Apparently satisfied, the guard moved on and Bob could hear his footsteps growing fainter as he bent to his task again.
But he was not to work long uninterruptedly. The telephone buzzed and there was obvious irritation in his voice when he answered. But it vanished when he recognized his uncle’s voice.
“I was a little worried,” explained Merritt Hughes, “when I phoned your room and found you weren’t in. Everything all right?”
“Yes, except I’ve had too many interruptions,” said Bob. Then he hastened to explain. “I don’t mean you though. Tully Ross was in and sat around for nearly an hour without doing anything except making me nervous.”
“Did he hint at anything?” asked Bob’s uncle.
“Yes. The same thing you mentioned. Evidently Condon Adams has told him about it. You know Tully wants a position in the bureau of investigation, too.”
“Sure, every youngster in the country would like it,” replied Merritt Hughes. “Better stop for tonight and run along home and get some sleep. I want you on the alert every hour of the day. You’re in the office from now on.”
“I’ll be through in less than half an hour,” promised Bob. “Then I’ll go directly home.”
“It’s a bad night and getting worse. Take a taxi and don’t run the risk of catching cold.”
This Bob promised to do and with a sigh hung up the telephone receiver and bent once more to the task of finishing the filing.