“But you worked for him?”
“Yes — always in the dark—”
Louis Helwig was on his feet.
“Your honor,” he interrupted, “this questioning is a job for Chief Yates — not for us. This is ridiculous — these veiled accusations — a man called Wheels Bryant, who is never seen, even by the man who claims to have worked with him—”
“Helwig is right!” shouted Raymond Coates. “This man Carpenter is an escaped convict. He’s trying to get out of a jam. Look at him — his coat stained with blood—”
“Take him away,” cried Graham Hurley. “Then we can talk among ourselves, without a lot of dirty accusations, caused by a crook’s phony yarn with no—”
Dissenting murmurs followed. Some favored Rufus Cruikshank, in his carefully toned challenge of the three men who had slowed the law in Seaview City. Others felt that the mayor had been too scathing in his criticism.
The murmurs rose to angry shouts. Rufus Cruikshank rapped upon the table. Only Chief Yates, calm-faced and stem, remained neutral, with his hand on Herbert Carpenter’s shoulder.
“Only a convict’s story!” shouted Louis Helwig. “A convict’s story—”
His cry ended abruptly at the sound of an unexpected voice. A chilling silence swept over the wrangling group. They were listening to the commanding tones of a voice that they had heard months before.