“You mean from the friendly official in the bank, don’t you?”

He chuckled and said, “Yes.”

When he saw I wasn’t going to ask him what it was, he said impressively, “The Atlee Amusement Corporation called up the bank and said a check had been stolen from its cash drawer, that it was a check payable to cash, and signed by Alta Ashbury in an amount of ten thousand dollars. They wanted to be notified if anyone should present that check; said they’d sign a complaint, on a charge of theft.”

“What did the bank tell them?”

“Told them to ring up Alta and have her stop payment on the check.”

“That was a telephone call?”

“Yes.”

“The person at the other end of the line said it was the Atlee Amusement Corporation?”

“Yes.”

“Man’s voice or woman’s?”