“I told the others that he had known all along that MacSwain killed Tim. That was the only lie I told them. Then I told them about the bank stickup being turned by Reno and the chief, with Jerry taken along and dropped on the premises to tie the job to Whisper. I knew that’s the way it was if what you told me was right, about Jerry getting out of the car, starting toward the bank and being shot. The hole was in his back. Fitting in with that, McGraw said the last seen of the stickup car was when it turned into King Street. The boys would be returning to the City Hall, to their jail alibi.”

“But didn’t the bank watchman say he shot Jerry? That’s the way it was in the papers.”

“He said so, but he’d say anything and believe it. He probably emptied his gun with his eyes shut, and anything that fell was his. Didn’t you see Jerry drop?”

“Yes, I did, and he was facing the bank, but it was all too confused for me to see who shot him. There were a lot of men shooting, and⁠—”