‘How’s Mr. Lamb?’
Travers shrugged his shoulders.
‘He’s pretty bad. The doctor says it’s touch and go. We’ll know by tomorrow if he’s going to get over it or not.’
Calvin made sympathetic noises.
‘I’d better meet Miss Craig. She’ll be glad to get home.’
‘She sure will,’ Travers said. He walked up the path with Calvin. ‘This has given her a shock. She found him on the floor in his office.’
As the two men reached the bank entrance, the door opened and a girl stood in the doorway. Calvin took her in with one quick, searching glance. She was about twenty-five or -six, above medium height and frail looking. The rimless spectacles she wore gave her a spinsterish look. Although she was plain looking, her complexion was good. Her mouse-coloured hair was neat.
‘This is Mr. Calvin,’ Travers said. ‘I thought I’d stick around until he arrived.’
The girl was looking at Calvin: a painful flush rising to her face. Calvin smiled at her. His wide, friendly confident smile coupled with his staring blue eyes generally made an impact on women. It seemed to be having a devastating impact on Alice Craig.
‘I’m sorry to have kept you waiting, Miss Craig,’ Calvin said, aware of the impression he was making on the girl, ‘but it was short notice and I had quite a way to come.’
‘Oh… that’s all right,’ she stammered. ‘I – I didn’t expect… won’t you come in?’
Travers said, ‘Well, I guess I’ll get along. Glad to have met you, Mr. Calvin. Anything I can do, just ask. I’m over the way at the sheriff’s office.’
Calvin shook hands with him, then followed the girl into the bank. Travers walked back to his car.
Calvin shut the door of the bank and looked around. It was very small. There was the usual grill-protected counter. Behind this was a glassed-in office. There was a door near him and another door facing him behind the counter. There was a wooden seat for waiting customers and a table on which stood magazines and a vase of flowers.
Alice Craig watched him. He could see she was making futile efforts to control the deep flush that still stained her face.
‘I’m sorry about Mr. Lamb,’ Calvin said. ‘It must have been a shock for you. I’m sure you want to get home. Suppose you give me the keys and then get off? There’s nothing we can do now until Monday.’
She looked startled.
‘You don’t want to check?’
‘Not right now,’ Calvin said, smiling. ‘I’ll do all that on Monday.’ He moved past her, not looking at her because her embarrassment began to irritate him. He opened the door leading into the manager’s office. It was a nice room with a carpet, an armchair, a handsome-looking desk and a high-backed desk-chair. He went around behind the desk and sat down. Alice came to the door and stood looking helplessly at him.
‘Come in and sit down,’ he said, waving to the armchair. ‘A cigarette?’
‘No, thank you. I – I don’t smoke.’ She came in reluctantly and perched herself on the arm of the chair, looking down at her slim, well-shaped hands.
What a type! Calvin thought. She has as much personality as a potato and she’s as sexless as a nun.
‘Well, now,’ he said, keeping his voice mild and friendly. ‘How about the keys?’
‘They’re in the top drawer on the left,’ she said, still not looking at him.
He opened the drawer and took out a set of keys. They were all neatly labelled.
‘What keys do you hold?’ he asked.
‘I – I have a key to the front entrance as you have and I have a key to the vault. There are two locks on the vault. You have one key and I have the other.’
He smiled at her.
‘So I can’t rob the vault without your permission and you can’t without mine. Is that it?’
She gave a nervous little smile, but he could see the joke as such wasn’t appreciated.
