Conway expected that the detective would explode, but he only stood, dumbly. Betty walked to the door, flung it open, picked up Bauer’s hat, and held it out to him. He walked to her, took the hat without breaking stride, and left. She closed the door firmly behind him.
“People like that do make me angry,” she said in a voice that was remarkably calm.
“Would you mind telling me just why you put on that act?” Conway asked.
“Was it that bad?” She shook her head ruefully. “I guess I’m not a very good actress. Anyway, it was good enough for him — it worked.”
“What was the idea?”
She looked at him in surprise. “I just wanted him to go away — and I thought you did too.”
“I had no particular reason to ‘want him to go away’ — and certainly not in that fashion.”
“My mistake,” she said. “What shall we do tonight?”
“I’d also be interested to know why you said Helen couldn’t bear to lose anything and never threw anything away.”
She looked at him for a moment before replying. “It seemed like a good idea at the time,” she said. Again that dread of hidden danger, the fear of the secret knowledge she possessed, gripped him. “Do you feel like going out, or shall we have dinner here?” she continued.