“Well, how did you happen to meet him? What’s—”
The doorbell rang sharply.
“See who it is,” I said to Edna.
She went to the telephone, pressed the button, said, “Who is it?”
Looking at her face, I knew from the expression of sheer terror what the answer was.
“Have you got any things here?” I asked Roberta. “A bag, clothes, anything?”
She shook her head. “I left the apartment without anything. I telegraphed Edna collect and she wired me money to come here. I haven’t had a chance to buy anything. I—”
“Grab everything you’ve got,” I said, “everything that would indicate you’d been here. Let’s get going.”
“I don’t understand,” she said.
I said to Edna, “Press the buzzer that opens the downstairs door. Take all these extra cigarette butts from the ash tray, and throw them out of the window. Be putting on that housecoat when they come to the door.”