and pleading with me to take her back and bring her to the United States. And it wasn’t until I found out her mother had been a waitress on the Aquitania and she was actually born in New York that it was possible to get her in, but those letters, believe me, were pitiful.”
“When was this?”
“Last month.”
“Then she didn’t come to this country with you?”
“Under the law she couldn’t.”
When we went down she rang Jenkins and told her to come up. “Wait a minute, Jane. I’m not sure I’d tip what you know until we’ve got this better figured out than we have. I wouldn’t say anything to her. Not now.”
“Say something to her? I’m going to fire her.”
“No! You’re forgetting something!”
“I don’t think so.”
“Your big policy. Your $25,000.”
“What does she have to do with it?”
“If he didn’t do it, and you didn’t, you’re due to get paid. And if we can sweat it out of Jenkins who did do it, you better keep her here till we’re ready with the heat, and she’ll be where you want her instead of some place else.”
“I’ll do no more about the insurance.”
“What?”
“I must have an end of this!”
She had the beat-up look around the eyes, and was already at the writing desk, making out a check for Jenkins’ pay. So she went through on it, the dumbest thing that was done in connection with the whole case. Jenkins stood there, and kept asking if there was something she had done, and couldn’t she have some explanation, or another chance. Jane kept saying she’d decided on another arrangement, and pretty soon Jenkins left. It seemed to me, watching her, that she was talking more to watch Jane than to hang onto her job.
That night when I got home there was a message to ring Operator 22, or whatever the number was, in Los Angeles. When she put me through it was Keyes. “Ed, the Reno police have that phone call to the bartender.”
“How do you know?”
“They rang me.”
“Why you?”
“To see what I knew. After all, I’d been with Mrs. Sperry a lot, and I delivered the pen.”
“And what did you say?”
“That it was the first I had heard of it.”
“Then that lets you out.”
“Ed, I’m warning you.”
“Thanks.”
“Keep away from that dame.”
“You coming up here?”
“I might fly. Over the week-end.”
“About the taxi driver or Mrs. Sperry?”
“Oh, the driver recovered.”
“Drop in. I may have news.”
11
S O HE FLEW UP here, just about the time the cops began giving Jane a working over that got worse from day to day. First they’d ask to come over, she’d ask me to stand by, then they’d go over it some more, where she was that night, when was the last time she’d seen Sperry, and they’d spring trap questions on her until a couple of times I had to kick their shins to make them get back over the line. That’s bad with a cop, to act like there’s anything you’re afraid to be questioned about, and to have a boy friend around a woman to tell her how to talk. But with that look in her eyes, I wasn’t sure how much she could take. They’d go, and next day they’d be back, and you could tell they’d been talking to Mrs. Sperry, but what she’d told them you couldn’t tell, because if there’s one thing a cop is good at it’s keeping his own mouth shut and letting you do the talking. All you could say for it was that the papers didn’t have it, so at least it could have been worse.
But when Keyes arrived, and finally did get around to dropping by the office, I found out what Mrs. Sperry had told them. The point was she was trying, or pretending to try, to cover up for Jane, but since it was her own phone call, she had to put it on the line who it was Sperry was supposed to have the date with. She said Sperry had told her there was a “little old lady,” who “lived upstairs in the hotel somewhere,” and “wanted to ask him some questions about Bermuda,” if he “would drop by at the end of his
“When was this?”
“Last month.”
“Then she didn’t come to this country with you?”
“Under the law she couldn’t.”
When we went down she rang Jenkins and told her to come up. “Wait a minute, Jane. I’m not sure I’d tip what you know until we’ve got this better figured out than we have. I wouldn’t say anything to her. Not now.”
“Say something to her? I’m going to fire her.”
“No! You’re forgetting something!”
“I don’t think so.”
“Your big policy. Your $25,000.”
“What does she have to do with it?”
“If he didn’t do it, and you didn’t, you’re due to get paid. And if we can sweat it out of Jenkins who did do it, you better keep her here till we’re ready with the heat, and she’ll be where you want her instead of some place else.”
“I’ll do no more about the insurance.”
“What?”
“I must have an end of this!”
She had the beat-up look around the eyes, and was already at the writing desk, making out a check for Jenkins’ pay. So she went through on it, the dumbest thing that was done in connection with the whole case. Jenkins stood there, and kept asking if there was something she had done, and couldn’t she have some explanation, or another chance. Jane kept saying she’d decided on another arrangement, and pretty soon Jenkins left. It seemed to me, watching her, that she was talking more to watch Jane than to hang onto her job.
That night when I got home there was a message to ring Operator 22, or whatever the number was, in Los Angeles. When she put me through it was Keyes. “Ed, the Reno police have that phone call to the bartender.”
“How do you know?”
“They rang me.”
“Why you?”
“To see what I knew. After all, I’d been with Mrs. Sperry a lot, and I delivered the pen.”
“And what did you say?”
“That it was the first I had heard of it.”
“Then that lets you out.”
“Ed, I’m warning you.”
“Thanks.”
“Keep away from that dame.”
“You coming up here?”
“I might fly. Over the week-end.”
“About the taxi driver or Mrs. Sperry?”
“Oh, the driver recovered.”
“Drop in. I may have news.”
11
S O HE FLEW UP here, just about the time the cops began giving Jane a working over that got worse from day to day. First they’d ask to come over, she’d ask me to stand by, then they’d go over it some more, where she was that night, when was the last time she’d seen Sperry, and they’d spring trap questions on her until a couple of times I had to kick their shins to make them get back over the line. That’s bad with a cop, to act like there’s anything you’re afraid to be questioned about, and to have a boy friend around a woman to tell her how to talk. But with that look in her eyes, I wasn’t sure how much she could take. They’d go, and next day they’d be back, and you could tell they’d been talking to Mrs. Sperry, but what she’d told them you couldn’t tell, because if there’s one thing a cop is good at it’s keeping his own mouth shut and letting you do the talking. All you could say for it was that the papers didn’t have it, so at least it could have been worse.
But when Keyes arrived, and finally did get around to dropping by the office, I found out what Mrs. Sperry had told them. The point was she was trying, or pretending to try, to cover up for Jane, but since it was her own phone call, she had to put it on the line who it was Sperry was supposed to have the date with. She said Sperry had told her there was a “little old lady,” who “lived upstairs in the hotel somewhere,” and “wanted to ask him some questions about Bermuda,” if he “would drop by at the end of his
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