McCann whispered: "Can he hear?"

"I think so, but he has no way of telling us."

The gunman knelt beside the bed and took Ricori's hands in his. He said, clearly: "Everything's all right,

boss. We're all on the job."

Not the utterance nor the behavior of a guilty man-but then I had told him Ricori could not answer. I

said to Ricori:

"You're coming through splendidly. You've had a severe shock, and I know the cause. I'd rather you

were this way for a day or so than able to move about. I have a perfectly good medical reason for this.

Don't worry, don't fret, try not to think of anything unpleasant. Let your mind relax. I'm going to give you

a mild hypo. Don't fight it. Let yourself sleep."