waited anxiously.
“What evidence was it you found?” Jupiter whispered.
Bob and Pete told him about the set of keys and their adventures in the burned barn. Diego looked at the keys in the dim light of the pipe.
“I am sure they aren’t ours,” he said.
“Those men said they lost them and had to jump the ignition of some car?” Jupiter pondered. “From the way you tell it, fellows, it sounds as if they were at the barn before it burned. And they obviously don’t want anyone to find the keys and know they were there! Perhaps they stole the hat and planted it out at that campfire!”
“But who are they, First?” Pete wondered hoarsely.
“I don’t know, Second, but somehow they must be involved with the fire and Pico’s arrest. I… Shhhhh!”
In the pipe they all fell silent. Running feet were coming along the road! The boys peered through the thick bushes and saw the three saddle-tramp cowboys! Grim and silent, the three menacing men trotted past.
Diego whispered, “I never saw them before! If they work for Mr. Norris, they’re new.”
“Then what are they doing here?” Pete asked.
“That is something we must learn, Second,” Jupiter said.
“All I know,” Bob said, “is I hope they don’t come back!”
The four boys waited, listening hard. Down the road there was only silence. After another fifteen minutes, Jupiter sighed nervously.
“I guess one of us had better look,” he said.
“I’ll go,” Diego said. “They’re after Bob and Pete, not me. And I live out here, so they might not be suspicious.”
The slim boy slipped out quickly so that there would be little chance of anyone seeing where he came from. He climbed up to the road, turned left, and disappeared towards the bridge. In the pipe, The Three Investigators waited again. Bob was the first to hear someone coming back. He started to go out.
“Wait!” Pete whispered. “Maybe it’s not Diego!”
They waited. Someone stopped in front of the pipe.
“Okay, fellows, it’s all clear.”
It was Diego! The Investigators piled out, and Diego led them back to the bridge over Santa Inez Creek. He pointed towards the mountains. Far ahead, the three cowboys were disappearing north along the dirt road of the Norris ranch.
“They gave up,” Diego said with a grin. “And this is just about where we want to investigate, isn’t it, Jupiter?”
“Investigate what?” Bob and Pete asked together.
Jupiter told them about the lieutenant’s journal, and showed them the page he had duplicated from it.
“Wow!” Pete exclaimed. “Don Sebastián really did escape! And he must have had the Cortés Sword with him!”
“I’m sure he did,” Jupiter said, and he sighed. “But what that lieutenant wrote isn’t going to help us find it!”
“But, Jupiter, he wrote — ” Diego began in protest.
“He couldn’t have seen what he said he did,” Jupiter interrupted, “or, at least, where he saw it. Look, he wrote that he was leaving the hacienda, so that means he was on our side of the creek, the west side. He looked east, across the creek, from right about here. He says he saw a ridge — but from here there aren’t any ridges at all on the other side of the creek!”
On the far side of the swollen creek, as far as the boys could see, the land was flat all the way past the Norris ranch buildings!
“Somehow,” Jupiter said gloomily, “he must have made a mistake — about where he was, or in what he remembered when he wrote in his journal.”
The boys looked at each other unhappily.
“I guess it’s a dead end, fellows,” Jupiter said.
Dejected, they walked towards their bikes to ride home.
14
Time Runs Out for the Alvaros
It started to rain hard again that night, and poured down all the next day. The Investigators had no time to talk about the Cortés Sword or to try to identify the car keys from the burned barn. After classes, they were busy with school activities all afternoon.
“We don’t have any new leads
“What evidence was it you found?” Jupiter whispered.
Bob and Pete told him about the set of keys and their adventures in the burned barn. Diego looked at the keys in the dim light of the pipe.
“I am sure they aren’t ours,” he said.
“Those men said they lost them and had to jump the ignition of some car?” Jupiter pondered. “From the way you tell it, fellows, it sounds as if they were at the barn before it burned. And they obviously don’t want anyone to find the keys and know they were there! Perhaps they stole the hat and planted it out at that campfire!”
“But who are they, First?” Pete wondered hoarsely.
“I don’t know, Second, but somehow they must be involved with the fire and Pico’s arrest. I… Shhhhh!”
In the pipe they all fell silent. Running feet were coming along the road! The boys peered through the thick bushes and saw the three saddle-tramp cowboys! Grim and silent, the three menacing men trotted past.
Diego whispered, “I never saw them before! If they work for Mr. Norris, they’re new.”
“Then what are they doing here?” Pete asked.
“That is something we must learn, Second,” Jupiter said.
“All I know,” Bob said, “is I hope they don’t come back!”
The four boys waited, listening hard. Down the road there was only silence. After another fifteen minutes, Jupiter sighed nervously.
“I guess one of us had better look,” he said.
“I’ll go,” Diego said. “They’re after Bob and Pete, not me. And I live out here, so they might not be suspicious.”
The slim boy slipped out quickly so that there would be little chance of anyone seeing where he came from. He climbed up to the road, turned left, and disappeared towards the bridge. In the pipe, The Three Investigators waited again. Bob was the first to hear someone coming back. He started to go out.
“Wait!” Pete whispered. “Maybe it’s not Diego!”
They waited. Someone stopped in front of the pipe.
“Okay, fellows, it’s all clear.”
It was Diego! The Investigators piled out, and Diego led them back to the bridge over Santa Inez Creek. He pointed towards the mountains. Far ahead, the three cowboys were disappearing north along the dirt road of the Norris ranch.
“They gave up,” Diego said with a grin. “And this is just about where we want to investigate, isn’t it, Jupiter?”
“Investigate what?” Bob and Pete asked together.
Jupiter told them about the lieutenant’s journal, and showed them the page he had duplicated from it.
“Wow!” Pete exclaimed. “Don Sebastián really did escape! And he must have had the Cortés Sword with him!”
“I’m sure he did,” Jupiter said, and he sighed. “But what that lieutenant wrote isn’t going to help us find it!”
“But, Jupiter, he wrote — ” Diego began in protest.
“He couldn’t have seen what he said he did,” Jupiter interrupted, “or, at least, where he saw it. Look, he wrote that he was leaving the hacienda, so that means he was on our side of the creek, the west side. He looked east, across the creek, from right about here. He says he saw a ridge — but from here there aren’t any ridges at all on the other side of the creek!”
On the far side of the swollen creek, as far as the boys could see, the land was flat all the way past the Norris ranch buildings!
“Somehow,” Jupiter said gloomily, “he must have made a mistake — about where he was, or in what he remembered when he wrote in his journal.”
The boys looked at each other unhappily.
“I guess it’s a dead end, fellows,” Jupiter said.
Dejected, they walked towards their bikes to ride home.
14
Time Runs Out for the Alvaros
It started to rain hard again that night, and poured down all the next day. The Investigators had no time to talk about the Cortés Sword or to try to identify the car keys from the burned barn. After classes, they were busy with school activities all afternoon.
“We don’t have any new leads
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