"I'm deeply sorry, Mr. Ward," he apologized. "My enthusiasm carried me away for the moment. Please proceed."
Ward nodded and went on. "At first I didn't think very much about these blotches, but when this guy was brought in this morning, I began to get kind of nervous. As a matter of fact, I was just going to phone Frisco for help when you come in."
Mr. Peck nodded and smacked his lips thoughtfully. He removed his glasses and wiped them slowly and carefully, polishing each lens with meticulous care.
"You of course have a coroner or medical examiner of some kind," he finally said.
"Oh, sure. Old Doc Kraus handles the cases for the whole county when they come up. There ain't enough to keep him on full time, but we send for him whenever we need him. He makes the examination and runs the inquest."
"What did he think about the red blotches on the faces of the nine corpses?"
"Nothing. To tell you the truth I never thought enough about them to bring it up.
"And he's never mentioned it to you."
"No."
"I can't possibly conceive of anyone missing them."