if they don’t know what she came to see you about, why do they think she was killed by someone in our office? It’s conceivable that they got that information from someone else, but so soon? They started in on me at seven o’clock this morning. And I conclude from their questions that they don’t merely think it, they think they know it.”
“They do, unquestionably,” Heydecker agreed. “Mr. Goodwin. You admitted her. She was alone?” That was the brilliant trial lawyer.
“Yes.” Since we weren’t before the bench I omitted the “sir.”
“You saw no one else around? On the sidewalk?”
“No. Of course it was dark. It was twenty minutes past five. On January fifth the sun set at 4:46.” By gum, he wasn’t going to trap me.
“You conducted her to this room?”
“Yes.”
“Leaving the outer door open perhaps?”
“No.”
“Are you certain of that?”
“Yes. If I have one habit that’s totally automatic, it’s closing that door and making sure it’s locked.”
“Automatic habits are dangerous things, Mr. Goodwin. Sometimes they fail you. When you brought her to this room did you sit?”
“Yes.”
“Where?”
“Where I am now.”
“Where did she sit?”
“About where you are. About three feet closer to me.”
“What did she say?”
“That she wanted to see Nero Wolfe about somethingurgent. No, she said that at the door. She said her case was private and very confidential.”
“She used the word ‘case’?”
“Yes.”
“What else did she say?”
“That her name was Bertha Aaron and she was the private secretary of Mr. Lamont Otis, senior partner in the law firm of Otis, Edey, Heydecker, and Jett.”
“What else did she say?”
Naturally I had known that the time would come to lie, and decided this was it. “Nothing,” I said.
“Absolutely nothing?”
“Right.”
“You are Nero Wolfe’s confidential assistant. He was engaged elsewhere. Do you expect me to believe that you did not insist on knowing the nature of her case before you went to him?”
The phone rang. “Not if you’d rather not,” I said, and swiveled, lifted the receiver and spoke. “Nero Wolfe’s residence, Archie Goodwin speaking.”
I recognized the voice. “This is Rita Sorell, Mr. Goodwin. I have decided—”
“Hold it please. Just a second.” I pressed a palm over the transmitter and told Wolfe, “That woman you sent a card to. The one who told me I was handsome.” He reached for his receiver and put it to his ear and I returned to mine. “Okay. You have decided?”
“I have decided that it will be best to tell you what you came this morning to find out. I have decided that you were too clever for me, not mentioning at all what you had written on the card, when that was what you came for. Your saying that you made it up, that you tried to write something that would make me curious—you didn’t expect me to believe that. You were too clever for me. So I might as well confess, since you already know it. I did sit with a man in a booth in a lunchroom one evening last week—what evening was it?”
“Monday.”
“That’s right. And you want to know who the man was. Don’t you?”
“It would help.”
“I want to help. You are
very
handsome. His name is Gregory Jett.”
“Many thanks. If you want to help—”
She had hung up.
Chapter 6
I cradled the receiver and rotated my chair. Wolfe pushed his phone back and said, “She is a confounded nuisance.”
“Yes, sir.”
“I suppose we’ll have to humor her.”
“Yes, sir. Or shoot her.”
“Not a welcome option.” He arose. “Gentlemen, I must ask you to excuse me. Come, Archie.” He headed for the hall and I got up and followed. Turning left, he pushed the door to the kitchen. Fritz was there at the big table, chopping an onion. The door swung shut.
Wolfe turned to face me. “Very well. You know her. You have seen her and talked with her. What about it?”
“I’d have to toss a coin. Several coins.
“They do, unquestionably,” Heydecker agreed. “Mr. Goodwin. You admitted her. She was alone?” That was the brilliant trial lawyer.
“Yes.” Since we weren’t before the bench I omitted the “sir.”
“You saw no one else around? On the sidewalk?”
“No. Of course it was dark. It was twenty minutes past five. On January fifth the sun set at 4:46.” By gum, he wasn’t going to trap me.
“You conducted her to this room?”
“Yes.”
“Leaving the outer door open perhaps?”
“No.”
“Are you certain of that?”
“Yes. If I have one habit that’s totally automatic, it’s closing that door and making sure it’s locked.”
“Automatic habits are dangerous things, Mr. Goodwin. Sometimes they fail you. When you brought her to this room did you sit?”
“Yes.”
“Where?”
“Where I am now.”
“Where did she sit?”
“About where you are. About three feet closer to me.”
“What did she say?”
“That she wanted to see Nero Wolfe about somethingurgent. No, she said that at the door. She said her case was private and very confidential.”
“She used the word ‘case’?”
“Yes.”
“What else did she say?”
“That her name was Bertha Aaron and she was the private secretary of Mr. Lamont Otis, senior partner in the law firm of Otis, Edey, Heydecker, and Jett.”
“What else did she say?”
Naturally I had known that the time would come to lie, and decided this was it. “Nothing,” I said.
“Absolutely nothing?”
“Right.”
“You are Nero Wolfe’s confidential assistant. He was engaged elsewhere. Do you expect me to believe that you did not insist on knowing the nature of her case before you went to him?”
The phone rang. “Not if you’d rather not,” I said, and swiveled, lifted the receiver and spoke. “Nero Wolfe’s residence, Archie Goodwin speaking.”
I recognized the voice. “This is Rita Sorell, Mr. Goodwin. I have decided—”
“Hold it please. Just a second.” I pressed a palm over the transmitter and told Wolfe, “That woman you sent a card to. The one who told me I was handsome.” He reached for his receiver and put it to his ear and I returned to mine. “Okay. You have decided?”
“I have decided that it will be best to tell you what you came this morning to find out. I have decided that you were too clever for me, not mentioning at all what you had written on the card, when that was what you came for. Your saying that you made it up, that you tried to write something that would make me curious—you didn’t expect me to believe that. You were too clever for me. So I might as well confess, since you already know it. I did sit with a man in a booth in a lunchroom one evening last week—what evening was it?”
“Monday.”
“That’s right. And you want to know who the man was. Don’t you?”
“It would help.”
“I want to help. You are
very
handsome. His name is Gregory Jett.”
“Many thanks. If you want to help—”
She had hung up.
Chapter 6
I cradled the receiver and rotated my chair. Wolfe pushed his phone back and said, “She is a confounded nuisance.”
“Yes, sir.”
“I suppose we’ll have to humor her.”
“Yes, sir. Or shoot her.”
“Not a welcome option.” He arose. “Gentlemen, I must ask you to excuse me. Come, Archie.” He headed for the hall and I got up and followed. Turning left, he pushed the door to the kitchen. Fritz was there at the big table, chopping an onion. The door swung shut.
Wolfe turned to face me. “Very well. You know her. You have seen her and talked with her. What about it?”
“I’d have to toss a coin. Several coins.
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