“I’m afraid that’s what I’ll have to do.”
“What has been done with the case against the Kuro company?” Ben asked after a short silence.
“Still pending in the courts. Of course, the government can’t proceed to trial in the absence of inspector Colleton.”
“Then if Colleton should be murdered, the case might never be tried?”
“It certainly never would be tried!”
“Then we’ve got to get a move on!” cried Jimmie. “If these fellows know that special effort is being made to locate him, they won’t take any chances. The nearer we get to Colleton, the nearer he will be to his death. At least that’s the way I look at it.”
“That’s the way it looks to me, too,” Ben agreed.
Carl now caught Jimmie by the arm and pointed to the fire burning on the mountain to the north.
“It burns green now,” he said.
While they looked the flame turned red again.