Bill watched the constable move to block him from leaving, and his mood shot from nervousness to pure panic.

"Of course not," he said automatically when the constable asked him if there was any reason he might be arrested. 

He tried to take a deep breath to calm himself down, but he couldn't hold it, and he let it out and took a fast gulp of air. His breathing became fast and shallow, and he started rocking back and forth in his chair.

"There was a tally board, that I saw," he said quickly, "and he did try to drown me, and everybody was watching the spectacle like... like it was a circus or something, and..."

The room started to spin, and his chair toppled back. His robe fell open again as he crashed onto the floor.