Fifteen minutes passed without a word being spoken. There was deep
silence in the room. It was so quiet that one could have heard a pin
drop. Had a disinterested spectator been there to witness it, he would
have been at once impressed by the dramatic tableau presented--the dead
man on the floor, his white shirt front spattered with blood, the
cringing, frightened boy crouching in the chair, the towering figure of
the police captain sitting sternly eyeing his hapless prisoner, and at
the far end of the room Detective Sergeant Maloney busy sending hurried
messages through the telephone.
"What did you do it for?" thundered the captain suddenly.
Howard's tongue clove to his palate. He could scarcely articulate. He
was innocent, of course, but there was something in this man's manner
which made him fear that he might, after all, have had something to do
with the tragedy. Yet he was positive that he was asleep on the bed all
the time. The question is, Would anybody believe him? He shook his head
pathetically.
"I didn't do it. Really, I didn't."
"Shut your mouth! You're lying, and you know you're lying. Wait till the
coroner comes. We'll fix you."
Again there was silence, and now began a long, tedious wait, both men
retaining the same positions, the captain watching his prisoner as a cat
watches a mouse.
Howard's mental anguish was almost unendurable. He thought of his poor
wife who must be waiting up for him all this time, wondering what had
become of him. She would imagine the worst, and there was no telling
what she might do. If only he could get word to her. Perhaps she would
be able to explain things. Then he thought of his father. They had
quarreled, it was true, but after all it was his own flesh and blood. At
such a critical situation as this, one forgets. His father could hardly
refuse to come to his assistance. He must get a lawyer, too, to protect
his interests. This police captain had no right to detain him like
this. He must get word to Annie without delay. Summoning up all his
courage, he said boldly:
"You are detaining me here without warrant in law. I know my rights. I
am the son of one of the most influential men in the city."
"What's your name?" growled the captain.
"Howard Jeffries."
"Son of Howard Jeffries, the banker?"
Howard nodded.
"Yes."
The captain turned to his sergeant.
"Maloney, this feller says he's the son of Howard Jeffries, the banker."
Maloney leaned over and whispered something in the captain's ear. The
captain smiled grimly.
"So, you're a bad character, eh? Father turned you out of doors, eh?
Where's that girl you ran away with?" Sharply he added: "You see I know
your record."
"I've done nothing I'm ashamed of," replied Howard calmly. "I married
the girl. She's waiting my return now. Won't you please let me send her
a message?"
The captain eyed Howard suspiciously for a moment, then he turned to his
sergeant:
"Maloney, telephone this man's wife. What's the number?"
"Eighty-six Morningside."
Maloney again got busy with the telephone and the wearying wait began
once more. The clock soon struck two. For a whole hour he had been
subjected to this gruelling process, and still the lynx-eyed captain sat
there watching his quarry.
If Captain Clinton had begun to have any doubts when Howard told him who
his father was, Maloney's information immediately put him at his ease.
It was all clear to him now. The youth had never been any good. His own
father had kicked him out. He was in desperate financial straits. He had
come to this man's rooms to make a demand for money. Underwood had
refused and there was a quarrel, and he shot him. There was probably a
dispute over the woman. Ah, yes, he remembered now. This girl he married
was formerly a sweetheart of Underwood's. Jealousy was behind it as
well. Besides, wasn't he caught red-handed, with blood on his hands,
trying to escape from the apartment? Oh, they had him dead to rights,
all right. Any magistrate would hold him on such evidence.
"It's the Tombs for him, all right, all right," muttered the captain to
himself; "and maybe promotion for me."
Suddenly there was a commotion at the door. The coroner entered,
followed by the undertaker. The two men advanced quickly into the room,
and took a look at the body. After making a hasty examination, the
coroner turned to Captain Clinton.
"Well, Captain, I guess he's dead, all right."
"Yes, and we've got our man, too."
The coroner turned to look at the prisoner.
"Caught him red-handed, eh? Who is he?"
Howard was about to blurt out a reply, when the captain thundered:
"Silence!"
To the coroner, the captain explained:
"He's the scapegrace son of Howard Jeffries, the banker. No good--bad
egg. His father turned him out of doors. There is no question about his
guilt. Look at his hands. We caught him trying to get away."
The coroner rose. He believed in doing things promptly.
"I congratulate you, captain. Quick work like this ought to do your
reputation good. The community owes a debt to the officers of the law if
they succeed in apprehending criminals quickly. You've been getting some
pretty hard knocks lately, but I guess you know your business."
The captain grinned broadly.
"I guess I do. Don't we, Maloney?"
"Yes, cap.," said Maloney quietly.
The coroner turned to go.
