The League of Frightened Men

One got his warning, just the same, in San Francisco. In New York a few of us got together and discussed it. We made a sort of an investigation, and we saw – him, and had a talk with him. He denied sending the warnings. He seemed amused, in his dark soul, and unconcerned. | Wolfe: Dark soul is an odd phrase for a psychologist? H Hibbard: / read poetry weekends.

Wolfe: Just so. And?

Hibbard: Nothing happened for some time. Three months. Then another of us was killed. Found dead. The police said suicide, and it seemed that all indications pointed in that direction. But two days later a second warning was mailed to each of us, with the same purport and obviously from the same source. It was worded with great cleverness, with brilliance.

Wolfe: This time, naturally, you went to the police.\ Hibbard: Why naturally? We were still without evidence.; iy Wolfe: Only that you would. One or some of you would. \ Hibbard: They did. I was against it, but they did go – Wolfe: Why were you against it?

Hibbard: I felt it was useless. Also… well… I could not bring myself to join in a demand for retribution, his life perhaps, from the man we had injured… you understand…

Wolfe: Quite. First, the police could find no proof. Second, they might.

Hibbard: Very well. I was not engaged in an essay on logic. A man may debar nonsense from his library of reason, but not from the arena of his impulses.

Wolfe: Good. Neat. And the police?

Hibbard: They got nowhere. He made total asses of them. He described to me their questioning and his replies – ^ Wolfe: You still saw him? ^ r Hibbard: Of course. We -were friends.

Oh yes. The police went into % it, questioned him, questioned all of us, investigated all they could, and came out empty-handed. Some of them, some of the group, got private detectives. That was two weeks, twelve days ago. The detectives are having the same success as the police.

I'm sure of it.

Wolfe: Indeed. What agency?^. ^"•l•'t Hibbard: That is irrelevant. The point is that something happened. I could speak of apprehensions and precautions and so forth, I know plenty of words of that nature, I could even frame the situation in technical psychological terms, but the plain fact is that I'm too scared to go on.

I want you to save me from death. I want to hire you to protect my life.