"We get to the car an' he tells Paul to beat it straight to you an' to hell with traffic-that's right, ain't it,

Paul? Yes. When we get in the car he stops muttering an' just sits there quiet, not saying anything to me

until I hear him say Jesu!' like I told you. And that's all, ain't it, Paul?"

The chauffeur did not answer. He sat staring at McCann with something of entreaty in his gaze. I

distinctly saw McCann shake his head. The chauffeur said, in a strongly marked Italian accent,

hesitatingly:

"I do not see the shop, but everything else McCann say is truth."

I got up and walked over to Ricori's body. I was about to lift the sheet when something caught my eye. A

red spot about as big as a dime-a blood stain. Holding it in place with one finger, I carefully lifted the

edge of the sheet. The blood spot was directly over Ricori's heart.