Read Online Rex Stout_Tecumseh Fox 01 by Double for Death - Free Book Online

to—”
    “I’m going to inform the police. I have to, to clear Andrew Grant. Their chief ground of suspicion against him is that they think he’s lying about the radio.”
    “You’ll tell the police about our phoning—about our meeting you here—”
    “Certainly.”
    “Why do you want to clear Grant?”
    “I’m working for him. I don’t know whether you happen to know that I’m a private detective—”
    “Oh, yes, yes indeed, I’ve heard of you.” Thorpe’s voice came smoothed with oil of compliment. “Of your private life too—your generous hospitality for unfortunate persons—yes, indeed—that seems to be a point of resemblance between us—not that my philanthropies have the charming personal touch that you—and by the way, that’s a coincidence, that only last week I made my annual contribution to the Society for Preserving the Culture of the American Indian—I’ve heard that you are part Indian—of course, your name—”
    “I’m not.” Fox was curt. “My elder brother was named William McKinley Fox. I was named William Tecumseh Sherman Fox. Too many Williams. And I graduated from kindergarten, Mr. Thorpe. I am aware that you are an able, shrewd and ruthless manipulator. If the tears were running down your face I wouldn’t lend you my handkerchief. As for telling the police about this meeting—”
    “You can’t do that,” said Thorpe with the oil gone.
    “Well, I’ll try.”
    “I say you can’t. You’ve got me hooked, I admit it. Your silence is worth fifty thousand dollars. Cash.”
    Kester put in: “We’d have to have satisfactory—”
    “Forget it,” Fox snapped. “Nothing doing.”
    “How much do you want?”
    “A billion. More than you’ve got, for that. Forget it.”
    “Then why—what did you come here for?”
    “To establish a fact—you, Kester, watch yourhand. What have you got in your pocket, the gun that shot a man in Thorpe’s bungalow? Don’t try—”
    “Nonsense,” Kester said. “Chief, he’ll hang on for life. We should never—”
    “Quiet,” said Thorpe testily. “Was there any alternative? Mr. Fox, do you mean that your purpose in—coming here to establish a fact was not to blackmail me?”
    “That’s right. Thank you.”
    “You’re not demanding money and you don’t intend to?”
    “That’s right.”
    Kester blurted: “Then why the devil—”
    “Quiet, Vaughn—I repeat my offer of fifty thousand dollars, this time to do a job for me. Five thousand in advance and the remainder when the job is successfully completed. Do you want it?”
    “Certainly I want it, but it depends on the job.”
    “I’ll explain it. It will soon be daylight and day-light will be dangerous. The man who was killed last night—Sunday night—”
    “Chief, don’t! You’re putting—”
    “Vaughn, get in the front seat with Luke and be quiet. What have we accomplished in twenty-four hours? Nothing. The man who was killed in my bungalow was named Corey Arnold. He was my stand-in.”
    Fox grunted. “Oh, you had a stand-in.”
    “I did. Three years ago certain activities of mine which I wished to keep secret seemed in danger of being exposed. They were not illegal activities, but for personal reasons I did not care to have them known. I saw pictures in a magazine of the stand-ins of various motion picture actors and that gave me an idea. At the cost of a great deal of time and trouble,on account of the necessary caution, I found a man who was very nearly my twin. I found others who resembled me, but I needed other qualities too, for instance trustworthiness; this one seemed to meet every requirement. I had already had that bungalow for some time. I arranged for Arnold, impersonating me, to go there weekends with my valet—you see I was thorough. It was a great inconvenience for me to be without Luke, but he had been going to that bungalow with me and so I had him continue to go with Arnold.”
    “While you followed certain activities