Entities: The Selected Novels of Eric Frank Russell (128 page)

“IF he could masquerade as Letheren well enough to get by, he should have been able to imitate a signature well enough to pass scrutiny.”

“Well, maybe he didn’t sign because he couldn’t,” Harrison ventured, “not being able to write. I know of several hoodlums who can only because they got taught in the jug.”

“You may have something there,” Rider conceded. “Anyway, for the moment Ashcroft and Letheren appear to be the chief suspects. They’ll have to be eliminated before we start looking elsewhere. I presume you’ve already checked on both of them?”

“And how!” Harrison used the desk-box. “Send in the First Bank file.” When it came, he thumbed through its pages. “Take Ashcroft first. Financially well-fixed, no criminal record, excellent character, no motive for turning bank robber. Jackson, the junior teller, confirms his evidence to a limited extent. Ashcroft could not have hidden the Dakin consignment any place. We searched the bank from top to bottom, during which time Ashcroft did not leave the place for one minute. We found nothing. Subsequent investigation brought out other items in his favor I’ll give you the details later on.”

“You’re satisfied that he is innocent?”

“Almost, but not quite,” said Harrison. “He could have handed the money to an accomplice who bears superficial resemblance to Letheren. That tactic would have finagled the stuff clean out of the bank. I wish I could shake down his home in search of his split. One bill with a known number would tie him down but good.” His features became disgruntled. “Judge Maxon refused to sign a search warrant on grounds of insufficient justification. Said he’s got to be shown better cause for reasonable suspicion. I’m compelled to admit that he’s right.”

“How about the company’s cashier, Letheren?”

“He’s a confirmed bachelor in the late fifties. I won’t weary you with his full background. There’s nothing we can pin on him.”

“You’re sure of that?”

“Judge for yourself. The company’s car remained parked outside the office all morning until ten thirty-five. It was then used to take Letheren and his guards to the bank. It couldn’t reach the bank in less than twenty minutes. There just wasn’t enough time for Letheren to make the first call in some other car, return to the plant, pick up the guards and make the second call.”

“Not to mention hiding the loot in the interim,” Rider suggested.

“No, he could not have done it. Furthermore, there are forty people in the Dakin office and between them they were able to account for every minute of Letheren’s time from when he started work at nine o’clock up to when he left for the bank at ten thirty-five. No prosecutor could bust an alibi like that!”

“That seems to put him right out of the running.”

Harrison scowled and said “It certainly does—but we’ve since found five witnesses who place him near the bank at ten-thirty.”

Meaning they support the statements of Ashcroft and Jackson?”

“Yes, they do. Immediately after the case broke I put every available man onto the job of asking questions the whole length of the street and down the nearest side-streets. The usual lousy legwork. They found three people prepared to swear they’d seen Letheren entering the bank at ten-thirty. They didn’t know him by sight, but they were shown Letheren’s photograph and identified him.”

“Did they notice his car and give its description?”

“They didn’t see him using a car. He was on foot at the time and carrying the bag. They noticed and remembered him only because a mutt yelped and went hell-for-leather down the street. They wondered whether he’d kicked it and why.”

“Do they say he
did
kick it?”

“No.”

Rider thoughtfully rubbed two chins. “Then I wonder why it behaved like that. Dogs don’t yelp and bolt for nothing. Something must have hurt or scared it.”

“Who cares?” said Harrison having worries enough. “The boys also found a fellow who says he saw Letheren a few minutes later, coming out of the bank and still with the bag. He didn’t notice any guards hanging around. He says Letheren started walking along the street as though he hadn’t a care in the world but after fifty yards he picked up a prowling taxi and rolled away.”

“You traced the driver?”

“We did. He also recognized the photo we showed him. Said he’d taken Letheren to the Cameo Theater on Fourth Street, but did not see him actually enter the place. Just dropped him, got paid and drove off. We questioned the Cameo’s staff, searched the house. It got us nowhere. There’s a bus terminal nearby. We gave everyone there a rough time and learned nothing.”

“And that’s as far as you’ve been able to take it?”

