She was smart enough to guess what I was thinking.
‘If you don’t do this, I have no idea who else to ask. I’ll come with you if you will do it.’
‘Oh no. If I do it, I do it alone.’
‘There will be no question of that. I’ve made up my mind to see the money delivered to them with my own eyes. If you won’t go with me, I’ll go alone.’
I turned to look at her, surprised by her vehemence. We stared at each other for about three seconds. I could see by the expression in her eyes no one would make her change her mind.
‘Well, all right, if that’s how you feel about it,’ I said. I’ll come with you.’ We sat for some moments in silence.
‘There’s one thing I wanted to ask you,’ she said abruptly. ‘What was this woman like who said she was my secretary?’ ‘You mean to look at?’
‘Yes.’
'Well, she was about thirty or so, dark, good-looking and well dressed. I thought at the time she didn’t look like anyone’s secretary.’
‘Was she very pretty?’
‘I suppose she was, and she had character too. She hadn’t the usual vacant face of the usual pretty woman.’
‘She called my husband by his Christian name. Is that right?’
‘Yes.’
I saw her clench her fists.
‘That fat fool of a policeman thinks Lee was having an affair with her,’ she said, and she seemed to be speaking through locked teeth. ‘Do you think that?’
‘Does it matter what I think?’
‘I’m asking you—do you think that?’ Her voice was harsh and tight with emotion.
‘I don’t know. I know nothing about your husband. It looks like it, but she may have just been a friend of his.’
‘He wasn’t in love with her!’ she said so quietly I could scarcely hear her. ‘I know it! He wouldn’t have done a thing like that. He wouldn’t have taken another woman into my home. He wasn’t that type.’ She stopped, looked quickly away, her hand going to her face.
‘Have the police found her yet?’
‘No. They’re not trying to. They’re so sure she’s Lee’s mistress. They say it’s better not to find her. I don’t believe it! She must know something.’
I didn’t say anything.
After a long, heavy silence, she said abruptly, ‘Perhaps you’ll drive me back to the club. I don’t think there’s anything else to discuss until the night after next. Will you come to the house at six? We may have to wait, but we must be ready to leave at a moment’s notice.’
‘I’ll be there.’
We drove to the club in silence. As soon as I parked the car, she got out and gave me a meaningless, automatic smile as she said, ‘The night after next then, at six.’
I watched her walk towards the clubhouse; a graceful, lovely figure in the gold dress; diamonds sparkling in her hair; fear and jealousy in her heart.
II
I toiled up the stone steps leading to Mifflin’s small office on the fourth floor of Police Headquarters’ building.
Mifflin was staring out of the window, his hat over his eyes, the stub of a cigarette stuck on his lower lip. He had a brooding, dismal look on his red face and his eyes showed the energy of his thoughts.
‘You,’ he said gloomily as I pushed open the door and edged my way into the small office. ‘Funny thing, I was thinking about you. Come in, and park. I’m out of cigarettes, so don’t ask me for one.’
I pulled up a hard, straight-backed chair, sat astride it, and folded my arms along the back of it.
‘How’s the kidnapping going?’
‘Awful,’ he said, and sighed. ‘Nothing to work on, and Brandon’s going around like a fiend. He reckons someone will make him Chief of Police if he catches the kidnappers.’
I searched in my coat pocket, fished out a package of cigarettes, offered him one.
We lit up and brooded at each other.
‘Anything on the Jerome dame?’
Mifflin sighed.
‘Have you come in here just to pick my brains?’
'No; nothing like that. I came here to swop some information.’
Mifflin’s face lit up and he gave me a quick, searching look.
'You got anything?’
‘Not much. It’s confidential. Last night, Mrs. Dedrick called me up. You can guess what she wanted.’
‘She’s got the ransom demand, and you’re to deliver the dough, is that it?’
I nodded.
‘She doesn’t want the police to know.’
‘She wouldn’t,’ Mifflin said, bitterly; ‘but she expects us to get her husband back. When?’
‘Tomorrow night. They’ll call her and give her final instructions.’
‘Brandon will have to be told.’
I shrugged.
‘That’s up to you. There’s nothing he can do about it, unless he moves in and grabs the guy who collects. If he does, he’ll kill Dedrick as if he shot him himself.’
‘It’s my bet, Dedrick’s dead already.’
‘Maybe, but we don’t know for sure.’
‘Well. I’ll have to tell him.’
‘So long as he doesn’t let Mrs. Dedrick know I’ve been here. What will you do—tap the telephone wire?’
‘Could do,’ Mifflin said, closed his eyes and frowned. ‘If that woman doesn’t want us in this, the chances are Brandon won’t do anything. He’s scared to make a wrong move with her. Once the ransom’s paid, our troubles will be over. The Federal Bureau will take charge.’
‘Getting back to Mary Jerome; anything or nothing?’ ‘Brandon’s leaving her alone, but I’ve traced her car. A patrolman spotted her coming from Ocean End and got the number. He’s one of those freaks who remembers car numbers. He shoved in a report when he heard about the kidnapping. She rented the car from the Acme Garage. Maybe you know the joint. It’s run by a guy named Lute Ferris. We’ve had our eye on him off and on for smuggling reefers, but have never pinned anything on him. He was in Los Angeles when I called, but I talked with his wife. She remembers this Jerome dame. She arrived the night before last—the night of the kidnapping—around eight o’clock and asked Lute for a car. She paid fifty dollars deposit and said she needed the car for a couple of days. She gave the Orchid Hotel as her address.’
‘Trusting of Ferris to let her have a car without checking on her first, wasn’t it?’ Why should he care? The car’s insured. Anyway, that’s the story, and we’re stuck with it.’
‘You’ve checked the airport and the station to see if she came from out-of-town?’
‘Yeah, we’ve done that, but can’t get a line on her.’
‘And that’s as far as you’ve got?’
‘That’s as far as we’ll ever get,’ Mifflin said, stubbing out his cigarette. ‘A kidnapping case is the worst kind of case you can get. If they knock off the guy who’s kidnapped and the money ain’t marked, you’re up a tree. The only hope is for one of them to be dissatisfied with his cut and give the rest of them away. It makes it ten times as hard now Brandon’s scared to move. This Jerome dame is our only lead, and I can’t go after her.’
‘Well, maybe you’ll have another murder on your hands to cheer you up,’ I said bitterly. ‘It wouldn’t surprise
