“He lost his toes at Waupun,” she said “Blood poisoning set in from an infected blister. They had to amputate four toes on his right foot.”
Mason, studying her thoughtfully, said, “He was really your brother?”
“Of course, he was my brother.”
“You’re certain you hadn’t assumed the relationship for the purpose of — traveling together?”
She flushed. “Certainly not,” she snapped.
Mason turned to Alden Leeds. “Okay,” he said, “Conway and John Milicant were one and the same. He was blackmailing you. What was the hold he had on you?”
“We won’t go into that,” Leeds said.
“I think we will,” Mason told him. “What’s going to happen when the police find those papers in Conway’s apartment?”
“What papers?”
Mason said, “I’m not going to show my hand until you’ve shown yours. I have enough to know whether you’re telling me the truth. Suppose you start.”