Beckoning Madden, he went swiftly through the door where the cattleman had leaped into the shadows. Where the gloom ceased and the space behind the row of store buildings was clear in the moonlight, nothing was to be seen. Naturally the man had kept within black shade in his flight.
When they reached the rear of the cattle company’s 280 office building, they peered in through its barred back windows, but all was dark inside the structure so far as they could determine. To all appearance Sorenson had not stopped here: it was quiet, gloomy, untenanted.
“We’ll have to try his home now,” the sheriff stated. “If we don’t find him there, we’ll set the telephones going to warn all the ranches and towns around to be on the lookout and either to stop or report him if he shows up. He hasn’t start enough to get away now.”
They hastened on along the line of buildings until they reached a side street. But when they had proceeded a short way, Weir stopped.
“I’m not satisfied about the office,” said he. “Suppose you go on to his house and I’ll return for a look inside from the front. If you fail to find him join me at Martinez’ office, where no one is likely to be around and we can then lay further plans.”
“That suits,” Madden responded, and set off alone.
Weir’s alert brain had been turning over the possibilities of Sorenson’s course. Rather by pursuing what would be the man’s line of reasoning than by depending on chance, he had come to the quick decision to turn back once again to the office. Sorenson would so act as would best serve his immediate escape and that of the future.
Would he expect the sheriff and the engineer to look for him to flee by the speediest means, an automobile, and to the natural avenue of escape, the railroad? Yes. Therefore on that expectation he would adopt another way to throw off pursuit. And perilous as a delay would be in getting away from San Mateo, yet he must risk the few minutes necessary to get money. For to fly with pockets empty meant eventual, certain capture. Money a fugitive from justice must possess above everything 281 in order to possess wings; and no one would know that better than Sorenson.
Though Madden and he had seen no light in the office building, the cattleman nevertheless might have been within. If he had been in the vault, he could safely have lighted a candle without their perceiving its beams; and though the safe was modern it probably had no time lock. Sorenson could unlock it with a few twirls of the combination, stuff his pockets with currency and negotiable paper to the amount of thousands and then slip away.
Fortunately the moonlight was to Weir’s advantage. He quickened his steps, passed round the corner into the main street and moved towards the building. For him the crowd at the court house at that moment had no interest; one person, and one person alone, commanded his thoughts.