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So," he said

Wallens suggested he start by buying a collection He’d savestart Thole shelves in the dealer’s back rooeneral and specialized Wallens showed him a three-volureat rarities, Wallens said as they paged through the albuood sta value of the entire lot was just under 50,000, and Wallens had it priced at 5450

"But I could triood deal, but on the other hand it’s a major commitment for a man who never paid more than ten or twenty cents for a sta ready to mail a letter You’ll want to take some time and think about it"

"It’s just what I want," Keller said

"It’s nice, and priced very fair, but I’ to pretend it’s unique There are a lot of collections like this on the market, and it wouldn’t be a bad idea for you to shop around"

Why? "I’ll take it," Keller said

Keller, at his desk, lifted a stae to its back, thenhe had purchased a fine set of new albu all the staht The new albums were of much better quality, but that wasn’t the only reason for the re operation

"That way you’ll come to know the stamps," Wallens had told hi new sta a collection of your own"

And Wallens was right, of course It took tiot to know the stamps So space, and Keller took great satisfaction in correcting the error And, as he finished transferring each country to the new albulance what stamps he owned and what ones he needed

He was up to Belgiuotten as far as Leopold II The sta in French and Flees, that the letter was not to be delivered on a Sunday (If you wanted Sunday delivery, you removed the tab before you licked the stamp and stuck it on the envelope) A couple of Keller’s stamps lacked the Sunday tab, which made them much less desirable, and Keller decided to replace thely, he thought, and the phone rang

"Keller," Dot said, "I’ll just bet you’re playing with your sta with the of work, why don’t you come out and see me?"

"Now?"

"You’re just a part-time philatelist," she pointed out "You haven’t retired yet Duty calls"

Keller flew to New Orleans and took a cab to a hotel on the edge of the French Quarter He unpacked and sat doith a city ed man with a full head of wavy hair, a deep tan, and a thirty-two-tooth s a cigar His name was Richard Wickwire, and he had killed at least one wife, and possibly two

Six years previously, Wickwire had hter of a local businessman who’d done very nicely, thank you, in sulphur and natural gas Several years into a stor pool After a briefenthusiaser sister, Rachel

The second e was, it seemed, also problematic Rachel, a friend later testified, had feared for her life, and had reported that Wickwire had threatened to kill her Straighten up and fly right, he’d told her, or he’d drown her the same as he’d drowned her sad-ass sister

He didn’t, though He stabbed her instead, using the carving knife froht into her heart That at least was the prosecution’s contention, and the evidence was pretty convincing, but the essential twelve persons were not unani jury, and on retrial the second jury voted to acquit

So Jiun, and went looking for his son-in-law Found hiun at hi hi a fe altogether with the three re bullets

Shileen turned hied with assault and atteiven a stiff warning by the judge "In other words," Dot had said, " ‘You didn’t do it Now don’t do it again’ So he’s not going to do it again, Keller, and that’s where you come in"

Wickwire, fully recovered fro in the same Garden District mansion he’d shared in turn with Pa as his third bride not the young wo who’d been a juror, coincidentally enough, at his second trial She’d visited hi led to another

"The shooting evidently got his attention," Dot had said, "so he’s got hiuards now, and you’d think they were his AmEx cards"

"Because he never leaves home without theht an explosive device ht do the trick, and for all he cares the neife and the bodyguards can coht not care for that"

"I don’t"