‘Are they looking for me?’ Baird whispered, his lips close to the mouthpiece. He heard Rico catch his breath in a startled gasp.
‘Who’s that?’ Rico asked feverishly. ‘Who’s talking?’
‘Did Olin call on you?’ Baird said, still keeping his voice low.
‘Yes,’ Rico said. ‘Get off the line, you fool! They may be listening in! They’re after you! Olin says he knows you did it! Don’t come near me! He’s after me too!’
‘Don’t lose your head,’ Baird said, seeing in his mind’s eye Rico’s twitching, terrified face. ‘They can’t prove anything. They’ve got to have proof…’
But he found himself speaking over a dead line. Rico had hung up.
Baird replaced the receiver. The muscle under his right eye was twitching. As he turned to leave the booth his quick, suspicious eyes spotted a movement at the drug-store entrance. He ducked down out of sight behind the panel of the booth door, his Colt jumping into his hand. He heard the drug-store door open and heavy feet walk over to the counter.
‘Police, Miss,’ a curt voice said. ‘Anyone been in here within the last few minutes?’
Baird eased back the safety catch. They must have spotted him while he was retreating down the alley. He wondered if there were any more of them outside.
He heard the girl say, ‘There was a big fell a in here about three minutes ago. He must have gone.’