The opening of one of the lighted offices startled them, ended the consultation. Both comrades, tense, drew close against the wall behind the water cooler. If anybody was thirsty!——
The lighted square of that door went black. Someone had put out the dome light. Footsteps went carelessly along the corridor from the hiding youths, toward the front stairway.
“I must follow—whoever it is!” whispered Bob. “Curt, watch here. Al will watch that other man. It’s——”
“A triple trail!” gasped Curt. “Go on, Bob. Be careful.”
Bob agreed and tiptoed along to the stairway. By the time he got there he had no need for special caution, the lower door was closing.
Bob ran lightly down the stairs, crossed the entry below, cautiously peered into the yard, lighter just there by the arc over the office building doorway, and nodded to himself.
Griff was passing around the side of the building!
Cautiously Bob trailed him, allowing the partner’s son to get out of sight beyond the turn before he left the doorway.
Where was Griff bound? The main gates were across the yard and, as Bob knew, they were locked while the night man made his rounds of inspection among hangars and plant structures.
While Al watched his man in the supply room, while Curt hid, watching the lighted office door, Bob wondered what Griff was about. The young man did not go anywhere near or bend his steps in the direction of the main entrance but turned, with Bob carefully watching as he clung close in the shadow of the office structure, and went on around the building toward the private exit used by the officials. Being the son of Mr. Tredway’s partner, Griff had a key; but Bob could see, as he peered around the building, that the gate stood slightly ajar already.