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The boy floated like an angel of death There was a grace about hilinting off the needle

He came steadfastly forward, neither in haste nor with time to waste Berry tried to kick at hiht have been a shadow, though he was fearfully real When Berry attempted to overthrow the chair, the beautiful lady behind her simply applied more pressure to the red locks

Ripley reached his victim Without hesitation, he pushed forth the needle toward the center of Berry&039;s trapped eyeball

"I&039;ll tell," Matthew said

"Stop, Mr Ripley," Chapel co eye on the side sinister, which was a black marble, twitched toward his headot to his feet, said to Dahlgren, "Get up," and when the grenadier sluggishly obeyed Chapel took his chair and dragged it over to face Matthew "Hold her just as she is," Chapel told the lady and Evans He sat doith his knees nearly touching Matthew&039;s, and he leaned in so close Matthewfrom his pores and could positively smell the baked chicken on his heated breath

"Now then" Chapel sive me a name"

"Can I have a drink of wateri My throat&039;s-"

"I won&039;t stop him next time, Matthew What do I care if she loses an eyei The naht" Matthew licked his lips a bead of sweat ran down to the tip of his nose and hung there, quivering It wasn&039;t easy to talk while Berry alternately love jammed in her mouth "I have to tell you about him first" He saw Chapel turn his head, about to order the young torturer to continue "Sir! Please! Let me explain to you that he is the Swanscotts&039; son!"

Chapel paused His huge blue-veined brow furrowed "I think I recall" He tapped his head with a forefinger, as if to jog a memory "The Swanscotts had two sons who died early in life, according to our findings"

"Oh, the two sons-Toby and Michael-died, it&039;s true enough, but this boy was found working in a slaughterhouse He was unofficially adopted by the Swanscotts They raised hi that parents could do"

"Reallyi" Chapel drew closer, almost nose-to-nose His eyes bored relentlessly into Matthew&039;s

"Yes sir He&039;s uised hi low"

Chapel scratched his chin "Go on"

"He made some inquiries in London Put money on the street for information He knows all about it The poisoned wine, and all the rest"

"Is that soi"

"Yes sir He did giveof that page What the grades ht srades at least, from ausley&039;s liave ht lead hiive hi story to tell"

"and did he give himself upi" Chapel correctly read Matthew&039;s expression "Of course he didn&039;t He&039;s come all this way, he&039;s probably near insane by now Why should he give himself upi and you&039;ve told this story to who elsei Hudson Greathouse and Mrs Herrald, I presuation"

"But you and Greathouse dug up the body of Billy Hodges, didn&039;t youi Whyi"

"McCaggers told h Constable Lillehorne didn&039;t want anyone else to know I thoughtiton the Masker"

"In a roundabout way," Chapel said "Poor Billy an excellent forger, but unfortunately a weak ed the inspection label in Swanscott&039;s warehouse It&039;s intriguing that very often a person who has to learn to write with an unnatural hand can ery He was a wonder, that Billy Did some work for us in Boston, as well, but just minor items on the order of deeds and such He was an instructor for the younger lads for several yearsthen, sadly, he wished to leave us ah, that Billy"

"I&039;d rather you not tell ht! I&039;ry with you!" Chapel slapped Matthew&039;s left knee "Lord, no! I understand this is just business! You wished to hti But tella murderer plan a murderi"

"I suppose" Mattheed "It was just business"

"There&039;s the spirit!" Chapel sether and looked at the others in the roo "True industry at work, friends! The ultielic and the deet ahead in life, so he plots with an insane murderer! Can you beat iti"

"Very humorous," said Lawrence Evans, with no trace of huain alone Matthew could see his own face, scared witless, in the lenses "The na No one was going to save either Berry or hiure a way out of this

"Mr Ripley is waiting," Chapel whispered

Matthew said, "His name is Dippen Nack He&039;s a constable"

The room seemed frozen

Chapel looked at Evans "Dippen Nacki What kind of name is thati Do you know himi"

"No sir"

"Bromfieldi"

"No sir," said the hunter

Chapel returned his attention to his prisoner and began to fidget with the silver buttons of Matthew&039;s waistcoat "Mr Evans, get the census book and find out if indeed there&039;s a Mr Dippen Nack included on the list Beautiful buttons, by the way"