Charles Ira Coombs

“ Teena asked.
“We left them in the bay,” Roy, the portly man, said.
“I guess so,” Eddie said, smiling. “No one ever catches any fish out over the sand bar. The fish hang around in the deeper water.”
“Well, we don’t care much for fish, anyway,” Roy said.
“Then why do you go fishing?” Teena wondered.
“We do it to get away from kids who ask silly questions,” Simms said curtly. “Now beat it and leave us alone.” He tossed the two fishing poles onto the dock and climbed out of the boat. ”

“ Mrs. Ross cautioned, as Eddie picked up the Geiger counter. “And stick near the main roads. You know the rules.”
“We sure do, Mrs. Ross,” Eddie assured her. “And we’ll be back early.”
They walked past the college campus, and toward the rocky foothills beyond. At various rock mounds and outcroppings, Eddie switched on the Geiger counter. The needle of the dial on the black box wavered slightly. A slow clicking came through the earphones, but Eddie knew these indicated no more than a normal background count. There were slight traces of radioactivity in almost all earth or rocks. ”

“ Eddie called back over his shoulder. Teena followed as he went on toward the foot of the bluff.
“Hey, look,” Eddie said. “There’s a kind of path that zigzags up the bluff. I’ve never noticed that before.”
“It’s not much of a path,” Teena said, looking up the steeply winding trail. “And I don’t know why anyone would want to use it to get to this cove. It’s much easier coming up the beach.”
“But someone’s been using it,” Eddie said. “See how the ground’s stirred up. I can’t figure why anyone would want to land a boat in this cove, then climb up and down that bluff before going fishing. Can you?” ”

“ Mrs. Ross offered. “I know how boys detest doing dishes.”
“Oh, I don’t really mind, Mrs. Ross,” Eddie said. “Besides, Teena’s making sandwiches to take with us.”
“Another prospecting trip?” Teena’s mother glanced at the Geiger counter which Eddie had set carefully on the dinette table.
“I still think there must be some uranium around here,” Eddie insisted. “And we can find it if anyone can.”
“I agree,” Mrs. Ross said. “But even if you don’t find it, you both seem to enjoy your hikes.” ”

“ Teena gasped as they reached the base of the lighthouse. “There seem to be more steps every time we climb it.”
Eddie smiled and shifted the lunch sack to his other hand. “You’re getting old, Teena,” he teased.
“Welcome aboard, mates,” a deep, kindly voice spoke from nearby.
They turned and saw Captain Daniels standing outside the door of his living quarters, a tiny three-room cottage located about fifty feet from the base of the lighthouse.
“Oh, hello, Captain Daniels,” Teena called. “Sure glad you’re home.”
“Home?” the former sea captain said, smiling. “A lightkeeper is always home.” ”

“ Ross said.
“Well, with all of the splitting up and moving around of the uranium atoms,” Eddie went on, “an awful lot of heat builds up. If they don’t control it—well, you’ve seen pictures of atomic-bomb explosions. That’s a chain reaction out of control.”
“Out of control is right,” Teena said.
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“But the atomic piles control the reaction,” Eddie said. “The graphite bricks keep the splitting-up atoms apart so one neutron won’t go smashing into other atoms unless they want it to. They have ways of controlling it so that only as much radiation builds up as they want. ”

“ Teena said.
“Well, they know just how to do it,” Eddie replied.
“Aren’t the rays dangerous?” Mrs. Ross asked.
“I’ll say they’re dangerous,” Eddie said. “But the whole pile is covered by a shield of concrete about eight feet thick. That keeps the rays from getting out and injuring the workmen.”
“Goodness. Eight feet is a lot of cement.”
“It takes a lot to stop radioactive atomic particles,” Eddie explained. “Especially the gamma rays. They’re the fastest and most dangerous, and the hardest to stop. Alpha and beta rays are fairly easy to stop. ”

“ Captain Daniels said. “Some people don’t care whether they catch any fish or not. They rent a boat, row it out and anchor it, and then sit around soothing their nerves. People build up a lot of tensions these days, you know. Folks have different ways of getting rid of them.”
“They were nervous, all right,” Teena said. “Especially the tall one.” She handed the telescope back to Captain Daniels.
“Well, let’s forget about them,” Eddie suggested. “Captain Daniels, would you like us to help polish the light again today?” ”

