“Tampering with the mails, of course. I understand they’ve got them dead to rights, too. Greene was seen handing the letters to Hovey, and Hovey was caught in the act of opening the envelope over a steam kettle. Lawrence has got a strong case against us.”
“Against us?” repeated Jake Hines, with a crafty smile. “Don’t say that, boss. They haven’t got anything on you—and you can rest assured that you’ll not be implicated. Neither Greene nor Hovey will squeal, no matter what happens. I’m willing to stake my bottom dollar on those fellows standing pat. They’ll go to jail for life rather than give you away. There’s only one man we’ve got to fear, so far as you’re concerned.”
“Who’s that?” inquired Boss Coggswell nervously.
“That letter carrier, Owen Sheridan. He’s behind these[{48}] arrests, of course. It was him that put Judge Lawrence wise to the whole business.”
Coggswell nodded gloomily. “Yes, and he can implicate me by testifying that I sent for him the other day, and tried to bribe him to hand over that mail. His evidence——”
“Will put you in stripes, boss, I’m afraid,” broke in Jake Hines grimly. “But he’s the only man we’ve got to be afraid of.”
Coggswell agitatedly paced the full length of the room several times before he spoke again. Hines observed that the boss’ ears were wiggling furiously—that peculiar physical indication of the sinister thoughts that were brewing within the crooked brain.
At length Coggswell halted. “You’re right, Jake,” he said, very quietly; “Sheridan is dangerous. He must be got out of the way.”
Jake nodded his head vigorously. “I agree with you, boss,” he said fervently. “He must be got out of the way.”