On a late fall day in 1944 Michael Shayne was slouched in his swivel chair half asleep when his secretary quietly opened the door to his private office and stepped inside. A felt hat was tipped forward, the brim shading his eyes, and his big feet rested comfortably on his scarred oak desk.

Lucy Hamilton closed the door firmly and advanced toward him. Shayne roused, cocked a shaggy red eyebrow upward, and muttered, “Go away.”

Lucy was slim and straight and supple. She had clear brown eyes and a sweetly rounded face with a firm chin. She said, “No wonder you don’t get ahead in this competitive world. There’s a client outside.”

Shayne yawned and stretched his long arms, then opened both eyes. “I was dreaming,” he said accusingly. “A damned nice dream. And then I saw you standing there. Is the door locked?” He swung his feet down purposefully and started to get up.

Lucy backed away from him. She said, “I never lock the door when I come in here,” with crisp dignity. “Shall I send the lady in?”

Shayne scowled and sank back into the creaking swivel chair. “Is she pretty?”

“No. She’s a little old lady.”

“Money?”

“I’m afraid not. But she’s terribly worried about her boy.”

Shayne said, “Nuts.” His scowl deepened. He pulled off his limp felt hat and sailed it across the room, where it landed on top of a steel filing cabinet. He ran knobby fingers through his bristly red hair and growled, “Why do I always have to draw old ladies without any money? If you were the right kind of secretary-”

Lucy Hamilton had her hand on the doorknob. She opened the door and said, “Mr. Shayne will be pleased to see you, Mrs. Delray.” She stood aside to let the little old lady enter the office.

Mrs. Delray was shrunken and brisk. She wore a voluminous black silk dress that reached almost to her ankles, and an outmoded black hat flared up and away from her wrinkled face. She had a sweet smile and an air of quiet dignity that brought Shayne up from his chair. He said, “I’m sorry my secretary kept you waiting, Mrs. Delray. If you’ll take this chair-”