The lawyer stared back at Ferret, wonderingly. Evidently he did not recognize the man who was threatening him.
"What do you want?" he demanded suddenly.
"I want to talk to you," growled Ferret, with a leer.
"Who are you?" questioned Antrim.
The reply was an outburst of cackling laughter.
"Who am I?" quizzed Ferret. "Did you ever hear of a man named Joel Hawkins?" Antrim shook his head slowly.
"Well, that's who I am. Joel Hawkins!" Ferret's laugh was frigid. "And you're Dan Antrim, the lawyer. The double-crosser!"
A startled look came over Antrim. For a moment he trembled. Then he became steadier, and assumed the air of a man who is ready to play out a desperate bluff.
"You're wrong," he said, "all wrong. You're mixed up. Let's take this easy now. Put down that gun—"
"And let you pull another double cross? Nix!"