He stood just out of sight, listening.
Although he had moved silently, Baird had heard him. Baird guessed this fat punk wouldn’t venture into the alley so long as he was uncertain Baird was still there.
Time was getting on. Baird couldn’t afford to hang about any longer, nor could he afford to let anyone interested in him know he was catching a train.
His hand slid inside his coat and came out again, holding his Colt. Silently he began to edge back along the alley, moving like a ghost.
Burns stood straining his ears, sure now that Baird was still in the alley. He decided not to show himself, but to wait Baird out. He didn’t hear Baird creeping along the al ey, and he had no idea of his danger until a hand came around the corner of the wall and grabbed hold of his coat.
He let out a yell as he felt himself jerked forward, and he hit out blindly. Then something hard and heavy smashed down on his head, and his world snuffed out into darkness.
Baird dragged Burns into the alley, turned him on his back and went through his pockets. He found one of Burns’s cards and he struck a match to read it.
International Detective Agency! A shamus following him! He gave Burns a hard nudge with the toe of his shoe and stood up, his face hard and set.
He hadn’t time now to think what it meant. If he didn’t hurry he’d miss his train. He left Burns’s body in the alley and ran towards the railroad depot.
***
Forty minutes later Harmon Purvis was startled out of a heavy sleep by the furious ringing of his telephone bell. As he picked up the receiver he glanced at his bedside clock. It showed a quarter-past three.
‘Who is it?’ he demanded.
‘This is Ed,’ Dal as’s voice barked over the line. ‘Baird’s given us the slip. Burns is in hospital with a fractured skull. I thought you’d welcome the good news.’
‘Any idea what happened?’ Purvis said, dropping back on his pillow and frowning up at the ceiling.
‘The Gil is girl cal ed on her brother tonight. She left around eleven-thirty. I watched Gillis’s window until he turned off the light and presumably went to bed. It was after two before I got away. I ran into Ainsworth on his way to relieve Burns. I went with him. We found Burns’s car near Baird’s place, but no Burns. A cop told us Baird had left his house, carrying hand-baggage, about five minutes before we showed up, and Burns had gone after him. We went after them. Obviously from the direction, Baird was heading for the railroad depot. We found Burns in an alley, bleeding like a pig, and the top of his head shoved in. No sign of Baird.’
Purvis made clicking noises with his tongue.
‘Is Burns bad?’
‘Yeah, but the croaker says he’ll survive.’
‘Did you go to the depot?’
‘Ainsworth did while I took Burns to hospital. The ticket agent told Ainsworth that Baird had booked through to Shreveport.’
Purvis sat bolt upright in bed.
‘Shreveport! You sure?’
‘Of course I am. What’s the excitement?’
‘You and Ainsworth grab a taxi and come here pronto,’ Purvis bawled. ‘This is important.’
‘Why? It’s after three and I haven’t had any sleep…’
‘That’s all you damned operators think of,’ Purvis snarled. ‘I don’t pay you to sleep. The Bellmore Prison Farm is within fifteen miles of Shreveport, and that’s where Paul Hater’s serving his sentence!
That mean anything to you?’
Dallas gave a long, low whistle.
‘I’m on my way,’ he said, and slammed down the receiver.
PART THREE
I
Baird pushed open the door to the back entrance of the Frou-Frou Club, glanced over his shoulder to make sure no one was watching him, and then stepped into the dimly lit passage. He walked silently to Rico’s office. As he reached the door he caught sight of a movement ahead of him and looked up quickly.
Zoe Norton ducked back out of sight behind her dressing-room door, but not quickly enough for Baird to miss seeing her. He stood for a moment staring thoughtfully at the door that stood ajar, then he moved softly along the passage and pushed the door open with his foot.
Zoe was sitting at the dressing-table, making up her face. She looked a little flustered, and gave a start when she saw Baird in the doorway.
‘What do you want?’ she demanded, swinging around on the low stool. ‘Who said you could walk in here without knocking?’
Baird leaned against the doorway, his eyes on her face.
‘Hel o, Toots,’ he said. ‘I saw you peeping. Anything I can do for you?’
She felt a little sick as she looked into his cold, murderous eyes.
