Tom accepted and promised to take off at once. Bud was eager when Tom asked him to come along.
“Will we take the Sky Queen, Tom?”
“No, the Sea Hound. If we turn up any leads, we might want to do some more undersea probing.”
In little less than an hour, the seacopter was jetting off to Europe at supersonic speed with a small crew aboard-its destination, Monte Carlo in the tiny principality of Monaco on the southern coast of France. They were over mid-ocean when Tom received a radio flash from Mr. Swift.
“Son, I just had a phone call from Sandy in Paris,” he reported.
“What’s up, Dad?”
“She says she has a lead on the Centurion sinking and thinks you ought to come at once.”
“Okay,” Tom replied. “Where’ll I meet her?”
“Orly Airport in Paris: I’ll call her back.”
GOLD CLUE 119
It was not yet three p.m. when the seacopter entered the traffic pattern over Orly. Tom got permission to land, and the two boys were quickly passed through Customs. Sandy and Phyl were waiting to meet them in the air terminal.
“Boy, this is great seeing you again!” Bud exclaimed as the teen-agers greeted one another.
“I just wish we could stay longer,” Tom added.
“You never can!” Sandy laughed and made a face. “Seriously, Tom, this may be important.”
She explained that while sightseeing in the Tuileries Gardens with Phyl, they had been approached by a mysterious stranger who said that he wanted to get in touch with Tom Swift.
“He told us he’d read that you were handling the Centurion salvage project,”
Sandy went on, “and he said he might be able to give you some information.