I Would Rather Stay Poor (22 page)

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Authors: James Hadley Chase

BOOK: I Would Rather Stay Poor
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‘I’m busy, but come in,’ Calvin said. ‘We’re doing an audit. Anything urgent?’

‘Well
…
not urgent. You’ve got a Remington typewriter here, haven’t you?’

C
al
vin’s friendly smile broadened.

‘Come in
…
do you want to buy one?’

As Easton moved into the bank, Calvin shut and locked the door.

‘We’re still hunting for this Remington
…
’ Easton began, but Calvin put his hand on his arm and steered him firmly towards his office, saying, ‘You look fagged out. You’ve been working too hard. Come into the office and take the weight off your feet.’
Easton allowed himself to be propelled into the office, but not before he noticed Iris at her desk, staring at him. Easton never missed
a
pretty girl and he thought Iris was exceptionally pretty. This guy Calvin had a
ll
the luck. He was going to marry that sensational Kit Loring and now he had this gir
l to replace Alic
e. Easton thought of Mavis Hart. She wasn’t a patch on this kid with her large eyes and her silky, wavy hair
…
not a patch.
Calvin closed the office door, waved Easton to the armchair and went around the desk and sat down. ‘Cigarette?’
Easton grimaced.

‘Don’t touch them
…
I reckon they’re sheer poison.’

‘You’re probably right
…
I
thrive on poison,’ Calvin said and
lit
a cigarette. He moved his letter opener slightly to the right. Although his expression was friendly and frank, his mind was seething with sudden panic. Had Travers told Easton about the portable? He would have to
be
careful. Travers must know now the portable belonged to Kit. ‘What’s
all
this about
a
typewriter?’
‘We’ve been c
hecking the Remingtons sold to
people here in Pittsvil
l
e,’ Easton said. ‘I see two years ago, a Remington was delivered to the bank. We’re looking for the machine this guy Acres used. Can I see the bank machine?’
‘You certainly could if we
still
had it,’ Calvin said and grinned. ‘To my knowledge we haven’t had it for the past year. I remember Alice tel
l
ing me it
was
knocked off the counter and it was a complete write-off. A
li
ce borrowed a machine for a time. She gave it back just after I came. I used mine which was pretty hopeless and that broke down: now I have borrowed my fianc
é
e’s
…
i
t’s
out there now: a Smith Corona portable.’
Easton
shrugged his
fat shoulders. He hadn’t thought for a moment that the Remington listed at the bank would
be
the one
he
was looking for.

‘I was just checking,’
he said. ‘Got to tick off every machine on the list. Now we’ll have to start at Downside. That’s going to be a hell of a job. There are over five hundred Remingtons in use there.’

Calvin drew in a lungful of smoke and relaxed. The past three minutes had made sweat run down his back.

‘How’s it going? Getting anywhere?’ he asked.
‘I guess not,’ Easton said and scratched the side of his neck. ‘We have this guy sewn up, but we can’t get a lead on him. He did a smooth job. There were no fingerprints on the car. Records don’t know him. We may catch him through the typewriter, but somehow I don’t think we will. I think he was smart enough to cover his tracks even to the typewriter. He probably went to some typing bureau, typed the letter and paid a fee to use the machine. I know that’s what I would have done in his place.’
And that’s what I should have done, Calvin thought. I wish I had! That Remington could fix me even if this dimwit doesn’t realise it.

‘We
ll
, I wish you luck,’ he said. ‘That reward is worth having
…
sixty thousand dollars! Phew! I bet Travers is sniffing around hoping to get his hands on it.’

Easton scowled. Calvin had read his thoughts correctly. All day, Easton
h
ad been thinking that Travers could beat him to the reward. The thought had been agony to him. Travers was smart. Somehow, he had to find this guy Acres before Travers did. That reward meant a fresh start for him: a new life.
‘Have you any ideas, Mr. Calvin?’ he asked, leaning back in his chair, folding his hands across the ache in his stomach. ‘I mean
…
what would you do in my place?’
Calvin shrugged, smiling.
‘I wouldn’t know. I’ve no experience of this kind of thing. You’re trained to the job.’ He paused, then went on just as Easton was about to say something,
‘but
if I were in your place, I’d concentrate on all the out-of-the-way restaurants and cafes in the district to try to find out if anyone noticed Alice there. It seems to me when she sneaked out three or four ti
m
es a week when she should have been working for her exam, she must have gone somewhere unless, of course, they just sat in the car and petted, but I don’t think Alice was the petting type. I think Acres must have taken her somewhere: some roadhouse or restaurant. Alice never went anywhere and she would fall for that kind of thing where they have music and soft lights
…
you know the romantic angle. I think if you checked all the places within thirty miles or so of Pittsvi
lle you might find the place w
here he took her. It’s a long shot, but I’d try it. You might find out, once you have found the place, where Acres was staying. Can’t you get a photograph of Acres made up from the description you have of him and get i
t in all the papers and on TV?’
‘We’re doing that,’ Easton said, his eyes suddenly alight, ‘but that other idea of yours isn’t so lousy. I
’ll
work on it.’ He got to his feet. ‘Well, I mustn’t keep you. That’s a pretty girl you’ve found. Who’s she?’ He jerked his thumb to the door and winked.
‘That’s my future daughter-in-law,’ Calvin said. ‘She is going to marry Travers.’
Easton felt as if he had bitten
into a quince. Everyone got him
self a fine-looking dish except himself, he thought.
‘Lucky guy,’ he said. ‘Well, be seeing you.’

