Appleton, Victor – Tom Swift Jr 20 – And His Megascope Space Prober

When they reached the airfield, Tom, Bud, and the corporal’s partner, who was a mechanic, inspected the helicopter carefully. It seemed to be in perfect condition. Meanwhile, Corporal Gib-ANOTHER AMBUSH? 35

bons questioned the airfield manager, who was certain no one had had an opportunity to tamper with the ship.

Gibbons reported this to Tom, then asked if he and his friends would prefer to ride back to Shopton in the patrol car. Tom glanced at the girls and Bud, then declined.

“Thanks for the offer and all your help. We’ll take the chopper.”

The flight to Enterprises was accomplished without incident. Bud drove the others to their homes in his red convertible.

Thursday morning at the plant Tom checked with Harlan Ames on the case.

“No leads yet on the phony warning note,” Ames reported. “But your hunch about that rental-car notice was right.”

“The police traced the number?” Tom asked eagerly.

“Yes. It turned out to be the call number of an outdoor telephone booth,” the security chief said. “The booth is outside a gas station, within plain sight of the inn’s entrance.”

The man who left the cards at the dining tables, Ames theorized, had probably gone straight to the booth and waited there for a possible call.

Meanwhile, his partner-the man who had handed the waiter the warning note-probably had been hiding somewhere nearby in a car, ready to pick up Tom and his companions if they took the bait and phoned.

36 MEGASCOPE SPACE PROBER

“Instead,” Ames concluded, “you were too wary to fall into their trap. When the State Police car arrived, the man in the phone booth spotted it, tipped off his partner, and they pulled out fast.”