He led the way to the rear of the jail building, walking carefully in the darkness. There were windows but they were barred. He carefully felt his way past the jail's only cell, and along the back wall. Outside, a motor spun into life. Rick whirled. "They're going!" Another motor started. The boys turned and hurried to the front of the building. They were in time to see a sedan shift and speed away from the hotel, following the road toward civilization. They hurried into the street and Scotty pointed in the opposite direction. The road back to the base was a dim, pale ribbon in the faint moonlight. Along it a dark shape was speeding. "That does it," Rick said aloud. Scotty turned to watch the departing sedan. "It didn't take them long to complete their business, whatever it was. I didn't hear any talk, did you?" "Not a word. Do you suppose that was Mac and Pancho that came from the base?" "No way of knowing, but it could have been. Come on. Let's find our jeep." The jeep was where they had left it, but the hood was up. Scotty hurried to look, while Rick went to the glove compartment. The flashlight hadn't been touched. He got it and joined Scotty, throwing the beam under the hood. For a moment everything looked normal, then Rick saw that the distributor cap and rotor were missing. The question was, had the men simply hidden them? Or had they taken the parts along? Scotty put his thoughts into words. "If the parts are here, we'll find them in the morning. If they aren't ..." Rick finished, "We'll be here until someone finds us!" CHAPTER XI Deadrock Ogg, Mayor At dawn's first light Rick and Scotty began the search for the distributor cap and rotor. The boys searched methodically, taking in the area far beyond throwing distance, on the assumption that whoever had taken the two essential parts might have walked a distance away from the jeep before throwing them as far as he could. "It's not here," Rick said positively. Now all that remained was the town itself. They walked back to the town, Rick carrying the water bag and Scotty the canteen. At least their water hadn't been dumped. Scotty paid careful attention to the vehicle tracks in the dust of the road. "It's pretty clear," he pointed out at last. "Here's where the sedan was parked. And here's where the other vehicle parked. See how this area is scuffed up? They made quite a few trips, carrying something from the side of the vehicle to the rear of the sedan, probably stowing the stuff in the luggage compartment. And, from the tire tracks, I'd say the vehicle from the base was a light truck." "Like Mac's truck?" Rick asked. "Maybe. Anyway, whoever it was had to go through the guard gate, and the run might even be chalked up on the board. Not to here, of course, but maybe to Careless Mesa or Dry Spring." "We can check when we get back," Rick said. "Come on. We'd better take the town apart and see if the rotor and distributor cap are here."