“Bud, I’m afraid those plans have been stolenl”
CHAPTER 9
PURSUIT ON THE LAKE
TOM AND BUD faced each other in dismayed silence. Tom was the first to speak.
“We’d better report the theft of the blueprints to Harlan Ames pronto!”
“Right!”
Five minutes later the boys entered Ames’ office in the security building. The chief listened gravely to Tom’s story about the theft of the plans.
“Any idea who might have taken them?” he asked.
“Lots of ideas but no proof.”
“Well, how many people had an opportunity to steal them?”
Before Tom could reply, Bud Barclay snapped his fingers.
“I’ll bet I know who’s back of this! That bull-headed contractor we tangled with this morning-Charles Picken!”
80
PURSUIT ON THE LAKE 81
Tom disagreed. “I doubt that Picken is responsible,” he said. “If the thief is an outsider, he must have worn a gadget similar to our electronic amulets to avoid being detected by the radarscope. Only a well-trained scientist could devise such a thing.”
“In other words, someone like Bronich-or maybe Podski,” put in Ames.
Tom nodded gloomily.
The electronic amulets were devices worn in the form of a bracelet by all workmen and visitors who had business inside the grounds of Swift Enterprises.
The purpose was to trap radar impulses and thus keep the reflections from showing up as blips of light on the radar screen.
“I may be wrong,” went on Tom, “but I have a hunch the thief was a stowaway in that copter.”
“Too late to check up now,” said Ames. “Landis called for his ship early this morning and flew it away personally.”
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