“I’ll tell you,” said Drew. He proceeded to tell of Johnny’s unusual adventures.
“And the only thing we know,” supplemented Johnny at the end, “is that the man has a hole in his hand. I saw that. I—”
But what was this? Rosy had uttered a low scream, then had dropped into a chair. Her face had gone white.
“Now! Now!” her mother said, placing a protecting hand across her shoulder.
“You see,” the Italian mother’s face took on added character as she spoke in a low, clear, steady tone, “her papa was shot by a man. He wanted papa’s money. He would give. But he not always understand. He move his hand to pocket. Always he did so when he was nervous. This man shoot him—dead! Rosy, she see this man. See hole in the hand. Same man? What you think? Mebby so.”
Johnny and Drew stared at one another.
Johnny was thinking, “So the man who beat me up was a murderer!”
“You never told me this before,” said Drew, speaking to Mrs. Ramacciotti.
“No. I did not know you then. You did not work on the case. The man, he was never found.”
“Well,” said Drew as his lips drew together in a tight line, “now we know, and we have a double reason for getting the man with a hole in his hand. And we will get him. Never fear.”