Ten minutes later the two men were with Kit Loring.
What a woman! Easton thought. He compared her to Mavis Hart and the comparison made him feel old and unsure of himself. Looking at her, Easton realised how sordid and depressing his affair with Mavis was. To be in bed with a woman like Kit Loring would be a major experience. He scarcely listened to what she was saying. His attention was riveted on her slim, sensual body and her blatant breasts that offered a challenge from behind the soft grey covering of her sweater. This was a woman, he told himself. There was nothing skinny nor sordid about her. She had the structure and the flesh that he had so often thought about. She was the most exciting and desirable woman he had ever met.
Travers stayed in the background, watching and listening. He realised that Kit was slightly drunk and this shocked him. When she moved past him, he smelt the whisky on her breath. It hurt and worried him, knowing she was to be his future mother-in-law.
Kit was drunk enough to be very confident.
‘I just can’t believe Alice would do such a thing,’ she said. ‘Of course, this man must have influenced her. Although she is a nice girl, I’m afraid she has no character. She is very weak and unsure of herself.’
‘You know for a fact she did have a boy-friend?’ Easton asked, glancing at Travers with a knowing grin.
‘Why, of course. I saw him. I saw them together.’
‘When was this, Mrs. Loring?’
‘Oh, about ten days ago. I was in my room when I heard a car drive up. I looked out of the window. I saw Alice and a man get out of the car. They kissed, then Alice ran into the house and the man drove away.’
‘Did you see him well enough to give me a description?’
‘Oh, yes. He moved in front of the car’s headlights. But Major Hardy and Miss Pearson had a better view of him. I was on the top floor, but they saw him from the ground floor.’
Easton gave her an admiring smile.
‘You tell me. I’d rather have it from you. From my experience, old people aren’t reliable.’
Kit lifted her hair off her shoulders. Her firm breasts pointed at Easton who stared at them.
‘He was tall and thick-set. He had black sideboards and a moustache. He wore a fawn, belted overcoat and a wide-brimmed hat.’
‘Any idea how old he could be?’
‘Perhaps thirty… thirty-five. It’s hard to say.’
‘You haven’t ever seen him in town?’
‘Oh, no.’
‘And the car?’
‘I didn’t notice the car.’ Kit glanced at Travers. His silent presence was making her uneasy. ‘I suppose Mr. Calvin told you about Alice’s bank examination? She pretended to be working in her room, but she would sneak out to meet this man. I knew because her coat and hat was often missing.’
Easton nodded.
‘Yeah, he told me. That shows, doesn’t it?’ He again glanced at Travers. ‘She must have fallen hard for this guy. Could I see her room?’
‘Of course.’ Kit led the way upstairs. On the second floor, she paused to open a door. She stood aside. Easton, followed by Travers entered a small, impersonal room.
As Easton looked around, Kit said, ‘I have to prepare lunch, if you’ll excuse me. If you want me again, I’ll be in the kitchen.’
When she had gone, Easton blew out his cheeks.
‘Now there’s a baby I’d like to drag into my bed,’ he said enthusiastically. ‘Some chick!’
‘Think so?’ Travers said, an edge to his voice. ‘She happens to be my future mother-in-law.’
Easton’s fat face turned red.
‘Is that right? Well… what do you know!’ He looked around the room. ‘Let’s see what’s here.’
If there was one thing Easton could do competently it was to search a room. While Travers kept out of his way, Easton searched with a professional thoroughness.
He studied the half-empty wardrobe and the half-empty drawers.
‘Looks as if she took most of her clothes with her,’ he said. ‘No suitcase around.’ He pushed the bed aside and glanced behind it. ‘Hello… what have we here?’ He fished up a crumpled ball of paper and smoothed it out. ‘Look at this!’
Travers peered over his shoulder. The two men stared at the letter that contained only a few lines, but they were lines that brought both men alert.
Dear Alice,
It’s all fixed for tomorrow night. I’ve got a car. I’ll pick you up at the bottom of the road at half past one sharp. You have nothing to worry about. The only thing you have to do is to leave the back door unlocked. Watch out for C. He mustn’t spot you.
Love,
Apart from the scrawled signature, the letter was typewritten.
‘Well, here it is!’ Easton said triumphantly. ‘I told you, didn’t I? This is enough to put them both away for fifteen years.’
Travers took the letter from him and stared at it. So she had done it! Alice of all people!
‘Yeah… looks like a clincher,’ he said slowly and handed the letter back. ‘It beats me. I would never have believed she would have done such a thing, but… well, I guess I’m convinced now.’
Easton grinned. He folded the letter carefully and put it in his wallet.
‘When you’ve had my experience, son,’ he said genially, ‘you’ll never be surprised at anything. Let’s go talk to the old people.’
Miss Pearson and Major Hardy were waiting to be interviewed. Easton found them both irritating and tiresome. Although they agreed that Alice’s mysterious boy-friend was a big man and heavily built, Miss Pearson couldn’t agree that he had a moustache and the major was sure the man’s overcoat was dark brown and not fawn. Also the major was indignant that Easton should even suspect Alice had anything to do with the robbery.
‘My dear fellow,’ the major said, ‘you’re wasting your time suspecting Miss Craig. She would never do such a thing. I’ve known her for years. She just wouldn’t do such a thing.’
‘Yeah?’ Easton said belligerently. ‘Then where is she? How about this letter?’ And he pushed the crumpled letter under the major’s nose.
‘This doesn’t mean anything,’ the major said after reading it. ‘It could have been planted.’
Easton turned red with exasperation.
‘Who planted it? Did you?’
At this moment, Kit came to the door to say Easton was wanted on the telephone. It was the sheriff calling.
‘Just had a report from the State Police,’ he told Easton. ‘The gas attendant at the Caltex filling station on the Downside highway is pretty sure he saw this guy and Miss Craig around half past one last night. Do you want to talk to him.’
‘You bet I do!’ Easton said, studying Kit’s legs as she stood with her back to him looking out of the window. ‘What makes him so sure he saw her?’
‘The girl was wearing a mustard-coloured coat with a green collar,’ the sheriff said. ‘He recognised the coat. He’s seen Miss Craig from time to time.’
‘Okay, I’ll get over there right away,’ Easton said and hung up.
He went back to the room where Travers was talking to the old people.
‘Let’s go,’ he said from the doorway. ‘Something’s turned up.’
The two men went out to Easton’s car. As Easton drove on to the highway, he told Travers what he had learned from the sheriff.
‘You know, Major Hardy could be right,’ Travers said. ‘That letter could have been planted. This guy Johnny could have kidnapped the girl. The more I think about it, the more unlikely I think it is she would have done this job willingly.’
‘Oh, for Pete’s sake!’ Easton said impatiently. ‘You just said you were convinced. She fell for the guy, and she didn’t have to do anything except unlock the back entrance to the bank. That’s all. He could have persuaded her.’