Della Street said, “I don’t see how you could have done things any differently, Paul.”
“I couldn’t,” Drake admitted, “unless I’d been up on my toes and played a hunch. You see reports were relayed to me. By the time I got this guy’s description, he’d left. But good detective work consists of a lot of luck and a lot of hunch playing. I might have anticipated Leeds would drop in, and been ready for him. I muffed that play.
“Well, that’s practically all. At ten-twenty-one, the blonde girl came back again. This time she was carrying an overnight bag. It looked as though she’d dropped in, fixed things up with Milicant, and was back for a longer visit after Milicant had got rid of all the business.”
“How long did she stay?” Mason asked.
“That’s just it,” Drake said. “She went in, and then came right back out at ten-thirty-two.”
“Did she leave the bag?”
“No, she evidently hadn’t even taken her hat off, just popped in and popped out again. I have a hunch something had happened, and Milicant wasn’t as glad to see her as she thought he was going to be.”
“Meaning what?” Mason asked.
“Meaning the sister,” Drake said. “The girl was in first at six-fifty-seven and was out by two minutes past seven. She came out looking happy. The next time the blonde shows up, the situation is radically different, and she comes out with her shoulders squared, her chin up in the air, and walks to the corner where she grabs a taxi.”
“Anything happen after that?” Mason asked.