There was no way to link him up with the disturbances that had occurred in the theaters controlled by Griscom and Ballantyne.
Since the detection of Steve Marschik and his loaded package of cigarettes, there had been no trouble at the Paladrome Theater. The detectives spent their time in and out of the lobby.
George Ballantyne, when he was not at other theaters, made his headquarters in the office of the Paladrome. He was there on Monday. He did not arrive again until late Tuesday afternoon. He opened the door with his own key.
While he was in the office, Babson, the house manager, entered. He opened a closet and removed his hat and coat.
“Raining a bit,” he remarked.
Ballantyne nodded. His own hat and coat were lying on a chair. He went on writing a letter.
“Don’t latch the door when you go out,” said Babson. “An usher is coming in with some packages. He’ll latch it. Have you seen the picture?”
“Saw it yesterday.”
“A great thriller. That shooting scene gets them. Realistic stuff. The supper show goes on pretty soon.”
With that, Babson left. He stopped to speak to the usher who stood at the back of the theater, to remind him of the packages.