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Once the fire has been extinguished completely, you join the others in examining the charred remains for signs of what could have started the blaze. The stench of burnt food hangs heavily in the air, but it does not completely mask another smell: the oily aroma of gasolene. Nobody dares to say anything but you know that you are not alone in suspecting that this was no accidental fire.
Fortunately, the blaze was extinguished before it had caused major structural damage to the Landcruiser. The vehicle is still serviceable, although repairs will be needed before it can continue. As chief mechanic, Cutter examines the vehicle and estimates that the repairs will take at least four hours to complete. With sunset little more than three hours away, it is decided that the colony will camp here in Sentinel overnight, and then continue west at first light.
For protection, the convoy vehicles are drawn up nose-to-tail in a wide circle that skirts around the town’s main plaza. Those not involved with the repair of the Landcruiser are dispatched in groups to hunt for food, but very little is found among the dust-blown ruins of this derelict town. At dusk, after a sparse meal, the colony’s senior members decide that it would be an opportune time to consider the fate of Rex Tyler. A large table and seven chairs are salvaged from a nearby furniture store, and set up in the middle of the plaza where the trial is to be conducted. A discussion is held to determine the seven colonists who would be best suited, by virtue of their fairness and objectivity, to hear Rex Tyler’s case and judge whether he is guilty or innocent of the murder of Mike Gorgas.
At length the names of the seven judges are determined by popular vote and the list is read aloud to the gathered colony. Pop Ewell, Cutter Jacks and Uncle Jonas are chosen from DC1, Bob Grant from Big Spring, and Alice Yardum and Patrick Ohlde from Tucson. None of these choices come as a surprise, for they are the six most senior and valued members of the colony. But the seventh choice does evoke some murmurs from the gathered colonists. The seventh judge is you.
