That night Delaney began by throwing them a curve ball.

"Chief," he said to Suarez, "I want you to arrest Doctor Diane Ellerbee for the murder of her husband."

Thorsen was the first to recover.

"My God, Edward," he said, "the last time we spoke, you said you thought it was the patient-what's her name?"

"Joan Yesell. No, she's clean. She was there on the night Ellerbee was killed, but she didn't do it."

"So it was the wife?" Suarez said wonderingly.

"All the time it was the wife while we were chasing the patients?"

"That's right," Delaney said.

"This is a long story, so bear with me."

He stood and began pacing back and forth behind his desk, occasionally glancing at the notes he had prepared.

He started with the affair between Simon and Joan Yesell, and how it had gone on for almost a year. Diane had probably been aware of it soon after it started, but it was only three weeks prior to his death that Simon had asked for a divorce.

"There's motive enough for you," Delaney said.

"The scorned woman."

He analyzed the personality of Diane: a beautiful woman who had lived a fortunate and sheltered life and never suffered a disappointment. Then her husband says he wants to leave her for a Plain Jane and her whole world collapses.

He described Joan Yesell, a woman energized by love for the first time in her life. She would, Delaney said, have been willing to let the affair continue indefinitely, but he promised her marriage.

"So," Delaney said, "that's our triangle: three passionate and very flummoxed people."

Then Delaney reviewed the murder night, starting with the victim's announced intention of seeing a late patient: Diane's unproven statement that she had left Manhattan for Brewster; Joan Yesell's inability to get a cab, and her late arrival at the townhouse to find Dr. Simon dead.

"Diane had the motive," Delaney argued.

"She had the opportunity, and here's how she got the means…"

He told them about the ball peen hammer stolen from the Brewster garage where the Ellerbees' cars were serviced. He described the stream running through the Ellerbees' property, and stated firmly that he believed the hammer had been thrown into that stream.

He began to pile on supporting evidence: the clause in Simon's will canceling his patients' outstanding bills, Joan Yesell's debt of nearly ten thousand dollars, Diane's erroneous statement that suicide-prone patients often become homicidal…

"All right," Delaney said at last, "let's have your questions. I'm sure you've got them."

"In the absence of the billing ledger," Suarez said, "how do you know Joan Yesell would benefit most from the doctor's canceling of patients' debts?"

Delaney explained that Simon's receptionist, Carol Judd, had provided that information.

Thorsen asked why Delaney was so certain of the intensity of the Ellerbee-Joan Yesell affair.

Delaney told them about the last interrogation of Yesell, her mother's attempt to alibi her, and Samuelson's acknowledgment that he had suspected for some time that Simon was involved with another woman.

Delaney did not mention the flower that Simon wore in his lapel; he doubted they would consider that firm evidence of a romantic passion.

"Why would Ellerbee want to start an affair with such a dull woman," the Chief asked, "if his wife is as lovely as you say?"

Delaney repeated what he had told Boone and Jason-that Simon wanted to improve his women and had tired of being married to a paragon, with his friends constantly telling him how lucky he was.

"Maybe," Delaney added, "he wanted a relationship in which he was the paragon. It must be difficult being married to a work of art."

"Let's get back to that missing billing ledger," the Deputy said.

"Who do you figure took it-Diane or Joan Yesell?"

"Diane," Delaney said promptly.

"Look, Diane wants to implicate Yesell. That's why she gave us Joan's name in the first place. But at the same time, she doesn't want us to find out about Simon's affair. Diane is a very complex woman, torn between a need for vengeance and a need to protect her own self-esteem."

"Why did she put out his eyes?" Ivar asked-and with that question Delaney knew he had convinced them.

Again he repeated what he had told Boone and Jason-that Simon had persuaded Diane that her beauty meant little, but then had begun to look at another woman. She couldn't stand that.

There was silence.

"That's all?" Delaney said.

"No more questions?"

Then, thinking it might be discreet to leave them alone for a few moments, he went into the kitchen and mixed himself a tall rye highball.

He drank half of it off immediately, standing at the sink, then brought the remainder back into the study along with drinks for the others.

"All right," he said.

"Did she or didn't she? Chief, what do you think?"

"I think she did it," Suarez said mournfully, his sad face sagging.

"A beautiful woman like that-it is a true tragedy."

"Ivar?"

"Oh, she's guilty as hell," the Admiral said.

"No doubt about it. But you know what you've got, Edward. Zero, zip, and zilch."

"Hard evidence, you mean?" Delaney said.

"Of course I know that. And we're not -going to get it. Continuing this investigation would be just spinning our wheels. But I want Diane Ellerbee charged for the murder of her husband."

"What good would that do?" Thorsen demanded, looking at him narrowly.

"She'd be out in two hours, and that would be the end of that. And the DA will call us assholes for arresting her."

"I'll tell you what it'll do for me, " Delaney said coldly.

"It'll ruin her. The arrest will be headlined in every newspaper in town, and featured on every TV news program. She's going to walk anyway, isn't she? You know it and I know it. But we can drag her through the mud first. Even when she goes free, everyone will be saying, "Where there's smoke, there's fire." You think her reputation can take that? Or her career? I know we'll never get a conviction on what I've got-probably not even an indictment-but by God, we can make her suffer.

That's what I want.

"As for you two, what you get out of this hyped-up circus is what you want: headlines of an important arrest, with statements by you, Chief, that you're convinced the Ellerbee homicide is cleared. Statements by you, Ivar, congratulating Suarez on his exceptional detective work in solving this extremely difficult case. Don't you think the PC is going to read the papers and watch TV?"

The two men turned and stared at each other. I do not know…" Suarez said hesitantly.

"I am not sure… The law…"

Delaney whirled on him.

"The law?" he said, snorting.

"What the hell has the law got to do with this? We're talking about justice here. She's got to be made to pay. But this can't be decided on the basis of either law or justice. This is strictly a political decision."

"Welcome to the club," Thorsen said with a small smile.

"But what if she sues for false arrest?"

"I wish she would," Delaney cried, "but she's too smart for that.

Because that would bring her into a courtroom, and the carnival would continue. And the whole business of her late husband's affair would be dragged through the press. You think she'd enjoy that? Her lawyers won't let her sue the city after they look over what we've got. No way!

They're going to tell her to forget it, lay low, and don't make waves."

"It's a gamble," the Deputy said thoughtfully.

"Charging someone when we know we don't have an icicle's chance in hell!,of getting a conviction."

I told you it was a political decision," Delaney said.

"It's two days until the end of the year. You can still pull this out if you've got the balls for it."

"I do not like it," Suarez said.