“She asked you to do it?”
“No. Her dad.”
“How much does he know?”
“Nothing.”
“Well,” she said, “let’s don’t stand here and talk. Do you want to come up for a while?”
“No. I’ll get you your room and then go and raise some money.”
She put her hand in mine to steady herself as she came out of the car. Her hand was cold. I walked into the hotel with her, and said to the night clerk, “This is Evelyn Claxon. She’s my secretary. We’ve been doing some work late at the office. She had no baggage, so I’ll register and pay in advance.”
The clerk gave me a fishy eye.
I said to Esther for his benefit, “You go up and get to bed, Evelyn. Get a good night’s rest. You won’t need to come to the office in the morning until I telephone you. I’ll make it as late as possible. Perhaps not before nine or nine-thirty.”
The clerk handed me a fountain pen and a registration card. “Three dollars with bath,” he said, and then added, “single.”