They walked across the bank to the door.

Iris watched them. She had heard what Easton had said about the typewriter. She looked anxiously at him as he shook hands with Calvin, a genial smile on his fat face. She could see Calvin had fooled him.

A little after six o’clock, Calvin told her to go home. He leaned against the counter, looking at her, a sensual, jeering expression in his eyes.

‘Well, I hope you enjoyed your first day here,’ he said. ‘I’m sure we’re going to get along fine together. I won’t be back before eight. These aud
itors will stick here until the
last minute, but they are finishing tonight.’
Iris was glad to leave the bank. She walked quickly to the bus stop, and after a few minutes wait, got on the bus that would drop her close to her home.
Leaving the bus at the road junction, she began the short walk to the rooming-house. She quickened her
steps
when she saw Ken’s car drawn up on the grass verge and Ken, himself, leaning against the ca
r, a smoking cigarette between h
is fingers.
‘Hello there,’ he said, coming towards her. ‘I’ve just got back from Downside. I’ve got to be at the office by seven. I thought I’d wait for you. Any luck?’

Quickly she told him what had happened. He looked at her worried, distressed expression and he saw she was scared.

‘He’s smart,’ he said and put his arm around her. ‘Okay. I’ll have to think of something else. Anyway, this let
’s
you out. You can leave it to me from now on.’

‘No!’ Iris pulled away from him. ‘I feel the way you do now, Ken. This is something between us and him. He won’t be back until eight o’clock. I’m going to look in his room. There’s just a chance the
money is there. If it isn’t, I’ll
try the bank.’
Now it was Travers’s turn to look worried.

‘This guy’s a killer,’ he said. ‘If he caught you at it
…
no, better not. You leave this to me.’

‘I’m going to look in his room,’ Iris said quietly. ‘Tell me what to do.’

Travers hesitated, then knowing this was the one short cut to the reward, said, ‘Well, make it fast. Three hundred thousand dollars in small bills takes up a lot of space. Look under the bed, in his drawers, in any suitcase. If you find a locked suitcase, see how heavy i
t is.
Call me if you find anything, but be careful no
one hears you make the call. One more thing, take a duster with you in case he comes back unexpectedly. You can say you were dusting his room as Flo hadn’t time to get around to do it. Okay?’
A little pale, but determined, Iris nodded.

‘Yes.’ She kissed him. ‘If I find anything, I
’ll
call you.’

He looked at his watch.

‘I’ve got to get going. The old man is waiting for his supper.’ He put his arm around her and kissed her. ‘Don’t do it, honey, if it scares you.’
‘I’m going to do it.’
She watched him get
in
his car and drive away, then she walked quickly towards the rooming
-
house. The upper floors were in darkness. As she opened the front door, she could hear the television blaring. She paused to listen. She heard sounds coming from the kitchen. She guessed Kit was preparing dinner. She hung up her coat, then went to the closet under the stairs and found
a
duster. As she began to mount the stairs, the kitchen door opened abruptly and Kit stood in the doorway.
Iris paused.
‘So you’re back. Seems funny to have you back at this hour,’ Kit said, leaning against the doorway, looking up at Iris. ‘Much more respectable than coming in at two in the morning. How do you like working with my handsome
fiancé
?’
‘It’s all right,’ Iris said, aware blood was rising to her face.
Kit stared intently at her. Her face was white and sweat beads made a pattern on her upper lip. Iris could see she was very drunk.
‘I’m so glad. Did he touch you? He has exciting hands.’

‘Kit! Please!’

‘Don’t be so modest. You should know by now what men are like. If he ever touches you like that, te
l
l me. I’
ll
kill him. I’ve told him so. Just tell me.’
Iris turned and ran up the stairs. She paused at the head of the stairs to listen. She heard Kit’s unsteady steps as she moved back into the kitchen and she shivered, then steeling herself, she went straight to
C
alvin’s room.
She paused for
a
moment outside the door, then she turned the handle, eased the door open and entered the room. Crossing the room in the semi-darkness, she pulled the blinds, then she groped her way back to the light switch and snapped it on. She tucked the duster into the belt she was wearing and looked around the room.
There were very few places of concealment. First, she looked under the bed, but there was nothing there. Standing in a corner of the room was a suitcase, well worn and travel battered. She lifted it, but it was empty. She went to the big closet, opened it and saw at
a
glance it only contained shirts and underwear. She moved the various articles aside, making sure there was nothing concealed under them. She opened the second drawer, working
hurriedly, her heart beating with growing panic. The drawer contained handkerchiefs and ties.
Sure now the money couldn’t be concealed in this room, she turned off the light and moved cautiously into the passage. She heard heavy footfalls coming up the stairs and her heart skipped
a
beat. She peered over the banister rail. Calvin was coming up the stairs, humming tunelessly, moving purposefu
ll
y and quickly.
She hast
i
ly stepped into Kit
’
s room and closed the door. She listened, hearing Calvin enter his room, hearing the light switch dick down.

She leaned against the wa
l
l, her heart slamming against her ribs,
her
breath coming in stifled gasps. She
waited
there in
the
darkness.

Calvin had seen the
li
ght in his window as he had driven into the garage. He had got away earlier than he had expected. Leaving the car,
he had
gone to the front of the house and looked up
at the
lighted window. He wondered who was up there. At first, he thought it might be Kit, then
it
flashed through h
is
mind
it was
more likely to be Iris.

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