Loomis. Go in and come up behind her. Don’t say a word. Just reach around her from behind and put your hands over her eyes. You know, surprise her.”
He did look at Gibby as though he thought Gibby had gone crazy.
“I’ll scare her to death,” he protested. “Look, she’s alone here. She doesn’t know anybody. She thinks I won’t be here till that train gets in.”
“You took that earlier train so you could surprise her,” Gibby said, implacably giving Bannerman his orders. “Now you are going to surprise her. You are going to have to follow instructions exactly.”
Bannerman moved as though he were trying to break away from Gibby but it was an ineffective try. He seemed to be as curious as he was rebellious.
“I’m not going to do anything of the sort,” he said. “I don’t have to follow anybody’s instructions.”
Gibby fixed him with a withering look. “And then when you’re up to your ears in trouble,” he asked, “where do you plan to turn for help? Your sister’s been murdered. You’ve been half crazy with worry about your girl. Now you see her. She’s okay, so you think school’s out. Just because nothing’s happened to her yet, don’t push your luck too far.”
Bannerman tried to laugh it off. “I don’t know why you’re trying to scare me,” he said. “I was frightened for Joanie because I thought she had been in the apartment with Ellie and if she had been there, something horrible could have happened to her. It did happen to Ellie, didn’t it?”
“Don’t bother to remind me,” Gibby snapped. “I’m reminding you.”
“I haven’t forgotten. Luckily Joanie wasn’t there, so that’s that.”
“This man who’s watching her doesn’t seem to think that’s that. We have to know what he’s doing here, what he’s up to.”
“Why don’t you ask him? You’ve asked me plenty of questions. What makes him immune?”
“We’ll take care of him, but you’re going to set it up for us. We’ve got the job of catching up with your sister’s killer. I can see that you don’t care a damn about that.”
“That’s a lie.”
“You can convince me by co-operating and you had better also remember that it’s our job to prevent any further killings if we can. Protecting Miss Loomis is at least as important as any other part of this thing.”
“Joanie will be all right now. I’ll take care of protecting her.”
Gibby shook his head sadly. “And then we’ll end up protecting you, too,” he said. “Can’t you just assume that we know what we’re doing and play along?”
“When you ask me to play a silly practical joke…”
“Stop thinking,” Gibby snapped, “and do as you’re told. You go up quietly behind her and put your hands over her eyes. That’s all you have to do. After that just take her over there where it says Waiting Room. Go in there with her and wait till we come and get you. While you’re waiting, you tell her nothing. Your story is that you came in early to surprise the girls. You went around to your sister’s and there was no answer to the bell. You’ve been trying over there ever since and no answer, so, as train time approached, you came over here just on the chance that she would be here. If she wasn’t you were going back to your sister’s and try again, figuring that they would certainly be home by then since it was the time they would have been expecting you. Now that isn’t difficult. You can do that, can’t you?”
Scowling, Bannerman shook his head in emphatic refusal. “I do not tell lies,” he said and he couldn’t have summoned up more indignation if Gibby had tried to suborn him to perjury. “I don’t know what you’re after or how important it may be to you, but this is important to me. Joanie and I have a lifetime ahead of us. I don’t blemish it now by lying to her.”
“Okay,” Gibby growled. “Have it your own way. I was going to give you a break, let you have a couple of moments alone with your
He did look at Gibby as though he thought Gibby had gone crazy.
“I’ll scare her to death,” he protested. “Look, she’s alone here. She doesn’t know anybody. She thinks I won’t be here till that train gets in.”
“You took that earlier train so you could surprise her,” Gibby said, implacably giving Bannerman his orders. “Now you are going to surprise her. You are going to have to follow instructions exactly.”
Bannerman moved as though he were trying to break away from Gibby but it was an ineffective try. He seemed to be as curious as he was rebellious.
“I’m not going to do anything of the sort,” he said. “I don’t have to follow anybody’s instructions.”
Gibby fixed him with a withering look. “And then when you’re up to your ears in trouble,” he asked, “where do you plan to turn for help? Your sister’s been murdered. You’ve been half crazy with worry about your girl. Now you see her. She’s okay, so you think school’s out. Just because nothing’s happened to her yet, don’t push your luck too far.”
Bannerman tried to laugh it off. “I don’t know why you’re trying to scare me,” he said. “I was frightened for Joanie because I thought she had been in the apartment with Ellie and if she had been there, something horrible could have happened to her. It did happen to Ellie, didn’t it?”
“Don’t bother to remind me,” Gibby snapped. “I’m reminding you.”
“I haven’t forgotten. Luckily Joanie wasn’t there, so that’s that.”
“This man who’s watching her doesn’t seem to think that’s that. We have to know what he’s doing here, what he’s up to.”
“Why don’t you ask him? You’ve asked me plenty of questions. What makes him immune?”
“We’ll take care of him, but you’re going to set it up for us. We’ve got the job of catching up with your sister’s killer. I can see that you don’t care a damn about that.”
“That’s a lie.”
“You can convince me by co-operating and you had better also remember that it’s our job to prevent any further killings if we can. Protecting Miss Loomis is at least as important as any other part of this thing.”
“Joanie will be all right now. I’ll take care of protecting her.”
Gibby shook his head sadly. “And then we’ll end up protecting you, too,” he said. “Can’t you just assume that we know what we’re doing and play along?”
“When you ask me to play a silly practical joke…”
“Stop thinking,” Gibby snapped, “and do as you’re told. You go up quietly behind her and put your hands over her eyes. That’s all you have to do. After that just take her over there where it says Waiting Room. Go in there with her and wait till we come and get you. While you’re waiting, you tell her nothing. Your story is that you came in early to surprise the girls. You went around to your sister’s and there was no answer to the bell. You’ve been trying over there ever since and no answer, so, as train time approached, you came over here just on the chance that she would be here. If she wasn’t you were going back to your sister’s and try again, figuring that they would certainly be home by then since it was the time they would have been expecting you. Now that isn’t difficult. You can do that, can’t you?”
Scowling, Bannerman shook his head in emphatic refusal. “I do not tell lies,” he said and he couldn’t have summoned up more indignation if Gibby had tried to suborn him to perjury. “I don’t know what you’re after or how important it may be to you, but this is important to me. Joanie and I have a lifetime ahead of us. I don’t blemish it now by lying to her.”
“Okay,” Gibby growled. “Have it your own way. I was going to give you a break, let you have a couple of moments alone with your
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