outside the office. He hastily tossed the paper bag into the trash basket and wiped the desk free of crumbs, then he got to his feet and went to the door just as Iris entered.
‘Hello, honey. I was getting worried about you,’ he said, kissing her. Immediately he was aware something was wrong. He drew back to look at her. She was pale, and there were dark smudges under her eyes. She looked steadily at him. ‘What’s up?’ he asked. ‘Come in and sit down.’
Iris sat with her back to the light.
‘It’s nothing,’ she said. ‘I had a headache.’ She forced herself to smile. ‘I’m all right, Ken… we were wrong. It isn’t Calvin. I’m sure of that now.’
Travers went around and sat behind his desk.
‘What’s new then?’ he asked sharply.
‘He went to Downside yesterday and left me the keys,’ Iris said, speaking rapidly and looking down at her hands. ‘I went through the whole bank. I even opened all the deed boxes. The money isn’t there nor the Remington. Look, I have a carbon copy of the letter you wanted.’
With hands that shook a little, she opened her bag and gave him the carbon.
She watched him study it, then he grimaced.
‘The Remington we’re after didn’t write this,’ he said and laid the carbon down. Something was wrong, he told himself. Why did she look so ill? Why, when she told him she had found nothing in the bank, had she avoided looking at him? ‘Well, that seems to be that,’ he said. ‘I was practically certain Calvin was our man. He still could be. He might have hidden the money somewhere else. I’m not giving him up as a suspect. We haven’t anyone else.’
‘You’ve got to give him up as a suspect!’ Iris said. There was a note of hysteria in her voice. ‘My mother is marrying him! You can’t hound him now!’
‘But look, honey,’ Travers said uneasily, ‘the fact you didn’t find the money and this carbon doesn’t match the Remington doesn’t prove Calvin didn’t do the job. I still think he did. I think he’s smart enough to fool us, and I’m not staying fooled.’
Iris got to her feet.
‘I can’t stop you,’ she said, ‘but I don’t have to be on your side any longer.’ She pulled off her engagement ring and placed it on the desk. ‘I’m going away, Ken. You must please yourself what you do. I don’t want to marry you. I’ve thought about it. I don’t want to marry someone working for the police.’
Travers stared at the ring as if he couldn’t believe his eyes. Then as Iris made for the door he jumped to his feet and came quickly around his desk.
‘Iris! Wait! You can’t do this! Let’s talk about it. You just can’t break our engagement like this.’
She paused.
‘I’m sorry, Ken, but I have to go away. I don’t know where I’m going yet. Tomorrow I’m going to ’Frisco for the bank. When I get there, I’ll decide what I’m going to do. I have to get away from here. I’ve decided I’m too young to get married. I want to look around. I’m sorry.’
Travers went red and then white.
‘So that’s it? It’s suddenly occurred to you, I’m not good enough. So you want to look around. Well, for Pete’s sake! Have you gone crazy or something?’
‘I just want to look around,’ Iris said. ‘I’m sorry, Ken. I think it would be better if you forget about me. I hope you will,’ and she went out and over to her car.
Travers made a move to go after her, then stopped. He went around the desk and sat down. He stared for some minutes at the modest emerald and diamond ring, then he reached out, picked it up and put it in his pocket.
He sat brooding for some minutes, then getting to his feet, he locked up the office, got in the sheriff’s car and drove fast to the rooming-house.
He rang the bell and waited. There was a long pause, then the door opened and Calvin looked inquiringly at him.
‘Hello,’ Calvin said. ‘Are you looking for Iris? She’s out.’
‘I wanted to see Mrs. Loring,’ Travers said, staring at the big man.
‘I’m sorry: Kit’s resting.’
‘I still want to see her,’ Travers said in his cop voice. ‘Will you tell her I’m here?’
Calvin’s smile became a trifle forced.