"Well, there's nothing more for me to do here. The man is dead. Let
justice take its course." Addressing the undertaker, he said:
"You can remove the body."
The men set about the work immediately. Carrying the corpse into the
inner room, they commenced the work of laying it out.
"I suppose," said the coroner, "that you'll take your prisoner
immediately to the station house, and before the magistrate to-morrow
morning?"
"Not just yet," grinned the captain. "I want to put a few questions to
him first."
The coroner smiled.
"You're going to put him through the 'third degree,' eh? Every one's
heard of your star-chamber ordeals. Are they really so dreadful?"
"Nonsense!" laughed the captain. "We wouldn't harm a baby, would we
Maloney?"
The sergeant quickly endorsed his chief's opinion.
"No, cap."
Turning to go, the coroner said:
"Well, good night, captain."
"Good night, Mr. Coroner."
Howard listened to all this like one transfixed. They seemed to be
talking about him. They were discussing some frightful ordeal of which
he was to be the victim. What was this "third degree" they were talking
about? Now he remembered. He had heard of innocent men being bullied,
maltreated, deprived of food and sleep for days, in order to force them
to tell what the police were anxious to find out. He had heard of secret
assaults, of midnight clubbings, of prisoners being choked and brutally
kicked by a gang of ruffianly policemen, in order to force them into
some damaging admission. A chill ran down his spine as he realized his
utter helplessness. If he could only get word to a lawyer. Just as the
coroner was disappearing through the door, he darted forward and laid a
hand on his arm.
"Mr. Coroner, won't you listen to me?" he exclaimed.
The coroner, startled, drew back.
"I cannot interfere," he said coldly.
"Mr. Underwood was a friend of mine," explained Howard. "I came here to
borrow money. I fell asleep on that sofa. When I woke up he was dead. I
was frightened. I tried to get away. That's the truth, so help me God!"
The coroner looked at him sternly and made no reply. No one could ever
reproach him with sympathizing with criminals. Waving his hand at
Captain Clinton, he said:
"Good night, captain."
"Good night, Mr. Coroner."
The door slammed and Captain Clinton, with a twist of his powerful arm,
yanked his prisoner back into his seat. Howard protested.
"You've got no right to treat me like this. You exceed your powers. I
demand to be taken before a magistrate at once."
The captain grinned, and pointed to the clock.
"Say, young feller, see what time it is? Two-thirty A. M. Our good
magistrates are all comfy in their virtuous beds. We'll have to wait
till morning."
"But what's the good of sitting here in this death house?" protested
Howard. "Take me to the station if I must go. It's intolerable to sit
any longer here."
The captain beckoned to Maloney.
"Not so fast, young man. Before we go to the station we want to ask you
a few questions. Don't we Maloney?"
The sergeant came over, and the captain whispered something in his ear.
Howard shivered. Suddenly turning to his prisoner, the captain shouted
in the stern tone of command:
"Get up!"
Howard did as he was ordered. He felt he must. There was no resisting
that powerful brute's tone of authority. Pointing to the other side of
the table, the captain went on:
"Stand over there where I can look at you!"
The two men now faced each other, the small table alone separating them.
The powerful electrolier overhead cast its light full on Howard's
haggard face and on the captain's scowling features. Suddenly Maloney
turned off every electric light except the lights in the electrolier,
the glare of which was intensified by the surrounding darkness. The rest
of the room was in shadow. One saw only these two figures standing
vividly out in the strong light--the white-faced prisoner and his
stalwart inquisitor. In the dark background stood Policeman Delaney.
Close at hand was Maloney taking notes.
"You did it, and you know you did it!" thundered the captain, fixing his
eyes on his trembling victim.
[Illustration: "YOU DID IT, AND YOU KNOW YOU DID IT."]
"I did not do it," replied Howard slowly and firmly, returning the
policeman's stare.
"You're lying!" shouted the captain.
"I'm not lying," replied Howard calmly.
The captain glared at him for a moment and then suddenly tried new
tactics.
"Why did you come here?" he demanded.
"I came to borrow money."
"Did you get it?"
"No--he said he couldn't give it to me."
"Then you killed him."
"I did not kill him," replied Howard positively.
Thus the searching examination went on, mercilessly, tirelessly. The
same questions, the same answers, the same accusations, the same
denials, hour after hour. The captain was tired, but being a giant in
physique, he could stand it. He knew that his victim could not. It was
only a question of time when the latter's resistance would be weakened.
Then he would stop lying and tell the truth. That's all he wanted--the
truth.
"You shot him!"
"I did not."
"You're lying!"
"I'm not lying--it's the truth."
So it went on, hour after hour, relentlessly, pitilessly, while the
patient Maloney, in the obscure background, took notes.