“Some men coming!” he exclaimed. “If it’s those cowboys —!”
Pete shaded his eyes. Four men were running towards them along the trail through the ridges to the south — the same trail that the boys had taken to the hacienda after fighting the brush fire a week ago.
“It’s my dad and Mr. Andrews!” Pete said. “They’re with the sheriff and Chief Reynolds!”
The four boys ran down the ridge to meet the men.
“Pete!” Mr. Crenshaw cried. “Are you all okay?”
“We’re fine, Dad,” Pete said, grinning at his father.
Mr. Andrews fumed. “What were you doing out here all night!”
“We couldn’t help it, Dad,” Bob said, and told him about being trapped in the cave. “The mudslide opened it and then closed it on us. But we found out what happened to Don Sebastián Alvaro and those three American soldiers!”
“And solved another old mystery.” Chief Reynolds smiled.
“But worried their parents half to death!” the sheriff said sternly. “Pico Alvaro told us about your wild-goose chase trying to help save his ranch, and we’ve all been looking for you half the night! Your uncle, Jupiter Jones, is with his two helpers and Mr. Norris and his men, searching the other side of the creek! You had better tell us just how you got into that cave!”
“Yes, sir,” Pete said. “We — ”
Jupiter broke in. “We’ll explain on the way to the hacienda, sir. I don’t want my uncle to be worried any further. Could you radio him and the others to meet us at the burned hacienda?”
“All right, but you had better have a good story. I can’t have reckless boys running loose in my back country!”
The sheriff used his walkie-talkie to instruct everyone to meet at the Alvaro hacienda, and the boys told their story as they walked down the trail through the ridges. They described their search for the sword and their troubles with the three cowboys. By the time they had finished, the group had reached the county road, crossed the bridge over the former arroyo, and arrived at the hacienda.
Uncle Titus, with Hans and Hans’s brother, Konrad, were already there. Behind him, Mr. Norris stood near the Norris ranch wagon with Skinny, the manager Cody, and two other men.
A deputy sheriff waited in the sheriff’s car. Uncle Titus hurried up to Jupiter. “Jupiter? Are you all right? Is everyone?”
“We’re all okay, Uncle Titus.”
Skinny walked up with Mr. Norris and Cody.
“Boy, how dumb can you guys get?” Skinny sneered.
“That’s enough, Skinner,” Mr. Norris snapped. “I’m glad you’re all safe, boys.”
“Now tell us,” the sheriff said, “why were those three men chasing you?”
“Because they framed Pico for starting the brush fire,” Pete said eagerly, “and maybe burned the hacienda!”
Cody snorted. “Alvaro started the fire. He’s too irresponsible to own a ranch around here.”
“After tomorrow he won’t.” Skinny laughed.
Mr. Norris snapped, “I told you to be quiet, Skinner! You too, Cody.” He looked at Jupiter. “Can you prove that Pico Alvaro didn’t cause the brush fire, Jones?”
“We know he didn’t, Mr. Norris,” Jupiter said. “Pico had his hat at three p.m. that day, when he was with us at the central school. Since the sheriff has said that the campfire was started before three p.m., Pico couldn’t have lost his hat at that campfire.”
Bob put in, “Skinny — I mean Skinner, sir, and Mr. Cody must have seen Pico with the hat at school, too!”
“I don’t remember him wearing any hat,” Skinny said.
“Because he wasn’t,” Cody added.
“He was, sir,” Jupiter said firmly. “And he had it on when we arrived at the hacienda later that afternoon. He hung it on a peg in the barn, and when the brush fire started he ran out and left it. It should have burned with the barn, but it didn’t. Those three cowboys came to the barn while everyone was at the brush fire, stole the hat, and put it near that campfire to frame Pico.”
“You can’t prove that,” Cody growled. “Why would those cowboys frame Alvaro — if there even are any cowboys?”
Jupiter ignored the manager. “They framed Pico because they really built that illegal campfire. I’m pretty sure they burned the barn and hacienda, too.”
“Can you prove it, Jupiter?” Chief Reynolds asked.
“And where do we find these cowboys?” the sheriff said.
“I think you can find them on the Norris ranch.”
Mr. Norris said angrily, “Are you saying that I’m involved with those men and what they may have done, young man?”
“No, sir, I don’t think you knew anything about them. But someone here did and does. They didn’t go to the Alvaro barn alone to get the hat, did they, Skinny?”
“Skinner?” Mr. Norris stared at his son.
“He’s crazy, Dad!” Skinny cried.
Jupiter reached into his pocket, and held up the set of car keys. “We found these keys in the barn. Those cowboys were looking for them, and that’s why they were chasing us — to get the keys. The keys were dropped when Pico’s hat was taken. I think you’ll find that they belong to the Norris ranch wagon!”
“Our wagon?” Mr. Norris cried.
“I’m sure of it, sir,” Jupiter said. “I’ll try them, or maybe Skinner will show us his set so we can compare.”
“Skinner?” Mr. Norris stared at his son again.
“I–I — ” Skinny stammered, and suddenly glared at Cody. “I gave them to Cody, Dad! He told me he lost his at the brush fire! He didn’t tell me — ”
“You rotten coward!” Cody raged. “Okay, the keys are my set to the ranch wagon. I dropped them in that barn getting the Mex’s hat, and Skinny knew all about it!”
Everyone looked at the stocky ranch manager.
“Those dumb cowboys are friends of mine,” the manager said angrily. “They’re in trouble, and I owed ’em a favour, so they came to me. I let them camp and hide out on Mr. Norris’s place. The idiots built campfires when I told ’em not to, and got the brush fire started. I knew if Mr. Norris found out the truth he’d fire me, so we went to the Alvaro place and I spotted Pico’s hat in the barn. We took it, and put it out near the campfire later. Only I dropped my lousy keys in the barn!”
The sheriff said grimly, “Why didn’t you look for them then?”
“I was in a hurry to plant the hat,” Cody said uneasily, “and we were afraid of being spotted, and — ”
“And the barn was already on fire, I’ll bet!” Pete cried.
“Yeh,” Cody said miserably. “It wasn’t me, you know? I didn’t mean to cause any damage, or hurt anyone. I just wanted to keep Mr. Norris from finding out about Cap, Pike, and Tulsa camping on his land and starting that brush fire. But those stupid saddle-tramps heard me say we wanted the Alvaro ranch and thought they were helping me by setting the barn and hacienda on fire! I didn’t know until too late, and my keys were inside the barn!”
“You know you’ve been trying to stop us from helping the Alvaros,” Bob said angrily. “You and Skinny! Snooping, listening at windows, trying to scare us!”
“That was just doing my job!” Cody protested.
“A job,” Mr. Norris snapped, “you no longer have! Go and get your belongings, Cody. You’re through as of now!” He glared at Skinny. “I’ll talk to you later, young man!”
“He can get his things,” the sheriff said, “but my deputy will go with him. He’s under arrest for framing Pico Alvaro, and maybe for arson, too.”
The sheriff and his deputy took Cody away to their car. Mr. Norris ordered Skinny to the ranch wagon and faced the boys.
“I want the Alvaro ranch, and I’m going to get it,” he said bluntly. “But I never intended to get it by dishonesty. I’m sorry.”
Before Chief Reynolds went to his car, he smiled.
“You’ve cleared an innocent man, boys. Pico will be released from jail immediately. Well done!”
As everyone else left the hacienda yard, Uncle Titus looked at his watch and told Hans and Konrad to bring up the salvage-yard truck.
“It’s time you four got cleaned up and had some food,” he said to the Investigators and Diego “Then we’ll see if you’re in shape to go to school.”