ice
couldn't have been heard five feet away.

Rick shook his head, then pointed at a different drill set. Anyone
watching would have thought the tools were the subject of conversation.
Rick quickly outlined what had happened and concluded, "Scotty spotted a
tail on us a few minutes ago. Same guy?"

Scotty bent down for a closer look at a series of wood power bits. His
voice was scarcely audible. "Not the same one. This one is a Virgin
Islander. Looks like a farmer. When we stopped he walked right on by.
He's out of sight now. But he'll pick us up as soon as we start."

Tony Briotti, to whom this kind of adventure was new, asked, "What do we
do about it?"

"Nothing," Zircon answered. "Steve Ames wanted to get rid of his shadow
and the boys helped him out. But we have no particular reason for
wanting to get rid of ours. Let him follow. Undoubtedly whoever is
tailing Steve got interested when they saw him talking with the boys,
but they'll learn nothing by trailing us."

"And it's one less for Steve to contend with," Rick added.

Scotty straightened up. "I have to admit this bunch of tools is
beginning to bore me a little. Where are we going?"

Zircon shrugged. "I have nothing in mind. We might check in at the
hotel."

"I'd rather swim," Rick said.

"Same here." Scotty made a quick survey of the street without seeming to
do so. "No sign of our friend. He's probably in another doorway."

"Then Hobart and I might as well check in," Tony suggested. "I'd like a
swim, but frankly I'm a little sleepy from too much lunch."

"How about checking in for us?" Rick asked. "Then we could get right
into the water. No need for all of us to go to the hotel."

The scientists agreed, and at Scotty's suggestion hailed a taxi. As the
car rolled off toward the boat where their luggage was stored, Scotty
grinned. "This was the only taxi in sight. Wonder how our friend will
manage to follow us?"

He had his answer at the pier. While Zircon was piling their overnight
bags into the taxi, a farmer rode past on a bicycle. He didn't look at
them. "There he goes," Scotty said. "Pretty easy after all. Guess the
town is small enough so he wasn't worried about finding us."

"We'll give him a choice to make when Tony and I leave." Zircon smiled.
"Let's see whether he stays with you, or follows us."

Not until the boys had changed to swimming trunks in the cabin of the
_Water Witch_ did they find the answer to Zircon's question. The shado