19. A Vigil In The Dark
For a moment no one spoke. Captain Flannery was gradually deflating like a bright red balloon that had received a fatal puncture. Suddenly his eyes blazed with anger. He turned hotly on Charlie Chan.
“You!” he shouted. “You got me into this! You and your small-time hunch. The lady is Jennie Jerome. She is also Marie Lantelme. What does that mean? It means she is Eve Durand. A guess—a fat-headed guess—and I listened to you. I believed you. Good lord, what a fool I’ve been!”
Profound contrition shone in Charlie’s eyes. “I am so sorry. I have made stupid error. Captain—is it possible you will ever forgive me?”
Flannery snorted. “Will I ever forgive myself? Listening to a c******n—me, Tom Flannery. With my experience—my record—bah! I’ve been crazy—plumb crazy—but th
