"What's the matter with you two? You're not uneasy about Worth's callers, are you?"
"No-no-no—" Vandeman was the first to come out of it, responding to her voice a good deal as if she dashed cold water in his face, his eyes breaking away from Barbara's, his lips parted in a nervous smile. He ran a hand through his hair—an inelegant gesture for him at table—and laughed a little.
"We ought to be in there," Barbara said to me, a curious stress in her voice.
"How funny you talk, Barbie," Skeet quavered. "What do you think's wrong?" And Ina spoke decidedly,
"Worth is one person in the world who can certainly take care of himself, and would rather be let alone."
"If you think there is anything we should do—?" Vandeman began anxiously, and Skeet took a look around at our faces and fairly wailed,
"What is it? What's the matter? What do you think they're doing to Worth in there, Barbie?"
"I'd think they were arresting him," Barbara said in a low, choked tone, "Only they don't know—"
"Arresting him!" I broke in on her, startled, getting halfway to my feet; then as remembrance came to me, sinking back with, "Certainly not. The murderer of Thomas Gilbert is already in the county jail. I arrested Eddie Hughes this morning."
"You arrested—Eddie Hughes!" It was a cry from Barbara. The cold little hand was jerked from mine. Twisting around in her chair, she stared at me with a look that made me cold. "Then you've moved those two steel bolts for Cummings."