Though it would have been easy to do so, Sam did not stay late at the casino. When he left, Paddy was making short work of his fourth whiskey, and openly contemplating a change of career from journalist to Irish balladeer. Already he had deposited ten dollars into the brandy balloon on top of the piano, and was deep in discussion with the attending musician concerning the lyrics to yet another traditional Irish tune. Paddy was, Sam observed, decidedly generous with Judge Hackett’s money.
Sam had people to see. If John Stringer was alive, he had to be stopped before he killed again. It all remained nothing more than speculation on his part, however. For his theory to have any credibility, John Stringer had to be among the living, and this was a concept Sam still found difficult to accept.
