With Jerin sitting there, the tray at his elbow, and with other messengers entering momentarily?' He jerked a hand to brush it off. 'Pfui. Third, only Avery was left. He had had an opportunity, as good as Blount's if not better; he had made a concoction, ostensibly mustard water, and administered it to Jerin. It was credible that he had had a motive; as recorded on that tape, Mr Goodwin told him that he had had no malice for Jerin, his purpose was to destroy Blount. That can't be?' 'Why did he want to destroy Blount?' 'Because he wanted Blount's wife. That can't be established, since the only evidence for it is inside him, but neither can it be impeached. I presume you have spoken with Mrs Blount?' 'Yes. Several times.' 'Is it credible that she might provoke an appetite unwittingly?' 'Hell yes.' 219 'Then motive is at least plausible. But granted opportunity and motive, two questions remain: why was Jerin taken ill so conveniently before Avery was called in to attend him, and why, again so conveniently, did Avery have arsenic on his person? Indeed, it was not until the answers to those two questions were supplied by Mr Goodwin, after his conversation with Mr Blount at the prison yesterday, that my attention was on Dr Avery at all. There's a third question, did Dr Avery know in advance that Jerin would be taken ill, but that's merely a part of the second one, and the answer is that he could have and almost certainly did. Kalmus had told him. That was what?' 'Come on,' Cramer cut in. 'Goodwin got that from Blount. He's in jail for murder. He's your client. He's not mine.' 'I'll come to that. I'm telling you why I hit on Avery. That was what made Kalmus suspect him, and he made the mistake of undertaking to deal with him tete-a-tete?a mistake that cost him his life.' Wolfe turned a palm up. 'So there it was. When Mr Goodwin reported on his talk with Mr Blount, I was satisfied that Avery was the man, but I had no scrap of evidence and no hope of getting any. I say I was satisfied, but satisfaction isn't certainty, and only certainty would do. I decided to test it and made elaborate arrangements. I asked Mrs Blount to get all of them here last evening?all 220 of those involved, including Dr Avery?and, when they were assembled, I announced that I had discharged Mr Goodwin, who was not present, and that I was withdrawing from the case. I returned to Miss Blount the fee she had paid me. She was privy to the plan. I told them that I had discharged Mr Goodwin for dereliction of duty; that he had had Kalmus's house under surveillance Wednesday evening and had deserted his post for an hour or more, and so had failed to see the murderer enter and leave.' They don't know Goodwin,' Cramer muttered, and I raised a brow at him. They do now,' Wolfe said, 'or I should say Avery does. From a hotel room he telephoned Avery, told him he had been discharged and why, told him he had not deserted his post, gave him to understand that he had seen him enter and leave Kalmus's house Wednesday evening, and told him to bring one hundred thousand dollars to a rendezvous at Piotti's restaurant. Of course Avery's reaction settled it. If, innocent or guilty, he had disdained the challenge, I would have been through. May I digress?' Cramer grunted. 'You always do.' 'It's relevant but not material. I believe he would have disdained it if he had had nothing to fear but the law. He knew there was no conclusive evidence against him and that the prospect of getting any was remote; his having 221 been seen entering and leaving the house wouldn't convict him of murder, even if Mr Goodwin's word were credited. There could have been no motive for him to kill Kalmus unless he had killed Jerin, and the possibility of getting proof that he had killed Jerin was more than remote, it was nonexistent. His compelling dread was not of the law, it was of Mrs Blount. Would she believe Mr Goodwin? Or, more to the point, would she disbelieve him? If she merely doubted, his purpose was defeated. It was not to be borne. He made the appointment with Mr Goodwin and kept it. You have heard the result.' Wolfe folded his arms. 'That's all, Mr Cramer. You could legally get that tape by a court order, but I won't stand on formality. Take it, with the understanding that I may arrange for Mr and Mrs Blount to hear it should that be necessary. Will Mr Blount be released today or must he wait until tomorrow?' 'Like hell it's all.' Cramer was trying not to explode. 'We can't keep Blount, I give you that, and you're damn right I'll take the tape, and you heard me tell Stebbins to get Avery, but when I get him what have I got? As you said yourself, not a scrap of evidence. You got information that identified a murderer, and what did you do with it?' 'Nonsense.' Wolfe was curt. 'Just now you 222 contemned that information as coming from a man in jail for murder and my client. Am I obliged to disclose information entrusted to me by a client for investigation in his interest?' 'It's not a?' 'I want an answer. Am I?' 'No. But you are now. You trap a murderer, and you let him listen to that tape, and you let him go, before you call me. Now you're obliged to give me the information, and I want it. What made Jerin sick? Was it in the chocolate? Who put it in? How did Avery know he would get sick? What did Kalmus know? Exactly what did Blount tell Goodwin? Well?' Wolfe turned. 'Archie. What was your commitment to Mr Blount?' I admit I was slightly keyed. I seldom drink champagne when on duty, to prevent dereliction. 'Everything he told me,' I said, 'was in absolute confidence. There was no Bible handy, so I crossed my heart. If you pass it on to a cop, even an inspector, I'm sunk. Possibly Saul and Fred and Orrie combined can fill my shoes.' Wolfe turned to Cramer. 'Mr Goodwin is tipsy. But his commitment extends to me. I suggest that before you release Mr Blount you ask him to give you the information he gave Mr Goodwin, in confidence of course, and probably he will oblige you. You know very well?' The phone rang, and I swiveled and got it. 223 After the first two words of my phone formula a deep gritty voice interrupted, 'I want Inspector Cramer,' and I turned and told him, 'For you. Stebbins.' In writing these reports I try not to give the impression that I think I can see through solid doors or around corners. If I had a hunch at a certain point, as I do now and then, I usually omit it because I can't expect you to take my word for it. But if Wolfe can break his rules I can break mine, and here goes one. When I handed Cramer the receiver I knew what he was going to hear. I didn't suspect, I knew. I suppose Purley's interrupting me, his tone of voice, his not asking if Cramer was there but just saying he wanted him?anyway, I knew, and I was even surer when Cramer said practically nothing, just listened, with only a couple of growls and a couple of questions. So it was no surprise when he cradled the phone and wheeled to Wolfe and croaked, 'Damn you and your lousy tricks! Goddam you!' 'Mr Cramer, if you?' 'Don't Mister me! You think you're a?I don't know what you think you are, but I know what I know you are! Avery stuck a gun in his mouth and blew the top of his head off. Go ahead and collect your fee. That will satisfy you, won't it? Are you satisfied?' He hit the desk with his fist. 'Are you?' Wolfe turned his head to look at the wall 224 clock. Quarter past four. He would be late for his date with the orchids. 'Yes,' he said politely, 'I'm satisfied. You will be too when you cool off. You have been delivered from the ignominy of convicting an innocent man, and from the embarrassment of arresting a guilty man who couldn't be convicted.' 225 We hope you have enjoyed this Large Print book. Other Chivers Press or G.K. Hall & Co. Large Print books are available at your library or directly from the publishers. For more information about current and forthcoming titles, please call or write, without obligation, to: Chivers Press Limited Windsor Bridge Road Bath BA2 SAX England Tel. (01225) 335336 OR G.K. Hall & Co. P.O. Box 159 Thorndike, Maine 04986 USA Tel. (800) 2232336 All our Large Print titles are designed for easy reading, and all our books are made to last.
