opened a blade, thrust it upwardbetween the upper and lower sash, and maneuvered for a minute or two.Finally he gave vent to a muttered word of satisfaction, closed theknife, and slipped it into his pocket.
"Here's a little luck," said he. "We can open the window now."
Noiselessly the lower sash was lifted, and the way into the bungalow wasopen.
"You can stay here," whispered Burton, "or you can go with me. If you'reafraid to trust me, I can look around and report what I find."
"I'll go with you," returned Clancy. "I don't want to take your reportabout what you find, I want to see for myself."
As carefully as possible they crawled through the window, and while theystood in the dark room at the front of the house. Hiram came through theopening and joined them.
A noise reached their ears, as of heavy breathing. Hill caught Clancy'sarm in a convulsive clutch.
"There's some one in the place, all right!" said Burton, under hisbreath.
"Strike a light," suggested the motor wizard. "I believe it's safeenough."
"Here, let me," put in Hiram. "I've got a match right in my fingers."
He scraped the match on the wall. As a flicker of light blazed up, asmall, meagerly furnished front room was disclosed. Neither CaptainHogan nor either of those who had chartered his boat could be seen.
Clancy stepped to a shelf on the side wall, and took down a candle in acandlestick. Hill touched the match to the wick, and the investigationcontinued under a better light.
There was a door opening off the rear of the room. Burton glided to itand carefully pushed it ajar. Stygian darkness reigned beyond.
The opening of the rear door had caused the heavy breathing to growlouder. The man--evidently the only one they were to find in thebungalow--must be in that back room. Clancy, with the candle, pushedinto the lead, and entered the next apartment.
Hill was watching Burton as keenly as a cat watches a mouse. At thefirst sign of a treacherous move, or the springing a trap, Hill wouldhave been at Burton in a flash.
Nothing occurred, however, to alarm the investigators. Something wasdiscovered, on the other hand, which certainly, astounded them.
A figure was lying on a cot bed--a figure that was bound wrist andankle. A towel was tied over the face of the helpless form, and frombehind this towel came the labored breathing which had already attractedattention.
The candle revealed the gruesome situation dimly. There seemed no longerany good reason for silence, and startled exclamations dropped from thelips of the three investigators.
"Black work has been going on here!" growled Burton.
"Wonder if that's Hogan?" queried Clancy.
"Whoever it is," spoke up Hill, "if that towel ain't removed he'll soonbe smothered to death."
As he spoke, he hastened to the head of the bed, turned the formslightly so he could untie the ends of the towel, and presently removedthe suffocating gag. As the head of the bound man fell back on thepillow of the bed, his face was brought clearly into the full light ofthe candle.
"By thunder!" gasped Clancy, startled.
"What do you think of that?" murmured the bewildered Burton.
"Katz, or I'm a Hottentot!" whispered Hill.
There followed a few moments of silence, during which the three at thecotside exchanged wondering glances. Here was a situation which seemedincomprehensible to all of them.
Katz's eyes were closed, and the breath came and went stertorouslybetween his bloated lips. His face was puffed and of a purplish hue.
"What's the matter with him?" queried Burton.
"He came within one of being suffocated, that's all," Clancy answered."Get the ropes off his hands and feet, so he'll be more comfortable. Idon't think it will be long before he opens his eyes."
The motor wizard was right. Hardly had Katz been freed of the ropes whenhis eyelids flickered wide open. He stared up dazedly into the facesbending over him.
"Wynn!" he exclaimed, his wits wandering. "You're double-crossin' me,eh, same as we double-crossed Burton? You and Hogan are going to makeoff with the swag! Well, it won't do you no good, you can gamble onthat. You'll be sorry you did this--some day--and---"
Here his voice trailed off into incoherent mumbling. It was quiteevident that there had been a bad "split" in the gang.
CHAPTER X.
PLOT AND COUNTERPLOT.
