“No, sir. I know only that he was called to the telephone just before noon. When he returned he asked me to take his place in the cage, saying that he was going out for a few minutes. That’s all I know about it.”
That was all of any importance that Patsy was able to learn, but it was sufficient to send him posthaste to the office of the telephone exchange. There he stated his mission to the manager, who conducted him into a room where three girl operators were seated at a large switchboard.
“Look at your record sheets for yesterday,” said the manager, addressing them. “Which of you made a connection for Daly & Page, 442 West, just before twelve o’clock?”
One of the girls replied in a few minutes, after inspecting a large sheet of paper taken from a drawer:
“I did, sir, and I now remember it distinctly,” she said. “It was the last I made before going to lunch.”
“Is there any way of learning who made the call?” Patsy inquired.
“Only by ringing up Daly & Page and asking them,” said the manager.
“They do not know,” said Patsy. “The call was not for the firm.”
“It was for a man named Todd,” put in the operator.
“How did you learn that?”