James Chase - I Would Rather Stay Poor

‘Did you notice if they had any luggage?’ Travers asked.

‘Yeah. There were two blue suitcases on the back seat.’

‘When this guy talked to the girl,’ Easton said, ‘how did he sound: friendly?’

‘He just sounded ordinary,’ Hirsch looked puzzled. ‘Just like he was holding an ordinary conversation.’

‘He didn’t sound threatening?’

‘No… nothing like that.’

‘How did she react?’

‘She didn’t say much. I heard her say they had missed the train. The guy laughed. ‘You’re wrong, honey,’ he said. ‘We’ve got half an hour. What are you worrying about?’ Just an ordinary conversation.’

Easton glanced at Travers.

‘Doesn’t sound as if she was being kidnapped, does it?’ he said and winked, then turning to Hirsch asked if he could use his telephone.

Hirsch took him into the small office. Easton called the special agent. He gave him the description of Alice’s boy-friend and of the car. The special agent said he would get both descriptions on the eight o’clock local broadcast and on the local television service. Easton said he was going to Downside railroad station to check further. He felt pretty pleased with himself when the S.A. said he was doing all right, even though there was a surprised note in his chief’s voice.

He went out and got into the car with Travers and they drove fast to the Downside railroad station. Travers was silent. From time to time Easton glanced at him with a sly grin, but he didn’t say anything.

Finally Travers said, ‘This guy certainly is leaving a broad trail behind him.’

‘What does that mean?’ Easton asked. ‘More complications?’

‘Well, let’s look at it. He plans to knock off one of the biggest payrolls in the district. He knows that to do that with any safety he has got to keep out of sight, got to avoid anyone getting a description of him or else the moment he tries to spend the money he’ll get nabbed. So what does he do? He picks on Alice, somehow makes her fall in love with him — how he ever did that, beats me, but it looks as if that was what he managed to do. Then he is dumb enough to take her back to the rooming-house so three witnesses get a good look at him. He isn’t content to remain in the car: he gets out and stands in the light of the car’s headlights so he can be seen. Then he writes a letter to the girl when he could have telephoned or even seen her. He then stops for gas and has a conversation about the last train out to ’Frisco. Again he lets Hirsch get a good look at him. See what I mean? For someone with enough ambition to steal three hundred thousand dollars, he doesn’t seem to me to be a major mind.’

‘Who said he was a major mind?’ Easton asked irritably. ‘It’s because the average crook is a born dope that he gets caught.’

‘I’m not so sure this guy is a dope,’ Travers said. ‘Those sideboards and the moustache could be a good disguise. It’s my bet he wanted to be seen so we’d get a wrong description of him. We’re looking for a man with sideboards. If he takes them off, we haven’t a description of him at all.’

‘Maybe,’ Easton said, a little startled, ‘but we have a description of the girl. Where she is, he is.’

‘I’m worrying about her,’ Travers said soberly.

‘What does that mean?’

‘I don’t know… but I’m worrying just the same.’

Easton shrugged his fat shoulders and drove on in silence.

When they reached the railroad station, Easton spent some time talking to the staff. Both the ticket officer and the ticket puncher were sure no one had boarded the two a.m. train to San Francisco. Nor had they seen anyone resembling Johnny nor any woman in a mustard-coloured coat.

Realising that the trail that had appeared so hot was now cold, Easton walked dejectedly back to his car.

‘So they didn’t take the train to ’Frisco,’ he said. ‘I’ve got to get to a telephone. I must talk to the S.A.’

‘There’s a booth across the way,’ Travers said and got into the car. He watched Easton plod across the road and shut himself in the booth. After a while he finished talking with the S.A. and joined Travers.

‘I guess we’d better go back to Pittsville and wait for something to break after the broadcast,’ he said. ‘The S.A. is sending a bunch of boys to take the town apart. We’ve got to get a lead on this Johnny. It’ll mean a house-to-house check.’

Travers didn’t say anything.

They drove back to Pittsville.

Calvin was glad to close the bank for the lunch recess. Single-handed, he had had a very busy morning. The news of the robbery had brought many people to the bank ostensibly to cash small cheques but really to get first-hand information from Calvin.

When he had finally persuaded the last customer to leave, and after he had locked the doors, he went into his office and lit a cigarette. Everything was working out the way he planned, but for all that, he was uneasy. He was worried about Kit. He hadn’t seen her since the previous night and he was wondering how she was reacting. He was sure by now that Easton had talked with her. Although he was tempted to telephone her to find out what had taken place, he resisted the impulse. Any moment now, the auditors from head office would be arriving to make a complete bank audit. Calvin had been asked if he couldn’t find some local girl to take Alice’s place as there was no one at head office who could be spared. This had given Calvin an idea. He reached for the telephone and called the rooming-house. Flo answered.

‘Is Miss Iris in?’ Calvin asked. ‘Could I speak to her?’

Flo said Iris was just about to go out, but to hold on. A moment later Iris’s young, fresh voice came over the line.

‘Hello there,’ Calvin said. ‘If you’re passing the bank, could you look in? There’s something I want to talk to you about.’

‘I’ll be passing in about half an hour,’ Iris said, her voice revealing her surprise. ‘What is it?’

‘Something I’d rather not talk about over the telephone,’ Calvin returned, and he hung up.

When he had broken the connection he called the snack-bar across the road and told them to send over a couple of chicken sandwiches. Then getting to his feet, he went down into the vault. He stood looking at the deed box in which he had hidden the money. The box stood on the floor with some twenty other boxes on top of it. Calvin’s fleshy face lit up as he thought of the money in the box and he longed to open the box and finger the neat packets of money, but he resisted the impulse.

He left the vault and hearing a rapping on the bank door, he opened up and took the sandwiches from the boy the snack-bar had sent over. He tipped the boy, relocked the bank door and returned to his office. He began to eat the sandwiches.

As he was about to start on the second sandwich, he heard rapping on the bank door again and he opened it.

Iris looked inquiringly at him. She was wearing a sports shirt and a pleated white skirt. Calvin felt a sudden stab of desire run through him as his eyes took in her young, well-developed body.

‘Come on in,’ he said, his smile wide and charming. ‘What a morning I’ve had! I’m just snatching lunch. Phew! Everyone’s been in making sure they haven’t lost their money!’

Iris walked past him into the bank and turned to watch him shut and lock the door.

‘You must have had a time,’ she said sympathetically. ‘I’ve been listening to the radio nearly all the morning.’

Calvin led the way into his office.

‘Yes… it’s been pretty rugged.’ He waved her to the visitor’s chair and then going around his desk, he sat down. ‘Alice of all people! I don’t know… It’s a shock.’