The next half hour has its baggage packed to take a trip with America's fabulous freelance

insurance investigator, Johnny Dollar. At insurance investigation, he's just an expert.

But making out his expensive account, he's an absolute genius.

Expense accounts submitted by Special Investigator, Johnny Dollar, to Frederick Kimball, General

Manager, Fine Arts and Shores, and Carver Edit in New York, New York. The following is an

accounting of my expenditures and the investigation of a stolen portrait of a Duke of Massim, or who

opened the season on Canvas Bag 2. Expense account, item 1, $350, plane fare, New York

to London. Item 2, $125, replacement, brand new light tan top coat borrowed and not returned

by fellow passenger during flight. We cleared Janto Newfoundland and were four hours out,

flying at 20,000 feet over the Atlantic with a night in the weather, fighting it out to

see which could darken the sky first. Most of the passengers were asleep, but the rough

weather was giving the man a seat beside me a rough time. Although the plane had leveled

off, his dinner was still trying to gain altitude. Among other things, he complained of

chill, so I slept on my topcoat, threw it around his shoulders.

Oh, thank you. Sorry to be such a bother. Oh, I think I'll try a drink of water.

Okay, I'll bust for the store. No, no bother. He's up forward. Maybe the walk back will

do me some good. I'll be right back. All the air.

My seat made it carried is constitutional too far. He stepped out for a breath of fresh air.

I didn't think anybody could get sick enough to do that. By the time I got to the back of

the ship, there were seat passengers remilling around the aisle. All I'm claiming not to know

anything about what had happened. I didn't know that. But if my ex-friend hadn't jumped out of

the plane, he'd been pushed. And that posed this tantalizing question. If he'd been pushed,

...