Brierly was not looking at the prisoner. He was looking
at the police officer. In the latter's features incredulity was
struggling with something else for expression. Professor Brierly
snapped his fingers.

"Hale, this must be verified! John, go with him; take the nail.
Wait! Get an instrument and draw a drop of blood from Smith here.
Compare it with the blood you find on the nail, if you find any.
And--" He whirled on the prisoner.

"Where is the coat and shirt that were torn on the nail?"

"Still up in my apartment, I guess."

"Go on, John. Get the nail and the clothes; go on to our house,
make the necessary tests as soon as you can."

At Jimmy's request, before he departed on his errand to the
delicatessen store, Professor Brierly was escorted to the office
of the Eagle by two plainclothes men who were ordered to shoot,
and shoot to kill, at the slightest suspicious movement against
the old scientist.

Hite went into blazing activity when Professor Brierly recounted
the result of his errand to the Tombs. Men, women and boys were
sent scurrying to various sections of the city. The city editor
barked an order into a telephone in response to which the tremor
of the presses which shook the building, ceased.

A rewrite man tactfully got from Professor Brierly the salient
features of the newest angle to the story.

Matthews was nodding his head emphatically as he came into the
city room and his glance met that of his mentor.

"It fits, Professor," he was saying. "The delicatessen store was
robbed about the time Smith said it was; the nail was there, the
head covered with blood. There was a tear in his coat and shirt.
There was some blood on the garments. The blood on the nail and
the clothes are of the same type as that of Smith. It might be all
Smith's."

Jimmy went to the telephone and called up a high police official,
a very much harassed official, one whose peace had been very much
disturbed by the activities of the remarkable old gentleman. The
papers, his superiors, the D.A.'s office had been riding him
unmercifully. Now, when they had a crook whom the crime fitted so
well, this crazy old scientist had to come along and spoil it all
with his queer doings.

Jimmy, in short crisp sentences told this individual of the latest
developments of the Tontine murders. He concluded by asking:

"What are you going to do about this, Mr. Englehardt, and what are
you going to do with 'Fingy' Smith?"

Mr. Engleha