Rick groaned. "No!"
Hartson Brant called from the dining room. "Haven't you solved that cipher yet?"
The boys walked dejectedly back to join the others. Rick explained that the right volume was missing. The Spindrift files just didn't go back that far.
"Sit down and eat your dinner," Hartson Brant said. He sliced roast for them, his eyes thoughtful. "Something's wrong with your reasoning," he said, as he filled Rick's plate. "Would Chahda have a 1912 edition with him in Singapore? I doubt it. More likely he'd have a more recent one."
"But the letter L has to mean something," Barby protested.
"What could it mean but twelve?" Rick asked, and the answer struck him before the words were out. He shouted, "I know! It could mean fifty! L is the Roman numeral fifty."
Barby clapped her hands. Scotty reached over and pounded Rick on the back.
"That's it," Hartson Brant said approvingly. "I'll make a wager on it. Chahda used the 1950 edition."
Rick pushed back his chair, but the scientist's voice stopped him.
"Let's rest on our laurels, Rick. Finish dinner first, then we'll all retire to the library and work it out."