he girl's return or go at once to
Martinez' office in the hope of still finding her, he finally chose
the latter course leaving his car where it stood and proceeding on
foot, as a result of which he passed in the darkness Juanita hurrying
home in a fright. A bad choice and valuable time lost, he afterwards
discovered. At Martinez' office he stepped inside, called the lawyer
by name, called Janet Hosmer, stood for a little while in the black
room harkening and thinking, then went forth into the street.

This time chance fell his way. He had but come out when he heard
footsteps and two men in low-toned talk as they approached; and he
withdrew further into the concealing darkness of the street. The new
visitors, striking matches at the entrance, walked inside. The men
were Vorse and Burkhardt.

"If you had been here, we could have nailed him at once as soon as I
had Saurez' story," the former said. "Martinez had half an hour and
more to get the thing into somebody else's hands."

"Well, I was looking after those men up in the hills," was the growled
answer. "Had to feed 'em and have 'em ready for to-morrow night. If we
don't find the document here, we'll screw its hiding-place out of that
dirty greaser if we have to use a cord on his head Indian-fashion.
Anyway it ought to be about this office. Martinez didn't know you had
learned about it from Saurez. He'd never let go a paper like that
until he had to."

"I think you're right there," Vorse said. "He'd want to sell it for
all it was worth. Better shut and lock the door while we're searching.
Don't care to have any of his friends sticking in their heads while
we're here."

Burkhardt, who had lighted the lamp, now closed the door, cutting off
so far as Steele Weir was concerned both a view of the men and their
conversation. However he had learned if not enough, at least
considerable. They had not yet gained possession of the paper. They
knew nothing of Janet's part in the affair. They had so far not
succeeded in unlocking Martinez' lips, but undoubtedly they would be
able to wring from the lawyer when they went about it the real truth
regarding the document. Very likely Martinez had anticipated that, had
known his powers were such as not to be greatly able to resist
physical torture and had planned to get the evidence into the
engineer's hands before he should be subjected to pains of the flesh.
That would be remembered to his credit, along with all the rest. Where
M