“Echo answers ‘what’,” Salt replied. “Well, shall we start for Riverview?”
“Without learning for certain who those two fellows are?”
“I would like to know. The only thing is, your father’s going to be plenty annoyed when he finds how late I’ve kept you out.”
“Leave Dad to me.”
“Okay, but if we run into trouble tonight, we can figure we went out of our way to ask for it.”
By this time, the two swampers had vanished into the darkness far up the road.
“They’re heading toward Trapper Joe’s place,” Penny observed. “The Hawkins’ farm is just beyond, on the waterway.”
“We may as well give them a good start and then follow in the car,” Salt decided.
They walked back to the parked automobile where Penny put on her shoes and stockings again. After giving the two strangers a good five minutes start, Salt drove slowly after them, keeping headlights turned off.
Trapper Joe’s dismal shack loomed up dark and deserted.