The guard’s eyes narrowed. He was taking his job very seriously. “Is this about Ellsworth?” he asked in a whisper.
Frank gave him a glare that told him he had no intention of discussing his business with anyone less than the boss. The guard’s attitude changed instantly.
“I’ll… Wait here just a minute,” he advised and hurried off to whisper something urgent to one of the men sitting behind desks at the rear of the lobby.
This fellow came forward, and a few more minutes of negotiation were required to convince him he’d be well advised to announce Frank to Mr. Dennis without further delay if he wanted to avoid trouble. In a few short moments, he was ushered into a lavish office and presented to Richard Dennis.
Dennis was exactly what Frank had imagined. A man in his prime, Dennis wore his tailored clothes with ease and confidence. Generations of wealth and privilege had produced in him the polish those with newly earned fortunes tried in vain to emulate. Just as it had in Sarah Brandt. Dennis was, in short, everything Frank could never hope to be: the perfect match for her. He didn’t bother to analyze the emotions this knowledge stirred in him. He didn’t even have a right to experience them.
Dennis’s expression told Frank he didn’t appreciate being interrupted but that he would tolerate it because he chose to. For his part, Frank would do well to show his respect and appreciation for the favor. All this communication, and Dennis had yet to utter a word.
Frank broke the silence between them as soon as the door was closed behind him. “I need to talk to you about Nelson Ellsworth.”
Dennis sighed with long-suffering. “As I explained to the other detective who called, the bank isn’t responsible for Mr. Ellsworth’s conduct outside of the bank, and we have no knowledge of his acquaintance with this murdered woman. We have forbidden him to return to work until the matter is settled. I’m not sure what else you can expect me to contribute.”
He hadn’t asked Frank to sit down, but he did anyway, settling into one of the comfortable chairs in front of Dennis’s desk. Dennis favored him with a disapproving frown, which Frank ignored. “I expect you to tell me why you haven’t filed charges of embezzlement against Ellsworth,” he said.
Dennis’s haughty manner faltered a bit, but he regained his composure quickly. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I think you do. Ellsworth learned last night that he is under suspicion of having embezzled ten thousand dollars from the bank. He claims that he’s innocent, and he believes he is only being accused of this crime because the dead woman was attempting to blackmail him.”
“No one has accused him of anything,” Dennis hastily assured Frank. “Where on earth did he…? Oh, Sarah,” he said, answering his own question.
The casual use of her given name sent a surge of anger through Frank, but he said, “Who’s Sarah?” with credible calmness.
Dennis was nothing if not a gentleman. “She’s a lady of my acquaintance,” he said, belatedly discreet. “She also happens to be a friend of Ellsworth’s. I suppose I should have asked her not to inform Ellsworth until… Well, it doesn’t matter. I have no intention of exposing the bank’s private business to public scrutiny, which means I have nothing further to say to you. So if you’ll excuse me…” He began shuffling some papers on his desk, silently dismissing Frank.
But Frank wasn’t ready to be dismissed. “Let me understand this, Mr. Dennis,” he said, managing to sound somewhat respectful. “You told this lady that Ellsworth stole ten thousand dollars from the bank, but you aren’t going to take any legal action against him? How are you going to explain the missing money if you don’t?”
Dennis didn’t like being questioned, especially when he didn’t have a ready answer. “That’s really none of your business,” he tried.
“You’re wrong there,” Frank said. “If Ellsworth stole money to pay off Anna Blake, then that gives him a good reason to kill her, doesn’t it?”
“I’m sure I have no idea,” Dennis said, his patience growing strained.
“But on the other hand,” Frank said, as if he were just considering possibilities, “if he’d paid her off with that much money, he really wouldn’t have to kill her, would he?”
“I’m glad to say I know very little about blackmail and murder.” Dennis was angry now and not bothering to hide it.
“Well, I do, and I’ll tell you something, Mr. Dennis. If Ellsworth stole your money, then he’s probably not a killer, because Anna Blake would’ve been very happy with ten thousand dollars. And if he didn’t steal the money, he might’ve killed Anna Blake because he couldn’t pay her blackmail. Either way, I need to investigate your problems here at the bank so I can be sure. Maybe I should talk to this Sarah, too.”
“No!” Dennis was horrified at the thought of someone like Frank speaking to Sarah Brandt. “She knows nothing about what happened here at the bank. I refuse to involve her in this.”
“I guess Ellsworth will know how to get in touch with her,” Frank said, issuing the one threat he knew would win Dennis’s cooperation. He made as if to rise from his chair.
“Wait!” Dennis cried, his dignity forgotten. He’d do whatever he must to keep Frank from bothering Mrs. Brandt. “The private business of the bank is confidential, but I’ll try to answer your questions if I can. No one else needs to be involved. Please, sit down.”
Frank settled back into his chair again, managing not to look smug. “I have to find out if Ellsworth killed that woman, Mr. Dennis. If he did, I can arrest him and move on to a new case. If he didn’t, though, I need to figure out who did. The question I have is, why aren’t you trying to find out if he stole that money?”
“Because I’m certain that Ellsworth did,” Dennis insisted.
“Then why not try to get it back? Anna Blake is dead. If he gave it to her, she’s not going to put up much of a fight about keeping it, is she?”
“I… I hadn’t thought of that,” Dennis claimed. His face was mottled from the stress of trying to stay one step ahead of Frank.
“And if Ellsworth didn’t steal it, that means the thief still works for you. Are you going to give him a chance to do it again?”
Dennis rubbed the bridge of his nose, trying to ward off a headache. Frank knew he should feel guilty for causing the man so many problems, but he didn’t. He told himself he was just trying to save Nelson Ellsworth’s reputation and position, but he knew that was only a small part of it. The larger part of it was proving to himself that Dennis wasn’t worthy of Sarah Brandt. He didn’t ask himself why that was necessary. Or how he would convey that information to Mrs. Brandt if he did manage to prove it. He only knew he was compelled to do it and that he enjoyed doing so.
Finally, Dennis looked up, his expression determinedly reasonable. “See here, Mr… I’m sorry, I don’t believe I caught your name.”
That’s because he hadn’t been interested in learning it, but Frank simply said, “Malloy.”
“Mr. Malloy, no one wants to put their money in a bank if they know funds have been embezzled. While ten thousand dollars is a lot of money, it is nothing compared to what we will lose if our depositors choose to withdraw all their funds.”
Frank nodded sagely, encouraging Dennis to continue.
“I have independent means. I will cover the losses myself and make certain this doesn’t happen again.”
“By making sure Ellsworth never works here again?” Frank guessed. “Even if he’s not the thief?”
Dennis gave him a pitying look. “After the scandal he’s caused, I could never take him back in any case.”
Frank felt another surge of anger and almost reminded Dennis that he’d promised Sarah Brandt to give Nelson his job back if he wasn’t arrested for the murder. He caught himself just in time. “So you’ll blame him for the embezzlement, even if he’s innocent of it?”