Jim Lennox drove Lucy Scanlon and Rita Page into Julienne and dropped them off at their places of work. Another five minutes drive brought him to a large pine property where, he had learned, Amos Camano lived. He knew Camano had gone home ill from the Sheriff's office and he wanted to speak to the deputy alone. Lennox stayed parked fifty yards from the homestead and saw a young girl leave with a schoolbag hanging from a shoulder. She stared at the Pontiac, frowned, and came over. "Can I help you, mister?" Lennox said, yes, he wanted to speak to Mister Camano. "He's my dad," Lauren said. "He's not well. Came home early yesterday. He's a deputy sheriff, you know."

     "I know that, young lady. Will he be at work today?"

     "Yes, he's getting ready. Shall I tell him you are waiting here?"

     Lennox said that was not necessary. Lauren smiled goodbye and set off for school.

     Camano came out ten minutes later, saw the Pontiac, half-turned to go back to the dwelling, then trotted down the veranda steps and set off for town. Lennox followed, pulled up beside him. "Climb in, Amos, and save your legs."

     "I can walk. Just leave me alone."

     "Aw, come on, Amos. Surely you won't ignore your old pal, Billy Radford?"

     Camano glared through the window. "You're not Billy."

     "Sure I am. Remember me? The man who pulled off the Allenby heist."

     Camano's eyes widened. "You're not Billy - you're Lennox, the guy from New York."

     "The hell I am! You and Sheriff Jones chased me along the High Cut Pass - remember? I was bombing along the trail, I skidded on a bend and went over the edge. My auto crashed into trees on the cliff side and I wound up hanging from a door with the money bag sliding down the rocks."

     Camano could feel sweat running down his face. This big man dressed in black certainly looked to be Radford. He sounded like him. But why would Billy return to Idaho after being away for so long? Blackmail maybe? Camano turned away, hoping Lennox would not follow him.

     Lennox drove slowly and overtook him. "Remember the photographs? I can tell you do because you look so god damned guilty."

     "Guilty of what?"

     Lennox turned off the auto engine, stepped out, confronted Camano head on. "Listen, Amos, I've travelled hell of a distance to trace these kids. The girl's mother has waited waited fifteen years for her daughter to return." Lennox reached inside the auto and dragged out the two photographs and shoved them in front of Camano's face. "Take another look. You know who they are and you know what happened to them."

     "Nothing happened," snapped Camano. "Okay...okay...I saw them - but only once. Otherwise, I never saw them again. Now just beat it, Lennox and get out of town."

     "I'm Billy Radford."

     "Okay, if you insist you are Billy, then I'll arrest you. Now who do you want to be? Radford or Lennox?"

     Lennox smiled. "Okay, deputy. Let's assume I'm Radford. Let's say I know what happened after the accident on the High Cut. The Caravan Kingdom boys are involved. I know that because I've spoken with them."

     Camano's face turned to a mottled puce. "Sure, the Kingdom boys were there. They are always in the forest. They see everything."

     "And what did they see, Amos? What was it they saw that has troubled you down the years?"

     "They saw the auto we were chasing shoot the mountain edge. They came to help."

     "And they found the money?"

     "They found no money. They didn't find Radford either. He went down thousands of feet to his death."

     "And after the accident you radioed Sheriff Webster to report what had happened?"

     "That's right. We searched for days to find Radford. He's lying somewhere near the bottom of the mountain. That's why you are not Billy. So get the hell out of my way."

     "I hear that you and Sheriff Jones stood trial for stealing the money at the crash scene."

     Camano chewed at his bottom lip. "Yeah, but we were exonerated. We never saw the money, or Billy. His auto had jammed in trees, but withing minutes it slid down the mountain and took Radford with it."

     "You were exonerated yet Webster farmed you out to Julienne. Seems to me Webster thinks you and Sheriff Jones are guilty."

     "Webster got it wrong."

     "Maybe he did, but he also knows there's more to the accident than came out in court."

     "There's nothing more to come out. Now see here, Lennox, if you have a problem, then take it to Sheriff Jones." Camano set off for Julienne. Lennox let him go. He would wait until Deputy Ganford Raynes arrived.

                                                     *    *    *

Raynes took it easy driving to Julienne. The drive was tough amongst the rocks and boulders that had fallen in a landslide. He reached Julienne's Main Street and saw the sheriff's office ahead of him. He pulled up, got out, to be met by Sheriff Jones. They shook hands on the veranda. Jones liked what he saw: a black deputy in smart uniform. Colour was no bar to Jones. He did not care if a man was black or was white - as long as he could do the job - that was all that mattered. Jones introduced Raynes to Camano.

