Free A Fine and Private Place by Ellery Queen Page A

lose it. Gold, after all. The Importunatos were ever a thrifty clan. Not that the famiglia had a choice. Can’t be a swinger without something to swing with, hey, Nino?” Marco leered at his brother.
    Importuna did not smile back.
    â€œWhen did this happen, Mr. Importunato?” Ellery asked. “When did you cut the button off your jacket?”
    â€œI don’t know. What’s today? Yesterday. That’s it. Didn’t get a chance to tell Tebaldo to sew it back on.”
    â€œTebaldo?”
    â€œHis valet,” Importuna said.
    â€œWhat did you do with the button, Mr. Importunato?”
    â€œWhat did I do with it?” the man in the tights said, offended. “I put it in my pocket, that’s what I did with it. Say, who are you again?”
    â€œMy name is Queen. The pocket of what? Your yachting jacket?”
    â€œAye, aye, sir. Sì , capitano mio .”
    â€œDad, is the jacket downtown? I assume the tech men took it.”
    â€œIt’s at the lab.”
    â€œI should have thought to examine it while we were down there. Mr. Importuna, where’s a phone I can use?”
    â€œThere’s an extension in my brother’s bedroom.”
    â€œMay I, Mr. Importunato?”
    â€œCall Tokyo. Call anyplace.” Marco waved amiably.
    Ellery was back in a few minutes. He was pulling his nose as if it were taffy. “This one’s simply overflowing with surprises, dad. I’ve just been informed that an examination of the left pocket—the jacket has patch pockets—shows some of the stitching’s crept out, so there’s a gap, not very noticeable, at the base of the pocket. It’s wide enough, I’m told, for the button to have slipped through.”
    The Queens eyed each other.
    â€œThat stupido Tebaldo,” Marco said, shaking his head. “I shoulda fired him the day I hired him. Hey, did you hear that? I’m a poet and I don’t know it.”
    â€œTell me something, Marco,” Inspector Queen said. “You know that shoe of yours we borrowed today? The one with the crepe sole?”
    â€œKeep it,” Marco said grandly. “You can have the other one, too. I’ve got more shoes than Macy’s and Gimbel’s put together.”
    â€œDo you know there’s a deep gash almost half the length of the sole?”
    â€œWhat d’ye mean do I know? Course I know! Happened—when was it? Well, it isn’t important. Few days ago.”
    â€œOh?” The Inspector looked puzzled. “Happened how?”
    â€œI was taking a special girl friend o’ mine sailing in Larchmont—keep one of my boats there. She was coming in from upstate and I was at Grand Central to meet her. What do I do but step on a gobboon of chewing gum some slob ’d spit on the floor. Made me madder ’n hell. So I went downstairs to the men’s room and I took the shoe off and borrowed a knife from the attendant, and while I was digging the gum out from the ripples the blade slipped and, zippo!—sweetest little gash you ever did see. Practically surgery. Oh, you did see it. That’s right.”
    â€œWhy didn’t you tell us before about snipping the button off your jacket and slicing into the sole of your shoe?” the Inspector growled.
    â€œYou didn’t ask me,” Marco said, in a huff again. “Nobody asked me. Nino, gimme another drink. I’m getting good and teed off answering all these stupid questions.”
    â€œNo,” his brother said.
    Something in his voice made Marco blink cautiously. He decided to laugh. “Y’know Nino won’t touch the hard stuff? A little vino once in a while and that’s it with him. That’s my brother. Nobody ’ll ever catch him crocked. Too smart. Hey, Nino?”
    â€œI think,” Importuna said to the Inspector, “my brother’s answered enough questions.”
    â€œI’m almost through, Mr.