Part 2 (2/2)

Goil stood up from behind his desk, leaned forward, and his features twisted even more in sudden anger. He shouted, ”Maloon, you were the only one who could have taken them! The only one who was not working in the vaporizing operation. Maloon, I'm going to find those things, and I'm going to prove you took them if I have to stay here for the next six months! And then I'm going to fire you and prosecute you.

Maloon, what have you done with those things?”

w.i.l.l.y tried to sink right through the floor.

I felt utterly helpless and a little angry at Goil's bullying tactics.

Orrin, suddenly angry, shouted, ”Mr. Goil, this isn't a court of law.

No one is on trial here.”

”This may not be a court of law, Mr. Orrin,” Goil said, no less angry than Orrin, ”but you can call it a court of inquiry. You seem to forget that your position might be at stake here. Your interfering with my investigation will be taken into consideration separately after this matter at hand has been resolved.”

This remark, and the severity with which it was made, only angered Orrin more, but he held himself in check.

w.i.l.l.y had been fidgeting and looking back and forth at Orrin and Goil with a guilty and despondent look on his face. He started to say:

”I don't want to cause any trouble, Mr. Orrin. Ah--just how serious--”

”Hold it, w.i.l.l.y!” I shouted. ”You haven't been accused of anything yet. You don't have to say anything without counsel.”

Goil turned baleful eyes on me, and I shut up suddenly. He said, ”Mr.

Weston, let me repeat: no formal accusations have been made--yet. I am trying to learn certain facts. One fact I have learned already is that you are exceedingly friendly with w.i.l.l.y. Furthermore, you as senior engineer-foreman should be aware of what is going on around here. Mr.

Weston, you have not been absolved of this yet. Duty-wise, or personally,” he added.

w.i.l.l.y was resigned to his own professional downfall. He looked and must have felt utterly miserable. He had done wrong and he knew it.

And he was not one to let his friends get any blame for what he had done. He said:

”That's right, Mr. Goil. I did take the generator and the energizer.”

My morale suddenly hit bottom and flattened. My mind went into overdrive in an effort to think of some way to extricate w.i.l.l.y from his blundering admission. Poor w.i.l.l.y, who had the body of a wrestler, the temperament of a poet, and a boundless generosity wanted to confess all.

But what a sacrifice, I thought. My mind sought answers and words and found none.

Orrin stared at w.i.l.l.y, open-mouthed. He said unbelievingly, ”What?”

”Yes, sir. I got the energizer and the generator.”

Goil sat back with a self-satisfied look on his face.

I shot w.i.l.l.y a scolding glance and said, ”w.i.l.l.y, you don't have to say another thing--”

Before I could get out any more words, Goil snapped out, ”Weston, one more word from you unless I ask for it, and you will find yourself under station arrest for insubordination--do you understand?”

I clamped my mouth shut. The more I defended w.i.l.l.y, the more w.i.l.l.y would talk in order to protect his uninvolved friends.

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