title: From Crime to Crime: Mind-Boggling Tales of Mystery and Murder
author: First Last
description: "Then what are we left with?" Bill asked.<br /> Mark smiled. "D'Amato's knife magically left his belt, found its way into a sealed hidden closet, and stabbed Tommy Slick to death. All this in a matter of seconds, in front of witnesses."<br /> --from The <i>Smart Guys Marching Society</i><br />
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  IT WAS ABOUT ELEVEN O’CLOCK in the morning, mid October, with the sun not
  shining and a look of hard wet rain in the clearness of the foothills. I was
  wearing my powder-blue suit, with dark blue shirt, tie and display
  handkerchief, black brogues, black wool socks with dark blue clocks on them. I
  was neat, clean, shaved and sober, and I didn’t care who knew it. I was
  everything the well-dressed private detective ought to be. I was calling on
  four million dollars.
  
  The main hallway of the Sternwood place was two stories high. Over the
  entrance doors, which would have let in a troop of Indian elephants, there was
  a broad stained-glass panel showing a knight in dark armor rescuing a lady who
  was tied to a tree and didn’t have any clothes on but some very long and
  convenient hair. The knight had pushed the vizor of his helmet back to be
  sociable, and he was fiddling with the knots on the ropes that tied the lady
  to the tree and not getting anywhere. I stood there and thought that if I
  li