"That means we start keeping an eye on the ice-cream man tomorrow afternoon," Rick said.
Scotty nodded. "First, we'd better make a survey of the terrain. He has to approach by the road, but there are a million places he could go once he got into the mine area."
Rick looked out the window. "The rain has stopped. Maybe we can reconnoiter this afternoon."
Fortunately, the Miller farm was well equipped with boots and overshoes. The boys borrowed footgear suitable for any mud left by the rain and started out after lunch.
The picnic area was washed clean of footprints and it was clear no one had visited the area since the rain. They made their way to the top of the hill above the mine and surveyed the cornfield that had been planted on the hilltop field. The corn was not high. The plants came only to their knees. Either it was a second planting or a poor crop. Rick guessed that the second reason was probably the correct one, because the field hadn't been cultivated recently.
"This isn't Miller land," he mused. "Wonder who is farming it?"
"It must be Hilleboe's property," Scotty returned. "Maybe he rents it to some local farmer."
They walked to the downstream edge of the cornfield to where the woods resumed. Rick had a feeling that they were wasting time. The ghost couldn't be produced from such a distance by any means he had ever heard of. The apparition had to be created right in the vicinity of the mine.
He spoke his thoughts aloud, and added, "Let's go back."
"Just a minute." Scotty pointed to a pile of brush. "Aren't those more bags?"