The D.A. Breaks a Seal

14

The little group sat around the desk in Rex Brandon’s office. Hattie M. Irwin was frankly puzzled but nevertheless made no attempt to disguise the fact that she was more pleased than otherwise to find herself the center of so much attention.

“Now, as I understand it,” Brandon said, when she had finished, “you simply filled out the blank in this contest and sent it in.”

“That’s right.”

“And then this man telephoned you and told you he was a representative of the company and that you had won a prize.”

“The first prize,” she announced proudly. “He was the president of the company.”

“And that the first prize consisted of a trip to California with all expenses paid.”

“That’s right.”

Brandon looked across at Selby. “You want to question her about it, Doug?”

Selby said, “You do it, Rex.”

Brandon hesitated for a moment. “I think you could do better than I could, Doug.”

“Your questions are official. Mine aren’t.”

“We can make them official.”

Selby merely smiled.

Brandon took a deep breath, “Now, you came from Empalma?”

“That’s right.”

“Did you know a man by the name of Roff, Fred Albion Roff?”

“I didn’t know him, but I’ve heard of the name. I’ve seen it in the newspaper. He’s a big lawyer there.”

“You don’t remember ever having seen him?”

“No.”

“Ever been a witness in a lawsuit?”

“No.”

Brandon pulled a sheet of paper toward him on which several names had been written. “Do you know a woman lawyer named Inez Stapleton, here?”

“No.”

“Do you know anyone in California?”

“I have a niece in Sacramento. She’s the only one I know here.”

“Did you know a Martha Otley?”

“No.”

“An Eleanor Preston?”

“No.”

“A Barbara Honcutt?”

“No.”

“Hervey Preston?”

“No.”

“Now, this man Hastle who was on the train with you. What do you know about him?”

“Nothing. I hadn’t met him until we got off the train at Madison City. And then this man that had the white gardenia spoke to me and...”

“What did he say?”

“He smiled very courteously and said, ‘Are you the person I’m looking for?’ ”

“And what did you say?”

“Well, naturally I told him I was, because he was the representative of the travel bureau.”

“And what did he say?”

“He said that he had a car waiting there, and if I’d just come with him he’d take me uptown and then he saw this other man with the white gardenia, and he said, ‘That’s strange’ and walked over to the man and said, ‘Are you looking for me?” And the man said he was and the gentleman seemed sort of puzzled for a minute and then said, ‘Well, come on and we’ll get in the car.’ ”

“Did he ask you your name?”

“Going uptown he asked me if I was... Now I can’t be sure of the name.”

“Anita Eldon?” Selby supplemented.

“It sounds something like that.”

“And what did you tell him?”

“I told him I was Mrs. Irwin. And then he thought for a minute and then asked the man what his name was, and that was when the man said his name was Carl Hastle. That was the first time I’d heard it. And then one thing led to another and it turned out that there’d been some sort of a mistake made and I suggested perhaps he’d better take us back to the depot, but he said he thought it would be better for us to go to the hotel and wait there.”

“What did Hastle say?”

“Not much of anything.”

Brandon glanced speculatively across at Doug Selby.

“You’re sure you don’t know Martha Otley or Eleanor Preston?”

“Never heard of them before.”

“Do you know anyone in McKeesville, Kansas?”

“I’ve never been there.”

“Don’t know anyone in Madison City?”

“No.”

“This man, Elmer Floris, who picked you up. Did he tell you anything about himself?”

“Not much. He was a very glib talker though. He kept talking almost all the time about the scenery and about the beauties of California, and asking me questions about Kansas.”

“What part of Kansas?”

“Oh, just general questions.”

“Ask you about any people?”

“No.”

“And you’re certain you don’t know anything about Fred Albion Roff?”

“You mean the lawyer from Empalma?”

“Yes.”

“Only I’ve just read about him in the paper.”

“Do you remember what you’ve read?”

“No. Just things that he’d say. He’d make speeches at banquets and things like that.”

“Do you remember anything that he said in his speeches?”

“Lord no. They were just speeches — you know, the sort of things people say when they’re standing up after dinner.”

“You’re a widow?”

“That’s right.”

“Any children?”

“Not living. My son died. I have a grandson in the Army.”

“How long have you been a widow?”

“Thirteen years.”

“Do you have any property of your own?”

The lips clamped together. “That’s none of your business,” she snapped.

Selby grinned. “What I mean is have you supported yourself by working or...”

“I’ve supported myself, and before my husband died I supported him. He was sick for a long while, and if I do say it myself as I shouldn’t, he didn’t want for a thing.”

“Where have you worked?”

“Various places.”

“What sort of work?”

“Mostly general housework.”

“Where were you employed at the time you sent in your answer to this contest?”

“I don’t see what all that has to do with it.”

Selby’s smile was most gracious. “Neither do I,” he admitted. “I’m just trying to get a background, because it may be that it may have some bearing on a matter we’re investigating.”

“Well,” she said, “I don’t know just what it’s all about, but as far as I’m concerned I was getting along very nicely. I’d won a trip to California and I’d had all my expenses paid. This Mr. Floris was very nice and he was going to take me to Sacramento where I’d see my niece. Now what are you going to do about it?”

Selby glanced quizzically at Brandon.

The sheriff elevated his elbow and started scratching the hair along the back of his neck.

“What are you going to do about it?” Mrs. Irwin demanded.

“Ma’am,” the sheriff blurted, “I’ll be darned if I know.”

“Well, I’m certainly not going to spend my hard-earned money. I had a trip to California and back all paid for, and here I am. You folks have interfered with that trip and I’m looking to you to see that you make up to me what I’ve lost. If you’ve frightened Mr. Floris away, why that’s up to you. That was the last thing Mrs. Kensett said to me. She was the woman I was working for when I got the prize. She said, ‘I don’t mind your quitting, Hattie, not under any circumstances, but you just be certain that those people don’t get you out to California and then leave you high and dry. Now you must hold them to it.’ And that’s what I’m doing, Sheriff. I don’t want to be difficult, but I’m going to have my trip to California and back. I’ve won it and I want it.”

Brandon shifted his position uncomfortably. “Well now, Ma’am,” he said, “I don’t know just what we can do. I’ve got to talk with the district attorney, but I have an idea we can hold you as a material witness, and doing that, we naturally pay your expenses while we’re holding you. And I guess it’s all right for us to put you up at a hotel, at least for the time being. Anyway, that’s what I’m going to do. What do you think, Doug?”

Selby said, “I hate to let you down, Rex, but my thoughts aren’t the thoughts of Madison County right now, and if I expressed my thoughts, the chances are that Carl Gifford would have thoughts of his own that were one hundred percent different.”

“That’s right,” the sheriff admitted. “Okay, Ma’am, I’m going to put you in a hotel. But remember, that you aren’t to go away. You’re being held as a material witness.”

“Witness to what?” she snapped.

“Now,” Brandon admitted, “you’ve got me. I’m darned if I know.”