re silent
members. Tim Muldoon arrived with Annie Millikan, both of them
somewhat awed by the atmosphere of the big house adjoining the Drive.
Each of them brought a piece of information valuable to the cause.

The man in charge of the blotter at the station had told Tim that from
a dip called Fog Coney, one of those arrested in the gambling-house
raid, an automatic gun with two chambers discharged had been taken and
turned in by those who searched him. It had required some maneuvering
for Tim to get permission to see Fog alone, but he had used his
influence on the force and managed this.

Fog was a sly dog. He wanted to make sure on which side his bread was
buttered before he became communicative. At first he had been willing
to tell exactly nothing. He had already been seen by Durand, and he
had a very pronounced respect for that personage. It was not until he
had become convinced that Jerry's star was on the wane that he had
"come through" with what Muldoon wanted. Then he admitted that he had
picked the automatic up from the floor where Collins had dropped it
when he fell. His story still further corroborated that of the
defense. He had seen "Slim" fire twice before he was struck by the
chair.

Through an admirer Annie had picked up a lead that might develop into
something worth while. Her friend had told her that Durand had made a
flat offer to one of the dope fiends caught in the raid to look after
him if he would swear that "Slim" had not drawn a gun. Though the
story had not come at first hand, she believed it was true, and thought
from her knowledge of him that the man would weaken under a mild third
degree.

Clay summed up in a sentence the result of all the evidence they had
collected. "It's not any longer a question of whether Bromfield goes
to prison, but of Durand. The fellow has sure overplayed his hand."

Before twelve hours more had passed Durand discovered this himself. He
had been too careless, too sure that he was outside of and beyond the
law. At first he had laughed contemptuously at the advice of his
henchmen to get to cover before it was too late.

"They can't touch me," he bragged. "They daren't."

But it came to him with a sickening realization that the district
attorney meant business. He was going after him just as though he were
an ordinary crook.

Jerry began to use his "pull." There reached him presently that same
sinking at the pit of the stomach he had known w