“Well,” said the attorney, “what did they do?”
“It is clear what they did,” replied the detective; “they killed Mr. Halloway with the fire poker, then they hid the two handkerchiefs they had over their faces when they came in, and then they got out of town.”
The witness sat back in his chair as though he had finished with his testimony.
The big attorney stood up. The whole aspect of the man, as by the snap of a switch, had undergone a transformation. The huge bulk of him was vital. His heavy slack face was firm.
“Mr. Barkman,” he said, “why did the men who killed Hiram Halloway wear no masks on their faces?”
“They did wear masks on their faces—they’re on the table before you.”
The lawyer did not look down at the articles before him. His voice was now hard and accurate like the point of a steel tool.
“Take it as a hypothetical question then. Suppose they wore no masks. What would that fact indicate?”
The attorney for the State rose.
“I object,” he said. “There must be evidence in the case tending to support the assumed facts in a hypothetical question.”