“You go to America?”
“Yes.”
“It is a beautiful country. A wonderful country!” mused Dempsi.
The click of the door as Diana disappeared brought him to his feet, and his expression had undergone a remarkable change. He looked down at Heloise keenly, as he rasped:
“Now, where is that money?”
Heloise glanced at the door, looked over her shoulder: the room was empty.
“You know where it is, Sally!” he said harshly. “Now come across!”
She was not sad any more; on the contrary, she was on the verge of fury. Hands on hips, she faced him.
“Say, Dan, you’re the cleverest thing in male impersonators I know,” she said shrilly. “I guess I wouldn’t be surprised to see you come into this room disguised as a performing flea. But the innocent child is outside your repertoire. You wouldn’t last three bars as Little Eva. Who took the money? You cheap skate! You’re not going to put that over on me! You took the money. You took it, and helped that poor fool make a getaway at the same time. I guess you were working on the safe when he came in.”
“You lie!” He was beside himself with wrath. “I came in after you’d got it out. I didn’t mean to shoot—I guess that was the maddest thing I ever did. But I saw this guy getting through the window, and I guessed what happened. He gave you the money to let him escape!”