“Hush! you little fool. Don’t go saying things. Don’t you be responsible for hanging somebody. Let Mr. Belknap take care of that.” He shook her desperately. “Whatever you know or think, keep it to yourself, do you hear? Do you? Don’t let ’em get it out of you.”
But Belknap had heard enough.
“What’s this you know, Miss Joel?” he said. “Come now, out with it. No, don’t cry like that. I’m sorry. What’s the trouble, Miss Mdevani?” He turned to Nadia as Joel collapsed.
“You should have been barred from detective work on account of your eyes,” Nadia said. “Look.”
“Aha-a-a? So that’s the way the wind blows? We’ll investigate directly. We have another matter to deal with right now. All right, Sergeant, there’s your man.” He indicated Crawford.
Stebbins went to Crawford and touched his arm.
“I place you under arrest, Mr. Crawford, charged with instigating the murder of Judge Whittaker. Your hired accomplices have confessed.”
Crawford looked dazed. Then he swung on Stebbins.
“They have not confessed,” he said. “For they did not kill Whittaker. If this is what is meant by third degree, you can do your damnedest. They are as innocent of this crime as you are. You can do your worst to me; but not to them.”
“The worst has been done to them I’m afraid,” Berry said quietly. “They are both dead. They told us to tell you the account is squared. Whatever that may mean. So I guess you have to go along with us. That gives us one of our men, Sergeant. Now what’s this hole-in-the-wall business, Belknap? Neat work on your part, Crawford? You had things ready for business, I see.”