“Are you hurt, Bud?” Tom panted, running up.
“No! Keep goingl” Bud urged, scrambling to his feet.
The momentary delay, however, had given their quarry a fresh lead. He disappeared. After search-122 COSMIC ASTRONAUTS
ing for ten minutes more, Tom and Bud gave up and rejoined the bewildered watchman.
“Did ye catch him?” he asked.
“Just his jacket,” Bud grumbled.
The boys drove away, taking the jacket with them. They would examine it for clues upon reaching home. Tom picked up Felix who had learned nothing. He was astounded at what his friends had found out. After dropping off Felix at his house, Tom and Bud went on to the Swifts’.
Mrs. Swift and Sandy were watching television. Tom’s father had returned to the plant for an after-hours’ meeting with a group of project engineers.
“Jeepers!” Sandy exclaimed when she saw the boys’ smudged faces and frayed trouser knees. “What have you two been doing?”
“Playing hide-and-seek in a freight yard,” Tom said ruefully.
“And ring-around-a-rosy with a giant,” Bud added.
Sandy, highly curious, asked about the jacket. Tom spread it out on a chair.
The tan gabardine jacket was stained and work-worn, and had a broken zipper.
In one pocket Bud found a small notebook. “Maybe the owner’s name is in it,”
he said hopefully.
Unfortunately the notebook contained merely a list of expenses-meals, gasoline, clothes.
THE EAVESDROPPER 123
“But look at this, Bud!” Tom exclaimed. He pointed to a notation: “O.W.
hooked me for $10.”
“O.W.!” Bud’s eyes widened. “Hey! That could mean Olin Whaley!”