“Proof would be helpful. I can see that.”
“It will be absolutely essential, to be realistic, and the only way I can think of to prove it is to get a confession by some kind of deception, and that’s why I’ve come to consult you. The one thing that is perfectly obvious is that it’s of no use to expect any contributions from Cotton McBride or Hec Caldwell.”
“You did just right in coming to me. I’m pretty good at deception, and I may be able to help you work something out. Incidentally, am I allowed to know who did the killing?”
“By all means. Didn’t I say? It was Sara Pike who did it.”
“The hell she did! It’s almost incredible. What makes you think so?”
“Well, I don’t want to take the time to go into it fully, but Sherman Pike, who was supposed to have died of heart failure, didn’t die of heart failure at all, but killed himself because Beth Thatcher left him and took up with Gid again. It was kept a secret all this time, but Sara knew it and brooded about it, and so, when she just recently got her first chance, she managed to kill Beth and incriminate Gid out of revenge. As I admitted, I can’t prove any of it yet, but it’s perfectly apparent.”
“It is? Tell me why.”
“Oh, because Sara knew Gid had been drinking gimlets in the Kiowa Room, and was surely the one on the telephone, and was just as surely, therefore, the one who did the killing. She had to have a reason for killing Beth and calling Gid, of course, and the only reason that seems probable is the one I’ve just explained. You see now? It’s perfectly apparent.”
“It does become clearer when you know all the facts. How do you propose to deceive Sara into confessing?”
“That’s what we must now put our minds to, and I have a plan already thought out that I’d like to have your opinion of.”
“Tell me the plan, and I’ll give you my opinion gladly.”
“We must keep in mind, to begin with, that someone who has killed someone is bound to be uneasy and afraid of the possible consequences, which will make her extremely susceptible to suggestions and threats and things like that. What I propose to do, if you agree, is to call Sara without identifying myself and claim to have seen her commit the murder. She will certainly deny at first that she did it, of course, but I’ll convince her one way or another that I happened by accident to see her, and what I intend to do then is pretend to be a blackmailer who wants money to keep quiet about it, just as Beth actually was in connection with something that I’ve promised not to tell about unless necessary. I’ll arrange to meet her alone at some place where you can be hiding as a witness, unknown to her, and it will be up to me to get her to convict herself by what she says, although the simple fact that she comes to meet me will surely be evidence of her guilt.”
“Do you think I’ll be acceptable to Hec Caldwell as a witness? I doubt it. He’ll be likely to believe that we’ve made it all up just to get Gid out of jail.”
“He may be a little dubious, I admit, but he will certainly have to make an investigation of Sara as a result, and once he and Cotton McBride are put on to her, even they may discover the truth. It’s probable that Sara’s somewhat unstable mentally and will break down and admit everything soon enough if seriously accused.”
“Nevertheless, I think it might be a good idea to have one or both of them there to hear it with me.”
“I’ve thought of that, but I don’t believe I want to risk it. I’m afraid they might reject the plan and refuse to let us go through with it.”
“Another thing that bothers me a little is the feeling that it might be dangerous. Sara’s probably unstable, as you say, to have done such a thing, and in fact I consider it likely that she may be secretly as mad as the March Hare. There’s no telling what she may try to do to you, and to me also if I’m forced to come to your assistance.”
“There’s some danger in it, all right, but I’m prepared to face it for Gid’s sake.”
“Well, I’m not quite so dedicated to Gid as you are, but I’m willing to face it with you. When do you intend to call Sara?”
“Now is as good a time as any. Will you please look up her number in the directory?”
Millie looked it up and told it to Sid, and Sid dialed. The phone at the other end of the line rang twice and was answered. It was answered by Sara, who lived alone. “Is it Sara Pike speaking?” Sid said.
“Yes.” Sara said, “Who’s this?”
“You don’t know me, but I know you, and I know what you’ve done because I saw you do it.”
“What’s that? What did you say?”
Sara’s voice, Sid said later, was suddenly shrill and almost frenzied, and it was obvious immediately that she was, as Sid had predicted, extremely susceptible to suggestions and oblique threats and things like that.
“You heard what I said, and you know what I mean,” Sid said.
“On the contrary, I don’t understand you at all. Tell me who you are and what you want. Why have you called me?”
“I’ve called to tell you that I saw you kill Beth Thatcher. I was there and saw it, and you had better believe me. Don’t hang up, or I’ll go straight to the police.”
“Are you insane?”
“I’m not, but I think that you may be.”
“What do you want?”
“We had better meet somewhere
