except Susan and Trella at lunch. Jarrell mentioned at lunch that he would be out all afternoon, business appointments. At two-thirty, when I went around looking for company, they were all out. Of course Roger had gone to Jamaica, with the sixty bucks I gave him-by the way, I haven't entered that on the expense account. At three o'clock I went for a walk and phoned you, and when I got back there was still nobody at home except Nora, and she is no-oh, I forgot. The pictures.'
'Pictures?'
'Sure, from the camera. A Horland's man brought them while I was out phoning you, and when I got back Nora had them. She wasn't sure whether she should let me look at them, but I was. That woman sure plays them close to her chin; I don't know now whether Jarrell had told her about the rug affair or not. If not, she must have wondered what the pictures were all about. There were three of them; the camera takes one every two seconds until the door is shut. They all showed the rug broadside, coming straight in. He must have kicked the door shut. That rug is seven by three, so it could have been a tall man holding the top edge a little above the top of his head, or it could have been a short woman holding it as high as she could reach. At the bottom the rug was just touching the floor. At the top its edge was turned back, hiding the hands. I was going to bring the pictures along to show you, but would have had to shoot Nora to get away with them. Jarrell wasn't back when I left at five-thirty.'
I turned a hand over. 'That's it. Any instructions?'
He made a face. 'How the devil can I have instructions?'
'You might. For instance, instruct me to take Lois out tonight. Or take Trella to lunch tomorrow. Or stick around until Sunday and take Susan to church.'
'Pfui. Give me a plain answer for once. How likely is it that you'll accomplish anything up there?'
'One in a million, if you mean fairly soon. Give me until Thanksgiving and I might show you something. However, there's one little teaser. Its name is Eber, James L. Eber. He was upset about something when I found him in the studio with Susan, and so was she. Wyman was upset when I told him Eber had been there. When it was mentioned at the lunch table Roger was upset, and maybe one or two of the others. Jarrell was upset when Nora told him about it. And it was only an hour or so later that the gun was taken. There might be something to be pried out of Eber. I've been prying for three days without breaking off a splinter, and as a last resort he might have one loose. He just might have something interesting to say to the guy who took his job.'
He grunted. 'I doubt if any of those people has anything interesting to say to anyone.'
'I said I did too but that Eber should have a chance and I would go and give him one after dinner.
Orrie Cather dined with us. I went upstairs two flights to tell my room hello, and when I went back down Orrie was there, and we had time to exchange some friendly insults before Fritz announced dinner. The main dish was shad roe with creole sauce. Shad roe is all right, and Fritz's creole sauce is one of his best, but the point is that with that item Fritz always serves bread triangles fried in anchovy butter; and since he knew four hours ago that I would be there, and he was aware of my attitude toward bread triangles fried in anchovy butter, he had proceeded beyond the call of duty. Again I passed up a salad, but only because there wasn't room for it.
Back in the office, with coffee, Orrie, who had been told that I was going on an errand, asked if I needed any help, and I said I hoped not. When he saw me getting a ring of keys from a drawer he said I might need a lookout, and I repeated that I hoped not. When he saw me getting a shoulder holster and a gun from another drawer he said I might need a loader, and I told him he ought to know better, that if six wasn't enough what I would need would be a meat basket to bring me home in.
I had no reason to think there
'Pictures?'
'Sure, from the camera. A Horland's man brought them while I was out phoning you, and when I got back Nora had them. She wasn't sure whether she should let me look at them, but I was. That woman sure plays them close to her chin; I don't know now whether Jarrell had told her about the rug affair or not. If not, she must have wondered what the pictures were all about. There were three of them; the camera takes one every two seconds until the door is shut. They all showed the rug broadside, coming straight in. He must have kicked the door shut. That rug is seven by three, so it could have been a tall man holding the top edge a little above the top of his head, or it could have been a short woman holding it as high as she could reach. At the bottom the rug was just touching the floor. At the top its edge was turned back, hiding the hands. I was going to bring the pictures along to show you, but would have had to shoot Nora to get away with them. Jarrell wasn't back when I left at five-thirty.'
I turned a hand over. 'That's it. Any instructions?'
He made a face. 'How the devil can I have instructions?'
'You might. For instance, instruct me to take Lois out tonight. Or take Trella to lunch tomorrow. Or stick around until Sunday and take Susan to church.'
'Pfui. Give me a plain answer for once. How likely is it that you'll accomplish anything up there?'
'One in a million, if you mean fairly soon. Give me until Thanksgiving and I might show you something. However, there's one little teaser. Its name is Eber, James L. Eber. He was upset about something when I found him in the studio with Susan, and so was she. Wyman was upset when I told him Eber had been there. When it was mentioned at the lunch table Roger was upset, and maybe one or two of the others. Jarrell was upset when Nora told him about it. And it was only an hour or so later that the gun was taken. There might be something to be pried out of Eber. I've been prying for three days without breaking off a splinter, and as a last resort he might have one loose. He just might have something interesting to say to the guy who took his job.'
He grunted. 'I doubt if any of those people has anything interesting to say to anyone.'
'I said I did too but that Eber should have a chance and I would go and give him one after dinner.
Orrie Cather dined with us. I went upstairs two flights to tell my room hello, and when I went back down Orrie was there, and we had time to exchange some friendly insults before Fritz announced dinner. The main dish was shad roe with creole sauce. Shad roe is all right, and Fritz's creole sauce is one of his best, but the point is that with that item Fritz always serves bread triangles fried in anchovy butter; and since he knew four hours ago that I would be there, and he was aware of my attitude toward bread triangles fried in anchovy butter, he had proceeded beyond the call of duty. Again I passed up a salad, but only because there wasn't room for it.
Back in the office, with coffee, Orrie, who had been told that I was going on an errand, asked if I needed any help, and I said I hoped not. When he saw me getting a ring of keys from a drawer he said I might need a lookout, and I repeated that I hoped not. When he saw me getting a shoulder holster and a gun from another drawer he said I might need a loader, and I told him he ought to know better, that if six wasn't enough what I would need would be a meat basket to bring me home in.
I had no reason to think there