Wharf Rats
Biff’s father had concluded his conversation.
“Now you all know as much as I do. Now we move into action. Biff, you
and Li will be our ground forces. Li’s father and I will take over the
naval side.”
“You mean we’re not going to the Big Island with you?” Biff was
dismayed.
“No, Biff. I want you and Li to roam about Hana. You both had a good
look at Perez Soto. I’m sure you could describe him. Make a few
inquiries. See if anyone of his description has been in Hana recently.
Hana is a very big place. I’m sure he was here yesterday—probably met
with Tokawto, to Tokawto’s misfortune.”
“We’ll check on him, too. We’ll stop by the police station,” Biff
replied.
“Hank,” Mr. Brewster went on, “our job is to rent a boat. A yawl, about
thirty feet. Biff and I can sail, and I’m sure you and Li have handled
boats all your lives. I don’t want a captain or a crew. Just a boat.
Think we can rent one here?”
“I’m positive we can, Tom.”
“All right then. Boys, you start your investigation. You’re pretty good
at it. But be careful. Meet us back here in time for lunch. I hope we
can sail tonight.”
Biff and Li went to their room and changed into shorts. Then they went
out to explore Hana.
The mid-morning sun was bright. The sky was clear. It was a beautiful
day on the Island of Maui. The boys covered the small business section,
stopping in a few stores, and asking if anyone had seen a man answering
to the description of Perez Soto. They were becoming discouraged as noon
approached.
“Let’s go to the police station, Li. See how Tokawto’s condition is,”
Biff suggested.
They learned that the wounded man was still much the same. It would be a
close thing if he lived.
Leaving the police station, Biff had an idea. “Look, Li,” he said,
frowning. “We’re going about this thing all wrong. If Perez Soto
kidnaped Dr. Weber and took him to Hawaii, he’d have to have a boat,
wouldn’t he?”
“Sure, Biff, sure.”
“Then let’s head for the docks and find out if anyone looking like Perez
Soto has rented a boat in the last week or so.”
“Good idea, Biff.”
They headed for the waterfront. Suddenly Biff turned to his friend.
“Don’t look back, Li,” he muttered, “but I think we’re being followed.
Just walk along as we’re doing now. When we get to the middle of the
next block, you leave me. We’ll shake hands, then you cross the street.
Go into one of the stores. Find a place where you can see out but can’t
be seen from the street. Keep a sharp lookout.”
Li’s face showed his excitement. “I get you, Biff. You want me to see if
someone keeps on following you.”
“That’s right. I’m going to continue on down the street another few
blocks. Then I’ll cut back and meet you in front of one of those stores.
Look sharp, now.”
The boys solemnly shook hands. Biff clapped Li on the shoulder. “Be
seeing you,” he called loudly when Li had reached the middle of the
street. Then Biff continued his “sight-seeing” walk along Hana’s main
street.
He desperately wanted to look behind him, but he knew that to do so
would spoil his plan. He walked three blocks, stopping every so often to
stare into a window. If he was being followed, he wanted to give Li
plenty of time to spot his pursuer.
Toward the end of the street, where the business section left off and
the residential section began, Biff cut across the street, then started
slowly back to his rendezvous with Li on the opposite side.
He saw Li in front of a small store, standing under a brightly colored
awning.
“Well, did you see anything?” Biff asked.
“I think so, Biff. But I don’t know for sure. There was a man, maybe one
hundred feet behind you. Every time you stopped, he’d stop, too, and
sort of step into a doorway, in case you looked back, I guess.”
“Then I was being followed!”
“Gee, Biff. I thought so at first. But then this man turned into a side
street before you reached the end of your walk.”
“How could you tell that, from inside that store?”
“Oh? Well, I stepped out on the sidewalk, so I could see better. Once
you got down to the next block, I couldn’t see you through the window
any more.”
Biff smiled. “I was being followed, all right, Li.”
“But how can you be sure? This man didn’t keep on following you.”
“You know why, Li? Because when you stepped out on the sidewalk, the man
spotted you. He had seen you with me, and knew you had planted yourself
in the store just to check and see if he was following me.”
Li’s face fell. “Gee, I’m some detective! Charlie Chan would box my
ears, as he was always doing with No. 1. Son. I’m sorry, Biff.”
“Don’t let it get you down. Let’s go find out about boats.”
If Li had flunked his first detective test, he more than redeemed
himself on his second.
At the waterfront, the boys spotted several signs announcing boats for
hire.
“Let me see if I can find a _kamaaina_,” Li suggested. “I could talk to
him. He might even know my family, then I could find out a lot.”
“Go ahead, Li. Good idea. I’ll take a walk out on that dock and wait for
you.”
Biff stood on the end of the pier, scaling small sea shells into the
water. He could see Li going from place to place. At a nearby dock, Li
took much longer than at the other places where he had inquired. Biff
could see him talking to an old Hawaiian, bent of body, wearing a floppy
sun hat. He saw Li look in his direction and signal for him to come
over.
