“My pleasure,” Steve said grimly.
One hour later, Steve was knocking on Julia’s hotel room door.
When Julia opened the door and saw him standing there, she said, “I’m sorry. I’m not talking to any more reporters. I…”
“I’m not a reporter. May I come in?”
“Who are you?”
“My name is Steve Sloane. I’m with the law firm representing the Harry Stanford estate.”
“Oh. I see. Yes. Come in.”
Steve walked into the room.
“Did you tell the press that you are Julia Stanford?”
“I’m afraid I was caught off guard. I didn’t expect them, you see, and…”
“But you did claim to be Harry Stanford’s daughter?”
“Yes. I am his daughter.”
He looked at her and said cynically, “Of course, you have proof of that.”
“Well, no,” Julia said slowly. “I don’t.”
“Come on,” Steve insisted. “You must have some proof.” He intended to nail her with her own lies.
“I have nothing,” she said.
He studied her, surprised. She was not what he had expected. There was a disarming frankness about her. She seems intelligent. How could she have been stupid enough to come here claiming to be Harry Stanford’s daughter without any proof?
“That’s too bad,” Steve said. “Judge Stanford wants you to get out of town.”
Julia’s eyes widened. “What?”
“That’s right.”
“But…I don’t understand. I haven’t even met my other brother or sister.”
So she’s determined to keep up the bluff, Steve thought. “Look, I don’t know who you are, or what your game is, but you could go to jail for this. We’re giving you a break. What you’re doing is against the law. You have a choice. You either can get out of town and stop bothering the family, or we can have you arrested.”
Julia stood there in shock. “Arrested? I…I don’t know what to say.”
“It’s your decision.”
“They don’t even want to see me?” Julia asked numbly.
“That’s putting it mildly.”
She took a deep breath. “All right. If that’s what they want, I’ll go back to Kansas. I promise you, they’ll never hear from me again.”
Kansas. You came a long way to pull your little scam. “That’s very wise.” He stood there a moment, watching her, puzzled. “Well, good-bye.”
She did not reply.
Steve was in Simon Fitzgerald’s office.
“Did you see the woman, Steve?”
“Yes. She’s going back home.” He seemed distracted.
“Good. I’ll tell Judge Stanford. He’ll be pleased.”
“Do you know what’s bugging me, Simon?”
“What?”
“The dog didn’t bark.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“The Sherlock Holmes story. The clue was in what didn’t happen.”
“Steve, what does that have to do with—?”
“She came here without any proof.”
Fitzgerald looked at him, puzzled. “I don’t understand. That should have convinced you.”
“On the contrary. Why would she come here, all the way from Kansas, claiming to be Harry Stanford’s daughter, and not have a single thing to back it up?”
“There are a lot of weirdos out there, Steve.”
“She’s not a weirdo. You should have seen her. And there are a couple of other things that bother me, Simon.”
“Yes?”
“Harry Stanford’s body disappeared…When I went to talk to Dmitri Kaminsky, the only witness to Stanford’s accident, he had disappeared…And no one seems to know where the first Julia Stanford suddenly disappeared to.”
Simon Fitzgerald was frowning. “What are you saying?”
Steve said, slowly, “There’s something going on that needs to be explained. I’m going to have another talk with the lady.”
Steve Sloane walked into the lobby of the Copley Square Hotel and approached the desk clerk. “Would you ring Miss Julia Stanford, please?”
The clerk looked up. “Oh, I’m sorry. Miss Stanford has checked out.”
“Did she leave a forwarding address?”
“No, sir. I’m afraid not.”
Steve stood there, frustrated. There was nothing more he could do. Well, maybe I was wrong, he thought philosophically. Maybe she really is an impostor. Now we’ll never know. He turned and went out into the street. The doorman was ushering a couple into a taxi.
“Excuse me,” Steve said.
The doorman turned. “Taxi, sir?”
“No. I want to ask you a question. Did you see Miss Stanford come out of the hotel this morning?”