Albert looked at him gratefully, the implication of that last sentence not lost on him. Colby shrugged. ‘Hey, I have the day off, remember? And since it’s about teams, I know I’d be happy for all the help I could get if it was mine I was looking for.’ A shadow crossed his face, then he shook his head. ‘Well?’

Albert pinched his lip thoughtfully. ‘I’m not sure. Colby, don’t you think it’s odd that Theo got kidnapped the same night she got back?’

‘Well, it’s not like her return was a secret, was it? Anybody who’d cared to ask could have known. And that includes potential kidnappers, or someone who already had a plan. Criminals are often.’

‘And lucky, seeing as if Marcus hadn’t been arrested they’d have walked into him. What about that, Colby? Don’t you think it’s an awful bit of coincidence that Theo was taken the same night Marcus was taken out of the equation?’

‘Well, his arrest made enough noise, didn’t it? I doubt there was anyone in the valley who didn’t know about it.’

‘This is a remarkably aware criminal we’re dealing with. He seems to have an ear out for every bit of news in the valley.’

‘Well, then, what are you saying?’

‘I’m starting to think maybe you were right last night, Colby. Maybe Marcus was set up.’

‘Oh, you think so?’

‘I think it makes sense.’

‘I’m not really sure what makes sense, Albert. As far as Marcus goes, things don’t look good for him right now.’

‘What do you mean? You said you’d speak up for him, didn’t you?’

Colby snorted.

‘You mean you didn’t?’

‘Oh, I tried! But only a fool can’t admit that he was wrong when faced with the evidence, and I was wrong about Marcus, dead wrong. Only consolation is, it’s not just me, he took us all in—he’s been taking us in for years. He’s it.’

‘What do you mean, taking us all in? And it—what it?’

Colby gestured impatiently. ‘It. He’s it. You know, the big fish, the one we’ve been after all this time. The supplier, the one bringing in the dope. He’s one behind it all.’

Albert’s mouth dropped open slightly. ‘I don’t believe it. How do you know?’

‘Everyone knows now. The commander had them search his hole last night.’

‘Hole? What hole?’

‘Well, I don’t know if you know about it, but he doesn’t sleep in a tent.’

‘Yes, he was saying something like that to Father. But you mean he sleeps in a hole?’

‘Oh, no. I don’t know where he sleeps. I think he goes off somewhere in the tunnels. This hole’s a place near the South Face, where he keeps some of his stuff.’

‘And everybody knows where it is?’