obably prefer to handle things their own way. Besides, it might mean
waiting all day. I'd say it was more important for you to get that
film developed. I don't suppose you saw the name of the ship Marbek
was getting his stuff from?"
"I didn't even think about it," Rick confessed. "I planned to, then
when the time came it slipped my mind completely. I was too busy
flying the plane and taking pictures."
Duke looked at the camera curiously. Rick had described it to him.
"It's hard to believe that you actually got pictures at night. I'm
anxious to see them."
"Me, too," Scotty agreed.
"Let's get organized," Barrows said. "First of all, how do you plan to
get the film developed?"
"There's a lab in New York that gives 24-hour service. They can
develop infrared, too. I hate to think how much they will charge me."
"Can individual frames of the film be blown up and made into decent
pictures?"
Rick nodded. "The result looks a little grainy, but it can be done."
"All right. Give me exclusive rights to use the pictures and the
paper will pay for them. Let me have the film and the address of the
lab. I'll send Jerry to New York with them first thing this morning.
Then we can have them back tomorrow. Is that okay with you?"
"Swell."
"Good. Now let's hop into my car and take a run over to the State
Police Barracks. We'll get Captain Douglas out of bed and you can tell
him your story. He'll know how to carry the ball from there."
Scotty got the binoculars from the Cub. He and Rick staked the plane
down, then hurried to the editor's car.
The police barracks were just outside of town on the Newark turnpike.
Captain Douglas was in bed, but he got up quickly enough when the
sergeant on duty gave him the names of the three visitors. Rick
described their night's work while the officer finished dressing. When
he had finished, Captain Douglas, a strapping man who had been a
Marine officer before retiring and joining the state force, nodded
briskly.
"Good work, Rick. I want to see that film the minute you know whether
your camera worked well enough for evidence. Now, m'lads, I've got to
get to work. Instead of barging into Creek House with sirens wailing,
I just think I'll put a pair of my boys in civilian clothes on the
job, one on the water front and the other at the bridge. I have a pair
of squad cars without insignia or state license plates that will be
useful, and both of them are radio-equipped. The minute thi
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