Delancy jerked his head at the woman and asked of the proprietor: "Who's that, Burkey?"
Burkey shrugged big shoulders. "She's from the boss. She's got a message for you."
The woman was beautiful. But there was something about the chilly expression in her eyes that made Delancy feel decidedly uncomfortable. She did not smile as she opened a black purse and produced an envelope which she handed to Delancy.
While Burkey was opening the steam valves that would spray hot vapor on the car in the wash room, Delancy tore open the letter which the woman had handed him. Inside was a slip of paper on which had been typed the following:
"The bearer will ride with you into Manhattan."
There was no signature, but in its stead was the crude drawing of an eye, formed by two bowed lines that represented lids and two circles, one within the other, representing iris and pupil. Delancy knew that the message was from that man he had never seen—the big boss, the man who knew all the answers.
Delancy touched a match to the message. He looked at the woman with the cold green eyes.
"What's the idea?" he asked.
"I suppose," she said in a quiet voice, "that it will look less suspicious if you are seen driving a car with a woman beside you. Your men are to get into the baggage trunk at the rear or else crouch down on the floor of the rear compartment."
Delancy snorted. "That's nuts. There ain't any sense to this. It was a clean job. We didn't mix with any coppers."