Carroll tried to appear disinterested—strove to make his manner casual; jocular even. Evelyn was piecing the threads of circumstances together and the events surrounding the Warren murder were slowly clarifying in Carroll's brain.
But he knew that now, of all times, he must keep her from thinking that he had any particular interest in her chatter. She was completely off guard—and he knew that for his own interests, she must remain so.
So he assumed a bantering attitude—he resorted to what she would have termed "kidding."
"Aren't you the observant young woman, though? Not a single thing escapes your eagle eye, does it?"
She pouted. "Oh! rag me if you want to. But I am terribly noticing.
There ain't many things that happen which I don't get wise to."
"Not even vanishing suit-cases, eh?"
"No: not even that. It was funny about that, though. At first I thought maybe Sis was packing up to go meet Gerald in Nashville—but I figured out that it was bad enough to have to live with him here without chasing all over the country after him."
"You say that suit-case left the house after she packed it?"
"Sure pop."
"Who took it?"