,
carefree voice. "And how are you this lovely morning?"

"Me?" Fernack said sourly. "I'm in great shape. Tiptop. Dancing in the
goddamn daisies. Malone, how did you--"

"Any news for me?" Malone said.

Fernack waited a long time before he answered, and when he did his
voice was dangerously soft and calm. "Malone," he said, "when you
asked for this survey, just what kind of news did you expect to get?"

"A godawful lot of impossible crimes," Malone said frankly. "How did I
do, John Henry?"

"You did damn well," Fernack said. "Too damn well. Listen, Malone, how
could you know about anything like this?"

Malone blinked. "Well," he said, "we have our sources. Confidential.
Top secret. I'm sure you understand, Commissioner." Hurriedly, he
added, "What does the breakdown look like?"

"It looks like hell," Fernack said. "About eight months ago, according
to the computer, there was a terrific upswing in certain kinds of
crime. And since then it's been pretty steady, right at the top of the
swing. Hasn't moved down hardly at all."

"Great," Malone said.

Fernack stared. "What?" he said.

"I mean--" Malone stopped, thought of an answer and tried it. "I mean,
that checks out my guess. My information. Sources."

Fernack seemed to weigh risks in his mind. "Malone, I know you're
FBI," he said at last. "But this sounds pretty fishy to me. Pretty
strange."

"You have no idea how strange," Malone said truthfully.

"I'm beginning to," Fernack said. "And if I ever find out that you had
anything to do with this--"

"Me?"

"And don't look innocent," Fernack said. "It doesn't succeed in
looking anything but horrible. You remind me of a convicted murderer
trying to steal thirty cents from the prison chaplain."

"What would I have to do with all these crimes?" Malone said. "And
what kind of crimes were they, anyway?"

"What you'd have to do with them," Fernack said, "is an unanswered
question. And so long as it remains unanswered, Malone, you're safe.
But when I come up with enough facts to answer it--"

"Don't be silly. Commissioner," Malone said. "How about those crimes?
What kind were they?"

"Burglaries," Fernack said. "And I have a hunch you know that well
enough. Most of them were just burglaries--locked barrooms, for
instance, early in the morning. There's never any sign of tampering
with the locks, no sign of breaking and entering, no sign of any
alarms being tampered with in any way. But the money's gone fro