k, moving away toward the house. "Good night."

He started for the ranch house, but again came back.

"Rollins mustn't know I was down here," he said.

"He won't know from me," Tom assured him.

When Jack reached the house, he found Mr. Temple, Bob and Jack on the
front porch in their night-clothes. Rollins was there and had
introduced himself. All four were discussing the disappearance of the
flivver.

"You know how I sleep," said Bob. "But it made so much noise it waked
even me."

"Where have you been, Jack?" asked Frank. "Why, you haven't undressed.
I thought you turned in when I did. But I was so sleepy I never
noticed when I tumbled out of bed that you weren't there."

Jack felt Mr. Rollins's eyes on him. It made him uncomfortable.

"Oh, I couldn't sleep," he said. "So I came out for a turn in the
night air before going to bed."

"Where were you walking?" asked Mr. Rollins quickly.

Jack found lying distasteful, but decided it would not do in this case
to tell the whole truth. Fortunately, on leaving the radio station, he
had swung about in a circle, so as to approach the house from an
almost opposite direction.

"Over there," said Jack, indicating the direction from which he had
come. "There's a little rise some distance beyond there, but in this
feeble moon-light you can't see much, so I came back. Then I heard the
flivver."

"Do you think that fellow Remedios came here himself and drove it
off?" asked Frank.

"He certainly had his nerve, if it was he," said Bob.

Jack noticed that while Rollins was watching him keenly Mr. Temple,
who had not taken part in the conversation, was studying Rollins.

"Oh, it must have been Remedios," Jack said boldly. "Did anybody get
close enough to see him? Who came out first? Did you notice, Mr.
Rollins? You must have just arrived. I see you are still dressed."

"Yes, I had put my horse up in the corral," said Rollins, calmly, "and
was walking over here to the house, when I heard the car. I came
around to see who was calling at this late hour, but all I could see
was the disappearing car. Of course, I knew nothing of your day's
adventures until your friends came out, when we introduced ourselves
and explanations followed."

CHAPTER XIII

THE NET IS DRAWN TIGHTER

That obvious lie on Rollins's part gave Jack the final assurance that
the man was in the plot against them. Burning with indignation, he
wanted to expose Rollins but with an effort of self