Choose the best story and stick to it

Choose the best story and stick to it is Burke Devore’s rule for managing suspicion: select an account that serves him, then hold to it without wavering. The principle links his advice to Billy with his own performance when Detective Burton questions him, making consistency—not truth—the measure of success.

The Rule as Self-Instruction

Burke recalls telling Billy to choose the best available story and stay with it regardless of what follows. Facing the possibility that Detective Burton has connected him to the shootings of two mill managers, Burke repeats the advice inwardly as a way to steady himself. He tells himself to let the process unfold and considers that Burton may have only suspicions. The rule is therefore both practical coaching and a means of suppressing panic: Burke turns his own deception into a procedure he can follow.

Performance Under Questioning

The encounter shows the rule becoming action. Burke finishes dressing and joins Marjorie in the living room, where Detective Burton has been looking at the Winslow Homer painting. Burke wonders whether the detective’s friendly manner is genuine, then smiles and shakes his hand while privately recognizing that his own friendliness is a lie. When Burton says he has another name and photograph to show him, Burke prepares for the test and offers to help.

The name is Hauck Exman. Burton displays a formal photograph and identifies Exman as the current prime suspect. Burke denies recognizing him, though his private description of Exman as a Marine gone on a sea voyage reveals that the denial conceals knowledge. His outward response stays controlled: he looks at the photograph, calls Exman tough-looking, and asks who he is. The rule’s force lies in this split between a composed public account and the knowledge Burke keeps to himself.

Deception and Dramatic Irony

The principle does not establish that Burke’s chosen story is true; it instructs him to maintain whichever version is most useful. The contrast between his inner recognition and his spoken denial lets the reader see the deception while Detective Burton receives only Burke’s performance. His earlier advice to Billy thus returns as a method Burke applies to his own exposure, turning a maxim about sticking to a story into a tool for resisting the truth.