John Blaine - Rick Brant 03 by Sea Gold

Author:Sea Gold [Gold, Sea]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2012-06-05T11:08:42+00:00

CHAPTER IX

The Warning

Tom blakely paced the floor of the Quonsethut, Doug straddled a chair and looked at the boys, who sat on one of the bunks. The young engineer’s face was grave as he nodded agreement with what Tom was saying.

“All right, you say you looked the plant over thoroughly and nothing was damaged but the fractionator panel. Do you know what I think? Damaging the panel was an afterthought”

Doug started. “But that means . . ”

“Yes,” Tom stated harshly. “This business tonight wasn’t aimed at the plant at all. If damage had been all they were after, they wouldn’t have turned on the pump. And they would have systematically ruined everything in sight.”

He stopped pacing and faced the two boys.

“What do you know that makes you dangerous to anyone?”

Rick stared at him, wide-eyed. Scotty’s jaw dropped.

“Nothing,” Rick replied. “What made you ask that?”

“It adds up,” Tom said grimly. “This business tonight was an attempt on your lives. It wasn’t intended to be anything else. I’m sure the wrecking of the panel was an afterthought. Well, if anyone wanted to get

you out of the way, it can’t be because of your value to the plant, otherwise they would have gone after Doug or me. So you must be dangerous because you know something. I can’t think of any other reason.”

“Neither canI ,” Doug agreed. “So I’m firing both of you. You’re staying here tonight with us, and leaving for Spindrift first thing in the morning.”

Rick found his voice. “But you can’t send us awayl ”

“Oh, yes, we can,” Tom said flatly. “We’d rather junk the whole plant than have you risk your lives by staying here. You’re fired, and that’s final!”

And despite the boys’ protests, the partners were adamant.

“There may not even be jobs much longer,” Tom pointed out. “If Carstairs refuses to give us the processing units, we’ll have to fold, because we can’t pay cash for them. Our investigation of the books tonight showed us that we’re on thin ice. We can pay the workmen fromBridgeport for about a week’s work.”

“So turn in, both of you,” Doug ordered. “Tom and I are going to stand guard the rest of the night.”

Rick saw from the stubborn set of Doug’s jaw that he wasn’t fooling. Both boys had gotten out of their wet clothes before the partners arrived and were wrapped in blankets.

“Okay,” Scotty said resignedly.

Rick lay awake for a long while, thinking things over. He decided it would be best to return to Spindrift without argument. Then they would return on Monday, as though nothing had happened. He hoped that by then the plant would be humming with imported workmen and the partners would be too busy to worry.

There was something else … something about their being locked in the fractionator . He tried to puzzle out what it was that bothered him, but he was too tired to think clearly. Those long minutes working at the lock had taken plenty out of him.Out of Scotty, too, to judge by the deep breathing from the other bed.

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