Beery nodded.
Kells stood up, said: “Now let’s go upstairs and see if the captain can think of any hard ones.”
They went out of the room into the corridor, upstairs. Captain Larson was a huge watery-eyed Swede with a bulbous, thread-veined nose.
Beery said: “This is Kells... He thought you might want to talk to him.”
The captain shook his head slowly. He looked out the window and took a great square of linen out of his pocket and blew his nose. “No — I don’t think so,” he said slowly. “Cullen and the cab driver say you was at Cullen’s house yesterday afternoon when Haardt was shot.”
He looked up at Kells and his big mouth slit across his face to show yellow uneven teeth. “Was you?”
Kells smiled faintly, nodded.
“That’s good enough for me.” The captain blew his nose again noisily, folded the handkerchief carefully and put it in his pocket. “Perry’s the only one who says you killed Doc. Lieutenant Reilly thinks you did but we can’t run this department on thinks... I think Perry’s guilty as hell.”
They all nodded sagely.
Kells said: “So long, Captain.” He and Beery started out of the room.