“ Eddie said. “I saw their bait can. Know what they’re using?”
“Sand crabs?”
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“No. That’s what they should be using. They had some old dried up mussels. The fish here in Moon Bay don’t bite on mussel. Dad and I have tried it.”
“Then I wonder why Mr. Anderson sold it to them,” Teena said. “Mr. Anderson usually helps the fishermen. It’s good for his boat-rental business to sell the right bait.”
“I’ll bet they didn’t even ask what kind of bait was best,” Eddie said. “They probably grabbed the first thing they came to. And Mr. Anderson always has a few mussels in his bait bins.” ”

“ One thing I’ve learned in this business is not to go around giving advice when no one asks for it. Fishermen can be mighty touchy about that. Best to let them use up their own pet ideas, even if they don’t catch fish.”
“I can’t figure why they would want to take trout rods out with them to do ocean fishing,” Eddie said.
“Trout rods?” Mr. Anderson asked. “They rented poles from me. I didn’t see any trout rods.”
“Well, remember that metal tube they had last week? About two feet long? If that wasn’t a carrying case for a jointed trout rod, what else could it be?” ”

“ Eddie got the Geiger counter out of the closet. He told his mother how he had been wanting to try it out on Cedar Point. He told her about the dream he had had.
“Well, I guess you never can tell,” Mrs. Taylor said. “According to your father, uranium ore often shows up in most unlikely places.”
“Cedar Point isn’t so unlikely, Mom,” Eddie said. “There are lots of rock formations out there. Uranium ore is usually located where there are plenty of rocks.”
When Teena arrived Eddie was all set to leave. He wore swimming trunks under his blue jeans. ”

“ Teena said.
“I would,” Eddie said. “Everyone is carefully protected. They see to that. Well, anyway, if all of those uranium atoms were shooting radioactive rays around inside of that pile and doing nothing, there would be an awful lot of energy going to waste. So the atomic scientists take certain elements which aren’t radioactive, but can be made radioactive, and shove small pieces of them into holes drilled in the pile.” ”

“ Teena said.
“Well, the reactor is about four stories high,” Eddie went on. “They call it a uranium ‘pile.’ It’s made up of hundreds and hundreds of graphite bricks. That’s where they get the name ‘pile’—from brick pile. Anyway, scattered around in between the bricks are small bits of uranium. Uranium atoms are radioactive. That is, they keep splitting up and sending out rays.”
“Why do they do that?” Teena asked.
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“It’s just the way nature made uranium, I guess,” Eddie said. “Most atoms stay in one piece, although they move around lickety-split all of the time. ”

“ Teena asked. Although Eddie had explained it to her, she seemed to feel that, as a pupil, she should ask some questions to help Jim out.
“Stick? Oh, you mean the probe. Actually, it’s called a diode, but probe’s easier to remember. Anyway, the probe is a vacuum tube filled with a special kind of gas. Whenever invisible radioactive particles shoot through the probe and into the gas, the Geiger counter clicks, and the needle on the dial moves forward. The more rays shooting through the probe, the more clicks; the more clicks, the more radioactivity. ”

“ Eddie’s father said. “Although we don’t know just what they’re planning.”
“You will, you will,” said Captain Daniels. “But right now I’ve got to check my light. Darker’n a ship’s hold with a cargo of tar paper tonight, it is. Won’t be much to see—until things start poppin’. Might be a good idea to sit there in front of my cottage and watch down the coast. Just don’t light any matches, or make undue noise. If you spot any strange lights, things may start happening. I probably won’t see you for a while. Can’t stop the light unless I’m up top.” ”

“ Except for the faint background count, the Geiger counter gave no sign of there being any uranium-bearing ore on Cedar Point.
After a tiring hour and a half of hard climbing over and around the outcroppings, Teena suggested they stop and eat their picnic lunch.
“Might as well,” Eddie said. “Sure doesn’t look like we’re going to find anything out here. Lot of trouble for nothing, huh?”
“Oh, no, Eddie,” Teena disagreed. “We’re having fun aren’t we? After all, you’re supposed to have fun during vacation.” ”

“ Mr. Evans said. “Anyway, it’s pretty plain now how both the radioisotope and the blueprints happened to disappear. One thing’s equally certain. This is all part of a carefully worked out plan. The job now is to stop that plan—and stop it tonight.”
“Oh, I’m frightened,” Teena said. “Spies, and submarines, and—and—”
“Aw, Teena,” Eddie said, “there’s nothing to be afraid of.” Yet he had to clasp his own hands tightly together to keep them from shaking.
“All right, everybody,” Mr. Evans said, looking at his watch, “within an hour everything will be set up. I’m not free to reveal our plan. ”

