Bertha Cool was staring at me with steady, wide-eyed intentness.
I said, “You know what that means.”
Bertha Cool nodded.
“All right. Let’s go.”
She pulled herself out of the cab. Out of the corner of my eye I saw one of the detectives parked just behind the agency car keeping the place under surveillance. Bertha saw him too, but didn’t even bother to signal him.
As I held the door open for Bertha Cool, I said, “Keep the clerk busy for a minute.”
Bertha nodded and moved over to the desk. The clerk came forward to greet her. I walked past him to say in a low voice to Frieda Tarbing, “Didn’t she call?”
“Not a peep. Shall I go through the motions of ringing?”
I saw the clerk cock an ear in our direction, and I said in a loud voice, “Oh, don’t bother to ring. Aunt Amelia is expecting me. We’ll go right on up.”
She raised her voice. “According to the rules,” she said, “I have to ring.”