Free Rex Stout - Nero Wolfe by Three at Wolfe's Door Page B

it’s Helen Iacono, what she told us is no help. If what she told us is true she had no reason to kill him, and if it isn’t true how are you going to prove it? If it’s one of the others she is certainly no halfwit, and there may be absolutely nothing to link her up. Being very careful with visitors to your penthouse is fine as long as you’re alive, but it has its drawbacks if one of them feeds you arsenic. It may save her neck.”
    He was regarding me without enthusiasm. “You are saying in effect that it must be left to the police. I don’thave a few dozen men. I can expose her only by a stroke of luck.”
    â€œRight. Or a stroke of genius. That’s your department. I make no conclusions about genius.”
    â€œThen why the devil were you going to bring them to me at midnight? Don’t answer. I know. To badger me.”
    â€œNo, sir. I told you. I had got nowhere with them. I had got them looking at each other out of the corners of their eyes, but that was all. I kept on talking, and suddenly I heard myself inviting them to come home with me. I was giving them the excuse that I wanted them to discuss it with you, but that may have been just a cover for certain instincts that a man is entitled to. They are very attractive girls—all but one.”
    â€œWhich one?”
    â€œI don’t know. That’s what we’re working on.”
    He probably would have harped on it if Fritz hadn’t entered to present the water-cress problem. As they wrestled with it, dealing with it from all angles, I swiveled my back to them so I could do my yawning in private. Finally they got it settled, deciding to give the present source one more week and then switch if the quality didn’t improve; and then I heard Fritz say, “There’s another matter, sir. Felix phoned me this morning. He and Zoltan would like an appointment with you after lunch, and I would like to be present. They suggested half past two, if that will suit your convenience.”
    â€œWhat is it?” Wolfe demanded. “Something wrong at the restaurant?”
    â€œNo, sir. Concerning the misfortune of Tuesday evening.”
    â€œWhat about it?”
    â€œIt would be better for them to tell you. It is their concern.”
    I swiveled for a view of Fritz’s face. Had Felix and Zoltan been holding out on us? Fritz’s expression didn’t tell me, but it did tell Wolfe something: that it would be unwise for him to insist on knowing the nature of Felix’s and Zoltan’s concern because Fritz had said all he intended to. There is no one more obliging than Fritz, but also there is no one more immovable when he has taken a stand. So Wolfe merely said that half past two would be convenient. When Fritz had left I offered to go to the kitchen and see if I could pry it out of him, but Wolfe said no, apparently it wasn’t urgent.
    As it turned out, it wasn’t. Wolfe and I were still in the dining room, with coffee, when the doorbell rang at 2:25 and Fritz answered it, and when we crossed the hall to the office Felix was in the red leather chair, Zoltan was in one of the yellow ones, and Fritz was standing. Fritz had removed his apron and put on a jacket, which was quite proper. People do not attend business conferences in aprons.
    When we had exchanged greetings, and Fritz had been told to sit down and had done so, and Wolfe and I had gone to our desks, Felix spoke. “You won’t mind, Mr. Wolfe, if I ask a question? Before I say why we requested an appointment?”
    Wolfe told him no, go ahead.
    â€œBecause,” Felix said, “we would like to know this first. We are under the impression that the police are making no progress. They haven’t said so, they tell us nothing, but we have the impression. Is it true?”
    â€œIt was true at two o’clock this morning, twelve hours ago. They may have learned something by now, but I doubt it.”
    â€œDo you