"I'd love to hear it," she said. And she cast him an upward glance that might have meant anything, but that really meant that Clancy Deane enjoyed flirtation.
"Difficulty in our office," said Vandervent jerkily, "is lack of cooperation with us by the police. Different political parties. Police lie down often. Doing it now on the Beiner murder."
"On what?" Clancy almost shrieked the question. Luckily, the negro musicians were blaring loudly. Vandervent didn't notice her excitement.
"The Beiner mystery," he repeated. "They don't usually lie down on a murder. Fact is, I don't really mean that now. But there's inefficiency. We're going to show them up."
"How?" asked Clancy. Her throat was dry; her lips seemed as though they were cracked.
"By catching the murderess," said Vandervent.
"'Murderess?'" All the fears that had departed from Clancy returned to her, magnified.
Vandervent enjoyed the effect of his speech.
"Yes; a woman did it. And we know her name."
"You do?" Once again the young man thought her excitement due to admiration.