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 We re all friends now.
She flushed.  Of course! She gathered up her skirts.  I hope he knows we are.
A tall, very dark man in an expensive suit waited for them in the hall.
 Good to see you out again, John, he said.
John shook the extended hand.  Good to be out, Matt.
He glanced at Claire with studied indifference, and she noticed that he had very long, straight
black hair, tied in a neat ponytail.  The missing Mrs. Hawthorn, I presume.
 Yes. How do you do, Mr. Davis?
 Very well, thank you. He studied her for a minute longer and decided that he need never tell
John that he d discovered her whereabouts. She was back. That was all that mattered. He turned to
John.  I heard from the police that your father had arranged for you to be freed on bail. I came by to
tell you that I ve been checking our files, looking at Calverson s background for anything that might
help point a finger toward him. So far I ve turned up only one thing that might give us an advantage,
and I got that from a reporter who wrote the only story questioning Calverson s accusations. It seems
that Calverson was once under suspicion at a bank in Maryland for embezzling. The case was dropped
for lack of evidence, although a young clerk was blamed for the theft and spent some time in jail
before he was cleared of the charges. That was just before Calverson opened the Peachtree City Bank
in Atlanta.
John whistled.  Apparently he learned through the experience to have someone standing by to be
blamed while he got off.
 Some would say that he was falsely accused, Matt replied.  But it sounds like a method of
operation to me. And a very successful one. He could get away with it here unless we can catch him
with the money somehow.
 Do you have anyone watching his house? Claire asked abruptly.
Davis s eyebrows went up.  I beg your pardon?
 He can t be planning to stay in town if he s guilty, can he? she continued.  He probably knows
the case against you won t stand up. Either he has the money with him or he s stashed it somewhere. It
wouldn t surprise me one bit if he tried to sneak away in the middle of the night. Now that he s got
John on the line, he s very likely to consider it safe to get away. After all, everyone knows that he s
been at his house. He s entertained the press there twice.
 He has relatives in Charleston who would hide him, help him get onto a ship and get clean
away, John added.  Claire s got a point. I think he ll run. His house should be watched.
Matt grimaced.  I d love to have a man watch it, but in a small community like this, all the
neighbors know who belongs and who doesn t. A stranger would stick out like a sore thumb. He d be
spotted immediately, no matter how careful he was. And while I can have a man watch the depot, I
can t keep him there indefinitely.
 Leave that to me, Claire said, with a slow smile.  I think I know a way to keep Mr. Calverson s
home under close scrutiny, and he ll never know.
 What do you mean to do? John asked her.
 Wait and see, she told him.
14
CLAIRE CALLED ON EVERY SOCIETY MATRON SHE knew and enlisted their aid. Fortunately
it was one of the days set aside by Evelyn and her circle for being  at home for visiting. Claire went
first to Evelyn Paine s home.
Evelyn, fortunately alone, was tickled just at the thought of being a spy.  It s so exciting, Claire!
she exclaimed.  Imagine me, helping the Pinkertons!
 Yes, but you mustn t let on to a soul! Claire insisted.
 As if I would. Evelyn scoffed.  Do you know where he is, and where he s got the money?
 I haven t a clue, Claire replied miserably.  But if it s a lot of money, and John said it s
thousands of dollars, wouldn t it be bulky and hard to hide?
 He might have it in a trunk, Evelyn suggested.
 That would be very easy to search.
 Surely, she said.  But what if his wife s clothes were in it?
Claire was taken aback. John had said that Diane pretended to know nothing of Calverson s
plans, but was that true? Or was Diane only helping the man hide his ill-gotten gains? She might not
go into hiding with him, but she might be willing to help him get away for a percentage of his profits.
Had John considered that?
 What if they were? Claire thought aloud.  And while everyone s watching Mr. Calverson to
see if he runs, it s Diane who has the money!
 Claire, what a devious thought. Evelyn chuckled.  And a very good proposition, too. Now how
do we get into Diane s trunks?
 We may need a little help there, Claire said thoughtfully, and cringed as she realized who the
very best person for the job would be. After all, who would Diane trust more than John?
The thing she didn t know was whether or not John would be willing to do something so
underhanded to the love of his life. It made her sad to realize that if Diane indeed did have the money
hidden away in those trunks, it would destroy John s opinion of her. But the alternative was to do
nothing and let the Calversons get away with grand theft while letting John go to prison. It was a
thought that gave Claire goose bumps. Somehow, she had to make John see reason.
But it was harder than ever to talk to him when they were back at the apartment together. She [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]