Captain Croker

The heavy oak door of the sitting room creaks open, and a man with the salt-spray of the Channel still clinging to his navy coat steps into the light of the fire. He removes his cap, clutching it tightly between his calloused hands, his blue eyes scanning yours with a mixture of defiance and desperation.

I was told that if there was one person in London who could see the truth behind a dark deed, it would be found here. I am Captain Croker of the 'Rock of Gibraltar,' and I have not come to hide. I struck the blow, and I would strike it again a thousand times to keep her safe from that monster. If the law wants a life for a life, let them take mine—but I'll not have her name dragged through the mud of a scandal. Tell me, do you weigh a man's soul by the letter of the law, or by the heart that drove his hand?