er than the first, then another small voice
came over the wire.

"Get a move on you," said Hutchinson. "I want you here right away. A
couple of people want to meet you. Important? Of course it is. Would I
be dragging you out of bed if it wasn't?"

After a little more of the same style of urging, Hutchinson hung up and
turned to Ashton-Kirk.

"He'll be here in ten minutes," said he.

"Very good," said the investigator. The three walked to the
out-of-the-way corner they had occupied before, and the speaker went on:
"I see you understand this is a serious matter, and so nothing but
straightforward answers are expected of you."

"Joe's a pal of mine," said the pool-room manager, "but I don't know
nothing about his affairs. If he's in on croaking this guy, I don't know
anything about it. I'm on the level, and----"

"We are not greatly interested in that," said Ashton-Kirk. "What we want
just now is information as to what happened on the night of the murder."

"I tell you I don't know anything----"

"You were here when the Bounder came to see Fenton, were you not?"

"Yes--I was." The man made the answer with the greatest reluctance, and
his manner said plainly that he'd gladly have lied had he been sure as
to the extent of his questioner's knowledge. "Joe had been out
somewhere, and when he came in he said he had a date with a party. It
was then ten o'clock and after. We talked a while, and then this man
Burton came in. Joe took him to one side and they began to talk. I
didn't pay much attention to them, except that they were having a little
argument over something. Then I heard a kind of a smack, and I looked up
and saw Joe standing with his hand to his face, and the other fellow
turning his back on him just as cool as anything you'd want to put your
eyes on. For a second I thought Joe was going to take the thing and say
nothing; and then----"

The man paused here, and Ashton-Kirk said:

"And then he was about to draw a revolver, but you stopped him."

Hutchinson stared at the speaker; the desire to deny this was strong in
his face, but the certainty of the keen eyes was so great that he said,
weakly:

"Joe was only a little wild, that's all. He didn't mean any harm. When I
spoke to him, he was as quiet as a baby."

Ashton-Kirk asked a dozen more questions regarding the relationship
between the Bounder and Fenton; Hutchinson answered them all
hesitatingly and with many qualifications. Finally, the front door