door marked the load on a board. Rick looked for
the winch operator and found him opposite the clerk.

The scoop came back rapidly, sped out the track extension above the
hold, and paused. Bill Lake signaled and the big bucket dropped
slowly. At a further signal, it opened its jaws and plunged into the
mass of fish, then slowly crunched closed and lifted again. There was
certainly no waste motion here, Rick thought.

Cap'n Mike asked, too casually, "What'd you think of Tom Tyler running
on Smugglers' Reef, Bill?"

Bill's cordiality seemed to freeze up. "None of my business," he said
shortly. "Can't pass judgment on a fellow skipper."

Cap'n Mike nodded. "Reckon that's right. Bill, how did you find
visibility last night?"

"None too good. There was a heavy current running, too."

"That's interesting. How'd you know that?"

"Patch of mist drifted in. Anyway, I lost the light for a bit. When
the mist cleared, the current had set us two points off course."
Captain Lake's forehead wrinkled as he watched the scoop return for
another load. "Mighty funny, too. Usually there's no current to speak
of off Brendan's Marsh. But I've said for quite a while that the
currents hereabouts are changing and it looks like this proves it."

"Was Captain Tyler directly ahead of you, sir?" Rick asked.

"Not directly. He was three ahead, the way I figure. Brad Marbek was
right behind him, then came Jim Killian."

"How far apart were you?" Rick inquired.

"Quite a ways. Jim was pretty close in front of me, but Brad was
almost out of my sight. Don't know how close he followed Tom."

Cap'n Mike spat over the side. "Sad business, anyway," he said. "Well,
Bill, I'm taking these lads on a little tour of the pier. Reckon we'll
be pushing along. Looks like you'll be busy unloading for an hour or
so."

The boys shook hands with Captain Lake again, then followed their
guide to the pier once more. Cap'n Mike waited until a scoopful of
menhaden had passed overhead then led the way down the pier.

"I wonder if Captain Killian got set off course by that current," Rick
mused. "I'd like to talk to him."

Cap'n Mike shot a glance at him. "Might be interesting at that. You
thinking the same as I am?"

"We all are," Scotty replied. "That business about losing the light
and having the current set him off course sounded kind of strange."

"Is he a good guy?" Rick queried.

"Best there is. If he says it, it happened. But it's mighty funny just