“Who was and who wasn’t?”
“My Lord, I don’t know. I didn’t notice.” She was resentful. “If you’re going to expect me to remember things like that we might as well quit, and you wouldn’t be a good manager. When I came to work I was thinking of something else. A lot of the time I am thinking of something else, so how would I notice?”
I had to be patient. “Okay, we’ll start at another point. You remember when Wallen came in and spoke with Fickler and went to Tina’s booth and talked with her, and when Tina came out Fickler sent Philip in to him. You remember that?”
She nodded. “I guess so.”
“Guesses won’t get us anywhere. Just recall the situation, where you all were when Philip came back after talking with Wallen. Where were you?”
“I didn’t notice.”
“I’m not saying you noticed, but look back. There’s Philip, coming around the end of the partition after talking with Wallen. Did you hear him say anything? Did you say anything to him?”
“I don’t think Philip was this X,” she declared. “He is married, with children. I think it was Jimmie Kirk. He tried to make passes at me when I first came, and he drinks, you can ask Ed about that, and he thinks he’s superior. A barber being superior!” She looked pleased. “That’s a good idea about Jimmie being X, because I don’t have to say he really tried to kill me. I’ll try to remember something he said. Would it matter exactly when he said it?”
I had had enough, but a man can’t hit a woman when she’s down, so I ended it without violence.
“Not at all,” I told her, “but I’ve got an idea. I’ll go and see if I can get something out of Jimmie. Meanwhile I’ll send a reporter in to break the ice with you, from the Gazette probably. I know a lot of them.” I was on my feet. “Just use your common sense and stick to facts. See you later.”