Read Hotline to Murder for Free Online

that there would be some value from tapping the phones, we are not going to do it at this time. We will depend on you, the listeners, to file full reports for any calls that you consider to be suspicious.” He looked as if he might be going to say something more, but then he asked for the next question.
    A few more people raised their hands and asked questions, but that didn’t produce any new information.
    When the questioning stopped, Detective Croyden turned the microphone back over to Nancy, who said that Gail would explain how they would get the Hotline restarted. Gail was older than Nancy and a longtime Hotline employee. She had taken the job, which was part-time, as a sort of second career after her children had left home. She was beloved by all the listeners. And because she was in good shape, she looked younger than her years as she approached the lectern.
    First, Gail said a few words about Joy. Then she said, “The security of the Hotline has been compromised to some extent by the news reports. It is possible to piece together from the reports which building we are located in. Not everybody will make the connection but, unfortunately, the people most likely to make it are the ones we least want to. The good news is that our office number hasn’t been publicized. And of course, we aren’t listed on the building’s list of tenants.
    “But still, you should be careful when you come to work. If anybody suspicious is loitering near the building, report them to the guard. The guard will call Detective Croyden. We don’t want people following any of us up to our office. Fortunately, a lot of young people frequent the mall, so it is fairly easy for you teens to get lost in the crowd.
    “As for the new rules, we haven’t completely finalized them yet, but the emphasis is on security. Therefore, at least two people must work the four-to-seven and the seven-to-ten p.m. shifts. On the late shift, at least one of the listeners must be male. If we can’t get the required listeners for these shifts, we will cancel the shifts. The listeners will walk to their cars together. On the seven-to-ten shift, the male will make sure any female listeners have safely left the area before he leaves. That means staying with someone who is waiting for a ride until that person’s driver arrives. And you will still use the guard as an additional escort after the seven-to-ten shift.”
    Gail talked a little about the procedure for signing up to work, and then she said, “I would like all the male listeners to meet with me on the stage right now.”
    Because he was sitting in an end seat, Tony was the first one to mount the steps to the stage. Over the next few minutes, between twenty-five and thirty other men and boys came up on the stage. Most of the female listeners clustered in front of the stage to sign up for shifts and talk to Nancy and Detective Croyden. Almost nobody left.
    Gail ushered the males over to a corner of the stage, away from the chatter of the others. As they clustered around her, she said, “I realize we’re putting a lot of pressure on you guys. In a way, we’re implying that you’re not in any danger, which you realize is not completely true. So, if any of you have doubts about this or want to talk about it, now’s your chance.”
    Tony looked around at the others. He estimated that four of them were adults. At least two were older than he was.
    One of the older men said, “I have a license to carry a gun. I could bring it with me to the Hotline.”
    Gail shook her head. “No, Dick, no guns in the Hotline office. We don’t want an armed camp. Or the risk of a shootout. Although there’s no evidence that the suspect used a gun.”
    But there was also no evidence that he hadn’t used a gun. He certainly had a persuasive method of getting Joy into the park. Tony didn’t necessarily agree with the no gun policy, but as the new kid on the block, he figured he’d better keep quiet. But he had another