“Not entirely. I’ve phoned the Treasury, given them the numbers of forty bills. I’ve put out an eight-state alarm for a suspect answering to Letheren’s description. Right now the boys are armed with copies of his pic and are going the rounds of hotels and rooming houses. He must have holed up somewhere and it could have been right in this town. Now I’m stuck. I don’t know where to look next.”

Rider lay back in his chair which creaked in protest. He mused quite a time while Harrison slowly masticated the toothpick.

Then he said, “Excellent character, financial security and no apparent motive are things less convincing than the support of other witnesses. A man can have a secret motive strong enough to send him right off the rails. He could be in desperate need of ten or twelve thousand in ready cash merely because he’s got to produce it a darned sight quicker than he can raise it by legitimate realization of insurance, stocks and bonds. For example, what if he’s got twenty-four hours in which to find ransom money?”

Harrison popped his eyes. “You think we should check on Ashcroft’s and Letheren’s kin and see if any one of them is missing or has been missing of late?”

“Please yourself. Personally, I doubt that it’s worth the bother. A kidnaper risks the death penalty. Why should he take a chance like that for a measly twelve thousand when he endangers himself no more by sticking a fatter victim for a far bigger sum? Besides, even if a check did produce a motive it wouldn’t tell us how the robbery was pulled or enable us to prove it to the satisfaction of a judge and jury. ”

“That’s right enough,” Harrison agreed. “All the same, the check is worth making. It’ll cost me nothing. Except for Ashcroft’s wife, the relatives of both men live elsewhere. It’s just a matter of getting the co-operation of police chiefs.”

“Do it if you wish. And while we’re making blind passes in the dark, get someone to find out whether Letheren happens to be afflicted with a no-good brother who could exploit a close family likeness. Maybe Letheren is the suffering half of a pair of identical twins.”

“If he is,” growled Harrison, “he’s also an accessory after the fact because he can guess how the job was done and who did it, but he’s kept his lips buttoned.”

“That’s the legal viewpoint. There’s a human one as well. If one feels disgrace, one doesn’t invite it. If you had a brother with a record as long as your arm, would you advertise it all over town?”

“For the fun of it, no. In the interests of justice, yes.”

“All men aren’t alike and thank God they’re not.” Rider made an impatient gesture. “We’ve gone as far as we can with the two obvious suspects. Let’s work out what we can do with a third and unknown one.”

Harrison said, “I told you I’ve sent out an alarm for a fellow answering to Letheren’s description.”

“Yes, I know. Think it will do any good?”

“It’s hard to say. The guy may be a master of make-up. If so, he’ll now look a lot different from the way he did when he pulled the job. If the resemblance happens to be real, close and unalterable, the alarm may help nail him.”

“That’s true. However, unless there’s an actual blood relationship—which possibility you’re following up anyway—the likeness can hardly be genuine. It would be too much of a coincidence. Let’s say it’s artificial. What does that tell us?”

“It was good,” Harrison responded. “Good enough to fool several witnesses. Far too good for comfort.”

“You said it,” endorsed Rider. “What’s more, an artist so exceptionally accomplished could do it again and again and again, working his way through a series of personalities more or less of his physical build. Therefore he may really look as much like Letheren as I look like a performing seal. We haven’t his true description and the lack is a severe handicap. Offhand, I can think of no way of discovering what he looks like right now.”

“Me neither,” said Harrison, becoming morbid.

“There’s one chance we’ve got though. Ten to one his present appearance is the same as it was before he worked his trick. He’d no reason to disguise himself while casing the job and making his plans. The robbery was so smooth and well-timed that it must have been schemed to perfection. That kind of planning requires plenty of preliminary observation. He could not cotton onto Dakin’s collecting habits and Letheren’s appearance at one solitary go. Not unless he was a mind reader.” “I don’t believe in mind readers,” Harrison declared. “Nor astrologers, swamis or any of their ilk.”

Ignoring it, Rider ploughed stubbornly on, “So for some time prior to the robbery he had a hideout in this town or fairly close to it. Fifty or more people may have seen him repeatedly and be able to describe him. Your boys won’t find him by circling the dives and dumps and showing a photo, because he didn’t look like the photo. The problem now is to discover the hideout, learn what he looked like.”

“Easier said than done.”

