Case of the Footloose Doll Read Online Free PDF Page A

in order to conceal the evidence of the theft. I would like a statement from you to that effect.”
    “Do you think I’m crazy?” Mildred asked.
    Harrod shrugged his shoulders. “After all, these things are self-evident, Miss Driscoll. Why shouldn’t you sign such a statement?”
    “Don’t be silly,” she said. “I never knew Mildred Crest in my life. I wasn’t in any automobile. I didn’t—”
    Her voice trailed away into silence.
    Harrod’s smile was patronizing. “Just stopped to think, didn’t you, Miss Driscoll? You felt the fire would destroy a great deal of evidence. It destroyed very little, if any. A passing motorist who carried a fire extinguisher put out the fire in the car. Most of the gasoline had been spilled out of the tank when the car hit a rock at the top of the hill. That fire got out of control, but thanks to the fire extinguisher, the flames in the back of Mildred’s car were extinguished.
    “So I found the suitcase was sold to you in Lansing, Michigan. I made a little investigation at Lansing. You had charge accounts and an excellent credit rating. You left a good position in Lansing overnight without telling anyone where you were going.”
    “What do you intend to do with this statement if I should give it to you?” Mildred asked.
    “Well,” Harrod said, “that’s an interesting question. Quite frankly, Miss Driscoll, I don’t know myself. Theoretically I’m supposed to make a complete report on the situation and append the statement to the report . . . Actually I don’t think I’ll do it.”
    “Why not?”
    “I find you quite intelligent. You are very good-looking. Someday you will marry. You may even marry money. In short, I see unlimited possibilities.”

    “Blackmail!” Mildred said.
    “Now, blackmail is a very crude and a very ugly word. Please remember, Miss Driscoll, that I haven’t asked you for anything except a signed statement.”
    “I have no intention of writing any such statement.”
    “That, of course, would be your first reaction,” Harrod said. “Well, you just got back from the office. I know that you’re tired. You probably want to get your dinner and I see you would prefer to be alone.
    “I’ll let you think things over for a day or two, and then I’ll be in touch with you again.”
    Harrod walked to the door, turned and smiled at Mildred. “I’ll be back, Miss Driscoll,” he said, “and please, please remember that I have asked you for nothing except a signed statement as to the facts. I am making that request in my capacity as an investigator for an insurance company. It is a thoroughly legitimate request, particularly in view of the fact that you might try to make a claim against my employer, Mildred Crest’s insurance carrier.
    “I mention this in case you should consult with some private detective agency, a lawyer, or even, in fact, the police. All I am asking for is a signed statement as to what happened. I would like to have you tell me this in your words.
    “Anyone will tell you that is a customary procedure in cases of this sort.“Thank you very much, Miss Driscoll. I’ve enjoyed our little visit. I’ll see you again. Good night.” Harrod eased himself out of the door.
    Mildred stood watching the closed door with sickening apprehension.
    She had, indeed, burned her bridges.
    What Harrod evidently didn’t know as yet, but would probably find out, was about the forty hundred-dollar bills in Fern Driscoll’s purse.
    In view of her actions, it would now be impossible to explain how the fire had started. Harrod quite naturally assumed she had rifled the other girl’s purse and had then started the fire to conceal the theft.
    Either in the identity of Mildred Crest, who had stolen four thousand dollars from Fern Driscoll, or in the borrowed identity of Fern Driscoll, who had stolen some five hundred dollars from Mildred Crest, she was between two fires.
    And, in the background, was the possibility of her being charged with