He saw a dozen pairs of eyes fixed upon him idly or curiously; one pair might belong to the suspected detective.

If he used the telephone there would be a way of discovering the number he had asked for.

That would not do--not at all! He concluded not to telephone, at present, and left the booth.

His next act was to purchase a morning paper, and seating himself carelessly in a chair he controlled the impulse to search for a "scare head" on the abduction of Miss Merrick.
If he came across the item, very well; he would satisfy no critical eye that might be scanning him by hunting for it with a show of eagerness.
The game was in his hands, he believed, and he intended to keep it there.
Fogerty was annoyed by the man's evident caution.

It would not be easy to surprise Mershone in any self-incriminating action.