Scotty agreed. "How about you, Rick?"

"I'm not hungry. I think I'll go up and work on the camera for a
while." He would have over an hour to work on it before it was time to
eat. He started for the stairs, then paused as the telephone rang.

Hartson Brant, who was working in the library, answered it and called,
"Rick? It's for you."

"I'll take it upstairs, Dad." He hurried to the top of the stairs and
picked up the hall phone.

"Hello?"

"Rick Brant?"

Rick stiffened. It was a man's voice, but obviously disguised as
though the man spoke through a handkerchief held over the mouthpiece.

"Yes. Who is it?"

"A friend," the disguised voice answered. "You're a nice kid and I
don't like to see you getting into trouble. Keep out of Seaford.
Remember that! Keep out of Seaford and stop flying over in your
airplane or you're going to get hurt. You won't be warned again. Next
time, you'll wake up in a hospital!"

There was a click as the speaker hung up.

CHAPTER VI

The "Albatross"

"Know what I like about you?" Scotty said.

"My charm," Rick answered. "Or is it that I like food as much as you
do?"

"Neither. What I like about you is your caution. The very soul of
prudence, that's what you are. Your instinct for self-preservation is
exceeded by only one thing."

"My," Rick said. "That's almost poetic. What's the one thing?"

"Your instinct for getting into trouble," Scotty stated. "You get a
warning to stay away from Seaford, so what happens next?" He waved at
the scenery as they sped past in Gus's old car. "Naturally we head for
Seaford at ninety miles an hour, not even stopping to pick up our
press cards."

Rick laughed. "Be accurate. This old heap can't go ninety miles an
hour. Besides, it's only my never-ending search for the truth that
leads me to Seaford. I want to find out if the warning is true."

Scotty sighed. "Whoever it was that phoned should know you as I do. If
we needed anything to sharpen the famous Brant nose for trouble, it
was that phone call. I suppose now we'll spend all our waking hours
commuting back and forth to Seaford."

"Not all," Rick corrected. "Some of the time we'll be in Seaford."

"Any idea who it was that phoned?"

"It could have been anyone. But I don't think it was Carrots Kelso.
The voice was an older man's. Maybe it was his father, but I didn't
hear enough of his voice to recognize it."

"Why should anyone worry about us looking into things?"

"Respec