Perdreau said: "What about the cigarette burn? If that suit is produced... "
"We can't produce the suit," said Vallon. "The suit's disappeared. If we could, I've got the cigarette stub. I've kept it. But what's the good? You can't go round to the authorities and say that somebody did this; that you know who it was; that you think you know why they did it. A jury has to find a prisoner guilty beyond reasonable shadow of doubt. On the evidence we've got nobody's going to be convicted for killing Joe.
"Or if we try, you're going to be yanked into this, Perdreau. It's going to be proved by somebody or other that Chennault rang you up; that you went to see him on the afternoon of his death. He had good cause to be angry with you, and you with him. In other words you're going to be a red herri
