He slid in behind the steering wheel. I sat beside him. “What’s all this about Bob?”
I said, “Use your head.”
“I am. I should have done it a long time ago, but that possibility never occurred to me.”
“What other reason could there have been?”
“I thought it was a frame-up to get my money into the business. I thought Bernard Carter was the real brains behind the thing and was making all the money. I thought Mrs. Ashbury wanted to get him in on some easy pickings, and they decided the best approach would be through Bob.”
I said, “Well, it’s a racket. They’re pushing Bob out in front. I don’t think Bernard Carter has much to do with it.”
“Well, he’s mixed up in it.”
“A shrewder mind than Carter’s is back of it, and if Carter’s in it, he’s probably being played for a sucker. From all I can gather, Carter wouldn’t exactly want to have Mrs. Ashbury’s son get into trouble on his account.”
Ashbury gave a low whistle. “What’s the racket?” he asked.
I said, “They bought up some valueless tailings up by Valleydale, and are spreading a line of hooey that they’re rich in gold.”