“ ‘His office is just down the hall,’ Creedy replied. He must have pointed out the direction to Walters. I didn’t hear him say any more. Instantly, I heard the pounding of heavy footsteps approaching my door. The pounding on the floor became a pounding on my door. Walters must have knocked with a closed fist.
“I welcomed him in, had him sit down, and asked him what I could do for him. He proceeded to tell me the same story that you have just told me, although his description of the situation was much more colorful than yours, Bill. The man certainly can curse like a sailor when he wants to.
“Anyway, his basic complaint was that he hadn’t gotten the value he’d been promised out of the slave he’d bought. He wanted his money back and a new slave on top of that. I told that he could file a civil suit if he wished, but that I couldn’t do anything unless he or his lawyer filled out the necessary paperwork.
“ ‘Fine,’ he replied, ‘I’ll go get my lawyer and be back here within the hour.’ With that, he abruptly stood up and left without saying another word.
“So, Bill,” McDaniel concluded, “you may not have seen him heading off towards home. He may simply have been headed to his lawyer’s office and not back home.” He paused before continuing, “But, if you wanted to talk with him, you’re welcome to wait around here until he comes back.”
“We’ll wait, then, Paul,” Williams replied.
“That’s fine,” McDaniel said, “just sit outside my door. If Walters doesn’t talk to you on his way in to filing the papers, I’ll make sure that he does on his way out.”
Williams thanked the judge, and moved out to the hall along with Alejandro and Roderick. As they waited, Williams explained the entire situation to Alejandro. Just as Williams finished, the large form of Walters appeared from around the corner of the hallway.
Walters strode purposefully forward, moving quickly. A thin, pale man followed him, apparently his lawyer. The thin man looked nervous and sickly, as if he feared the sun and emerged only from his lair at night. He held a small briefcase in one hand.
Williams looked right at Walters, hoping to make eye contact and get a word with him before he went in to see McDaniel. Walters’ was so focused on his current mission, though, that he did not even notice the three men who sat on a bench just outside of the judge’s office. He knew why he had come, and he wasn’t interested in anyone or anything else until he had accomplished his task. He pounded on the door with two firm strikes of his closed right fist, visibly shaking the door as he did so.
“Come in!” McDaniel called from the other side of the door. Walters entered, and held the door open just long enough for his attorney to slip through before allowing it to close.
None of the three men who waited outside could overhear the conversation happening inside McDaniel’s chamber. The ride to and from his lawyer’s office had apparently allowed Walters to regain some control over his emotions, and while he still seemed angry, it was now contained just underneath the surface.
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