An uneasy silence settled over the room, remaining unbroken until Noah Paine took the letter from Eddie. "…Judge, who do you figure is behind this?"
"You know as well as I do that speculation isn't going to get us anywhere."
Tom Merrar stepped forward and took the letter from Noah. "Who else would be upset about that verdict? Greg Bennet's standing behind that door."
"That doesn't matter," Nick called. "What matters is how we're gonna get out of here. Whose bright idea was it to build a room without any windows in the first place?!"
"You know exactly why there aren't any windows in here," Judge Hanavan answered. "It puts the jury in jeopardy."
Nick shook his head before again trying the door, slamming into it several times before giving up. He finally walked to the table and sat down, dropping his hat in front of him. "…Well, let's get to it."
"Get to what?" Dave asked.
"You heard what the note said. In half an hour, somebody gets out of here. We better figure out who that somebody is gonna be."
"There's no reason to play along," John Hamilton stated. "As soon as that door opens, together we can overpower the man behind it."
"…I wouldn't do that." The men turned towards Doc as he went on. "…There was a second card in that envelope Eddie found. There's a blasting box set up behind that door. More than one man steps out of here, we all get blown sky-high."
Charlie Goodknight stepped forward, shaking his head. "Then we won't give him any of us!"
"But then we'd be giving him all of us!"
"Nick's right." Tom sat down at the table, several men following suit. "…For now, we have to play his game. Once one of us is out, then maybe he can get some help."
Philip Meyers was the last man to take a seat, all eyes turning to him as he spoke. "…Then how do we figure out who that man gets to be? …I don't think I'm alone in wanting to go home to see my family tonight."
There was a long silence as the men reflected on what the next several hours might bring. Finally, Judge Hanavan cleared his throat, drawing their attention.
"…What we need to establish first, is that what happens in this room, stays in this room. That whatever happens, there's no reason to hold grudges or hard feelings. I'd be lying if I said I didn't expect this to turn ugly, sooner or later. Because there is a good chance that no matter how many of us make it out of here, we still might not be able to stop the man on the other side of that door. And those left on the inside… well… as Philip said, we all want to go home to our families."
The men solemnly nodded, knowing what their own desperation could lead to. John stood and crossed the room, retrieving a number of paper cards and pencils from a basket.
"…Not that all contention can be avoided, but I believe an anonymous ballot might be prudent."
"…So what do we do now?" Drake asked. "Make our cases?"
"No." The men looked up at Lucas, realizing he had remained unusually quiet. "…We don't make our own cases. North Fork is a growing community, but the thirteen men here still represent a good portion of its families. An even greater portion of its council. I know I'm not a part of that committee, but I think we all have a responsibility to evaluate what's best for North Fork, not for us. If you have a case to make for someone else, fine. But we're not going to get anywhere sitting here and arguing over our own self-interests."
Tom nodded in agreement. "Lucas is right. We'd get nowhere trying to save our own skins. …But if we're going to use an anonymous ballot, how do we make sure no one votes for himself?"
"We can't," Judge Hanavan answered. "Someone is going to have to verify the votes."
"Luke." Lucas looked up at Paul. Acknowledging the man's quizzical look with a nod, the saddle maker went on to address the other men. "Luke came up with the idea to look after the town, not ourselves; I trust him to not vote for himself. He's fair, and we all know he won't tell a soul who voted for who."
One by one, the men slowly nodded in agreement. Nick was the last to give in, knowing there wasn't anyone else they could all agree on.
"That's settled then," Charlie stated. "…Luke, I reckon you got somebody in mind?"
"Doc's the only physician around for at least another hundred miles. I don't think this first vote should be too difficult."
"…Lucas, I appreciate what you're saying, but Noah has four children at home with another on the way."
"And if my wife goes into labor and something goes wrong?" The man shook his head. "Doc, you were there for Mary's birth. Sarah is going to need you. And I can think of at least three folks here in town who are on their sickbeds. I say there's no need to vote."
"…I agree that Doc should be the first one out that door," Judge Hanavan began, "But every man has a say in this. If anyone has an alternative, he won't be thought of any less for speaking his mind."
"…Or writing his arguments on his card," John added. "Lucas can read them anonymously."
The men slowly took to their pencils, writing their names and votes on their cards. One by one, they were passed down to Lucas. He looked the cards over, stopping as he came to Doc's.
Lucas McCain
That boy's already lost one parent. He doesn't need to lose you.
Again, Lucas found himself pushing his son from his thoughts as he continued counting the votes.
"Twelve to one," he finally declared. "Doc leaves."
"Any arguments on the one?" Eddie asked.
"…Doesn't matter, it's twelve to one."
"We have a right to hear it," Doc said.
"The argument is for me and I won't waste your time. This is about a community, not one person. I won't leave while you're still in the room."