Proud excitement shone from Li’s face as Biff came up.
“I’ve got big news, Biff,” Li exclaimed. “This _kamaaina_ has told me
just what we want to know. He’s an old man, speaks no English, but he
says he knew my father’s family many years ago.”
“Yes, but what about Perez Soto?”
“I’m coming to that. The oldtimer says he didn’t rent any boat last
week, but at that dock up there—” Li pointed to a dock about one hundred
feet down the shore—“a _malihini_—that means a newcomer—rented a big
power boat about five days ago. He can’t remember the exact day. He’s
old, I guess, and kind of forgetful. But he thinks it was on a Monday.
That would be—”
Last Monday! That was the day Dr. Weber had disappeared!
“Good going, Li,” Biff exclaimed. “And you described Perez Soto?”
“I sure did. And the _kamaaina_ says he thinks it was the same man. The
man came to him, first, but he didn’t have any boat big enough to suit
this man.”
“Well, Li, I think we’re getting somewhere. I want to try one more thing
before we go back. I want to make sure I was being followed. I think
it’s important to know if any of Perez Soto’s men are still in Hana.”
“Why would they be,” Li demanded, “if Perez Soto and the doctor are on
the Big Island?”
“Don’t forget about Tokawto. I’m sure Perez Soto would want to know if
Tokawto recovers enough to talk.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I’ve got a trick up my sleeve. If someone is following me, it might be
because he thinks I might still have that letter.” Biff took out his
address book and tore paper from the back of it. “You know he might be
just stupid enough to think I was still carrying the letter with me.”
“Guess he’d have to be plenty _lolo_ for that, Biff.”
“Plenty _lolo_? What does that mean?”
“It means dumb or stupid,” Li replied.
Biff grinned. He took a pencil and scribbled a word on the paper. Then
he stuck the paper in his hip pocket, on top of his handkerchief.
“We’ll walk over to that boathouse,” Biff said. Halfway there, he
stopped, pulled out his handkerchief, and wiped his forehead. As he did
so, the paper fell to the ground.
“Come on,” he muttered. The boys entered the boathouse. They pretended
to examine the boats, allowing themselves several minutes.
“Guess we’ve given our pursuer long enough, if we are being followed,”
Biff decided.
They came back out of the boathouse and retraced their steps. At the
spot where Biff had pulled out his handkerchief, he stopped again, and
looked carefully about him.
“We’ve been followed, all right. The paper is gone,” Biff said to Li.
“What did you write on that paper, Biff?”
“‘_Lolo_,’” Biff said, and the boys burst out laughing.
Time had slipped by much faster than Biff and Li realized. It was
midaftenoon when they got back to the hotel.
“Guess I’ve been so excited I forgot about eating,” Li said, “but am I
ever hungry now!”
“I could eat my way through another _luau_, Li,” Biff agreed.
At the front desk of the hotel, they found a message from their fathers.
“_We’re checking out the boat_,” Biff’s father had written, “_and
getting supplies. Wait for us._”
Biff and Li had a late lunch, took a small siesta, then had a refreshing
swim in the hotel’s pool. It was growing dark when Mr. Brewster and Hank
Mahenili came back.
“We’ve got the boat, Biff. And it’s a real honey. As trim a craft as
you’d ever want to see.”
“Where is it, Dad?” Biff wanted to see the boat.
“Tied up at the municipal wharf. Know where that is?”
“We sure do. We were down there this afternoon. I wonder how we missed
you.”
Biff then told his father and Mr. Mahenili what he and Li had learned.
“I felt sure it would be Perez Soto. And he rented a powerful cabin
cruiser?” Mr. Brewster asked.
“That’s right, Dad. Li’s _kamaaina_ friend thinks it was the Monday Dr.
Weber disappeared.”
“It all adds up. We can’t get to Hawaii fast enough now.”
“Are we leaving tonight?” Biff asked.
“About ten o’clock. Have to wait until then for supplies to be
delivered.”
“Gee, is it all right if Li and I dash down to the dock and look at the
boat?”
“Sure. You’ll have time. But don’t stay too long. We’ll be having dinner
in an hour.”
Biff and Li started for the door.
“Hey!” Mr. Brewster called. “Don’t you think you ought to know the
boat’s name? It’s the _Easy Action_.”
It was growing dark when Biff and Li reached the dock. There was the
trim craft, painted a bright white, with a golden arrow trimming its
sides. Its two masts swayed gently from side to side in the gently
rolling water.
“She’s a beauty, all right,” Biff said to Li as they approached the
boat. “Come on, let’s go aboard.”
Biff felt Li’s hand on his arm, restraining him.
“Hold it, Biff,” Li said in a whisper. “I think I saw someone on the
boat. Let’s duck behind these pineapple crates.”
[Illustration: _They peered intently at the yawl’s portholes_]
The boys secreted themselves. They peered intently at the yawl’s
portholes. There was barely enough light to see.
“There, did you see that!”
Biff nodded his head. They had seen a white-clad figure flash by one of
the portholes.