He thought: "_I've killed before, Schnell. Why shouldn't I profess
helplessness and innocence, and accuse you and the whole Police
Department of the stupid and wanton death of my beloved daughter?_"
"_Because you've erred, Psi-man Wood._"
"_Ah, now I have proof! You're a Psi-man, too!_"
"_Who--me?_" I thought without a visible change in my expression for
Florence Wood to see. "_You're the one who erred, Wood. You neglected
the rules._"
"_Bah--the law! Stupid law_--"
"_Not so stupid, Wood. The law is really very sensible. It's strong,
Wood, and it fosters the strength that comes of following it. So you
see, Psi-man Wood, by never, never making any overt use of my talent,
by never admitting that I know more than any clever man can see and
deduce from what he knows--it has now become quite obvious to Chief
Weston that if any such shenanigans as extra-sensory manipulation of
this bank-vault door take place--you're the only one suspected of
parapsychic power!_"
And then the time-lock setting dials clicked around, their tiny noise
muted by the glass door. They came around until they pointed to the
present time. Then came the louder manipulation of outside dial lock,
the heavy click of massive tumblers, and then the solid turning sound
of wheel and mighty lever. The vault door swung open.
Outside, a pale and speechless man faced me, looking at his daughter.
Weston was shaking his head, but the confusion was clearing. Weston
was a good man, quite willing to operate without a full explanation,
so long as there was a reasonable probability that some reasonable
explanation would come later. The president and four vice-presidents
of the bank stared at their vault door in dismay, wondering how
anyone could from now on rely on any protection if the best of the
vault-maker's art could be opened with such ease.
And Florence. She started forward with a glad cry, but stopped in
mid-stride as she realized the full truth. In those fractions of a
second, she became the full, mature adult who had been hurt, and who
knew that hurt and pain are not the end.