There, Sir, I guess you know about as much as me of this business.' He sat blinking like an owl, fluttering with nerves and yet desperately determined.

By this time I was pretty well convinced that he was going straight with me.

It was the wildest sort of narrative, but I had heard in my time many steep tales which had turned out to be true, and I had made a practice of judging the man rather than the story.

If he had wanted to get a location in my flat, and then cut my throat, he would have pitched a milder yarn.
'Hand me your key,' I said, 'and I'll take a look at the corpse.
Excuse my caution, but I'm bound to verify a bit if I can.' He shook his head mournfully.

'I reckoned you'd ask for that, but I haven't got it.