I made grunting noises and shut myself in a call-box. I asked the operator to connect me with Police Headquarters.
‘I can’t,’ she said. ‘Every line’s jammed. I’ve been trying to get them for the past twenty minutes. What goes on down there?’
‘Some cop’s cleaned his buttons, and the whole force’s gone on strike,’ I said sourly and hung up.
I came out into the quiet and cool of the store again. The clerk was standing on a stool so that he could see over the heads of the crowd. By now they were jammed up against his windows. It looked as if I’d have trouble in getting out.
‘The Feds have arrived,’ he told me, sucking in his breath excitedly. ‘But this has wiped their eyes. That guy Brandon’s a smart cop. Best Captain of Police we’ve ever had.’
‘How do I get out of here?’ I said impatiently after trying to shove through a bunch of backs facing me in the doorway.
‘You don’t want to get out, do you? Grab a stool. You won’t get a better view than here.’
‘View of what?’
He frowned down at me.
‘Maybe they’ll bring him out. Maybe that Dedrick dame will come down to look him over. Anything can happen. I wish my girl was here. She’d love this.’