“Or, on the other hand, you might be trying to duck out from responsibility, Dunc. Don’t make any mistakes, boy. You’re going to come through with what you know.” “But I’m tellin’ you I don’t know a thing,” the boy protested. “Not what you told several other people. How about it, Dunc? You want to be an accessory to this crime?” “No, sir, an’ I ain’t aimin’ to be either. If I knew anything I’d tell you, but I can’t tell you what I don’t know, can I?” The young man was no match for the sheriff. Before Matson had left the place he knew all that King did. Forty-eight hours later the sheriff with a posse rode up to the Circle Diamond Ranch. Rowan McCoy was sitting on the porch oiling a gun. The first glance told him that Matson had two prisoners, the second that they were Falkner and Silcott. Matson swung from the saddle and came up the steps to the porch. “I’ve got bad news for you, Mac,” he said bluntly. “You’re under arrest.” The cattleman did not bat an eye. “What for?” he asked evenly. “For killing Gilroy and Tait.” “The damn fool’s going around arrestin’ everybody he knows, Mac,” broke in Falkner. McCoy observed that Falkner was hand-cuffed and that Silcott was not. He asked the sheriff a question. “Do I understand that you’ve arrested Hal an’ Larry for this, too?” “Yes, Mac. Larry behaved sensible an’ promised not to make any trouble, so I aim to be as easy on him as I can. Falkner had other notions. He tried to make a gun play.” “You takin’ us to Wagon Wheel, Aleck?” “Yes.” “You have a warrant for my arrest?” The officer showed the warrant and Rowan glanced over it. “All right,” said McCoy. “I’ll saddle up an’ be ready in a jiffy.” “No need for that, Mac. Fact is, I’m not quite ready to start. Got a little more business to do first. If you don’t mind I’ll make the Circle Diamond my headquarters for a few hours,” Matson proposed amiably. The owner of the ranch answered pleasantly but perhaps with a touch of sarcasm. “Anything you say, Aleck. If yore boys are here at dinner time I expect Mrs. Stovall can fix you-all up.” “Sure, Mac, an’ if he needs horses or guns probably you can lend him a few,” Falkner added with an oath. “An’ maybe a puncher or two to join his damned posse.” “No use gettin’ annoyed, Hal,” the ranch owner said quietly. “This looks like a silly business to us, but Aleck has to make his play. He’s not arrestin’ us for pleasure. I reckon he thinks he’s got some evidence, or maybe he wants to scare us into thinkin’ he has some so he can pick up something against someone else.” “You’ll find I’ve got evidence aplenty, Mac,” the sheriff answered mildly. “No hard feelings, you understand. All in the way of business. Have I got yore word if I don’t put the cuffs on you that you’ll go with me to Wagon Wheel quietly?” “Yes. We’re not desperadoes, Aleck. We are just plain hill ranchmen. If you’d just mentioned it we’d have come in without any posse to guard us.”