He told Joe where he was going and headed back up the hall. When he reached the corner, he tried the door again for luck. The luck was the same.
He wondered whether to go look in the lab for some burning tool. On second thought, he decided that if any damage had to be done to the building, it was not his responsibility. He turned to enter the main office, flashing Pauline a wink that he hoped would look reassuring.
Simonetta was busy with a case folder but Beryl was seizing an opportunity to repair her nail polish of irridescent gold. She eyed him curiously as he bent over to whisper into the brunette's ear.
"Are they still talking in there, Si?" he asked.
She drew away with a mock frown, demanding, "What's so confidential? Are you spying for Yoleen?"
Westervelt scowled over her head out the window. It was twilight outside, and he noted that there were only a few dim lights in nearby tall buildings.
"I just wanted to see Mr. Smith," he forced himself to say.
"Don't tell me that you want to go home, now that you got all the rest of us to say we'd stay?"
She softened when she saw that he had no wisecrack in readiness.
"You know I didn't mean that, Willie," she said. "Is something the matter?"