She said, “Donald, I’ve lost my purse.”
I walked in and propped the door open with a chair. “How come?” I asked.
She said, very determinedly, “Someone took it out of this room.”
“Nonsense.”
“But someone did! ”
“This is a respectable rooming-house. Mrs. Eldridge wouldn’t have anyone in here who—”
“I can’t help that. I had it when I left the apartment. I’m quite certain that I brought it up here with me.”
I pursed my lips into a whistle and said, “That’s bad. I bet you left it in the agency car, and I’ve had the car parked around in a dozen different places on the street. What was in it?”
“Every cent I had in the world.”
“How much?”