The fat man asked, “She isn’t in trouble, is she?”
Conrad shook his head.
“Not as far as I know.”
The night air felt cold and fresh after the fusty smells of the apartment house. Conrad drove home. Bardin had said he was convinced that Jordan had done the job. Why should he bother? He would talk to the D.A. tomorrow. If only he knew for certain that Maurer and June had been lovers. If they had been then there might be a chance that Maurer had engineered the job; might even have done it himself.
“Oh, the hell with Maurer!” Conrad thought as he walked up the path to his front door. “I’ve got him on my mind like a junkie’s got dope.”
He sank his key into the lock and moved into the dark little hall.
The house was very still and silent.
He went along the passage to the bedroom, pushed open the door and turned on the light. The twin beds had an empty and forlorn look about them.
So Janey had gone out and she wasn’t back yet.
He began to strip off his clothes. As he walked into the bathroom for a quick shower, he said aloud, “And the hell with her too!”