1965 - The Way the Cookie Crumbles by James Hadley Chase Page A

want to have her and he damned well wouldn’t have had her if she hadn’t been my daughter. As it was, he talked to Dr. Graham before he would give her an interview. She seems to have talent for figures. She’s working in the accounts department and Crawsure says she’s doing a real job of work.’
    ‘Well, that’s wonderful.’
    ‘Takes after me,’ Mel said with a grin. ‘She is really interested in how the bank operates. I wouldn’t have believed it. She’s always asking questions. and good questions too. Only last night, she challenged our right to call ourselves the ‘Safest Bank in the World.’ She had to agree, after I had explained our security system, that it was no idle boast. The interest she’s showing could develop into her making a career for herself in the bank.’
    ‘Don’t you believe it. She’ll fall in love,’ Joy said, ‘then your old bank will mean as much to her as it does to me.’
    Mel laughed.
    ‘Yes you’re right as usual.’
    ‘Does she see the dwarf now?’
    ‘No, I’m glad to say. She’s too busy to get over to Seacombe. I’m sure she doesn’t miss him. Now she has a home, the bank and the Club, she’s forgotten him.’
    He would have been disagreeably surprised if he could have seen Ira at that moment. She was parking her T.R.4 outside Ticky Edris’ apartment block, and a few minutes after leaving her car, she was ringing on his front door bell. Edris came bouncing to open the door and when he saw her, he stood aside to let her in. There was no welcoming smile on his face.
    He had had a bad two weeks. Algir had been again worrying him for money, and he was getting alarmed at the rate his savings were dwindling. If Algir wasn’t cast to play such an important role in the plan, Edris would have got rid of him, but this he knew was now impossible and there seemed nothing he could say or do to curb Algir’s extravagances.
    He had had no word from Ira during these weeks.
    Several times he had been tempted to telephone her, but he remembered she had said she would call him when she had something for him, and although urged by Algir to contact her, he had refrained from doing so. He had faith in her. He knew she couldn’t rush this thing.
    ‘I was beginning to worry about you, baby,’ he said as he followed her into his living room. ‘I hoped to have heard from you before this.’
    Algir came in from the bedroom. He had spent the night with Edris as he was having trouble at his hotel over his bill.
    ‘Well, about time!’ he exclaimed when he saw Ira. ‘What’s been happening? We’ve been waiting two goddamn weeks for you to get up off your arse and do something! It’s fine for you, living rich, but how’s about me? What’s been happening?’
    ‘Knock it off!’ Edris snapped. ‘Sit down, Ira. You got something?’
    She wandered over to a lounging chair and sat down.
    For a long moment, she stared at Algir, then with a contemptuous grimace, she looked at Edris.
    ‘If this birdbrain doesn’t stop picking on me,’ she said, ‘I’ll walk right out of here. I mean it! Just because the slob can’t keep his money in his pockets doesn’t mean he can lean his weight on me!’
    Algir started to say something, but Edris cut in, ‘I said knock it off! Leave her alone!’ To Ira, he went on, ‘Okay, baby, don’t worry about him. How’s it been going?’
    ‘I have most of the dope you want. It hasn’t been easy and I’ve had to watch my step, but I’ve got it.’ She opened her handbag and took out a folded sheet of paper. ‘How’s that for a start?’
    Edris took the paper from her. He unfolded and examined it. After a few moments, he asked, ‘The dead safes?’
    ‘Some of them. There are others, but these are rented by the big spenders. There’s no record of what the safes contain. The clients open the safes themselves and the bank isn’t responsible for their contents, but judging by the size of their drawings, they should be loaded,’ Ira said.