“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 

 Prev. P 43/99 next