     Raynes thought Camano looked edgy, uncomfortable. From what Sheriff Webster had told Raynes, Camano was the man to give way if pressure was applied. Jones delegated Camano to show Raynes the town layout after fixing up Raynes at a small rooms-to-let address on a nearby back road. This tactic would allow Jones to quiz Lennox on what the hell game was he playing. The only problem was, Lennox appeared to have left town for his Pontiac was nowhere in sight. Jones mused over what Camano had told him, that Lennox was saying he was Billy Radford. 

     Jones had his boots on the veranda rail when Lennox pulled up outside the office.

                                                     *    *    *

Tommy Wade stopped at a well-worn lay-by and asked Rickard was he okay. The question was unnecessary - Rickard had passed out on the rear seat. The bullet wound was seeping blood. Wade stared through the windscreen. What should he do? Rickard needed a doctor, but taking him to one would almost certainly lead to arrest. Wade thought of the terrors of jail - of being imprisoned with some of the vilest men on the planet. He would not last a week - maybe not a day. "Frank, what do I do?" he said aloud. To his surprise, Rickard's eyes opened. They were glaring straight at him. Rickard glanced out a window and asked why they had stopped.

     "You've been unconscious for hours, Frank. Your shoulder's bleeding again."

     "Where are we?"

     "About fifty miles from Julienne."

     "Then get moving."

                                                     *    *    *

With deputies Camano and Raynes still on tour, Jones was using a toothpick after lunch when Lennox came up the veranda steps. "I hear you are having identity problems," said Jones. "You tell my deputy you are Billy Radford, after earlier showing me you are Jim Lennox. Now what the hell is going on?"

     Lennox sat down opposite Jones without being asked. "Let's say I'm Billy."

     "Go ahead. Prove it."

     "Okay, we'll start with you and Camano chasing me on the High Cut Pass. The day is blistering hot, with wind blowing up dust. I am slipping across the road, hitting rubble and skidding towards a drop that is several thousands of feet down. You and Camano are catching me. I come to a severe right-hand bend. I am sliding on gravel so the tyres have no grip. I swerve and fight to stay clear of the edge but I go down into a bunch of trees. Spin forces the auto sideways and I am wedged in for seconds, but I can hear the trees giving way so I force open a door and get out - with the money bag. You know the rest, sheriff, so you tell it."

     "Sure, Lennox, I'll tell it. Amos and I are on patrol with Amos driving. We receive a radio message from Sheriff Webster to get the hell after you on the High Cut. We see your dust way up in the mountains. Amos is driving like hell and we are catching you. There is no other traffic. The sun is reflecting strange yellow, gold and green flashing colours in the dust that you have dragged up. The wind changes direction and we see you leave the road. It takes us ten minutes to reach your auto and that's all we find. You have disappeared. I radio base. Webster hits the goddamn ceiling and gives us plenty more when he arrives at the scene."

     "But you don't find me - or the money?"

     "We don't find Billy Radford - and before you start mouthing off - you ain't Billy"
Jones had the upper hand. Lennox sensed it and said nothing. "I've telephoned the New York police department," Jones added, "and asked for confirmation that they have an officer with your name. They gave me your description. It fits you exactly. So why this crap about being Billy Radford?" As Lennox drew breath to answer, Jones raised a hand to stop him. "How come you know so much of the Radford case when you have never been involved? I'll bet Webster has given you the low-down on the whole lousy show! Now why would he do that? Have you been drafted in to re investigate the robbery - or are you just a troublemaker?"

     "I have enough trouble searching for Amy Chalmers and Johnny Benson."

     Jones waved a deprecating hand. "Then carry on looking - but don't do it here. You got that?"

     Lennox tried again. "Amos says he remembers seeing Amy in Allenby."

     "Yeah, Amos told me about that. We saw her photograph in Mallory's studio."

     "But when I showed you her photograph, you both said you had never seen her."

     "We meant we had not seen her in person. She was in town only a couple of hours and then she left."

     "Who with?"

     "I've no idea. She just left."

     Deputy Camano had brought Raynes back along Main Street and taken him into Carter's Bar. Raynes offered to buy soft drinks. A voice shouted. Camano and Raynes came out. Camano seemed flustered. He headed towards the Sheriff's Office with Raynes trailing him.

     Jones groaned and said to Lennox. "Aw - hell! What's wrong now?"