"But the fact that he could have, does not mean that he did," Hartson Brant stated.
"We can't prove it," Scotty agreed.
Rick continued. "Then we trailed him to Casa Guevara. He couldn't have been paying a social call, because he wasn't there long enough. And what business does he have with Guevara? I don't know, but I'll bet his business is the reason we can't get Guevara to move."
"Possibly," Hartson Brant agreed. "I can see the reason for your suspicions, but you lack proof of anything, Rick. What motive could Connel have?"
"We hoped to find out at the shot station," Rick replied. "But we drew a blank."
Dr. David Riddle came into the room and joined them. Before anyone could speak, the geologist spotted the samples on the table and sucked in his breath sharply.
"Where did these come from?" he demanded.
"Connel's third shot station," Rick replied. "Do you know what the stuff is?"
Riddle sank into a chair and picked up one of the samples, testing it between his fingers. "Yes," he said, "I do. I've seen it only once before, in Africa. It occurs in what is known as a volcanic pipe, actually an ancient channel that gets filled with the stuff for reasons we do not know."
"A volcanic pipe," Hartson Brant said softly. "I'm beginning to see."