The Lock and the Key полностью

“Small change for a man like deCamp,” Faraday said.

Trent nodded. “He wouldn’t bother to put a sum like this in a safety deposit box.”

“Look,” said Tommy Dancer, “that’s all there was in the box. If you talk yourself blue in the face, I can’t make it more. And if you think I’ve got some stashed in my pockets, you’re welcome to search me.”

“That won’t be necessary... just yet,” Trent replied.

“No? Well, then I’m leaving. I’ve got things to do and—”

“And what?”

Trent reached into his coat and brought out a snub-nosed .32 caliber revolver. “You’ll leave when I tell you to leave.”

“Where’d you get the rod?” exclaimed Faraday. “I thought we’d agreed—”

“Sure,” said Trent, “we agreed. But I brought one along anyway. Just in case. And this is the case.”

He gestured to Tommy with the gun. “You can sit down. This is going to take awhile.”

Tommy knew that defiance would be fruitless at the moment. He crossed to the red sofa and sat down. Trent seated himself across the room in an armchair. Faraday elected to remain standing, to one side, where he could watch both Trent and Dancer.

“I don’t give a damn what you say, Willis,” he said, “but I’ll bet everything I’ve got that deCamp had that money in his box this week.”

“Oh, I don’t doubt you, Faraday,” Trent replied. “That’s not the question. I know deCamp has that kind of money. I know that he’s got to have it in his business. The question is, what became of the money? Where is it now?” He paused significantly. “In short, who pulled the double cross?”

“What double cross is there?” snapped Tommy. “The money wasn’t in the box, that’s all.”

“The money was in the box,” Faraday insisted. “At least it was there two days ago.”

“Exactly,” said Trent.

Tommy reached into his pocket and drew out the two safety deposit keys. He threw them to the floor. “There are the keys. Go back to the bank. Look for yourself.”

“On that,” Trent said, “I take your word. I’m quite sure the box is empty — just as sure as I am that deCamp had a lot more money than this in the box.”

Angrily, Tommy pointed at Faraday. “You had your eye on me from the moment I stepped out of the vault. You followed me out of the bank and you grabbed the bag from me before we got into the car.”

“That’s right, Willis,” Faraday said, his forehead creasing. “He couldn’t have slipped anything to... to a confederate.”

“Confederate!” snorted Trent. “There are no damn confederates in this. I didn’t cut anyone in and with the amount of money involved, I doubt if either of you two would. But there’s been a double cross somewhere and that’s what we’re going to find out before any of us leaves this place.” He pointed to Faraday with the gun. “Let’s take a look at you first, Earl.”

“All right,” snarled Faraday, “look at me. Without my contribution there wouldn’t have been any caper in the first place. Now, how do you figure me for a double cross?”

“You might have done a very good sales job on Flo Randall,” Trent said, “so good that you didn’t figure you needed to split with anyone else.”

“You’re crazy! Even if I’d been able to get deCamp’s key from Flo what good would that do me? I couldn’t go down to the bank and ask them to let me into deCamp’s box.”

“The box could be in the names of both deCamp and Randall,” Trent suggested.

Faraday snorted. “Paul deCamp wouldn’t trust any woman with two hundred thousand cents.”

Trent hesitated a moment, then nodded. “I think you’re right.”

He suddenly shifted to Tommy Dancer. “That leaves you, Tommy.”

“Oh, does it?”

Outside, a motor, laboring, could be heard. Then it stopped and a car door slammed. Trent, his eyes narrowing, said to Tommy: “Sit tight.”

A door opened and closed and feet pounded in the kitchen. Louie, Tommy’s late shadow, plunged into the room. He came to an abrupt halt when he saw Trent in command of the situation.

“Oh, hello, boss,” he said. “I was afraid from the way you sounded—”

“It’s all right,” Trent said. “I just wanted to ask you some questions.”

“Now see here, Trent,” Faraday interrupted. “If you’re going to let him in on this—”

“Shut up, Faraday!” Trent snapped. “I’m running this show.”

“Who said you were?” Faraday blustered. But a glance from Trent’s steely eyes silenced him.

“Louis,” Trent said softly, “when did I put you on Tommy Dancer’s tail?”

“Day before yesterday. In the morning.”

“All right, give us a report on his movements — like you gave me last night.”

Louie took a notebook from his pocket and turning a page translated from his notes: “Left the Melrose Lock and Key Shop at eleven-thirty; drove to Melrose and Highland Avenue and started to make a right turn. I pulled up behind him and he suddenly went off to the left, in front of cars in the left lane. I couldn’t make the turn and—” looked up and scowled at Tommy — “I lost him.”

“That was when you spotted him, wasn’t it, Tommy?” Trent asked, pleasantly.