"No. A clerk is on duty at all times when the warehouse is open. At night it's locked. There was no sign of tampering, and anyway, the locks are tamper-proof." Scotty said warningly, "Company coming." Then, in a louder voice, he continued, "Of course we worked for Dr. Zircon." "Very capable man, Zircon," Gordon said, taking Scotty's cue. "We could use him here. Any idea where he is now?" "No, sir," Rick replied. "We haven't seen him since we left Spindrift." At the door of the mess hall Gordon left them with a polite handshake, explaining that he had to eat with someone else by previous arrangement. During dinner Rick thought over the events of the day. But not until the meal was ended and he and Scotty wandered on foot toward the edge of camp could he put his idea into words. "This business today puts a new light on the Earthman, Scotty." "I read you loud and clear. A quarter of a million bucks makes a little sabotage worth while, huh?" Rick nodded. "We can't know, of course, but if you were a warehouse clerk and a big rocket went haywire, wouldn't you be out watching it?" "I'd be out where the view was best. So would you," Scotty replied. "Remember where we saw a transistor recently?" Rick asked. Scotty reached in his pocket, brought out his sling, and unwrapped it. He picked up a stone, tested it for weight, then reconsidered and put the sling back. "I remember. Big Mac and Pancho. Mac said he must have stuck it in his pocket absent-mindedly while repairing his equipment." "That's what he said," Rick agreed. "Only transistors aren't like radio tubes. They don't need replacing often." "Meaning?" "He might have been telling the truth or he might not." Scotty tossed the stone away. "How much space would that many transistors take up?" "Hard to say. We could find out, I suppose. But transistors are small, and they don't weigh much. Besides, some of the types used here are fantastically expensive. A couple of hundred dollars might pay for a transistor the size of a kidney bean." Scotty whistled. "They must be made of diamonds! Anyway, a quarter of a million is a lot of money, and even at two hundred bucks each the transistors would make quite a bundle. The Earthman would have to hide them, and then get them off the base. And I'll tell you one thing: If Big Mac stole them, he didn't take them off the base in his own car." "How do you know?" Rick challenged. "He's got a Porsche. There's about enough room in the luggage compartment for a spare handkerchief." "I'll buy it." Another idea hit him. "But he has some other transportation, hasn't he? How about the radar unit he and Pancho run?" Scotty snapped his fingers. "Now you're cooking! It's a panel truck, loaded with equipment, and they pull the radar antenna behind it on a trailer. There would be plenty of room in the truck. Only he doesn't take it into town, remember?" "Would he need to? He could drop the transistors somewhere to be picked up later." "Careless Mesa."