The Space Pioneers, page 129 by Carey Rockwell
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me thing. I wouldn't want him to find you boys here. Not that I don't want to help you, but Vidac might try to connect me with you and the missing professor. I couldn't take a risk like that with Billy and Jane. We're in enough trouble."
The farmer then told them how Vidac had forced him to sign a release on his land while threatening Jane with a ray gun.
"We have to get to the bottom of this mess," said Tom. "The only trouble is we don't know what he's after or why he's trying to frame us."
"Well," said Roger, glancing at his watch, "whatever we decide, we'd better do it quickly. It's almost noon."
"Noon!" exclaimed Logan. "Why it can't be more than nine at the most!" He pulled out a large gold watch from his coverall pocket. "Sure--it's a quarter to nine!"
Jeff looked at his watch. "Same here!" He smiled. "You must be wrong, Roger."
"You probably forgot to wind it," said Tom. He glanced casually at his own watch and suddenly exclaimed. "Say, my watch has three-thirty!"
"And mine says four twenty-two!" cried Astro.
Roger and Tom looked at each other, eyes widening.
"You don't think--?" began Tom, hardly daring to breathe.
"Yes, I do!" said Roger. "Remember what happened to the instruments?"
[Illustration]
"Uranium!" exclaimed Astro.
The word echoed in the kitchen like the blast of a bomb. The boys looked at each other, too startled to explain to Logan and Jane, who, though they were listening intently, were unable to fathom the boys' reasoning.
"Where were you last night?" asked Jeff quickly.
Roger described as nearly as he could remember the exact route that they had traveled in making their way to the Logan farm.
"Hey, I think I've got the answer, fellows!" Tom suddenly exclaimed. "If Vidac came out here last night and took over Mr. Logan's farm, and we're falsely accused of getting rid of the professor, and the professor is missing, there must be something to tie it all together. Vidac wouldn't do t