“I told you!” she almost screamed. “I went to warn Charley that Del was after him! I heard the shots when I was halfway upstairs — got out.”
Shane was looking at Lorain Rigas and there was a dim mocking glitter in his eyes.
She glanced at him, said: “I didn’t tell you about that, Dick, because I was afraid you’d get ideas. You wouldn’t trust your own mother across the street, you know.”
Shane nodded gently, slowly.
He turned to Pedro. “Where do I come in?” he said. “I went from here to the hotel — an’ I was there till about a quarter of ten...”
The dealer, who was still standing near the door, spoke for the first time: “No. After you left here, you didn’t get to the hotel till about ten minutes of nine. I found that out from a friend of mine — a bellhop.”
Lorain Rigas looked from the dealer to Shane. Her eyes were wide, surprised. She said: “My God!”
Pedro stopped swinging his feet suddenly. He said: “Where did you go after you left here?” He was staring at Shane and his eyes were thin heavily fringed slits.
Shane was silent a moment. Then he reached slowly, deliberately towards his inside pocket, smiled at Lorain Rigas, said: “May I smoke?”
Pedro stood up suddenly.