I could hear them coming a long way off. I started to get up and dress, because I wanted to be on hand when things began to happen; then I remembered my own position in the matter and went back to bed.But it wasn’t Alta the cops were after. They banged around on the front door until Ashbury got up. Then it seemed they wanted to talk with Robert Tindle.I slipped on a pair of pants over my pajamas, put on my coat, and tiptoed to the head of the stairs immediately after Tindle had gone down to the library. The cops didn’t lower their voices or try to pull any punches. They wanted to know if he was acquainted with a man named Jed Ringold.“Why, yes,” Tindle said. “We have a salesman by that name.”“Where’d he live? Do you know?”“No, I don’t. It’s on the records up at our office. Why? What’s he done?”“He hasn’t done anything,” the cop said. “When did you see him last?”“I haven’t seen him for three or four days.”“What does he do?”“He’s a stock salesman.
