Ten minutes later, they pulled up outside the rooming-house.
‘Go ahead and pack what you want,’ Travers said. ‘We should be moving in about an hour. If you want me, I’m right here.’
As Iris entered the hall, she heard music from the TV filling the house. She went quickly up the stairs to her room. Shutting the door, she found a couple of suitcases and hastily began to pack them. This took a little time, but finally she finished. As she was trying to shut the lid of one of the cases, Calvin said, ‘Can I help?’
She spun around, her heart missing a beat. He was standing in the doorway, watching her, a fixed, ugly grin on his face.
She backed away as he moved into the room and shut the door.
‘Go away!’ she said, terrified. ‘Don’t come near me!’
‘What’s all the excitement about?’ he asked mildly. ‘What’s all the packing for? You’re not leaving, are you?’
‘I’m leaving with Ken tonight,’ Iris said, trying to steady her voice. ‘He’s outside… waiting for me. Now get out!’
‘You have a little job to do for your mother tomorrow. You can’t leave until then.’
‘I’m not doing it! Ken knows… get out!’
Calvin moved to the window and looked down at the waiting car in the drive. A hot, scalding rage ran through him.
‘What is he planning… to jail your mother?’ he asked, turning and staring at her.
‘He’s resigning from the police. We’re getting married. Please, go away!’
‘You mean he isn’t going to do anything about Kit nor me?’
‘That’s what I mean.’
Calvin thought for a long moment, then he switched on his charm.
‘Why, that’s wonderful. Maybe it’s better for you two to be out of the way.’ He crossed the room and shut the lid of the suitcase with a squeeze from his powerful fingers. ‘I’ll carry your bags down.’
Iris didn’t say anything. She watched him pick up the two bags and walk out of the room. For a moment she stood motionless, trying to control the trembling of her body, then she went quickly out of the room and up to Kit’s room. She turned the door handle, but the door was locked.
‘Kit… it’s me. I want to talk to you.’
There was silence.
She knocked.
‘Kit… please… I’m going away: please open up.’
A loud, drunken voice exclaimed. ‘Oh, go to hell for all I care! Go away and keep away!’
Iris stepped back, hesitated, then turned and went quickly down the stairs. Calvin was standing in the hall.
‘Well, so long,’ he said. ‘Have a nice honeymoon. I won’t embarrass the groom by coming out. You may not think it, but we’ll get away with this. There’s no opposition now. The boy who had me worried was your smart future husband.’
Iris picked up the two bags and without looking at him, went out to where Travers was impatiently waiting.
Calvin watched them drive away, then he walked upstairs and into his room. He sat down and lit a cigarette, he was much more confident now. Of course it was tiresome that Iris wasn’t taking the money out, but at least, he now only had an ageing sheriff and that fool Easton to worry about. There must be some way to get the money out. The great thing was he was rid of Travers.
Around eleven o’clock, he was still sitting, chain-smoking when the communicating door jerked open and Kit came in.
Calvin looked up.
Now for another scene, he thought irritably. She’s been howling her eyes out and she’s tight again.
‘Where’s Iris gone?’ Kit asked, standing in the doorway.
‘While you have been swimming in alcohol,’ Calvin said, stretching out his massive legs, ‘our problems have solved themselves. Iris very sensibly has decided to marry her cop who very sensibly, in view of the circumstances, has decided to resign from the police force. They have gone off together, and I imagine this will be the last time we see them. This is excellent for us because we now have a dotty old sheriff and a F.B.I. agent with stomach ulcers trying to solve the famous bank robbery. The chances of either of them solving it are remote, so for the moment we are sitting pretty.’
‘She’s marrying that boy?’ Kit said, coming into the room.
‘Why shouldn’t she? He’s smart. If I had a daughter, I’d be glad to see her marry our hero.’
‘I owe you something, don’t I?’ Kit said, sitting down and staring at him with hate. ‘How I wish I had never set eyes on you! You’ve spoilt my life. All I hope now is you’ll suffer the way you’ve made me suffer.’
Calvin stifled a yawn.
‘There’s a chance, but I hope not, but life’s damn odd. It catches up with you. Well, could you get over the dramatics? We have business to discuss. I have an idea.’
‘I don’t want to listen to any of your ideas!’
‘You’ll have to,’ Calvin said. ‘I told you: from now on we’re going to be Siamese twins whether you like it or not. Tomorrow I’m resigning from the bank. At the end of the week we’ll get married and who do you suppose is going to be our best man?’ He grinned at her. ‘This is where I’m playing it smart. Our best man is going to be our old pal, Easton. He’s not only going to give us away, but he’s going to put us on the train to Florida. How’s that for a bright idea? We’ll have him escort us to the train and he won’t stand any nonsense about searching our bags. That guy likes me. I can talk him into anything.’ Calvin’s grin widened. ‘Like it? It’s a winner. In ten days, baby, we’ll be out of here on our way to a spending spree.’
‘Suppose I don’t want to do it?’ she said in a low, hesitant voice.
‘You haven’t any choice. It’s either my way or you’ll land up before a judge. Come on, snap out of it! We’re going to get away with this… can’t you see? We’re nearly in the clear.’
‘But we’ll have to live with ourselves.’
Calvin leaned back in his chair. He drew in a slow, deep breath of exasperation.
‘Just what does that mean?’
‘You wouldn’t understand,’ Kit said. ‘I’m only just beginning to understand. We should never have done this thing.’
‘That’s a very bright remark. We did it, now we have to take it as it comes. Look, you’re drunk. You leave all this to me. All I ask you to do is to stay sober enough to go through the motions. I’ll fix everything. You do as I tell you. Okay?’
As she didn’t say anything, Calvin went on, ‘We’ll get a quick sale of this house. I’ll put it in the hands of the agents tomorrow. Better break the news to the old dears. I’ll write to my pal in Florida. I’ll get him to send me a letter offering me a job. That’ll square the bank. We’ll have to get everything fixed as fast as we can. There’s always the chance the top boy will take Easton off the job and put someone on as smart as Travers.’
Kit got slowly to her feet and walked unsteadily to the door. She paused and stared at Calvin for a long moment. There was an expression in her eyes that sent a sudden feeling of fear and uneasiness through him.
She turned and still saying nothing, she entered her room and closed the door between them.
CHAPTER SEVEN
1
Calvin arrived at the bank early the following morning. He brought with him his hold-all and he parked his car close to the back entrance of the bank. He went immediately to the vault and packed the payroll into the hold-all.
The sight of the money restored his confidence. He went out the back way and locked the hold-all in the boot of his car.
That was the first step. He was sure he would be safe in moving the money now from the bank to the rooming-house. It was when he attempted to take the money out of Pittsville he would have to watch out.