Part 58 (1/2)

'Let's say she wore it to the hotel where she was killed.'

'You can't know that.'

'Let's just say so, all right?'

'Okay, run with it.'

'Who took it? Some cop yank it off her finger?'

'No,' he said. 'n.o.body'd do that. There's people who'll take cash if it's loose, we both know that, but a ring off a murder victim's finger?' He shook his head. 'Besides, n.o.body was alone with her. It's something n.o.body'd do with somebody else watching.'

'How about the maid? The one who discovered the body?'

'Jesus, no way. I questioned the poor woman. She took one look at the body and started screaming and she'd still be screaming now if she had the breath left. You couldn'ta got her close enough to Dakkinen to touch her with a mop handle.'

'Who took the ring?'

'a.s.suming she wore it there - '

'Right.'

'So the killer took it.'

'Why?'

'Maybe he's queer for jewelry. Maybe green's his favorite color.'

'Keep going.'

'Maybe it's valuable. You got a guy who goes around killing people, his morals aren't the best. He might not draw the line at stealing.'

'He left a few hundred dollars in her purse, Joe.'

'Maybe he didn't have time to go through her bag.'

'He had time to take a shower, for Christ's sake. He had time to go through her bag. In fact, we don't know that he didn't go through her bag. We just know he didn't take the money.'

'So?'

'But he took the ring. He had time to take hold of her b.l.o.o.d.y hand and tug it off her finger.'

'Maybe it came off easy. Maybe it wasn't a snug fit.'

'Why'd he take it?'

'He wanted it for his sister.'

'Got any better reasons?'

'No,' he said. 'No, G.o.dd.a.m.n it, I don't have any better reasons. What are you getting at? He took it because it could be traced to him?'