“I want the truth.”
Leeds said, “You have the truth.”
Mason, hitching sideways in the chair, crossed his long legs in front of him, and said, “The way I figure it, you learned that Milicant and Conway were the same. You entered the apartment to find Milicant dead. You knew there was going to be hell to pay unless you could find the documents which you knew, by that time, Milicant had in his possession. You tried your best to find them, and finally had to give it up as a bad job.
“It wasn’t a time when you were at your best The thing had hit you right between the eyes. You knew what you were up against, and the knowledge didn’t help to steady you. When you realized you couldn’t find what you wanted, you became more frenzied in your search.”
“Thanks,” Alden Leeds said.
“For what?” Mason asked.
“For not thinking that I killed him. I was afraid you would.”
Mason said, “Your fingerprints are all over the place. A witness saw you leaving the apartment. He stepped into the apartment right after you’d left. He found evidences of a search and...”
“Where was John Milicant?” Leeds asked.
“Apparently lying in the bathroom dead.”