DISTRICT-ATTORNEY WICKSON
In the earlier days of their work together Wickson might have asked, "Are you sure?" or "How do you know?'* But he had long since learned that Collins never spoke till he was sure and that the means by which he made sure were not open to inspection. He kept his sources of information secret from Wickson, even.
"When you challenged that juror yesterday," Collins said, "you noticed how pale Sotjie got? Well, he didn't turn pale because he lost the man. He turned pale because Cooney had come in behind you. He was afraid that Cooney was going to shoot. That's what gave me the tip—the way Sotjie's hands shook. I've given orders to our boys to keep Cooney outside the rail after this. Plummer will trail along with you."
The Sotjie of whom he spoke was the chief of police. He was under indictment on charges of corruption in office; Wickson was prosecuting him; his trial had begun; and the detective had discovered that, in order to escape prosecution by Wickson, the chief of police was conspiring with the ex-policeman, Cooney, to have Wickson shot.
Wickson considered for a moment the incredibility of such a plot. "The strangest part about it is," he said, "that these fellows are able to do these things just because no decent citizen would believe it possible. It's a funny situation. You can't go out and cry 'Help!' because, if you did, everybody would think you'd gone mad." He
[ 319 ]
