the two percussion revolvers, he laid
them on the table. "I want you to take these and show them to this
barbecue man. Get from him a positive statement, preferably in writing,
as to which, if either, he sold to Lane Fleming. You might show your
Agency card and claim to be checking up on some stolen pistols that
have been recovered. Then, if he identifies the Leech & Rigdon, take the
Colt and show it to Elmer Umholtz. You want to be careful how you handle
him; we may want him for puncturing Rivers, though I'm inclined to doubt
that, as of now. Get him to tell you, yes or no, whether he reblued it
and replated the back-strap and trigger-guard, and if he did it for
Rivers; and if so, when. I know that's been done; the bluing is too dark
for a Civil War period job; the frame, which ought to be case-hardened
in colors, has been blued like the barrel and cylinder, the
cylinder-engraving is almost obliterated, and you can see a few rust-pits
that have been blued over. But I want to know if this gun was ever in
Rivers's shop; that's the important thing."

"Uh-huh. Got the addresses?"

Rand furnished them, and Ritter noted them down. The waitress wandered
back to see if they wanted anything else; she gave a small squeak of
surprise when she saw the two big six-shooters on the table. Rand and
Ritter repeated their orders, and when she brought back the drinks, the
Colt and the Leech & Rigdon were out of sight.

"The way I see it, everybody who's within a light-year of this Rivers
killing is trying to pin the medal on somebody else," Ritter was saying.
"The Lawrence girl was afraid young Jarrett had done it; right away, she
sicced you onto Gillis. Gillis didn't lose any time putting McKenna and
Farnsworth onto Gresham. Gresham's the only one who didn't have a patsy
ready; you're supposed to dig one up for him. And Jarrett, the first
chance he gets, introduces Umholtz." He stared into his beer, as though
he thought Ultimate Verity might be lurking somewhere under the suds. "Do
you think it might be possible that Rivers bumped Fleming off, in spite
of his getting killed later?" he asked.

"Anything's possible," Rand replied, "except where some structural
contradiction is involved, like scoring thirteen with one throw of a pair
of dice. Yes, he could have. The way the Flemings leave their garage open
as long as any of the cars are out, anybody could have sneaked into the
house from the garage, and gone up from the library to the g