compensated for that with a luxurious moustache that was carefully trimmed. He was a big man—tall and a little overweight, but not flabby. He might be 45.
“Go ahead and drink the brandy,” he told Carole. “It’s good for you.”
She drank half of it and stopped trembling. “Knox,” she said, remembering her manners, “this is a friend of mine, Simon Drake.”
“You have talented friends,” Reardon said. “I’ve heard about Simon Drake.”
“And now you’re going to hear from him,” Simon said. “What’s the idea of confiscating Barney Amling’s car?”
“Do you know where he is?” Reardon asked.
“He’s on a business trip. There’s nothing illegal about that.”
“No, not if he’s really on a business trip. What about you, Carole? Do you know where Barney is?”
She caught Simon’s eyes and said: “He flew to Mexico City for a business conference.”
“That’s what they told me at his office but nobody seems to know where he’s staying or when he’s coming back. When I called the hotels in Mexico City they told me he wasn’t registered, hadn’t been registered, and that Mrs Amling had already called and asked for the same information. Carole, what’s going on here? If you’ve been looking for Barney, why didn’t you call me?”
She sipped the brandy slowly. It was as if she remembered that her mother had told her not to speak with anything in her mouth. Eric came back from Jake’s room waving a text book. “I’ve got it,” he said. “I’ll go and pick up Jake for you, Carole. You sit and relax—oh, hello, Reardon. Did you complete your call?”
“Maybe he bugged the phone,” Simon said. “There seems to be an uncommon amount of interest over a family situation.”
“Family situation!” Reardon roared. “A man makes a last-minute flight to Mexico City—only he doesn’t go to Mexico City. He’s supposed to return in two or three days—only he hasn’t returned in eleven. He always calls home when he goes away but he hasn’t called home.”
“A family situation,” Simon repeated. “How do you know Barney Amling didn’t have a spat with his wife? Is that any reason to call out every law-enforcement agency? Don’t you think Carole would have called the police if she thought anything had happened to Barney? Do you think she wants her private life spread over every front page in the area?”
Captain Reardon let him talk because that was what lawyers were for and then it was his turn.
“I didn’t come here to pry into anybody’s private life,” he said. “I came because Carole and Barney have been my friends for years and I wanted to clue her in before the bad news comes from a higher source.
“I was called to the Pacific Guaranty building about half an hour after you left it this morning, Drake. There are more people than his wife looking for Barney Amling now. There’s the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Securities Exchange Commission at the moment. They’ve been working on an audit for several days and for several days they’ve been running into trouble. Now it’s official. When I left the office the figure stood at a little more than four hundred thousand dollars of the association’s money that’s missing, and they’re only half through the audit. That makes Barney Amling about the most sought-after man in the west coast area about now.”
Everyone looked at Carole Amling. She sat small in the chair twisting an empty brandy glass in her hands. She didn’t make any sound at all.
Barney Amling. That’s what they were all thinking. There was nothing new about a man taking off with company funds—even if the sum was large. But not Barney Amling. Three people had listened to Captain Reardon, and three people were too stunned to speak. Even Reardon was shaken.
“God, Carole,” he said. “I wish you had called me sooner. I might have gotten a line on Barney before the government moved in.”
“Larson checked out all the other
“Go ahead and drink the brandy,” he told Carole. “It’s good for you.”
She drank half of it and stopped trembling. “Knox,” she said, remembering her manners, “this is a friend of mine, Simon Drake.”
“You have talented friends,” Reardon said. “I’ve heard about Simon Drake.”
“And now you’re going to hear from him,” Simon said. “What’s the idea of confiscating Barney Amling’s car?”
“Do you know where he is?” Reardon asked.
“He’s on a business trip. There’s nothing illegal about that.”
“No, not if he’s really on a business trip. What about you, Carole? Do you know where Barney is?”
She caught Simon’s eyes and said: “He flew to Mexico City for a business conference.”
“That’s what they told me at his office but nobody seems to know where he’s staying or when he’s coming back. When I called the hotels in Mexico City they told me he wasn’t registered, hadn’t been registered, and that Mrs Amling had already called and asked for the same information. Carole, what’s going on here? If you’ve been looking for Barney, why didn’t you call me?”
She sipped the brandy slowly. It was as if she remembered that her mother had told her not to speak with anything in her mouth. Eric came back from Jake’s room waving a text book. “I’ve got it,” he said. “I’ll go and pick up Jake for you, Carole. You sit and relax—oh, hello, Reardon. Did you complete your call?”
“Maybe he bugged the phone,” Simon said. “There seems to be an uncommon amount of interest over a family situation.”
“Family situation!” Reardon roared. “A man makes a last-minute flight to Mexico City—only he doesn’t go to Mexico City. He’s supposed to return in two or three days—only he hasn’t returned in eleven. He always calls home when he goes away but he hasn’t called home.”
“A family situation,” Simon repeated. “How do you know Barney Amling didn’t have a spat with his wife? Is that any reason to call out every law-enforcement agency? Don’t you think Carole would have called the police if she thought anything had happened to Barney? Do you think she wants her private life spread over every front page in the area?”
Captain Reardon let him talk because that was what lawyers were for and then it was his turn.
“I didn’t come here to pry into anybody’s private life,” he said. “I came because Carole and Barney have been my friends for years and I wanted to clue her in before the bad news comes from a higher source.
“I was called to the Pacific Guaranty building about half an hour after you left it this morning, Drake. There are more people than his wife looking for Barney Amling now. There’s the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Securities Exchange Commission at the moment. They’ve been working on an audit for several days and for several days they’ve been running into trouble. Now it’s official. When I left the office the figure stood at a little more than four hundred thousand dollars of the association’s money that’s missing, and they’re only half through the audit. That makes Barney Amling about the most sought-after man in the west coast area about now.”
Everyone looked at Carole Amling. She sat small in the chair twisting an empty brandy glass in her hands. She didn’t make any sound at all.
Barney Amling. That’s what they were all thinking. There was nothing new about a man taking off with company funds—even if the sum was large. But not Barney Amling. Three people had listened to Captain Reardon, and three people were too stunned to speak. Even Reardon was shaken.
“God, Carole,” he said. “I wish you had called me sooner. I might have gotten a line on Barney before the government moved in.”
“Larson checked out all the other
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