Bertha Cool said, “I am going to collect some money for you. Will you give me fifty per cent of it if I collect it?”
“Money for what?”
“Money from the insurance company for being hit by a drunken driver.”
“But I’ve already collected that, Mrs. Cool. I’ve already made a settlement.”
“No, you haven’t, not from the man who was driving the car. How much were they going to pay in all?”
“You mean this insurance company?”
“Yes, the one you made the settlement with, this Auto Club outfit?”
“Why, they were going to pay me my salary for two months. That would be two hundred and fifty dollars for the two months. Then they were going to pay all the expenses here. I don’t know what they amount to, but I think it’s ten dollars a day. That would be six hundred dollars for two months, and give me five hundred dollars when I left here. Good heavens, Mrs. Cool, do you realize how much that is? That’s thirteen hundred dollars.”
“All right,” Bertha said, “you signed a release, releasing the client of that insurance company, and that insurance company from any claim. You didn’t sign any release, releasing the Intermutual Indemnity Company. Now, I’ll tell you what we’re going to do. You’re going to put your claim in my hands, and I’m going to collect you a bunch of money from the Intermutual. You’re going to pay me one-half of what I collect, and I’m going to guarantee with you that your share will be at least two thousand dollars.”
“You mean two thousand dollars in cash?”
“Yes,” Bertha said. “That’ll be your share, and don’t let’s have any misunderstandings, dear. I’ll be making two thousand dollars myself. Understand, that’s a minimum. I feel certain I can get you more, perhaps three or four thousand dollars as your share.”
“But, Mrs. Cool, that would be dishonest.”
“Why would it be dishonest?”
“Because I’ve already given a release to the insurance company.”
“But it was the wrong insurance company, the wrong driver.”
“I know, but, nevertheless, I’ve accepted that money.”
“They’ve paid it to you,” Bertha said. “It’s their hard luck.”
“No, I couldn’t do that. It wouldn’t be ethical. It wouldn’t be honest.”
“Listen,” Bertha said, “the insurance companies have lots of money. They’re rolling in wealth. This man was driving a car. He was so drunk he didn’t know what he was doing. When Mrs. Cranning rang him up and told him that he’d hit you, knocked you down, and then made passes at you going home, he really thought he’d done so. He told her he’d have his insurance company get on the job right away. He called up his insurance company and said, ‘I’m in an awful jam. I was driving a car last night. I was so drunk I don’t know what happened, and I hit this girl. She’s had a concussion of the brain and is lying on a couch out there at the house of the man who employed her. For God’s sake get on the job quick and clean the thing up.’ ”
“Well?” Josephine Dell asked. “Suppose he did?”
“Don’t you see what happened? He didn’t hit you at all, and because you gave them a release, it doesn’t mean a thing. In other words, if I should be ninny enough to offer you a thousand dollars for a complete release of any and all claims you might have against me, because I hit you with an automobile, it wouldn’t prevent you from collecting from someone who did hit you with an automobile.”
A frown puckered the smooth skin of Josephine Dell’s forehead. Her blonde hair glinted in the sunlight as she turned her head to look out of the window while she studied the proposition. Then, at length, she gave Bertha Cool her answer, a firm, determined shake of the head.
“No, Mrs. Cool, I couldn’t do that. It wouldn’t be fair.”
“Then,” Bertha said, “if you want to be absolutely fair, ring up this automobile club representative and tell him that it was all a mistake, that you got the licence number wrong.”
Instant suspicion appeared in Josephine Dell’s eyes. “I don’t think I got the licence number wrong,” she said.
“I tell you, you did.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I know the insurance company that’s actually handling the case.”
“All right,” Josephine Dell said, “if you know so much about it, go ahead and tell me what was wrong with the licence number. What was the licence number of the man who did hit me?”
Bertha Cool tried to avoid that. She said, “I’ve actually talked with the representative of the insurance company. He told me that if you—”
“What was the licence number of the man who did hit me?” Josephine Dell interrupted.
“I don’t know,” Bertha Cool confessed.
“I thought not,” Josephine Dell said. “I don’t know what your purpose is in coming to me, Mrs. Cool, but I’m very much afraid that you’re trying to do something that isn’t for my best interests. As far as I’m concerned, I’m perfectly satisfied with the situation the way it is.”
“But you don’t want to take money from an insurance company that—”
“But, Mrs. Cool, just now you were arguing that the insurance company was rolling in money, and that it was quite all right to keep their money.”
“Well, that’s what I’d do under the circumstances,” Bertha said. “Of course, if you want to be ethical—”
“Then it’s exactly what I will do under the circumstances.”
“But you’ll go after this other insurance company?”
Josephine Dell shook her head.
“Please,” Bertha pleaded. “Let me handle it for you. I tell you I can get you some money just like that,” and Bertha snapped her fingers.
Josephine Dell smiled. “I’m afraid, Mrs. Cool, that you’re trying to— Well, I’ve heard a lot about how insurance companies try to take advantage of people. I was very much surprised to see how nice Mr. Milbran was. I suppose that the main office didn’t like the settlement he’d made with you and is trying to get me to repudiate it. Is that it?”
Bertha said wearily, “That isn’t it. It’s just like I told you. You got the licence number wrong.”
“But you can’t tell me where I made a mistake in it?”
“No.”
“Do you know even one figure in the licence number?”
“No. I don’t know anything about the man. I know the insurance company.”
“Do you know the name of the man who hit me?”
Bertha said angrily, “I don’t know a damn thing about it.”
Josephine Dell picked up her book. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Cool, but I don’t think I care to discuss the matter any further. Good morning.”
“But, look, did you know Myrna Jackson had been impersonating you? Did you know—”
“I’m sorry, Mrs. Cool. I don’t want to discuss the matter with you any further. Good morning!”
“But—”
“Good morning, Mrs. Cool.”
Chapter XXX
It was not until Wednesday morning that Bertha Cool returned to her office.
“Where,” Elsie Brand asked, “have you been?”
Bertha Cool’s sun-bronzed face twisted into a grin. She said, “I’ve been doing the one thing I’m good at.”
“What’s that?”
“Fishing.”
“You mean you were fishing all day yesterday?”
“Yes. I got so damned exasperated I darn near blew up. I decided to hell with it. I was running a blood pressure of about two hundred and eighty. I climbed in my car, drove down to the beach, rented some fishing tackle, and proceeded to enjoy myself. Do you know what happened? It’s an uncanny combination of circumstances, a coincidence that wouldn’t happen once in ten million times.”