rning
plane, and I haven't been briefed yet. By tonight I'll be an expert on
skin diving."

The statement only whetted further Rick's over-sharp curiosity. If Steve
was to be briefed on skin diving, it sounded like a case that would
interest him and Scotty.

Steve continued to smile. "I don't want to linger too long. Want to give
me a hand?"

Rick refrained from shouting and merely nodded his head. Scotty, with
only slightly less restraint, said, "You know we do."

"Fine. Don't look. In the doorway of the tailor shop is a
dark-complexioned man in a gray sharkskin suit. He's a tail. He picked
me up at the airport. I don't know the town well enough to lose him
easily in broad daylight. Never been here before today. Take him out for
me?"

Rick and Scotty nodded. Neither looked toward the doorway. "How will we
get in touch with you?" Rick asked.

Steve hesitated. "There's no one I'd rather see more of, and no one I'd
rather have on my side. But this case is not for you. Just do me this
favor, then forget you saw me."

"You never know when you'll need help," Rick pointed out. "We won't horn
in, but it won't do any harm to know how we can reach other. Tonight
we'll be at a hotel called Alexander's Rest. Tomorrow we take off for an
island called Clipper Cay."

"All right. If you really need to reach me, call the duty officer at the
UDT base and leave a message. I'll get it."

Rick turned slightly. In a plate-glass window across the street he could
see a reflection of the tailor shop Steve had mentioned, and he could
make out the form of a man in the shadowed doorway. He estimated that
the shop was about fifty feet away.

Scotty was also measuring the situation. He said, "Walk away from us so
the tail will have to come by."

Steve nodded. He shook hands, gave them each a grin, and was gone.

Rick said loudly, "Give me your shoulder to lean on. I've got a rock in
my shoe."

Scotty obliged, and Rick half turned as he did so. He saw the man in the
gray sharkskin suit saunter out of the doorway and start toward them.

Rick balanced on one leg, one hand on Scotty's shoulder, the other hand
fumbling with the shoelace on his lifted foot.

The tail walked toward them, unfolding a paper as he did so. He was
apparently devoting his full attention to the paper; his actions said he
didn't even know the boys existed.

"You ought to get tighter shoes," Scotty observed. "Then you wouldn't
get stones in them."

"Save th