does the dictionary, madam.” He swiveled to the stand that had held the three Websters he had worn out and now held a new one. Opening it and finding the page, he read: ” ‘Payment of money exacted by means of intimidation; also, extortion of money from a person by threats of public accusation, exposure, or censure.’” He swiveled back. “I don’t fit. I haven’t threatened or intimidated you.”
“But you . . .” She looked at me and back to him. “Where would I get fifty thousand dollars'You might as well say a million. What are you going to do'Are you going to give it to the police?”
“Not by choice. Only under the compulsion of circumstance. A factor would be your answers to my questions.” “You haven’t asked me any questions.”
“I do now. Were you in that room Sunday evening or night?”
“No.” Her chin was up.
“When were you last there'Before today.”
“I haven’t said I was ever there.”
“That’s egregious. Your behavior this morning. Your offer to Mr. Goodwin. You had keys. When?”
She set her teeth on her lip. Five seconds. “More than a week ago. A week ago Saturday. That’s when I left the cigarette case. Oh my God.” She extended a hand, not a professional gesture. “Mr. Wolfe, this could ruin my career. I haven’t seen him since that night. I don’t know who killed him, or why, or anything. Why must you drag me into it'What good will it do?”
“I didn’t drag you there this morning, madam. I don’t ask how often you visited that room because your answer would be worthless, but when you did visit it were others there?”
“No.”
“Was anyone ever there when you were besides Mr. Yeager?” “No. Never.”
“But other women went there. That’s not surmise, it’s established. Of course you knew that; Mr. Yeager was not concerned to conceal it. Who are they?”
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t deny that you knew there were others?”
She thought she was going to, but his eyes had her pinned. She swallowed the yes and said, “No. I knew that.”
“Of course. He wanted you to. His arrangement for keeping slippers and garments testifies that he derived pleasure not only from his present companion but also from her awareness that she had�uh�colleagues. Or rivals. So surely he wasn’t silent about them'Surely he spoke of them, in comparison, in praise or derogation'And if he didn’t name them he must have aroused conjecture. This is my most instant question, Miss Duncan: who are they?”
I had heard Wolfe ask questions of women that made them tremble, or turn pale, or yell at him, or burst into tears, or fly at him, but that was the first time I ever heard one that made a woman blush�and her a sophisticated Broadway star. I suppose it was his matter-of-fact way of putting it. I didn’t blush, but I cleared my throat. She not only blushed; she lowered her head and shut her eyes.
“Naturally,” Wolfe said, “you would like this episode to pass into history as quickly as possible. It might help if you will tell me something about the others.”
“I can’t.” She raised her head. The blush was gone. “I don’t know anything about them. Are you going to keep my cigarette case?”
“For the present, yes.”
“You have me at your mercy.” She started to rise, found that her knees were shaky, and put a hand on the chair arm to help. She got erect. “I was a fool to go there, an utter fool. I could have said�I could have said anything. I could have said I lost it. What a fool.” She looked at me straight, said, “I wish I had clawed your eyes out,” turned, and headed for the door. I got up and followed her, passed her in the hall, and had the front door open when she reached it. She wasn’t very steady on her feet, so I watched her descend the seven steps to the sidewalk before I shut the door and returned to the office. Wolfe was in his reading position and had opened his book, An Outline of Man’s Knowledge of the Modern
“But you . . .” She looked at me and back to him. “Where would I get fifty thousand dollars'You might as well say a million. What are you going to do'Are you going to give it to the police?”
“Not by choice. Only under the compulsion of circumstance. A factor would be your answers to my questions.” “You haven’t asked me any questions.”
“I do now. Were you in that room Sunday evening or night?”
“No.” Her chin was up.
“When were you last there'Before today.”
“I haven’t said I was ever there.”
“That’s egregious. Your behavior this morning. Your offer to Mr. Goodwin. You had keys. When?”
She set her teeth on her lip. Five seconds. “More than a week ago. A week ago Saturday. That’s when I left the cigarette case. Oh my God.” She extended a hand, not a professional gesture. “Mr. Wolfe, this could ruin my career. I haven’t seen him since that night. I don’t know who killed him, or why, or anything. Why must you drag me into it'What good will it do?”
“I didn’t drag you there this morning, madam. I don’t ask how often you visited that room because your answer would be worthless, but when you did visit it were others there?”
“No.”
“Was anyone ever there when you were besides Mr. Yeager?” “No. Never.”
“But other women went there. That’s not surmise, it’s established. Of course you knew that; Mr. Yeager was not concerned to conceal it. Who are they?”
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t deny that you knew there were others?”
She thought she was going to, but his eyes had her pinned. She swallowed the yes and said, “No. I knew that.”
“Of course. He wanted you to. His arrangement for keeping slippers and garments testifies that he derived pleasure not only from his present companion but also from her awareness that she had�uh�colleagues. Or rivals. So surely he wasn’t silent about them'Surely he spoke of them, in comparison, in praise or derogation'And if he didn’t name them he must have aroused conjecture. This is my most instant question, Miss Duncan: who are they?”
I had heard Wolfe ask questions of women that made them tremble, or turn pale, or yell at him, or burst into tears, or fly at him, but that was the first time I ever heard one that made a woman blush�and her a sophisticated Broadway star. I suppose it was his matter-of-fact way of putting it. I didn’t blush, but I cleared my throat. She not only blushed; she lowered her head and shut her eyes.
“Naturally,” Wolfe said, “you would like this episode to pass into history as quickly as possible. It might help if you will tell me something about the others.”
“I can’t.” She raised her head. The blush was gone. “I don’t know anything about them. Are you going to keep my cigarette case?”
“For the present, yes.”
“You have me at your mercy.” She started to rise, found that her knees were shaky, and put a hand on the chair arm to help. She got erect. “I was a fool to go there, an utter fool. I could have said�I could have said anything. I could have said I lost it. What a fool.” She looked at me straight, said, “I wish I had clawed your eyes out,” turned, and headed for the door. I got up and followed her, passed her in the hall, and had the front door open when she reached it. She wasn’t very steady on her feet, so I watched her descend the seven steps to the sidewalk before I shut the door and returned to the office. Wolfe was in his reading position and had opened his book, An Outline of Man’s Knowledge of the Modern
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