“In retrospect, I’m glad I did, sir. All this sudden police interest.”
Parsons looked at him skeptically.
“Never mind in retrospect,” he said. “Why did you do it in thefirst place?”
“I thought he might make a fuss, sir, if we simply grabbed eight thousand dollars of his.”
“Has this man got a record?” Parsons asked.
“Yes, sir. Took a burglary fall seven years ago, did three and a third at Castleview.”
“Ex-cons don’t usually make fusses.”
“But he might have, sir.”
“Any chance we can pop him back in?”
“Not unless he commits a crime, sir.”
“How’d this woman get the eight thousand?”
“I have no idea. But, sir …”
“Yes?”
“There’s more.”
“Let me hear it.”
“The locals found close to a hundred thousand in her safe deposit box.”
“Supers?”
“I didn’t check them, sir.”
“Why not?”
“Well, they had them in their possession, sir. They were here to look at the list of serial numbers used in a kidnapping …”
“What kidnapping?” Parsons asked at once. “Has there been a kidnapping?”
“No, sir, that was just confetti.”
“But you say they were here with a hundred thousand dollars …”
“Ninety-six, actually, sir.”
“… that they found in her safe deposit box?”
“Yes, sir.”
“And you didn’t check thebills?”
His eyes were wide open now.
“I had no opportunity to do so, sir. Without arousing suspicion.”
“Suspicion isalready aroused,” Parsons said. “Why the hell do you think they came here? They’realready suspicious!”
“I don’t think so, sir. They’re a simple pair of flatfoots investigating a murder. Nothing more.”
“Nothing more,” Parsons said sourly. “Nothing more than a murder.”
“That’s all, sir.”
“Ninety-six thousand dollars in cash and you don’t think they’re going to smell something fishy?”
“Sir, my job was to yank those supers out of circulation. That’s what I did, sir.”
“Splendid,” Parsons said.
Horne never knew when he meant it.
“But how long do you think it’ll be before these nitwits realize there aremore phony hundreds out there?” Parsons asked. “How long will it be before they come back to us?”
The room went silent.
“Why was the woman killed, do you know?” Parsons asked.
“I would suspect to keep her quiet,” Horne said.
“Do you think this may be Witches and Dragons again?”
“It could be, sir.”
Parsons nodded.
“Find out,” he said. “Give Mother a call.”
THE SIGN OVER the cash register read:
WE WILL NOT CASH BILLS LARGER THAN $50. SORRY FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE. THANK YOU.
Wilbur Struthers took umbrage at this.
