“Perhaps; but that does not prove it was not Dave.”
“It’s contributory evidence, seh. Your friend could have slipped the chain from her neck any day, or he could have opened the locket and taken the map. No need for him to steal in at night. Do you happen to remember whether your little girl had any particular aversion to the cook?”
The cattleman’s forehead frowned in thought. “I do remember, now, that she was afraid of him. She always ran screaming to her mother when he tried to be friendly with her. He was a sour sort of fellow.”
“That helps out the case a heap, for it shows that he wanted to make friends with her and she refused. He was thus forced to take the chain when she was asleep instead of playing with her till he had discovered the spring and could simply take the map.”
“But he didn’t know anything about the map. He was not in our confidence.”
“You and your friend talked it over evenings when he was at the ranch, and other places, too, I expect.”
“Yes, our talk kind of gravitated that way whenever we got together.”
“Well, this fellow overheard you. That’s probable, at least.”
“But you’re ignoring the important fact. Dave disappeared too that night, with my little girl.”
Bucky cut in sharply with a question. “Did he? How do you know he disappeared with her? Why not after? That’s the theory my mind is groping on just now.”