Orchid Blues (Holly Barker 2)

"Maybe she lives down that road somewhere."

"Could be. Who talked to her?"

"I'll find out." Hurd went into the squad room.

Holly continued looking at the area of the lake through her glass. Little lines indicated that it was a swampy area.

Hurd came back with Vicky Berg, one of her policewomen. "Here's your interrogator."

"Morning, Vicky. You talked to Emily, ah, what's her name?"

"Harston. Yes, I questioned her."

"What were your impressions?"

"She's late thirties, pretty in a plump sort of way, very quiet. And pregnant, I think, unless her weight just made her look pregnant."

"Anything else?"

"She answered my questions as best she could, gave me a good account of the robbery, but she didn't volunteer anything."

"She was reticent?"

"Yes, much more than the others. All the others I questioned couldn't stop talking about the robbery."

"Did you read anything into that?"

"Not really. I just thought she was probably shy or not a talkative person. She did strike me as being very bright, though; something in her eyes said that to me."

Holly looked back at Emily Harston's personnel file and read from a few lines at the bottom. "Mrs. Harston appears to be an intelligent person, and she has experience as a teller, having worked at a credit bureau at her former home in Idaho. Her former supervisor there gave her a very good recommendation, said she was honest, good at math and very competent." Holly peered at the signature at the bottom of the page. "Looks like it's signed J. Williams."

"His signature is on most of the forms. He must be a personnel officer."

"Has anyone interviewed Mr. Willams?"

"Not yet."

Holly stood up. "I think I'll go see him."

At the bank, Holly asked for Mr. J. Williams.

"That's Mrs. Joy Williams," the receptionist said. She made a quick call. "She's in. Just go up the stairs there; she's in room three-oh-eight."

Holly climbed the stairs, walked down a hallway and found the office. A fiftyish woman in a dark suit rose to greet her.

"Mrs. Williams?"

"Call me Joy, Chief. Have a seat."

Holly sat down.

"I expect you're investigating our robbery."

"I am."

"Well, that's about the most excitement we've ever had around here. I've been here fifteen years, and…" Her face fell. "Oh, my goodness, I'm so sorry. You lost-"

"Yes, but…"