nt on, leaning forward on his elbows and replacing the
propeller neatly on the base of his fountain pen stand, "this is a
matter of interest to me in more than an official sense. Eileen
Bennett was one of my wife's best friends. She was on her way to
Washington to visit us after a stopover in New York."

Kessler nodded. "I know that's one of the reasons you wanted to
compare notes." He stood with his back to the window now, a stocky man
with a jaw to match and short-cropped graying hair. "The newspapers
were quite right, of course. There were an unusually large number of
insurance policies issued for the flight but nearly all were for the
minimum amount."

"What about Pearlow?"

Kessler frowned. "Pearlow had reason to be nervous. You know he
survived a crash just three years ago. But anyway, the fact remains
that we've looked into the backgrounds of every one of those people.
None of them was facing any real financial difficulties!"

"That sounds odd in itself," George Brogan said, smiling slightly.

Kessler ran his hand over his hair and returned to sit in a leather chair
beside the senator's desk. He smiled in response. "I know it sounds odd
but it's true. Their troubles were all run-of-the-mill--getting taxes
paid, the mortgage, a new car, a long-overdue raise in salary--that sort
of thing. Nothing that anybody in his right mind would kill or commit
suicide over."

Brogan lifted a bushy eyebrow in question. "Maybe you've put your
finger on it there?"

Kessler ticked off his reply, holding up one hand. "One former mental
patient, pronounced cured ten years ago and apparently perfectly
normal; a well-established businessman; a used-car dealer; three
currently under psychoanalysis; a college girl twenty-one; a housewife
with four children; an injured veteran just out of service. None
showed any violent tendencies according to their doctors."

"Any criminals?"

Kessler regarded him wryly from beneath his eyebrows. "Don't kid me,
senator. I know you've done your own investigation on this. But to
answer your question: Evan Prewitt's your man--only one who could
qualify. Tried on a manslaughter charge for killing his brother-in-law
while they were out hunting. He said it was an accident and the jury
agreed. He was acquitted. True, he had one of the large insurance
policies, but then I'm sure you know Miss Bennett had one, too."

The senator nodded. "I knew that. But I know very little of Eileen's
financial situ