Rick smiled sympathetically. He knew how it was. No matter how careful a barber tried to be, it seemed impossible to get a haircut without a shower of hair clippings down the back. Usually they lodged where it was impossible to scratch. Duke rubbed against the doorframe. "It's Vince Lardner's day off," he began. Rick tensed. If the houseboaters were going to contact the barber, they would naturally try to choose a time when they could see him alone. Maybe there had been an earlier contact, and the barber had told them he would be alone today. That might account for the houseboat's moving closer to Whiteside. "Vince had gone fishing." The editor grinned. "I suspect that's the only reason he got a helper, anyway, so he could go fishing more often. There isn't really enough work in town for more than one barber." "Did you look at the massage machine?" Rick asked anxiously. The editor nodded. "It's nothing but a hood, with three ordinary massage gadgets inside. Vibrator heads, I think they're called." That tallied with the description Steve's agent had given. "Did you examine it closely?" Rick pursued. "Yes. There's only one cord attached--the power cord. But I did notice an interesting thing. Set around the edges are little disks, like round covers. I started to lift one up, but the barber asked me to stop. He said the machine is adjusted very carefully and I might upset the adjustment." "Tough luck," Scotty said, disappointed. "Oh, I don't know." Duke's eyes twinkled. "I got enough of a look to see two tiny holes in the piece of stuff the disk covered. The stuff was black, probably plastic. Like telephones are made of." "In other words," Rick said slowly, "you saw holes for electrical plugs?" "I think so. I don't know what else they could be." Rick and Scotty exchanged glances. "What does it mean?" Jerry asked. Rick answered. "We don't know. And I'm not kidding. We really don't know." "I believe you," Duke said briefly. "Okay. I've done my bit, including getting my hair cut. Anything else?" "We'd like to stick around," Rick replied. "Jerry already knows about this, but Barby is watching a houseboat anchored in North Cove. If anyone leaves the houseboat for the Whiteside pier, she'll call us. We'll take over at the pier. It just might happen that the houseboater will pay a call on the barber." Duke didn't comment, but Rick knew the editor's mind was at work. "Make yourself at home," Duke said, and went back to his editorial writing.