“I’ve got it now,” Eddie interrupted. “The tall and kind of gray part. You know who? Simms. That fellow we ran into down at the cove last week.” “Well-ll, maybe,” Teena admitted thoughtfully. “We could tell for sure if he’d turn around. Anyway, I don’t see what difference it makes. Maybe he’s a student here. There are a lot of older students. Maybe he’s even a teacher. Lots of teachers fish on week ends. No reason to get excited.” “Who’s excited?” Eddie challenged. “Can’t a fellow ask—” “O.K., O.K.,” Teena said. “Anyway, there he goes into the chemistry building, so we’ll never know just who it was. And that’s the end of your mystery.” Eddie didn’t say anything. He walked along, busy with his own thoughts. Probably Teena was right. Why make a mystery of it? Even if the man were Simms, what difference would it make? Yet, why had Simms acted so strange and unfriendly that day. And for no reason Eddie could think of. There was also the memory of the strange metal tube which had been in the rowboat when the two men went fishing, and wasn’t there when they returned. There was no point in even mentioning it to Teena, but Eddie had a strangely uncomfortable feeling on seeing the man right there on the campus from which the secret radioisotope had been stolen recently. No, it really couldn’t mean a thing, Eddie told himself. Then, again, maybe it could. CHAPTER SIX Eddie had hoped that the following day he and Teena could make the trip to Cedar Point with the Geiger counter. It had been in the back of his mind ever since his dream of locating radioactive ore on the rocky point. But by the time he finished mowing his lawn and doing the few other chores lined up for him, it was too late to attempt the long trip. Besides, the only sensible way to get to Cedar Point was by boat across Moon Bay. It was a two-mile row each way. Yet, protected by sand bars, the bay usually remained quite calm. By taking it easy, it was no great job rowing out to the point. Still, you had to have a rowboat. To rent one cost money. With so many things going on during summer vacation, Eddie simply hadn’t been able to save out of his allowance. He knew of a way to get a boat, though. He had done it a couple of times before. There were more than two dozen rowboats at Anderson’s Landing. Seldom were they all rented at once. On this particular Saturday, a gray blanket of high fog hung in the sky. Eddie had an idea that quite a few of the boats would still be tied up at Anderson’s Landing. Right after lunch he hurried over to Teena’s house. “How would you like to go down to Anderson’s Landing,” he suggested, “and see if we can’t earn a day’s rental on one of the boats? Then maybe next week we can take that trip out to Cedar Point with the Geiger counter.” “You want to earn the use of a rowboat again?” Teena asked. “Yep. It’s not so hard,” Eddie said. “Want to come?” “I’ll ask mother.”