the back wall, the other side of the grill and counter, and Orrie entered, cuffed, with a dick right behind. The dick steered him to a chair opposite me, watched him sit, said, “Fifteen minutes,” and went back to the wall, where another dick was standing. My eyes and Orrie’s met as well as they could through the grill. The rims of his were puffy. He had once admitted to me that he brushed his hair ten minutes every morning, but he hadn’t that morning.
“It could be bugged,” I said.
“I don’t think so,” he said. His cuffed hands were on the counter. “Too risky. Too big a stink.”
“Well, all we can do is keep it low. Parker has told you that Mr. Wolfe and Saul and Fred and I have decided that you didn’t kill her and we’re on it.”
“Yeah, I knew he’d have to. I’m not his Archie Goodwin, but even me he’d have to.”
“I prefer to regard myself as my Archie Goodwin, but we won’t go into that now. I have a couple of questions, but Parker says you wanted to see me. Well?”
“I want you to do me a favor, Archie, a big favor. I want you to see Jill Hardy and tell her -“
“I’ve already seen her. She came to the office yesterday morning, don’t interrupt, and we had a talk. I didn’t know how much you had told her about Isabel Kerr, so I -“
“I have never told her anything about Isabel Kerr. She didn’t know there was an Isabel Kerr. Goddammit, what did you tell her?”
“Same as you, nothing. Of course that’s the favor you were going to ask, and it’s already done. I told her that the cops thought you killed her, and we thought you didn’t, and we were going to investigate, and we knew nothing about Isabel Kerr. Now I have -“
“You’re wonderful, Archie. Wonderful.”
“Put it in writing and I’ll frame it. I have questions, and we haven’t much time. Have you opened up at all?”
“No. I’m a dummy.”
“Stay that way. As you know, Parker agrees. What have they got'We know they got your license and the other objects, since you didn’t get them and I didn’t, and your prints, and her diary, but is that -“
“Her diary?”
“Yeah. You didn’t know she kept one?”
“My God, no.”
“She did, and they have it, so Cramer says. He didn’t say what’s in it. Probably you are, but we want your opinion on another point: would she put his name in it'The name I had to pry out of you.”
“Oh.” He looked at it a few seconds. “I see. That might be a point. I don’t think she would. Of course she had the diary stashed, but even so I’m pretty sure she wouldn’t. She was too cagey. It’s more than just an opinion. I say no.”
I looked at my wrist. Six minutes to go. “Now the question. How many people knew about you and her?”
“Nobody.”
“Nuts. You can’t know that.”
“As far as I know, nobody. You’ve heard me blow, Archie, but you never heard me blow about her. After just a few times with her she scared me. I had had women cotton to me before, but she was hipped. I liked her all right, she was good all right, but she was hipped. After we got started we were never together anywhere except her place. She wanted it that way, and that suited me. But I completely misjudged her. I told her about meeting Jill, you know, just that I had met an airline stewardess, and then like a damn fool I thought I could ease her along to the idea that since I wasn’t her only contact she couldn’t expect to be my only contact. Then I got hipped, for the first time in my life. On Jill. And she ' I’ve told you how she took it. She was absolutely going to marry me herself, for God’s sake. I told her my income was about half of what he was spending on that setup, and she said just a room and bath would do us even after the baby came. That kind of crap. I don’t for a minute believe there was going to be a baby, and even if there was, whose would it be'I’m answering your question. I told nobody about her, and I doubt if she told anyone about
“It could be bugged,” I said.
“I don’t think so,” he said. His cuffed hands were on the counter. “Too risky. Too big a stink.”
“Well, all we can do is keep it low. Parker has told you that Mr. Wolfe and Saul and Fred and I have decided that you didn’t kill her and we’re on it.”
“Yeah, I knew he’d have to. I’m not his Archie Goodwin, but even me he’d have to.”
“I prefer to regard myself as my Archie Goodwin, but we won’t go into that now. I have a couple of questions, but Parker says you wanted to see me. Well?”
“I want you to do me a favor, Archie, a big favor. I want you to see Jill Hardy and tell her -“
“I’ve already seen her. She came to the office yesterday morning, don’t interrupt, and we had a talk. I didn’t know how much you had told her about Isabel Kerr, so I -“
“I have never told her anything about Isabel Kerr. She didn’t know there was an Isabel Kerr. Goddammit, what did you tell her?”
“Same as you, nothing. Of course that’s the favor you were going to ask, and it’s already done. I told her that the cops thought you killed her, and we thought you didn’t, and we were going to investigate, and we knew nothing about Isabel Kerr. Now I have -“
“You’re wonderful, Archie. Wonderful.”
“Put it in writing and I’ll frame it. I have questions, and we haven’t much time. Have you opened up at all?”
“No. I’m a dummy.”
“Stay that way. As you know, Parker agrees. What have they got'We know they got your license and the other objects, since you didn’t get them and I didn’t, and your prints, and her diary, but is that -“
“Her diary?”
“Yeah. You didn’t know she kept one?”
“My God, no.”
“She did, and they have it, so Cramer says. He didn’t say what’s in it. Probably you are, but we want your opinion on another point: would she put his name in it'The name I had to pry out of you.”
“Oh.” He looked at it a few seconds. “I see. That might be a point. I don’t think she would. Of course she had the diary stashed, but even so I’m pretty sure she wouldn’t. She was too cagey. It’s more than just an opinion. I say no.”
I looked at my wrist. Six minutes to go. “Now the question. How many people knew about you and her?”
“Nobody.”
“Nuts. You can’t know that.”
“As far as I know, nobody. You’ve heard me blow, Archie, but you never heard me blow about her. After just a few times with her she scared me. I had had women cotton to me before, but she was hipped. I liked her all right, she was good all right, but she was hipped. After we got started we were never together anywhere except her place. She wanted it that way, and that suited me. But I completely misjudged her. I told her about meeting Jill, you know, just that I had met an airline stewardess, and then like a damn fool I thought I could ease her along to the idea that since I wasn’t her only contact she couldn’t expect to be my only contact. Then I got hipped, for the first time in my life. On Jill. And she ' I’ve told you how she took it. She was absolutely going to marry me herself, for God’s sake. I told her my income was about half of what he was spending on that setup, and she said just a room and bath would do us even after the baby came. That kind of crap. I don’t for a minute believe there was going to be a baby, and even if there was, whose would it be'I’m answering your question. I told nobody about her, and I doubt if she told anyone about
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