“You’re at liberty to go now.”
“Sorry to cause yuh all this trouble,” Nichols apologised. “But you’re doing the right thing, corporal. He ain’t the man what tried to knife me.”
The policeman favored Murky with one swift appraising glance, nodded absently and walked over and took Dick’s arm. Although he did not speak, the light pressure of the corporal’s fingers told Dick that the policeman wished to see him. With a mumbled apology to Sandy, Dick led the way to his own room. When he had drawn up a chair for his guest, he came immediately to the subject uppermost in his mind.
“I can’t understand—” he began.
The policeman held up one hand in an impatient gesture.
“You’re about to tell me that I have made a very serious blunder, aren’t you, Dick?”
“We-well,” stammered that young man, “you can hardly blame me, corporal. The man you just released is guilty. I didn’t see him when he attempted to stab Murky, but I did see him when he escaped. In spite of what Nichols told you, he did recognize the breed. Murky lied. He’s the same one who received the roll of bills.”
Corporal Rand grinned as he looked across at Dick’s puzzled, serious face.
“I’m well aware of that,” he said calmly. “I too am sure that the half-breed was Murky’s assailant. But I had a good reason for releasing him.”
“If you don’t mind my asking, what reason?”