The Silent Verdict
February, 1971
In the ancient town of Grenoble, in an old street called the Rue des Clercs, there used to stand a fine stone house with a mysterious carving over the doorway. The coat of arms itself, which bore a lion de gueule on a field of or, had nothing strange about it; it was simply the escutcheon of the Carles family, who had built the house. The shield, however, was supported by a stone angel, who held one finger to his lips as if warning to silence. Few passers-by ever realized that the angel's secret...
