e got to get the whole picture."

"Sure," Malone said.

"Only that isn't what I mean," Burris added suddenly.

Malone blinked. "_What_ isn't what you mean?" he said.

"Understanding what happened," Burris said. "That's the trouble. You
won't understand what happened. I don't understand it and neither does
anybody else. So what do you think about it?"

"Think about what?" Malone said.

"About what I've been telling you," Burris snapped. "This car."

Malone took a deep breath. "Well," he said, "this officer went over to
check the license plate. It seems like the right thing to do. It's just
what I'd have done myself."

"Sure you would," Burris said. "Anybody would. But listen to me."

"All right, chief," Malone said.

"It was just after dawn--early in the morning." Malone wondered briefly
if there were parts of the world where dawn came, say, late in the
afternoon or during the evening some time, but he said nothing. "The
street was deserted," Burris went on. "But it was pretty light out, and
the witnesses are willing to swear that there was nobody on that street
for a block in either direction. Except them, of course."

"Except who?" Malone said.

"Except the witnesses," Burris said patiently. "Four cops, police
officers who were standing on the front steps of the precinct station,
talking. They were waiting to go on duty, or anyhow that's what the
report said. It's lucky they were there, for whatever reason; they're
the only witnesses we've got."

Burris stopped. Malone waited a few seconds and then said, as calmly as
he could: "Witnesses to what?"

"To this whole business with Sergeant Jukovsky," Burris said.

* * * * *

The sudden introduction of a completely new name confused Malone for an
instant, but he recovered gamely. "Sergeant Jukovsky was the man who
investigated the car," he said.

"That's right," Burris said. "Except that he didn't."

Malone sighed.

"Those four officers--the witnesses--they weren't paying much attention
to what looked like the routine investigation of a parked car," Burris
said. "But here's their testimony. They were standing around talking
when this Sergeant Jukovsky came out of the station, spoke to them in
passing, and went on across the street. He didn't seem very worried or
alarmed about anything."

"Good," Malone said involuntarily. "I mean, go on, chief," he added.

"Ah," Burris said. "All right. Well. According to Jukovsky, he