Orrin, suddenly angry, shouted, "Mr. Goil, this isn't a court of law.
No one is on trial here."
"This may not be a court of law, Mr. Orrin," Goil said, no less angry
than Orrin, "but you can call it a court of inquiry. You seem to
forget that your position might be at stake here. Your interfering
with my investigation will be taken into consideration separately
after this matter at hand has been resolved."
This remark, and the severity with which it was made, only angered
Orrin more, but he held himself in check.
Willy had been fidgeting and looking back and forth at Orrin and Goil
with a guilty and despondent look on his face. He started to say:
"I don't want to cause any trouble, Mr. Orrin. Ah--just how serious--"
"Hold it, Willy!" I shouted. "You haven't been accused of anything
yet. You don't have to say anything without counsel."
* * * * *
Goil turned baleful eyes on me, and I shut up suddenly. He said, "Mr.
Weston, let me repeat: no formal accusations have been made--yet. I am
trying to learn certain facts. One fact I have learned already is that
you are exceedingly friendly with Willy. Furthermore, you as senior
engineer-foreman should be aware of what is going on around here. Mr.
Weston, you have not been absolved of this yet. Duty-wise, or
personally," he added.
Willy was resigned to his own professional downfall. He looked and
must have felt utterly miserable. He had done wrong and he knew it.
And he was not one to let his friends get any blame for what he had
done. He said:
"That's right, Mr. Goil. I did take the generator and the energizer."
My morale suddenly hit bottom and flattened. My mind went into
overdrive in an effort to think of some way to extricate Willy from
his blundering admission. Poor Willy, who had the body of a wrestler,
the temperament of a poet, and a boundless generosity wanted to
confess all.
But what a sacrifice, I thought. My mind sought answers and words and
found none.