Tony Jack’s worldly possessions were laid out on a small table in police headquarters. They consisted of a T-shirt, sneakers, and white cotton trousers. In a pocket of the trousers was a card.

The card read: July 28. Your wght, 173 lbs.; Your fortune, You will enjoy a long life.

“His life lasted 22 years,” Inspector Hobbs told Dr. Hall.

“Late last night,” said the inspector, “we got a call to come to the carnival. Somebody had started up a Ferris wheel. We found a male corpse jack-knifed over a strut. At first I thought the guy had been beaten to death — his face was so battered. Then I recognized Tony.

“Last night Tony fought Killer Malone for the state middleweight title,” he continued. “Tony took a pounding. We know he left the arena still pretty dazed. He must have come out to the carnival. He used to be a roustabout, and he knew his way around.

“It looks like he got here after closing,” said the inspector, “used the scale, and then started up the big wheel. He took a ride and fell out. The medical examiner says he died instantly,”

The famed criminologist contemplated Tony’s possessions.

“He might have been killed elsewhere and hung on the strut,” said Hall. “I heard rumors of a fix in the Malone fight.

“It looks to me like Tony refused to take a dive and the mob made him pay the full price. The killers apparently did a clumsy job. To avoid giving themselves away, they changed his clothes and staged the scene out at the Ferris wheel.”

How did Hall know?