“She ain't here. I knew she wasn't,” Eddie announced when the final tunnel let them into the graying light of dawn beyond the Peak.
“In that case—” Bud glanced from him to Jerry, who was blowing out his lantern.
Jerry let down the globe carefully, at the same time glancing soberly at Bud. “The kid knows better than we do what would happen if Lew met up with her and Boise.”
Eddie shook his head miserably, his eyes fixed helpessly upon Bud. “Lew never, Mr. Birnie. I was with him every minute from dark till—till the cashier, shot him. We come up the way I took you through the canyon. Lew never knew she was gone any more than I did.”
Jerry bit his lip. “Kid, what if the gang run acrost her, KNOWING Lew was dead?” he grated. “And her on Boise? The word's out that Bud stole Boise. Dave and the boys rode out to round him up—and they ain't done it, so they're still riding—we'll hope. Kid, you know damn well your gang would double-cross Dave in a minute, now Lew's killed. If they got hold of the horse, do yuh think they'd turn him over to Dave?”
“No, you bet your life they wouldn't!” Eddie retorted.
“And what about HER?” Bud cut in with ominous calm. “She's your sister, kid. Would you be worried if you knew they had HER and the horse?”
Eddie gulped and looked away. “They wouldn't hurt her unless they knew't Lew was dead,” he said. “And them that went to Crater was killed or jailed, so—” He hesitated. “It looked to me like Anse was setting up waiting for the bunch to get back from Crater. He—he's always jumpy when they go off and stay, and it'd be just like him to set there and wait till daylight. It looks to me, Mr. Birnie, like him and—and the rest don't know yet that the Crater job was a fizzle. They wouldn't think of such a thing as taking Sis, or Boise either, unless they knew Lew was dead.”
“Are you sure of that?” Bud had him in a grip that widened the boy's eyes with something approaching fear.
“Yes sir, Mr. Birnie, I'm sure. What didn't go to Crater stayed in camp—or was gone on some other trip. No, I'm sure!” He jerked away with sudden indignation at Bud's disbelief. “Say! Do you think I'm bad enough to let my sister get into trouble with the Catrockers? I know they never got her. More'n likely it's Dave.”