Burton's eyes glimmered as he listened to these wandering words from thelips of his treacherous friend.
"He got a dose of the same medicine he helped give me!" he said. "Serveshim right. Gerald Wynn is a yellow dog! He turned against me, and thenhe hitched up with Captain Hogan and the two turned on Katz. Wish I knewjust how it all happened."
"Bring some water," said Clancy, "and perhaps we can help Katz recoverhis wits. He's half delirious now."
Burton found some cool water, and brought a basin of it. The bloated,purplish face of Katz was bathed, his limbs were rubbed, and graduallyhis condition, physical and mental, became more normal. He peered atBurton with blinking eyes.
"Thank you, Hank?" he asked.
"Yes, it's Hank." was the taunting response. "How do you like bein'double-crossed? You and Wynn put the kibosh on me, and here you've got ataste of it yourself."
"Wynn's a coyote!" snarled Katz.
"He's not the only one."
"What took place here?" struck in Clancy, seeking to direct the talkinto more profitable channels.
A shiver convulsed the form of Katz. Slowly his eyes turned to Clancy,and grew round with astonishment.
"That red-headed motor wizard!" he breathed. "However did you get here?"
"I'm here, and that's enough," said Clancy.
"He came on from Phoenix because I wired him to," put in Hill. "He'shelpin' me locate my father."
"It was Clancy's judgment, I'll bet," observed Burton, "that kept youfrom going to San Diego?"
"Now you are shouting. I was bound to go there, but Chancy held me backand steered me toward Catalina island."
Katz's eyes passed from Clancy to Hill. Slowly the wonder died out ofthem, and a grim expression crossed his face.
"You're the clever boy, all right, Clancy," said Katz, "but Wynn is toomany for you. He's bit it off with Hogan, who owns the steam yacht_Sylvia,_ and they're off for down the coast with all the money. Afterwe cut you out, Burton, Wynn and I had divided. I had seventy-fivehundred, all in the long green, in that dinky satchel of mine, when Icame to this wikiup to join Wynn and Hogan. Them two were layin' for me.The minute I stepped in at the door they bowled me over. I went downlike a log, and when I came to myself I was lyin' on this bed, lashedhand and foot, and with a towel tied so tight over my face that I couldhardly breathe.
"Hogan and Wynn were in the room, and they just laughed at me. 'You'reeasier'n Burton was,' Wynn says. 'Hogan and I are leavin' the harborto-night,' he says, 'and we're takin' the hull fifteen thousand with us.Good night, and happy dreams, Katz,' he winds up, then puts out thelight, locks the front door, and leaves me to strangle to death." Katzturned his head and spat contemptuously. "That's the sort, of a jiggerthis Wynn is," he finished.
"You're no better than he is," snapped Burton.
"If I could come within arm's reach o' him, by thunder, I'd show whetherI'm better than he is, or not!" cried Katz, getting up with an effortand sitting on the edge of the cot.
"You say," said Clancy, speaking quickly, "that Hogan and Wynn areintending to get away in the _Sylvia_ to-night?"
"I reckon they've already gone."
"Maybe not! There's a chance that the _Sylvia_ is still in the harbor.Are you as anxious to get even with Wynn as Burton is, Katz?"
"Try me, that's all!" growled Katz, lifting his arms and working themback and forth to get the cramps out of them. "I'd like a chance to showGerald Wynn just how I feel!"
"Then come with me! Perhaps we can head off Hogan and Wynn at the dock."
"No such luck. But look here oncet, Clancy. Are you intendin' to mix thepolice in this game o' muggins?
"
"No," was the answer. "We'll handle it ourselves."
"And the idee is---"
"To recover, the fifteen thousand dollars,"
"Who gets it, after it's recovered?"
"I do. It belongs to Lafe Wynn and myself, doesn't it?"
This part of the arrangement, it was clear, did not please Katz. Clancysaw that, and his voice hardened and grew