And since his luck had changed maybe he'd find Dolly home now if he called again.
He went into the drugstore on the next corner and dialed her number in the phone booth. And this time, after seven rings—a lucky number?—Dolly's voice answered, a bit breathlessly.
8:17 P.M.
Dolly Mason heard the first ring of the phone when she was in the hallway outside her apartment, returning from dinner with Mack Irby. Mack was with her and she thought she had a free evening to spend with him. She ran to the door, fished the key out of her handbag and stuck it in the lock. It jammed there for several rings of the telephone inside, till Mack said, "Let me, Doll." He reached around her and turned the key. Dolly got to the phone just as it finished the seventh ring. "Hello," she said, a bit breathlessly.
"Hi, Dolly," the phone said to her. "This is Ray. Ray Fletcher."
"Oh. Hi, Ray honey. Long time no see."
"Too long. Can I see you a while tonight? Just for a few minutes?"
"Well—maybe just for a little while. But not right away. 'Bout an hour from now, huh?"
"An hour? Can't you make it a little earlier than that, Dolly?"
"Well, maybe a little earlier." She looked at her wrist watch. "Nine o'clock? That's a little over forty minutes."