Cautiously Zoe peered into the passage. She was in time to see Rico disappearing into the alley at the back of the club.
She stood hesitating. Something from Kile! That’s what Ed wanted.
She ran over to the telephone, and again dialled Dallas’s number, but there was stil no answer.
Where was he? she wondered feverishly. They said they would be back in an hour. If Ed was to get a look at that envelope she would have to take action herself.
She went back to the door and looked at Rico’s door. It seemed now a long way down the passage.
Should she take a chance and get the envelope? If she went at once there couldn’t be any risk.
She started down the passage, her heart beating violently, and her knees shaky. She reached the office door, paused outside while she screwed up her courage to go in. Then she rapped softly on the door, turned the handle and pushed the door open. The office was in darkness.
‘Is anyone there?’ she asked in a quavering voice.
The silence that came out of the darkness reassured her, and she slipped into the room, shut the door and groped for the electric light switch.
The lights over Rico’s desk went on. She moved quickly to the desk and jerked open the top drawer.