In his room, Tremaine doctored the cut on his jaw, then opened his
trunk, checked over the detector gear. The telephone rang.
"Tremaine? I've been on the telephone with Grammond. Are you out of
your mind? I'm--"
"Fred," Tremaine cut in, "I thought you were going to get those state
cops off my neck."
"Listen to me, Tremaine. You're called off this job as of now. Don't
touch anything! You'd better stay right there in that room. In fact,
that's an order!"
"Don't pick now to come apart at the seams, Fred," Tremaine snapped.
"I've ordered you off! That's all!" The phone clicked and the dial tone
sounded. Tremaine dropped the receiver in its cradle, then walked to
the window absently, his hand in his pocket.
He felt broken pieces and pulled out Miss Carroll's locket. It was
smashed, split down the center. It must have gotten it in the tussle
with Soup, Tremaine thought. It looked--
He squinted at the shattered ornament. A maze of fine wires was
exposed, tiny condensers, bits of glass.
In the street below, tires screeched. Tremaine looked down. A black car
was at the curb, doors sprung. Four uniformed men jumped out, headed
for the door. Tremaine whirled to the phone. The desk clerk came on.
"Get me Jess--fast!"
The police chief answered.
"Jess, the word's out I'm poison. An earful of State law is at the
front door. I'm going out the back. Get in their way all you can."
Tremaine dropped the phone, grabbed up the suitcase and let himself out
into the hall. The back stairs were dark. He stumbled, cursed, made it
to the service entry. Outside, the alley was deserted.
He went to the corner, crossed the street, thrust the suitcase into the
back seat of his car and slid into the driver's seat. He started up and
eased away from the curb. He glanced in the mirror. There was no alarm.
It was a four-block drive to Miss Carroll's house. The housekeeper let
Tremaine in.
"Oh, yes, Miss Carroll is still up," she said. "She never retires
until nine. I'll tell her you're here, Mr. Tremaine."
* * * * *
Tremaine paced the room. On his third circuit Miss Carroll came in.
"I wouldn't have bothered you if it wasn't important," Tremaine said.
"I can't explain it all now. You said once you had confidence in me.
Will you come with me now? It concerns Bram ... and maybe a lot more
than just Bram."