This Way for a Shroud

Frances went through the photographs. When she came to Toni Paretti's photograph, she studied it for a brief moment, and then handed it to Conrad.

"That's the man."

"Well, fine," Conrad said. "What happened when you were in the shower cabinet?"

The two men remained outside the changing room for several minutes, then I heard a splash as if they had thrown Miss Arnot's body into the pool. Then the short thick-set man came into the changing room. His hands were covered with blood. I could see him through a gap in the curtain. He washed his hands, and all the time he hummed under his breath." She suppressed a shiver. "It was the most cold-blooded sound I have ever heard."

McCann couldn't restrain himself any longer. Inwardly raging as he listened, realizing the deadliness of this girl's story, he burst out, "That's a fine piece of imagination! Do you know what I think of it? I think the whole story's a damned he! I don't believe you saw Maurer!" He leaned forward, his bull neck swelling with rage. "You've got a thing about Weiner, haven't you? You fell for him, didn't you? Just because he's got a face that'd haunt a house you went soft on him. You've got a nutty idea Maurer killed Weiner. Okay, you want to take it out on Maurer, so you cooked up this yarn. That's the way it goes, isn't it?"

Conrad, his face flushing and his eyes snapping, started to say something, but stopped as Forest gave him a sign. Forest was looking at Frances, and Conrad looked at her too.

Far from being cowed by McCann's shouting voice, she faced him angrily.

"I'm telling the truth!" she said fiercely.

"Yeah? Then why the hell didn't you come out with this story before? You don't kid me, and you wouldn't kid a jury!

"You've got hot pants for Weiner, and you're trying to get even with Maurer!"

Again Conrad started in to take Frances's part, but again Forest stopped him.

"How dare you speak to me like that!" Frances flared. "You sound very anxious to protect Maurer! Pete said there were policemen who'd sell him out. Were you the one who sold him out?"

If she had struck him across the face, McCann couldn't have reacted more violently.

"By God!" he shouted, his face going blotchy. "You can't talk to me like that, you little bitch!"

"That's enough!" Forest snapped. "Watch your language, Captain! I'm sure Miss Coleman didn't mean what she said."

McCann clenched his fists, words refusing to come. He was badly rattled. This girl had got unpleasantly near the truth, and he realized he was to blame for trying to take Maurer's part.

"I can prove what I'm saying," Frances went on, turning to Forest. "I can prove every word!"

"How can you do that, Miss Coleman?"

"Maurer took a handkerchief from his breast pocket and wiped his face with it," Frances said quietly. "As he did so, he flicked out a gold pencil. It fell on his shoe, and then rolled across the floor and went down a drain in one of the shower cabinets. Maurer tried to get it up, but he couldn't reach it. This other man said they had to go, but Maurer said the pencil had his initials on it, and he had to get it. The other man said no one would ever see it down there, and there was no way of recovering it. Maurer finally agreed to leave it." She turned to look at McCann who was standing stiff and motionless. There was blood on Maurer's shoe," she went on, "and some of the blood got on to the pencil. You have only to get the pencil, prove the blood belongs to Miss Arnot, and then perhaps you'll believe I'm telling the truth!"

Conrad looked at Forest.

"Well, is that the corroboration you want?" He swung around and grinned at McCann. "She thought that one up entirely on her own. She's quite a detective, isn't she, Captain?"

CHAPTER NINE

FERRARI pushed open the door and came into Seigel's office. He walked over to the desk, sat down in the armchair and wriggled himself into it.

"Is he dead?" Gollowitz asked in a strangled voice.

Ferrari stared at him.

"Does the sun shine? Is the grass green? Why do you waste time on the obvious? Of course he's dead. When I say I'll do a thing. I do it."

Gollowitz sank beck in his chair. He took out his handkerchief and wiped his face.

"And they'll think it's an accident?"

"Yes, they will think it's an accident," Ferrari said. "It went just as it was planned." He folded his claw-like hands across his flat stomach, and looked at Gollowitz with eyes that were as lifeless and as still as the eyes of a doll. "If you make a proper plan, you must succeed. He is dead, and now we must think about the girl."

"I'm glad I sent for you," Gollowitz said, and at the moment he meant what he said. "I wouldn't have thought it possible to have done the job so easily."

"It was only easy because I have had years of experience," Ferrari said. "With no experience and no plan, it wouldn't have been possible."

"Now about the girl," Seigel put in. "How are you going to take care of her?"

"Another accident?" Ferrari asked, looking at Gollowitz.