Jack gazed at Nancy. "I'm sorry if they gave you a hard time. I told them about what happened to Brad and asked them to be on the lookout for trouble. Actually, Piker and Richard are really good guys," Jack went on. "They're just better at building walkways than relating to the public."

            "Oh," Nancy said, keeping her doubts to herself. "Ned told me about Brad's accident. That was the day before yesterday at about eight in the evening, right?"

            "Seven fifty-three, to be exact," Ned said.

            Nancy flashed him a grateful smile and continued. "Were either of you around when it happened?"

            Jack gave a vigorous shake of his head. "Not me. I was at the ranger station, giving a talk on the mammals of Yellowstone. It started at seven."

            "That's right," Alicia said. "Jennifer and I were there. The slides were terrific!"

            "Did either of you happen to use the stove that afternoon?" Nancy asked, her eyes casually moving from Jack to Alicia and back.

            Alicia frowned in concentration. "I think I did. When I came up to change the film in the cameras, I made some hot chocolate."

            "What time was that?" Nancy pressed.

            "Six-thirty," Alicia replied. "I left about ten minutes later to go to the lecture. I made it just in time."

            "I remember you huffing and puffing as you ran into the room," Jack said with a grin. "But speaking of time, Trainey told us to meet him in ten minutes."

            "And me in the doghouse already!" Ned exclaimed. "Come on. Nancy."

            Nancy and Ned jogged down the path to the campsite with Alicia and Jack close behind them. When they reached the parking area, Ned gave Nancy a quick kiss, then dashed off.

            Nancy drove away, thinking about the investigation. If Alicia's recollection was correct, the propane stove was working at six-thirty on the day of the accident. But by seven fifty- three, it had been sabotaged. If she could place someone at the observation hut during that time period, it would go a long way toward breaking the case.