“You weren’t bilked,” I said. “You took a cheque that was really good as gold, and the reason that it isn’t good now is not because there weren’t any funds to cover it. It’s because the bank has found out that the person who issued that cheque is dead.”
She was raising her coffee cup to her lips as I spoke. Now she lowered it back to the saucer and looked at me wordlessly.
I said, “In other words, the cheque for five hundred dollars was a cheque Minerva Carlton gave you. Minerva Carlton met you that Saturday morning before you went to the agency. Minerva Carlton told you she wanted to find out about this man who was calling on your Aunt Amelia. Minerva Carlton told you she was giving you a cheque for five hundred dollars which you could apply on expenses, that you were to go to our office, give a great story about why you wanted to find out who this man was and all about him, and she gave you that cheque so you’d have money enough to pay expenses.
“Mrs. Carlton knew that she couldn’t go to our office and tell any story that would hang together and wouldn’t arouse suspicion. She knew that you could. The probabilities are that your aunt doesn’t ever intend to give you a cent and you don’t ever expect to get a cent from her. But you fixed up that story so it would sound plausible and would start us working on the case. The two-hundred-dollar cheque that you gave us didn’t mean a damn thing to you because you were going to pass the expenses on to Minerva. Now then, suppose you tell me the rest of it.”
She said scornfully, “You certainly do have a wild imagination, don’t you?”
I said, “You’d better tell me the story; otherwise, I’m going to pass my information on to the police.”
“And what can the police do?” Claire Bushnell asked scornfully.
I said, “The police can serve a subpoena on your bank. They’ll find out all about that five-hundred-dollar cheque, who gave it to you, and then they’ll subpoena you as a witness before the Grand Jury.”
She played with the handle of her coffee cup, her eyes downcast.
I said, “I haven’t got all day to wait.”