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mouth. It was loosening, slipping . . . Suddenly it hit the floor with a loud
thud.
Jupiter held his breath.
He listened to the silence, the slapping of the waves against the pilings
below, and the faint voices in between.
No one came.
He fell over on his side, nudged the walkie-talkie against a wall, and
pushed the Talk button with his nose.
Fellows! he whined nasally. Bob! Pete! Are you there? Come in,
Second, Records . . .
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21
A Daring Rescue
Bob! Pete! Are you there? Come in, Second, Records . . .
Bob and Pete were crouched behind some crates next to the two-story
wooden building at the end of the pier. They had just watched a man knock
on the building door and go inside. Now the familiar voice seemed to come
up out of the pier itself.
It s Jupe! Pete cried.
My walkie-talkie! Bob exclaimed, reaching for his pocket. He quickly
took out the tiny instrument Jupiter had made and pressed the Send button.
First! Where are you? Are you all right?
Jupiter s voice came out of the tiny instrument as if he were holding
his nose. Records? I m in some building at the end of a commercial pier
at the harbor. The same two who took your negatives abducted me from
Mrs. Manning s house. Where are you?
We re right outside! Pete said eagerly into his walkie-talkie. I followed
your trail!
And I followed Bob began.
Jupiter s voice broke in. You ve got to get me out of here. I m alone
now, they re talking business with the fish market manager and should be
busy awhile, but we have to hurry!
Bob said, Tell us exactly where you are, Jupe.
I m in a small room on what I think is the second floor of the last building
on the pier. I m tied to a chair. There s only one small window that s open
about an inch, but it s too high for me to reach.
What can you see through the window?
Nothing but sky, Records.
What can you hear?
Waves hitting pilings. Maybe something heavy bumping the building.
Pete nodded to Bob and pointed to the fishing boat that bumped against
the pier next to the building.
A Daring Rescue
Can you see anything at all out of the window, First? Pete said into
the walkie-talkie.
There was a silence. Then Jupiter s voice came low, A small cloud,
almost round.
Pete and Bob both saw the tiny cloud in the sky to the west. They hurried
behind the building to the western edge of the pier, turned, and looked up.
The single tiny window in the west wall of the building was high up, facing
the water. There was only the smallest walking space between the building
and the water on that side.
Okay, Jupe, I think we ve got your window spotted, Pete reported.
What can you do to get out?
Nothing, Jupiter said from the walkie-talkie. I m tied to a chair, and
I can t break the cords.
Bob and Pete crouched by the silent building, thinking. The trawler
creaked against the pier. Boaters, water skiers, and windsurfers crisscrossed
the open water of the harbor beyond the pier.
Jupe can t get out, Pete said to Bob, so we ll have to get up there.
Bob looked up at the tiny window one story above them. How?
Pete considered. He walked slowly along behind the two-story building
and looked down at the deck of the trawler bobbing on the harbor waves.
Hey! There s a rope on the deck! And I think we can pull the boom on
the trawler around close to the window so that one of us can climb in!
Bob looked up at the trawler boom and at the small window. Which
one of us? As if I didn t know. He made a face.
This is your lucky day! Pete kidded him. It ll have to be the smallest
and lightest, Records. We don t know how much weight the rope or the boom
can take, and Jupe ll be on the other end when you come down!
The two boys jumped down onto the deck of the trawler, and Pete picked
up an end of the long, coiled rope. He tied the rope around Bob s waist and
explained his plan as he tied.
You climb up the net to the end of the boom, and then I swing the boom
around with the other rope until you re at the window. You climb inside,
and I lower you down on your rope. You cut Jupe loose, and I ll haul you
both up, one at a time. Then you grab the boom again, I swing it around,
and you both come back down the net!
Bob looked dubious. I don t know, Second. It sounds like there s an
awful lot to go wrong.
The only thing that could go wrong is we get caught by those guys who
grabbed Jupe, so let s hurry. Here s my pocketknife to set Jupe free. When
you re ready to leave the warehouse, pull on the rope.
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A Daring Rescue
The rope tied, Bob started up the net. Climbing it was easier than he d
expected the net acted like a ladder. When he reached the top of the
long boom that angled out from the base of the single mast, Pete pulled on a
second rope and swung the boom around until Bob could touch the window.
The Records and Research man eased up the window and climbed onto the
sill.
On the deck of the trawler, Pete braced and held the boom rope tight as he
watched Bob lower himself over the sill inside. Then the Second Investigator
eased Bob s climbing rope out and Bob disappeared inside.
In the room, Jupiter looked up from where he lay on his side and grinned
as Bob came down from the window on the rope. As soon as the Records
and Research man touched the floor, he untied his climbing rope and hurried
to Jupiter.
Hurry up! said Jupe. They ll be back any minute!
A few quick cuts with Pete s pocketknife severed the ropes that bound
Jupiter to the chair.
Bob and Jupe ran back to the window, carrying the chair. First Bob
stood on the chair and hoisted himself up onto the high window sill.
Jupiter came next. He stood on the chair, grabbed Bob s hand, and,
puffing and grunting, finally made it onto the sill. Getting through the
narrow window was a tight squeeze for the stocky First Investigator. He
finally burst through like a cork coming out of a bottle and grabbed the net
at the end of the boom. Once Bob and Jupe had good holds on the net, Pete
hauled hard on the boom rope to swing the boom away from the window.
But he had underestimated the force of Jupiter s added weight. As the
boom swung away from the window, the rope tore from his hand and the
boom went right on swinging out over the water. It stopped with a jolt when
it reached the end of its arc. Jupiter and Bob lost their grip, flailed through
the air, and plunged with two great splashes into the harbor.
Both came up blowing like porpoises.
Throw us a rope! Jupiter gasped.
On the deck of the trawler, Pete was laughing like a hyena. There was
an angry shout behind him. He whirled to see the two masked men heading
for him.
Swim for shore! Pete cried. And he leaped into the harbor to join his
friends.
All three boys swam for the harbor beach at the land end of the pier.
They soon touched bottom and waded out, wet and bedraggled. First they
blended in among the people on the beach, then joined the crowd of strollers
on the walk.
They won t follow us here, Pete said. Not in those masks, anyway.
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A Daring Rescue
Let s grab the bus and get out of here! Jupiter urged.
What about my bike? Pete demanded.
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