showed that he fully appreciated the fact that my desk was mine. At sight of me Wolfe, behind his desk with a book, dropped his eyes back to the page. I hadn't been gone long enough to get much of a splinter.
I tossed my hat on my desk and sat. 'I have a comment to make about the weather,' I said, 'privately. Orrie hates to hear the weather mentioned. Don't you, Orrie?'
'I sure do.' He got up, closing the magazine. 'I can't stand it. If you touch on anything you think I'd be interested in, whistle.' He went, closing the door behind him.
Wolfe was scowling at me. 'What is it now?'
'A vital statistic. Ringing James L. Eber's bell several times and getting no reaction, and finding the door was locked, I used a key and entered. He was on the floor facedown in the middle of the room, with a bullet hole in the back of his head which could have been made by a thirty-eight. He was cooling off, but not cold. I would say, not for quotation, that he had been dead from three to seven hours. As you know, that depends. I did no investigating because I didn't care to stay. I don't think I was seen entering or leaving.'
Wolfe's lips had tightened until he practically didn't have any. 'Preposterous,' he said distinctly.
'What is?' I demanded. 'It's not preposterous that he's dead, with that hole in his skull.'
'This whole affair. You shouldn't have gone there in the first place.'
'Maybe not. You suggested it.'
'I did not suggest it. I raised difficulties.'
I crossed my legs. 'If you want to try to settle that now,' I said, 'okay, but you know how things like that drag on, and I need instructions. I should have called headquarters and told them where to find something interesting, but didn't, because I thought you might possibly have a notion.'
'I have no notion and don't intend to have one,' Wolfe said.
'Then I'll call. From a booth. They say they can't trace a local dial call, but there might be a miracle. Next, do I get back up there quick, I mean to Jarrell's, and if so what's my line?'
I said I have no notion. Why should you go back there at all?'
I uncrossed my legs. 'Look,' I said, 'you might as well come on down. I could go back just to return his ten grand and tell him we're bowing out, if that's what you want, but it's not quite so simple and you know it. When the cops learn that Eber was Jarrell's secretary and got fired, they'll be there asking questions. If they learn that Jarrell hired you and you sent me to take his place-don't growl at me, they'll think you sent me no matter what you think-you know what will happen, they'll be on our necks. Even if they don't learn that, we have a problem. We know that a thirty-eight revolver was taken from Jarrell's desk yesterday afternoon, and we know that Eber was there yesterday morning and it made a stir, and if and when we also know that the bullet that killed him came from a thirty-eight, what do we do, file it and forget it?'
He grunted. 'There is no obligation to report what may be merely a coincidence. If Mr. Jarrell's gun is found and it is established that Eber was killed by a bullet from it, that will be different.'
'Meanwhile we ignore the coincidence?'
'We don't proclaim it.'
'Then I assume we keep the ten grand and Jarrell is still your client. If he turns out to be a murderer, what the hell, many lawyers' clients are murderers. And I'm back where I started, I need instructions. I'll have to go-'
The phone rang. I swiveled and got it, and I noticed that Wolfe reached for his too, which he rarely does unless I give him a sign.
'Nero Wolfe's residence, Archie Goodwin speaking.'
'Where the hell are you'This is Jarrell.'
'You know what number you dialed, Mr. Jarrell. I'm with Mr. Wolfe, reporting and getting instructions about your job.'
'I've got instructions for you myself. Nora says you left at five-thirty. You've been gone over four hours. How soon can you be here?'
'Oh, say in an hour.'
'I'll be in the library.'
He hung up. I cradled it and
I tossed my hat on my desk and sat. 'I have a comment to make about the weather,' I said, 'privately. Orrie hates to hear the weather mentioned. Don't you, Orrie?'
'I sure do.' He got up, closing the magazine. 'I can't stand it. If you touch on anything you think I'd be interested in, whistle.' He went, closing the door behind him.
Wolfe was scowling at me. 'What is it now?'
'A vital statistic. Ringing James L. Eber's bell several times and getting no reaction, and finding the door was locked, I used a key and entered. He was on the floor facedown in the middle of the room, with a bullet hole in the back of his head which could have been made by a thirty-eight. He was cooling off, but not cold. I would say, not for quotation, that he had been dead from three to seven hours. As you know, that depends. I did no investigating because I didn't care to stay. I don't think I was seen entering or leaving.'
Wolfe's lips had tightened until he practically didn't have any. 'Preposterous,' he said distinctly.
'What is?' I demanded. 'It's not preposterous that he's dead, with that hole in his skull.'
'This whole affair. You shouldn't have gone there in the first place.'
'Maybe not. You suggested it.'
'I did not suggest it. I raised difficulties.'
I crossed my legs. 'If you want to try to settle that now,' I said, 'okay, but you know how things like that drag on, and I need instructions. I should have called headquarters and told them where to find something interesting, but didn't, because I thought you might possibly have a notion.'
'I have no notion and don't intend to have one,' Wolfe said.
'Then I'll call. From a booth. They say they can't trace a local dial call, but there might be a miracle. Next, do I get back up there quick, I mean to Jarrell's, and if so what's my line?'
I said I have no notion. Why should you go back there at all?'
I uncrossed my legs. 'Look,' I said, 'you might as well come on down. I could go back just to return his ten grand and tell him we're bowing out, if that's what you want, but it's not quite so simple and you know it. When the cops learn that Eber was Jarrell's secretary and got fired, they'll be there asking questions. If they learn that Jarrell hired you and you sent me to take his place-don't growl at me, they'll think you sent me no matter what you think-you know what will happen, they'll be on our necks. Even if they don't learn that, we have a problem. We know that a thirty-eight revolver was taken from Jarrell's desk yesterday afternoon, and we know that Eber was there yesterday morning and it made a stir, and if and when we also know that the bullet that killed him came from a thirty-eight, what do we do, file it and forget it?'
He grunted. 'There is no obligation to report what may be merely a coincidence. If Mr. Jarrell's gun is found and it is established that Eber was killed by a bullet from it, that will be different.'
'Meanwhile we ignore the coincidence?'
'We don't proclaim it.'
'Then I assume we keep the ten grand and Jarrell is still your client. If he turns out to be a murderer, what the hell, many lawyers' clients are murderers. And I'm back where I started, I need instructions. I'll have to go-'
The phone rang. I swiveled and got it, and I noticed that Wolfe reached for his too, which he rarely does unless I give him a sign.
'Nero Wolfe's residence, Archie Goodwin speaking.'
'Where the hell are you'This is Jarrell.'
'You know what number you dialed, Mr. Jarrell. I'm with Mr. Wolfe, reporting and getting instructions about your job.'
'I've got instructions for you myself. Nora says you left at five-thirty. You've been gone over four hours. How soon can you be here?'
'Oh, say in an hour.'
'I'll be in the library.'
He hung up. I cradled it and
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