earliest—wasn’t so bad, for a love letter. The second was a bit goofier. The third and fourth were swell examples of how silly an ardent and unsuccessful wooer can be, especially if he’s getting on in years. The four letters were signed by Elihu Willsson.
I had not found anything to tell me definitely why Mr. Charles Proctor Dawn had thought he could blackmail me out of a thousand dollars, but I had found plenty to think about. I encouraged my brain with two Fatimas, and then went downstairs.
“Go out and see what you can raise on a lawyer named Charles Proctor Dawn,” I told Mickey. “He’s got offices in Green Street. Stay away from them. Don’t put in a lot of time on him. I just want a rough line quick.”
I told Dick to give me a five-minute start and then follow me out to the neighborhood of 1229A Hurricane Street.
1229A was the upper flat in a two-story building almost directly opposite Dinah’s house. 1229 was divided into two flats, with a private entrance for each. I rang the bell at the one I wanted.
The door was opened by a thin girl of eighteen or nineteen with dark eyes set close together in a shiny yellowish face under shortcut brown hair that looked damp.
She opened the door, made a choked, frightened sound in her throat, and backed away from me, holding both hands to her open mouth.
“Miss Helen Albury?” I asked.
She shook her head violently from side to side. There was no truthfulness in it. Her eyes were crazy.
I said: