Ness leaned forward a little, turning his hat in his hands restlessly. "The trouble with Prohibition was that so many people didn't believe in it. They were either against it or figured it was for the other guy. A law like that breeds contempt for the law in general. That helps make the underworld very strong, very wealthy. It gives them plenty of money to corrupt the law."

"So it's the… 'underworld' you've been after."

"I've never put John Q. Public in jail, Your Honor. I did put some gangsters out of business though."

"Al Capone, for instance."

Ness smiled, shrugged.

"And you're proud of that."

"It's going to be a hard one to top."

Ambitious. Burton liked that, too. That would help.

Feeling more at ease, Burton reached for the cigar box and withdrew and lit a Havana. He puffed it regally. "Do you know," he said, "that I've had you under investigation for two weeks, now?"

"No," Ness said, with mild surprise. "But where in hell did you find a Cleveland cop up to the job? No offense meant-to you."

Burton smiled and shook his head. "None taken. But truer words were never spoken. I had to rely on myself and some handpicked staff members. We've been checking around. Dwight Green speaks highly of you."

Dwight H. Green was Federal Prosecutor in Chicago.

"I'll speak highly of Dwight," Ness said, "if given half a chance."

"Frank Cullitan is another booster," Burton said.

Frank T. Cullitan was Cuyahoga County Prosecutor.

"Cullitan's a Democrat," Ness said.

"Does that matter?"

"Not to me."

Burton blew out a dark cloud of cigar smoke. "Every phone call I've made-Joe Keenan with the FBI, for instance-has resulted in high praise for Eliot Ness."

Ness smiled faintly, a hint of cockiness in his expression. Burton didn't mind that, either. That trait, too, would be necessary if this man were to take this job.