"Maxwell Grant - The Shadow - 252 - Judge Lawless" - читать интересную книгу автора (Grant Maxwell)

at all.
From the beefy-faced lieutenant down, they were crooks like the rest of
the assemblage, the very ones who had not answered to the names that Fleech
called from the list! They were peeling off their uniforms, costumes fitted
with zippers, and Judge Lawless was giving them the leer of a happy demon,
amid
the plaudits of "prisoners" like Menz and the rest of the early comers.
Judge Lawless had provided a complete surprise, particularly for Fleech.
Now in the grasp of the men he had mistaken for police, Fleech was listening
while Lawless called the roll himself. Cleverly, the self-styled judge had run
in followers not well-known to the rest, and through his ruse had uncovered a
traitor.
What was to happen to Fleech, the crier who had become a squealer, Dave
Channey was soon to see. Pointing his gavel to different men, Judge Lawless
waved them to the rows of chairs at the side of the room.
Among the dozen who followed his gesture was Menz, and Dave suddenly
realized that his companion was becoming a member of a jury appointed by the
judge himself.
Again the gavel rapped; as silence came, Judge Lawless spoke. His voice
was a hard, cold rasp. To Dave, the tone had a grating effect that set one's
teeth on edge.
From where he sat, Dave could see Fleech tremble and sag in the
supporting
hands of the gloating men who gripped him.
"Only an ignorant man would attempt to betray us," announced Judge
Lawless
in his raspy scoff. "Such a man would not be acquainted with the methods used
by
organizations of our sort to make traitors betray themselves.
"My trick is not a new one. It was an invention of the famed Camorra,
which I revived for this occasion. Suspecting that police might visit us on
our
last evening at this meeting place, I resolved to have them arrive earlier
than
the traitor - should there be one - would wish."
Those words "should there be one" were the consummate expression of the
speaker's mockery. Turning as he spoke, Judge Lawless fixed his beady eyes on
Fleech. Then, with lifted gavel, he stared beyond the quaking prisoner to view
the jury.
 "You have heard the evidence," spoke Judge Lawless. "What is the
verdict?"
From a dozen throats, Dave heard the same word:
"Guilty!"
Judge Lawless fixed his withering glare on Fleech; even before the harsh
voice spoke, Fleech was sinking to his knees, trying to force whines for mercy
from his lips, only to have his voice fail him.
"You have heard the verdict, prisoner," sneered Judge Lawless. Down came
the gavel with its deadening slam. "The sentence is death and may the devil
take you!"