Looking at her, he was suddenly convinced that he could trust her.
‘Okay, so you have yourself a partner,’ he said. ‘With your help, we could lay our hands on this money… three hundred thousand dollars!’
‘But how?’
‘I don’t know — yet. It’ll be tricky. I’ll be the first one they’ll suspect.’
‘So you haven’t even an idea, let alone a plan?’
‘Not yet, but I now have a partner and that’s important. If we are going to do this thing we mustn’t rush it. When we do it, it must be foolproof.’
‘I’m ready to take risks.’
‘You think about it,’ Calvin said. ‘I’ll think too. It’s got to be foolproof.’
He got to his feet and crossed to the closet. He took from it a bottle of whisky. ‘Let’s drink to it.’
She looked first at him, then at the bottle he held in his hand. Her expression puzzled him.
‘I don’t drink,’ she said curtly. ‘I never drink.’
She moved past him towards the communicating door. He put down the bottle and caught hold of her arm. For a moment they looked searchingly at each other, then she jerked free.
‘I give nothing for nothing,’ she said. ‘Don’t complicate things.’
She went into her room, shut and locked the door.
Calvin shrugged. He poured a stiff shot of whisky into a glass.
‘I’ll wait,’ he said half aloud. ‘What I don’t get today, I’ll get tomorrow. She’s worth waiting for.’
For the first time in years he slept dreamlessly and in the dark. He now felt secure, knowing he was no longer alone.
2
On Saturday afternoon, Calvin drove out to the Downside Golf Course.
He played perfect golf because his mind was fully occupied with the problem of stealing the payroll. He didn’t think about golf. He approached the ball and hit it without bothering if it hooked, sliced or flew straight. It had flown straight. He putted in the same frame of mind. The ball would either drop or miss by yards: it dropped.
His afternoon wasn’t wasted. He now had an idea. This was something he wanted urgently to discuss with Kit. It irritated him when he drove into the garage to find her estate wagon wasn’t there. He went up to his room, stripped off, took a shower, then putting on a shirt and slacks, he pulled his armchair up to the window and sat down to consider this idea of his. A little after six o’clock, he heard the television start up. Then at half past six, he saw the estate wagon drive into the garage.
There would be the inevitable dinner to prepare. He would have no chance to talk to Kit for at least another three hours. He went downstairs.
He met Kit as she came hurrying in. They paused and looked at each other.
‘Did you get any golf?’ she asked.
‘I played a round… not a bad course.’ He stared fixedly at her. ‘I have an idea. Let’s talk about it tonight.’
She nodded.
‘About ten?’
Again she nodded.
He went down the stairs and into the lounge. Alice was sewing on a button on a blouse. The two old people were in the other room, watching television.
Calvin dropped into a lounging chair. He switched on his charm as Alice looked up. She flushed and looked quickly away from him.
‘Gee! I’m tired,’ he said. ‘I’ve been playing golf all afternoon. What have you been doing?’
She looked confused as she said, ‘Nothing… really… sewing…’
‘Don’t you find it dull living here?’ he asked, staring at her. Suddenly this thin pale spinsterish girl had become very important to his financial future.
‘No… I don’t find it dull at all,’ she said. ‘I like it here.’
‘Do you ever go out dancing?’
Blood stained her face.
‘No… I don’t care for dancing.’
His expression was kindly as he shook his head.
‘But you should. You’re young. Don’t tell me you haven’t a boy-friend.’
Her flush deepened painfully.
‘No… I haven’t.’
There was a pause then he said, ‘By the way, I meant to ask you about Mrs. Reeder’s account. Couldn’t we suggest she invests in something a bit more exciting than gilt edged?’ Now he had learned what he wanted to know, he deliberately changed the subject. Alice immediately lost her shyness. For the next half hour, they discussed Mrs. Reeder’s investments, then they were interrupted by Miss Pearson and Major Hardy who had seen the six o’clock serial and were now anxious to be entertained by the younger people.
After dinner Alice and the old people watched television and Calvin, excusing himself, saying he had letters to write, went upstairs.
He stretched out on his bed, lit a cigarette and gave his mind again to the idea that had suddenly come to him on the golf course. The more he considered it, the more convinced he became that it would work.
Finally, a little after ten o’clock, he heard the lock click back, then the communicating door opened. Kit came in and went to one of the lounging chairs and sat down.
‘Well? What is this idea of yours?’ she asked, looking at him as he lay inert on the bed, staring fixedly up at the ceiling.
‘Maybe it’ll surprise you to learn that Alice is planning with her boy-friend to steal the Pittsville payroll,’ Calvin said. ‘What do you think of that as an idea?’
Kit frowned.
‘I don’t follow you. What do you mean?’
‘You heard what I said. If the payroll vanishes, the Federal agents will know it is an inside job. Either Alice or myself will be suspected. Well, Alice is the one who is going to get stuck with it.’
Kit moved impatiently.
‘No one would believe she would do such a thing.’
‘That’s right, but they would believe it if she had been persuaded by her boy-friend to let him have the keys and if he persuaded her to tell him about the electronic eye… they would believe that.’
‘But she hasn’t a boy-friend. She isn’t the type ever to have a boy-friend. What are you talking about?’
‘She’s going to have one,’ Calvin said and grinned, ‘and he’s going to be quite a boy. He’s going to grab that three hundred thousand dollar payroll and vanish into thin air.’
She sat tense, watching him. ‘Explain…’ she said sharply.
‘The more I think about it, the more certain I am that Alice is made for this job,’ Calvin said. ‘Don’t forget she had both keys to the vault when Lamb had his stroke. She would have had plenty of time to make an impression of my key before I arrived. It is easy enough to do with a piece of soap. She gives the impression to her boy-friend who makes a duplicate key. She also tells him about this electronic eye arrangement. The trick of this hicky is it doesn’t come into operation until all the lights are out in the bank. All the boy-friend has to do is to remove all the light bulbs except the one in the vault and then turn on the light. The vault light can’t be seen from the street and when it is on, the alarm system can’t operate.’
‘But Alice hasn’t a boy-friend and she isn’t likely ever to have one,’ Kit said impatiently.
‘Before I’ve done with her, she’s going to have a boy-friend, and the two of them will lift the payroll.’
‘But how are you going to get her a boy-friend?’ Kit demanded. ‘She…’
‘It’s a trick,’ Calvin said and got off the bed. He went over to the closet and took out the bottle of whisky. ‘Sure you won’t have one?’ he asked, waving the bottle towards her.
‘I told you… I don’t drink!’ she snapped. ‘What do you mean… a trick?’
Calvin poured himself a drink, then sat on the edge of the bed.