Kennedy quickly unhooked the receiver with a hasty motion to me to be silent.
“Hello,” I heard him answer. “Yes, this is it.”
He had disguised his voice. I waited anxiously and watched his face to gather what response he received.
“The deuce!” he exclaimed, with his hand over the transmitter so that his voice would not be heard at the other end of the line.
“What’s the matter?” I asked eagerly.
“It was Mrs. Annenberg—I am sure. But she was too keen for me. She caught on. There must be some password or form of expression that they use, which we don’t know, for she hung up the receiver almost as soon as she heard me.”
Kennedy waited a minute or so. Then he whistled into the transmitter. It was done apparently to see whether there was anyone listening. But there was no answer.
“Operator, operator!” he called insistently, moving the hook up and down. “Yes, operator. Can you tell me what number that was which just called?”
He waited impatiently.
“Bleecker—7l80,” he repeated after the girl. “Thank you. Information, please.”