“It’s hard sledding, chief, but let’s keep at it. Eventually we’ll get ourselves somewhere even if only into a padded cell.”

He lapsed into silence, thinking deeply. Harrison concentrated attention on the ceiling. They did not know it, but they were employing Earth’s on-the-spot substitute for a rare flash of genius. A couple of times Rider opened his mouth as if about to say something, changed his mind, resumed his meditating.

In the end, Rider said, “To put over so convincingly the gag that he was Letheren he must not only have looked like him but also dressed like him, walked like him, behaved like him, smelled like him.”

“He was Letheren to the spit,” answered Harrison. “I’ve questioned Ashcroft until were both sick of it. Every single detail was Letheren right down to his shoes.” Rider asked, “How about the bag?”

“The bag?” Harrison’s lean face assumed startlement followed by self-reproach. “You’ve got me there. I didn’t ask about it. I slipped up.”

“Not necessarily. There may be nothing worth learning. We’d better be sure on that point.”

“I can find out right now.” He picked up the phone, called a number, said, “Mr. Ashcroft, I’ve another question for you. About that bag you put the money into—was it the actual one always used by the Dakin people?”

The voice came back distinctly, “No, Mr. Harrison, it was a new one.”
“What?”
Harrison’s voice purpled as he bellowed, “Why didn’t you say so at the start?

“You didn’t ask me and, therefore, I didn’t think of it. Even if I had thought of it of my own accord I wouldn’t have considered it of any importance.”

“Listen, it’s for me and not for you to decide what evidence is, or is not, important.” He fumed a bit, threw the listening Rider a look of martyrdom, went on in tones edged with irritation. “Now, let’s get this straight, once and for all. Apart from being new, was the bag identically the same as the one Dakin uses.”

“No, sir. But it was very similar. Same type, same brass lock, same general appearance. It was slightly longer and about an inch deeper. I remember that when I was putting the money into it I wondered why they’d bought another bag and concluded that the purpose was to let Mr. Letheren and Mr. Swain have one each.”

“Did you notice any distinguishing mark upon it, a price tag, a maker’s sticker, initials, code letters, serial number, or anything like that?”

“Nothing at all. It didn’t occur to me to look. Not knowing what was to come, I—”

The voice cut off in mid-sentence as Harrison irefully slammed down the phone. He stared hard at Rider who said nothing.

“For your information,” Harrison told him, “I can say that there are distinct advantages in taking up the profession of latrine attendant. Sometimes I am sorely tempted.” He breathed heavily, switched the desk-box. “Who’s loafing around out there?”

Somebody replied, “It’s Kastner, chief.”

“Send him in.”

Detective Kastner entered. He was a neatly attired individual who had the air of knowing how to get around in a sink of iniquity.

“Jim,” ordered Harrison, “beat it out to the Dakin plant and borrow their cash-bag. Make certain it’s the one they use for weekly collections. Take it to every store selling leather goods and follow up every sale of a similar bag within the last month. If you trace a purchaser, make him prove that he still possesses his bag, get him to say where he was and what he was doing at ten-thirty last Friday morning.”

“Right, chief.”

“Phone me the details if you latch onto anything significant.”

After Kastner had gone, Harrison said, “That bag was bought specifically for the job. Therefore, the purchase is likely to be a recent one and probably made in this town. If we can’t trace a sale through local stores, we’ll inquire farther afield.”

“You do that,” Rider agreed. “Meanwhile, I’ll take a couple of steps that may help.” “Such as what?”

“We’re a scientific species, living in a technological age. We’ve got extensive, well-integrated communications networks and huge, informative filing systems. Let’s use what we’ve got, eh?”

“What’s on your mind?” Harrison asked.

Rider said, “A robbery so smooth, neat and easy is something that begs to be repeated
ad lib.
Maybe he’s done it before. There’s every likelihood that he’ll do it again.”

“So—?”

“We have his description, but it isn’t worth much.” He leaned forward. “We also have full details of his method and those
are
reliable.”

“Yes, that’s true.”

“So let’s boil down his description to the unalterable basics of height, weight, build, color of eyes. The rest can be ignored. Let’s also condense his technique, reduce it to the bare facts. We can summarize the lot in five hundred words.”