“One man brought crime to Seaview City,” that voice declared. “One man who has kept his identity a secret. Wheels Bryant, master of crime, is among you at this very moment. Listen well — while I speak his name—”
A momentary pause. Rufus Cruikshank calmly pulled the cord from the radio. His stern eye was accusing as it roved among the faces of the Public Safety Committee.
“IT will be my privilege to declare that name,” said Cruikshank, with a firm voice. “I shall point out the Judas in this gathering. Look at yourselves. Study your own faces—”
As Cruikshank paused for effect, sharp glances centered upon three men.
Louis Helwig, Raymond Coates, and Graham Hurley were the ones suspected.
Each man looked frightened and guilty. Which was the culprit?
Rufus Cruikshank, tall and dignified, calmly lighted a cigar. Herbert Carpenter, hunched beside Police Chief Yates, was looking toward the mayor.
Cruikshank’s head bent forward. The flicker of the match did not reveal his features. He turned his face upward and puffed.
A familiar aroma reached Carpenter’s nostrils. He saw Cruikshank smile. He heard the mayor’s voice subtly tinged with a tone that Carpenter well remembered, but had not recognized until now.
“There are certain men among us” — Cruikshank was speaking coldly — “who are all to blame in part. But one of them is the man. He is the crook of crooks. His name—”