Page:Fantastic Volume 08 Number 01.djvu/109

 One week later, Mr. Evans called Sadler into his office. He showed him a letter he'd received, saying that Sadler was an alcoholic and could not be a worthy successor to the managership of the bank. The letter was unsigned.

Sadler denied the charge vehemently, and he said he strongly suspected that this was another practical joke, like the reports to the police earlier. Mr. Evans agreed that it was either a joke or a crank letter; but he said that, despite the injustice in it, the bank could not afford to have as manager a man about whom vicious rumors were circulating. He said there might be other such letters going to the important tradespeople in town. Whether or not they were true, they must be stopped—or the bank could not possibly consider giving Sadler the job. It was simply a matter of business.

Sadler told Mr. Evans he would look after it, and he left. But he did not know what to do. He worried about it for the rest of the day, getting hardly any work done. Then, at five o'clock, he telephoned Larry.

As usual, Larry was full of cheer. "Good to hear from you, pal," he said. "What's up?"

"Larry, I've got to talk to you. This is pretty serious." Sadler hoped his voice didn't betray his uneasiness. He didn't know how to deal with Larry. He never had, since the early days when they were in school together, and Larry had always picked him as the butt of his jokes and pranks.

"Look, Larry, can I see you tonight?"

"Sure thing, pal, what's the trouble? You haunted? Say, that reminds me—you found any ghosts in that room of yours yet? It really is haunted, you know. A guy died in that room."

"No, Larry, it's something else. When can I see you?"

"I don't know. You name it."

"Eight o'clock?"

"Okay. Drugstore across from the hotel, all right?"

"Fine. I'll see you there."

They hung up.

Larry was peering in through the window of the hotel when Sadler came down the stairs. He watched Sadler leave his key at the desk, then head for the door. Larry sank back into the shadows, holding his parcel close to him. When Sadler had crossed the street and entered the drugstore, Larry ducked into the LAST LAUGHTER