“Cuff. Call him anything,” Cassie said, “but get on!”
“He came along, and then,” Miss Chard said unhappily, “there was a fight. It all happened so quickly, I couldn’t tell what went on. It was so dark, out there.”
“Who, Cuff?” Leonidas demanded. “Rossi, and his cousin? Margie, what went on?”
“It was Rossi and his pal,” Margie said. “They were just going to take her for a ride in this car.”
“Is this Rossi’s car?” Cassie said. “This?”
“Of course it’s Rossi’s,” Leonidas told her. “Cuff had ‘Rossi’s car’ written in large letters on his forehead when he left us at the station. I knew he couldn’t resist taking it sooner or later. So Rossi and his cousin were about to take Miss Chard for a ride when you intervened. M’yes. I should have thought—”
“Not for a ride,” Miss Chard said. “I’m afraid you’ve misunderstood. Some woman wished to see me.”
Margie sighed.
“You don’t know what we been up against, Bill,” she said. “She still doesn’t know what she almost walked into!”
“Where are Rossi and the cousin now?” Leonidas asked. “What did you do with them?”
“They’re okay,” Cuff said. “And, say, Bill, my wrist’s all right. Ain’t that a joke on the doc, huh?”
“Where/” Leonidas said. “What did you do with them?”
“Oh, we left ‘em up at your house,” Cuff said. “The wrist don’t hurt a bit, Bill. And it’s still got the old snap—”
“Margie,” Leonidas said, “did he knock out Rossi and the cousin, and take them to my house? Clear this up, quickly!”
“That’s right, Bill. There was a Camera Club taking pictures of your living room, but Dow and that girl was looking out for everything all right. Rossi and the cousin are down in the cellar hall. They’re safe—”
“I’ll say they’re safe,” Cuff interrupted happily. “Rossi’s got a busted jaw, and the other guy’s got a busted nose. And besides I left the twins there to look after ‘em. I picks up the twins, see, outside the hall. They was there with a bunch from Ward Four. All set to demonstrate—”
“All we lacked,” Leonidas said, “were twins. What twins? Margie, whose twins?”
“Cuff’s twin brothers, Bill,” Margie explained. “Biff and Bat. They’re standing guard. Everything’s okay up there. That Camera Club didn’t see us. We went in the back way. We had sort of trouble with her,” she pointed to Miss Chard, “so I thought we’d better bring her along to you and let you explain before she talked to the wrong people. Say, at this auditorium meeting, they’re going—”
“Wait,” Cassie said. “Miss Chard, I want to ask you something. I’m going to ask her, Bill, and if she answers the right way, I’ll believe you. I mean, I’ll believe you know what you’re talking about, and it’s not heater fumes. Miss Chard,” Cassie paused and drew a long breath, “how much money was there in the brush box that was stolen from Medora’s safe yesterday afternoon?”
“Forty-two thousand, six hundred and four dollars, seventy-three cents,” Miss Chard said precisely. “I told her it was too much to keep in the house, but you know how she loves to keep money around, and besides, she was going to buy a car.”
“Lady,” Cuff looked at Miss Chard with reverent interest, “what kind of bus was you going to buy for that?”
“Oh, you’ve misunderstood me again,” Miss Chard said. “It wasn’t to be a bus. And of course it wouldn’t cost all that. But with a car, there will be no need for the bus stop, so Medora sold her Transit Company holdings. That’s how there happened to be so much money, you see. She insists always on cash payments, after that broker who swindled her in twenty-nine.”
“And how much,” Cassie gulped, “did you need for George?”
“Only a hundred dollars. I paid it back this morning, from my wages, and explained— Mrs. Price, how did you know about that?” In her amazement, Miss Chard forgot to look frightened. “Medora said she’d never tell a soul. But I suppose she forgot. Really, she was most understanding about it, Mrs. Price. Of course, I think her leniency was due wholly to her pleasure in discovering that the girl hadn’t taken the money. Did she tell you everything, Mrs. Price?”
“No,” Cassie said. “Uh—uh, no. Er—matter of fact, she never said anything to me about it.”
“Then how do you know?”
“Oh, I don’t!” Cassie said. “To be perfectly honest with you, I don’t understand much more than you do. It’s Bill.” She indicated Leonidas. “He’s the one who knows.”
“He does? My, my,” Miss Chard said, “I’m sure this is so confusing! But while I have the opportunity, Mr. Witherall, I must tell you how much I regret everything that happened this morning on the train. I’ve had no opportunity to tell you so before, everyone’s been talking so quickly. I wrote you a little note, and mailed it this noon, so you’ll get it tomorrow. But I did think you must be Leslie Horn’s accomplice. Probably it was very stupid of me, but things were very confusing this morning. Very. And I didn’t recognize you. I didn’t know who you were till I looked in your wallet and saw your name. You’re very different from that picture Medora has of you on her dresser.”
“Wow!” Margie said softly.
Cassie giggled.
Leonidas ignored them both.
“D’you happen to know, Miss Chard, where Leslie Horn is now?”
Miss Chard made distressing little sounds, and clucked her tongue.
“Tch, tch, no! She got left behind on the Camavon train, and Medora thinks she went back to New York. Well, really, I can’t say that I blame her. Things must have been confusing for her, too, I’m sure. But Medora sent her a telegram, and just as soon as this robbery is settled, Medora intends to go right over
