even Number
Fifty, but he's well known to the police of most large cities. He
specializes in confidence games with a technical angle. He's quite
original. You can bet he dreamed this whole thing up and planned it down
to the last detail, then sold the others on it. I don't know how he met
Hilleboe, but we'll find out. Of course he met Collins through
Hilleboe."

"Does the Frostola company know he exists?"

"Sure. He wouldn't slip on a detail like that. He got the job without
difficulty, since the route was vacant. If it hadn't been vacant, he'd
have worked out some other kind of cover."

Rick made a telephone call to a friend in New York, and as a consequence
had to fly to Washington National Airport in two days to pick up a small
package.

Mr. Belsely let it be known around town that Dr. Miller didn't really
want to hold the party at the mine area because of the ghost, but had no
other place large enough--and he had to give the party for professional
reasons; his scientific friends had long wanted to see his Virginia
home. The farmer made sure the Frostola man heard the story.

There was only one final step necessary on the day of the big event.
With Belsely watching one road and Scotty watching the other, Rick went
into the upper mine tunnel for the last time. He had with him equipment
and a specially made item that was essential to his plans. He worked
swiftly, sure that the Frostola man wouldn't notice the slight change,
which involved only a foot of film on the continuous strip.

He finished and called Belsely and Scotty off their posts. Now all was
in readiness.

There were gallons of potato salad and coleslaw, mountains of rolls,
barrels of punch, and enough hot dogs to feed a small army. Wood was
piled for the fires, paper plates were stacked high. All was in
readiness.

Rick flew again to Washington and made connections with the plane that
brought his parents and Julius Weiss, the little mathematician. The
other Spindrifters were out of town, so couldn't come.

It was a gala occasion, enjoyed by everyone. Rick ate half a dozen hot
dogs himself, while Scotty maintained his reputation as a good
trencherman with two on top of that. They consumed salad until the
bursting point was near, and so was darkness.

Then Rick wandered casually over to a parked car where one man, replete
with picnic chow, was listening to his radio.

It wasn't a broadcast receiver, however. The man was a lieutenant of the
Vir