“John,” said Donovan after they had watched Cavanaugh’s plane roar away, “I think I’ll have to sock that big lug the next time I meet him.”
“He’d make mincemeat of you,” Mr. Hall warned.
“I doubt it. He’s soft as mush. Anyway, I don’t like him and I’ll have nothing to do with the equipment he peddles. He knows that, so I think the real reason he came here was to spy on us—to find out whether our well had come in yet.”
“Oh, he’s not that bad,” Hall objected. “Boys, you know something about him. What’s his reputation in Valley View?”
“He acts rich,” Sandy answered after a moment of deep thought.
“The people who work in his lab say he’s not as smart as he makes out,” Quiz added. “I agree with Mr. Donovan. There’s something phony about him. I’ve a hunch it’s connected with those three touchdowns he’s always bragging about. If I could only remember.... Some day I will, I bet.”
“Well, let’s all simmer down and forget him,” said Hall. “It’s time for lunch.”
CHAPTER FIVE
A Light in the Window Rock
The morning after Cavanaugh’s unwelcome visit, Hall, Donovan, Salmon and the boys set out on their 150-mile drive south to the town of Window Rock. The jeep wallowed and bounced as usual over the dusty trail to Shiprock. There Ralph turned right onto US 666, pushed the accelerator toward the floor board and relaxed.
“We don’t have a Bonanza, boss,” he said, “but a loaded jeep on a good paved road is the next best thing.”