of their
business, and Rick had learned in the past that it was a good idea to
keep his nose out of things that didn't concern him. But he could no
more resist a mystery than he could resist a piece of Mrs. Brant's
best chocolate cake. He watched the shore line as the launch sped
along and tried to assure himself that a little look around wasn't
really sticking his nose into the case. After all, it wouldn't hurt to
satisfy his curiosity, would it?

Scotty came forward and joined him. "All set. We ought to find some
fish right off the tip of the reef. If you intend to do any fishing,
that is."

"Of course we'll fish," Rick said. "What else did we come here for?"

"Nothing," Scotty agreed. "This is a fishing expedition in the truest
sense of the word."

Rick looked at his pal suspiciously. "What was behind that remark?"

Scotty chuckled. "Are you fooling yourself? Or are you trying to fool
me?"

Rick had to laugh, too. "Okay. Let's admit it. We're so used to
excitement that we have to go fishing