reason I can think of why he'd do that. He
wanted to see if he could find out more about us."

"Unless he admired the launch and wanted a closer look at it," Rick
added.

Cap'n Mike snorted. "Red Kelso's got no eye for beauty, in boats,
anyway."

"Then my guess must have been right," Scotty said.

"Right or wrong," Cap'n Mike retorted, "I can't say's I like it. I
wish you boys had talked to me before you decided to invade Salt
Creek!"

CHAPTER IV

A Warning

Cap'n Mike tested his line, then gave a sharp tug. He hauled rapidly
and lifted a three-pound blackfish into the boat.

"Practically a minnow," he said.

"Did we come out here to fish or to talk?" Rick asked. They were
anchored a few hundred yards off the reef tip and had been for almost
an hour. In that time Cap'n Mike had made a good haul of four blacks,
one flounder and a porgy. Rick and Scotty had caught two blacks
apiece.

There was a definite twinkle in Cap'n Mike's eyes. "Came to talk," he
said. "But the fish are biting too good. Better fish while the
fishing's good. Time enough to talk later."

"Time enough for fishing later, you mean," Rick retorted. "Hauling in
blackfish isn't going to find out why the _Sea Belle_ was wrecked."

"Got the answer to that already," Cap'n Mike said.

Rick and Scotty stared. "You have?" Rick asked incredulously.

"Stands to reason. Didn't you tell me you knew Mrs. Tyler was scared?"

"Yes, but what...."

"Well, Tom is scared, too. He wasn't, until the _Sea Belle_ was
wrecked, but he sure is now. That's why he's sticking to that story of
his instead of telling the truth."

"What is the truth?" Scotty demanded.

"Don't know that. Yet. Reckon I'll find out, though. Only I'll need
some help."

Keen eyes surveyed the two boys.

Rick worked his hand line absently. "You mean you want us to help?"

"Seems I've read about you boys solving a mystery or two, haven't I?"

"We've had a couple of lucky breaks," Scotty said. "We're not real
detectives."

Cap'n Mike tried his line and muttered, "Feels like a cunner is
stealing my bait. Well, boys, I wouldn't be surprised none if a little
luck like yours is what we need. Can't pretend, though, that you might
not be walking right into something you wouldn't like. Anything that
scares Tom Tyler is something anyone with sense would be afraid of."

Rick hauled in his line and saw that his bait was gone. He rebaited,
his mind on what he already knew of the c