"That's what I gets thinkin'," Timmy admitted. "Anyways, we ride all night an' plenty next mornin' till we hit a woods in the mountains where Barker parked his car way in the trees. We slep' there all afternoon, then start ridin' again when the sun was goin' down. Bout nine or so we come here. Frost's here. So's two kids bout our age--Willie Meehan, an' Sammie Brown. Next day we get comparin' things--Willie comes from Boston an' Sammie from Syracuse. They crashed jugs like me, with Barker's help. What's more they all stayed in a city room a coupla days like me an' just before they leave a telegram comes tellin' Barker he's gotta hustle to New York on business or that old stuff bout his dying grandmother. Anyways it's Frost that always sends 'em." "An' those kids," Skippy asked eagerly, "did they say they were Barker's sons an' go to a doctor like you?" "Sure. It's the same old line--he'll do the same with you guys too. Blamed if I know his racket, but when I'm here about a week, Willie says Barker's sendin' him west that night. Willie's here a little over a month then. Seems he don't keep kids much longer'n that--I'm overdue now!" He laughed grimly. "Anyways, he beats it with Willie an' we was glad he was gettin' a break an' on his way. So two days after Barker comes back--it's at night like he always comes an' goes an' Sammy an' me's sleepin' in this room. Frost and Barker think we're dead's doornails so when they come upstairs they get arguin' an' forget how loud they talk. Well, I'm awake and how! I hear the whole works." "_Gee!_" Skippy breathed, happy in the thought that now perhaps he would learn something of value to Mr. Conne, when he should be so fortunate as to see the detective again. "Yeah, I said a lotta things like that when I was listening," Timmy confided. "I heard Barker say somethin' about that Willie wouldn't go through. So Frost asks him what he did then. Barker says he had to do the job hisself. Frost laughs when he hears that. He tells Devlin he better plan his jobs better if he don't wanta take the hot squat." "_Devlin?_" Skippy asked breathlessly. "Yeah, I forgot to tell--Barker's an alias. Devlin's his right moniker. I found it out when I was here two days." "So Frost told him he might burn?" Nickie asked, as if he was turning this odd warning over in his mind. "And that's what makes you think Barker's a killer--'cause Frost cracked that?" "Yeah--sure. What else? Sammy promised he'd try an' get word back to me somehow so's to lemme know what job Barker wanted him to do, but he knew an' I knew it couldn't be done. Barker'd most likely send him too far away afterward. He went a coupla weeks ago. I been alone since, wonderin' an' worryin' when my turn'd come an' what it'd be!" Timmy took a deep breath and almost sobbed. "If it's a killin' job--I ain't goin' through. I ain't gonna pull no trigger on nobody for Barker or nobody else!"