“Get him in here,” she challenged. “I want to face him.”
“He wants to face you too, but that wouldn’t help any. I’m satisfied that you’re lying, and also that you’re lying about what you wanted to get from Heller’s files. He made his notes in a private code that it will take a squad of experts to decipher, and you knew that, and I do not believe that you took the risk of going there and trying to bribe an officer just to get his notes about you and your family. I believe there is something in his files that can easily be recognized as pertaining to you or your family, and that’s what you were after. In the morning we’ll have men going through the contents of the files, item by item, and if anything like that is there they’ll spot it. Meanwhile I’m holding you for further questioning about your attempt to bribe an officer. If you want to telephone a lawyer, you may — one phone call, with an officer present.”
Cramer’s head swiveled. “Stebbins, take her in to Lieutenant Rowcliff, and tell Rowcliff how it stands.”
Purley arose. Mrs. Tillotson was shrinking, looking less overfed every second, right in front of our eyes. “Will you wait a minute?” she demanded.
“Two minutes, madam. But don’t try cooking up any more lies. You’re no good at it.”
“That man misunderstood me. I wasn’t trying to bribe him.”
“I said you may phone a lawyer—”
“I don’t want a lawyer.” She was sure about that. “If they go through those files they’ll find what I was after, so I might as well tell you. It’s some letters in envelopes addressed to me. They’re not signed, they’re anonymous, and I wanted that Heller to find out who sent them.”
“Are they about your son?”
“No. They’re about me. They threaten me with something, and I was sure it was leading up to blackmail.”