Conway complied, and Larkin pulled the car into the space at the end of the lot.
“Let’s start at the theatre,” Bauer said as they got out of the car. “Did you get hold of the manager?”
“He said he’d be here,” Larkin answered.
The theatre did not open until late afternoon, but the manager was waiting for them. “Hello there,” he said when he saw Conway.
“You know each other, eh?” said Bauer.
“Always try to remember the customers’ faces. What’s it all about?”
Bauer explained briefly, and the manager’s face took on a genuinely shocked expression. “All I want to do now,” Bauer continued, “is try to figure out, as close as I can, the time the car was taken. You said you left at the end of the picture, is that right?”
“No, we left a little before the end.” Conway turned to the manager. “We left right after that musical number, when Tommy Miller comes backstage and says something about ‘How could I ever have doubted you?’”
“That’s practically the finish,” the manager corroborated. “There’s not more than a minute after that. I could have the projectionist look at the film and tell you exactly.”
“That’s close enough,” Bauer said. “What time was the picture over?”