would have brought questions I didn't want to answer. Why didn't
you report it?"

That stopped Rick. They might have reported it, if there had been more
opportunity to go into detail with John Gordon.

Conversation lapsed. The man filled a coffeepot from a water bag,
brought out a propane-powered single-burner camp stove, and started the
coffee going.

In a short time a simple breakfast of fruit juice, crackers, cheese, and
coffee was ready. Then, as he juggled a hot mug of coffee, Rick said,
"We're mighty grateful, sir. But we can't thank you properly when we
don't know your name."

The man studied them again, over the lip of his coffee mug. "When did
you boys get to Scarlet Lake?"

Rick told him. There was no reason to conceal it.

"Uh-uh. I figgered you were pretty new. Now tell me exactly what
happened here last night."

The boys hesitated.

Rick asked, "Are you just being curious?"

"No. I've got a reason, and it's a good one."

Instinct told Rick that the man was more than he seemed, but that he was
in no way a thief or law-breaker. Briefly he sketched the events of the
previous night without going into the reasons for their own actions.
Scotty filled in a few details.

"All right. I'm Deadrock Ogg. Besides being the mayor and all the other
city officials of Steamboat I'm a prospector. Last night I was doin' a
little prospectin' and I came up with pay dirt. You saw what happened
here. Well, I kind of figgered in advance what was going to happen, and
I waited on the turnoff to Pahrump Valley. A sedan went by me pretty
fast, but not so fast I didn't get the license number. Mostly because I
was lyin' at the roadside waitin', and interested only in that."

"But the sedan traveled without lights."

"Not past the turnoff it didn't. Road's too curvy, and in too much
shadow. That's why I was there. I knew they'd have to turn on lights."

It was Rick's turn to give Deadrock Ogg his own question back. "Who are
you, Mr. Ogg? Are you a busybody? Or do you have a right to snoop?"

Deadrock Ogg chuckled. "The answer you gave me is good enough. Now, I'm
going to lend you a distributor cap and rotor."

"Where are you going to get the parts?" Scotty asked.

"My own jeep. I've got one cached just above here. Now, when you get
back to Scarlet Lake, you see Tom Preston right away. You know who he
is. Tell him exactly what you told me, and what I told you. And give him
the number I'm goin' to write down for you.