“She says something about Harbet in there,” I said.
“Spilled the whole beans. All about how Harbet wanted to bring pressure to bear on Dr. Alftmont.”
I said, “I want to put in a telephone call for Harbet. I’ll tell him confidentially that we have—”
Bertha said, “You’ll have a hell of a time reaching him. Harbet has taken a powder. The D.A. here telephoned Santa Carlotta about the suicide. Harbet got up from his desk, walked out, and hasn’t returned. He won’t return.”
I thought that over. “I wanted to be the one to tell him,” I said.
“You’re a vindictive little cuss, Donald.”
“What did she say happened to the real Mrs. Lintig?”
“She didn’t know. Amelia married Wilmen, and went down into Central America somewhere. They never showed up again. Amelia left her trunk with Flo. Flo kept it in her place for a while, then put it in storage, and finally went through it and took out what she wanted. She figured Amelia was dead.”
“But she can’t prove it.”
“No”