you?’
‘No.’ Her smile was replaced by a sad expression. ‘It grieves me, Mr. Wallace. At one time, my brother and I were close.’
I couldn’t decide if she was telling me the truth, but if not, she was lying with impressive expertise.
‘Perhaps you know of a friend of his who would give me a lead,’ I suggested.
Sadly, she shook her head.
‘I don’t know any of his friends.’
‘I guess you know he was playing the piano at the Dead End club, then suddenly left.’
Her eyes opened a trifle in what could have been surprise.
‘No, I didn’t know that.’
‘So you can give me no help?’
‘I wish I could. I have your card. If I do hear from Terry, I will telephone you.’
I got to my feet.
‘I’d be glad if you would do that. It’s a shame. There’s this large amount of money in the bank, and your brother isn’t aware it is his.’
She nodded, then got to her feet.
‘It is a shame.’
Then I produced the question that would tell me if she was an expert liar or was speaking the truth.
Watching her closely, I said, ‘Do you happen to know where I can locate Hank Smedley?’
If I hadn’t been watching her so closely, I would have missed the slight flicker of her eyes, and the slight tightening of her guileless smile.
I knew for sure I had got under her guard.
A slight pause, then her smile came into place as she said, ‘Hank Smedley? How surprising. You mean the black boy who once worked in our garden?’
‘That’s right, Miss Thorsen. Hank, who is Mrs. Smedley’s son. Do you know where I can locate him?’
‘I don’t.’ Again the guileless smile. ‘I haven’t seen him for a long time, nor has his mother.’
Then I knew she was lying, and had been lying with an expertise I had not encountered before. She could easily have fooled me but for the fact I had seen her walk into the Black Cassette.
I too could put on an act. I lifted my shoulders in a resigned shrug.
‘Looks like your brother is going to be hard to find.’ I gave her my hard cop stare, ‘But we keep on digging, Miss Thorsen. When my agency is hired for a job, we don’t give up until the job is nicely finished. I am sure you will be interested to know when we do find your brother.’ I smiled at her. ‘I will let you know.’
Leaving her standing motionless, her smile now gone, I went out into the lobby, picked up my mac, slapped on my wet hat and walked down the tarmac to my car.
Retarded, her mother had told me. Unattractive?
This girl, around 24 years of age, was the finest liar I had ever questioned. What a mug she had nearly made of me! If I hadn’t asked her about Hank, I would have had every reason to believe the lies she had been telling me.
I slid into my car.
As I started the motor, I wondered what she was going to do? Alert her brother? Alert Hank? Perhaps do nothing.
I reversed the car and drove down to the highway.
* * *
Back in my office, I found Bill thumping on his typewriter.
I told him of my interview with Angela, then concluded, ‘Here we have a real character. She lies beautifully, she has steel nerves, she has sex, she pretends she doesn’t know where to locate her brother, and bluntly says she hasn’t seen Hank Smedley for years.’
‘I still don’t understand why you want to find the brother,’ Bill said. ‘Hank seems to me to be the leading character in this business.’
‘Maybe you’re right,’ I said, pulling my typewriter towards me, ‘but I have a hunch that Terry could be the key. I could be wrong. Let’s get these reports off the desk.’
It was around 19.20 by the time we had completed our reports, and I had put them away in the Thorsen file.
‘What now?’ Bill asked.
‘We’ll go eat Italian,’ I said, ‘then I am going to talk to Hank Smedley.’
Bill cocked his head on one side.
‘You’re going to that all-black club?’
‘That’s what I’m going to do.’
‘Fine, and I’m coming with you.’
I unlocked the bottom drawer of my
‘No.’ Her smile was replaced by a sad expression. ‘It grieves me, Mr. Wallace. At one time, my brother and I were close.’
I couldn’t decide if she was telling me the truth, but if not, she was lying with impressive expertise.
‘Perhaps you know of a friend of his who would give me a lead,’ I suggested.
Sadly, she shook her head.
‘I don’t know any of his friends.’
‘I guess you know he was playing the piano at the Dead End club, then suddenly left.’
Her eyes opened a trifle in what could have been surprise.
‘No, I didn’t know that.’
‘So you can give me no help?’
‘I wish I could. I have your card. If I do hear from Terry, I will telephone you.’
I got to my feet.
‘I’d be glad if you would do that. It’s a shame. There’s this large amount of money in the bank, and your brother isn’t aware it is his.’
She nodded, then got to her feet.
‘It is a shame.’
Then I produced the question that would tell me if she was an expert liar or was speaking the truth.
Watching her closely, I said, ‘Do you happen to know where I can locate Hank Smedley?’
If I hadn’t been watching her so closely, I would have missed the slight flicker of her eyes, and the slight tightening of her guileless smile.
I knew for sure I had got under her guard.
A slight pause, then her smile came into place as she said, ‘Hank Smedley? How surprising. You mean the black boy who once worked in our garden?’
‘That’s right, Miss Thorsen. Hank, who is Mrs. Smedley’s son. Do you know where I can locate him?’
‘I don’t.’ Again the guileless smile. ‘I haven’t seen him for a long time, nor has his mother.’
Then I knew she was lying, and had been lying with an expertise I had not encountered before. She could easily have fooled me but for the fact I had seen her walk into the Black Cassette.
I too could put on an act. I lifted my shoulders in a resigned shrug.
‘Looks like your brother is going to be hard to find.’ I gave her my hard cop stare, ‘But we keep on digging, Miss Thorsen. When my agency is hired for a job, we don’t give up until the job is nicely finished. I am sure you will be interested to know when we do find your brother.’ I smiled at her. ‘I will let you know.’
Leaving her standing motionless, her smile now gone, I went out into the lobby, picked up my mac, slapped on my wet hat and walked down the tarmac to my car.
Retarded, her mother had told me. Unattractive?
This girl, around 24 years of age, was the finest liar I had ever questioned. What a mug she had nearly made of me! If I hadn’t asked her about Hank, I would have had every reason to believe the lies she had been telling me.
I slid into my car.
As I started the motor, I wondered what she was going to do? Alert her brother? Alert Hank? Perhaps do nothing.
I reversed the car and drove down to the highway.
* * *
Back in my office, I found Bill thumping on his typewriter.
I told him of my interview with Angela, then concluded, ‘Here we have a real character. She lies beautifully, she has steel nerves, she has sex, she pretends she doesn’t know where to locate her brother, and bluntly says she hasn’t seen Hank Smedley for years.’
‘I still don’t understand why you want to find the brother,’ Bill said. ‘Hank seems to me to be the leading character in this business.’
‘Maybe you’re right,’ I said, pulling my typewriter towards me, ‘but I have a hunch that Terry could be the key. I could be wrong. Let’s get these reports off the desk.’
It was around 19.20 by the time we had completed our reports, and I had put them away in the Thorsen file.
‘What now?’ Bill asked.
‘We’ll go eat Italian,’ I said, ‘then I am going to talk to Hank Smedley.’
Bill cocked his head on one side.
‘You’re going to that all-black club?’
‘That’s what I’m going to do.’
‘Fine, and I’m coming with you.’
I unlocked the bottom drawer of my
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