“ Much of his father’s work at Oceanview College was of a secret nature. Eddie had learned not to ask questions about it. His father usually volunteered any information he wanted known, so Eddie stuck to questions which could and would be answered.
“We get vacations,” his father said. “But—well, my work is a little different, you know. At the speed atomic science is moving today, we simply can’t afford to waste time. But don’t worry. We’ll take a week or so off before school starts in the fall. Maybe head for the mountains with our tent and sleeping bags.”
“And Geiger counter?” ”

“ Eddie’s father picked up the conversation again, “after managing to steal certain blueprints during the week, the men would naturally pick Saturday—their day off—to schedule the pickups by the submarine. We’re still assuming, of course, that a submarine actually is being used. It seems the only logical means of getting in and out past our alert Coast Guard. By timing the patrols, they would know when to surface. They would know how long to allow for their divers to row into the bay, get the tube, and return to the sub before the patrol doubled back. ”

“ Only instead of soaking up water, it soaks up radiation.”
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“That’s about it,” Eddie said. “My dad says that as more is learned about the ways to use isotopes, the whole world is going to be improved. You’ve heard of radiocobalt for curing cancer. Well, that’s an isotope. They make it by cooking cobalt in an atomic reactor. Oh, there are hundreds of different isotopes. Like I said, isotopes can be made of most of the elements. And there are over a hundred elements. Some soak up a lot of radioactivity, and are strong and dangerous. Others absorb only a little and are pretty safe to use. ”

“ Eddie switched off the Geiger counter. They found some shade under a wind-twisted oak and ate their lunch. Eddie glanced at the sun. “It must be one o’clock,” he said. “Guess we’d better be starting back. The water will be a little choppier than this morning. Won’t be so easy to row. I don’t want to get home late, or my mom will scalp me.”
“Let’s go,” Teena said. “Anyway, we’ve done enough prospecting out here to know there’s no uranium around.”
On the way back to the boat Eddie tried out the Geiger counter in a couple of places they had missed. ”

“ Eddie said.
“Kid?” His father smiled thinly. “We don’t think it was any kid, Eddie. Not by a long shot. The whole thing was carefully planned and carefully carried out. It was not the work of amateurs.”
Eddie read the newspaper account. The small truck from Drake Ridge, where one of the country’s newest atomic reactors was located, had arrived earlier than expected at Oceanview College. It had backed up to the receiving dock where all of the college supplies were delivered. Since deliveries during vacation months were few, there was no one on the dock when the truck arrived. ”

“ Eddie asked.
“What a question,” Teena said. “Sure, I want to go.”
“Eddie,” his mother reminded him, “you can’t go over to school in your swim trunks. Go slip on some denims.”
Eddie hurried to his room and put on some freshly laundered denims. Then, leaving the metal tube still wrapped in the blue jeans, he and Teena started down the street toward the college campus.
Mr. Taylor was waiting for them in front of the nuclear-science building. He seemed strangely excited. Eddie wondered what his mother had said over the telephone. ”

“ Eddie said.
“Of course, they wouldn’t,” Mr. Evans said. “Might not even be foreigners. Unfortunately, there are a few greedy people who will do almost anything for money.”
“Even spy?” Teena said, aghast.
“Even spy,” Mr. Evans said. “But what we need to find out is how anyone is managing to smuggle the stuff out of here.”
“Probably by boat,” Mr. Jamison said.
“The Coast Guard keeps close tabs on all boating,” Mr. Evans said. “And the bay’s too shallow to allow ocean-going ships inside.”
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A thought sprang into Eddie’s mind. “Mr. Evans,” he said, “I found a rubber strap on the beach last week. ”

“ Eddie blurted out. “They—they’re traitors!”
“They won’t go anyplace,” Mr. Evans assured him. “The important thing right now is that we don’t tip off our plans. Possibly they have various signals worked out with the submarine. Things have to go right on schedule, or we might lose the whole battle. Benton and Simms are small fish and can be landed any time we want. The big thing is the delivery of those blueprints and the isotope. That’s what we’ve got to stop.”
The telephone on Mr. Taylor’s desk rang. “It’s for you, Tom,” he said, handing the instrument to Teena’s father. ”

“ Eddie defended.
“Of course not,” Captain Daniels agreed. “But someone always gets blamed. Just like those missing blueprints I read about in this morning’s paper. Teena’s father probably has nothing to do with guarding them, but when they turn up missing, he’s the one who gets lashed to the mast. The captain of a ship takes the blame for everything that happens aboard. ”