Softly in the Night by M. E. Chaber

Author:M. E. Chaber [Chaber, M. E.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Google: HutsnQEACAAJ
Publisher: Paperback Library
Published: 1963-08-15T05:00:00+00:00

SEVEN

This, I told myself, could be the one break I needed. If I was right in my theory about the case, and this seemed to prove that I was, Dr. Phillips might be all I needed—once I caught up with Mr. Cantwell. The dentist’s testimony might be enough to hold up payment of the insurance for some time, but it wouldn’t be enough to insure victory without turning up Richard Cantwell. But it was the first step—and a big one.

“Why are you interested in this?” he asked.

“Because I think those two men were involved .in a fraud involving a lot of money. I work for the insurance company that was defrauded.”

Then he looked alarmed. “I didn’t know anything about fraud. Sure, I thought it was screwy as hell, but I wasn’t involved in anything but doing my job.”

“Sure,” I said. “I believe you. I know how much money was involved and I don’t think I’d find you here like this if you’d been a part of it. But I’m not so sure that a court would look at it the same way. You say you were just doing your job. Did you get your degree with the understanding that you Were going to fill teeth that didn’t need it and put inlays in perfectly healthy teeth just because, as you say, you needed the money?”

“What do you mean?” he asked nervously. He gulped the rest of his whiskey and went over to pour another drink. This time he didn’t offer me one.

“It’s simple enough,” I told him. “Whether you knew about it or not, whether you were to share in the proceeds or not, you were an accessory to the crime. If you co-operate with us, I think I can assure you that my company will be grateful and will be convinced that you were an innocent dupe. If you don’t, they may feel quite differently about it and I can’t guarantee what will happen.”

“There are always threats, aren’t there?” he said bitterly. “You said there was a lot of money involved. How much?”

“At the moment, almost a million and a half dollars. I think it was meant to be almost two million, but there was a slight slip-up.”

“The sonofabitch,” he said angrily.

“What’s wrong? You say that you weren’t part of the scheme and you were paid well enough for the work you did, weren’t you?”

He laughed without humor. “You think so? I’ll tell you about it, Mr. March. The two of them came in here one day two months ago. The one that was the bum, and the other man who was obviously wealthy and accustomed to having his way. They had nothing in common but the fact that they were together.”

“Did they introduce themselves?”

“Oh, yes. The bum was James Smith. The other man introduced himself as Mr. Richards—a name I suspected of being as phoney as that of Smith.”

“It was. Go on.”

“I suspect that the one who called himself Mr. Richards may have made inquiries about me, and already knew before he came in that I had very little practice.

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