Death of a Doxy (Crime Line)

much sugar and twice as much sauterne? I had been at him for years.

Second, why were journalists so damn lazy? If the Times felt it had to decorate the follow-up on the murder with a picture, surely they could have scared up one of Orrie, but they had the nerve to run that eight-year-old shot of Nero Wolfe. He ought to sue them for invasion of privacy. He hadn't been pinched. As far as they knew he wasn't in it at all. Of course it might not be laziness; maybe they were still sore about a letter he had once written the food editor.

Third, should I buzz him, or go up, before leaving? Fritz had had no word for me when he came down from taking up his breakfast tray, so apparently I was to proceed as instructed, but it wouldn't hurt to check.

Fourth, where was Jill Hardy? Orrie had told me she was with Pan Am, but it would take more than a phone call to get her address out of them. I had tried the phone books of all five boroughs last night; no Jill Hardy. Parker could get it when he saw Orrie, but that would mean waiting. I would be ready to go when I finished the second cup of coffee, and the sooner I –

The phone rang. Fritz started to come; he agrees with Wolfe that nothing and no one should be allowed to interrupt a meal; but I reached and got it. 'Nero Wolfe's office, Archie Goodwin speaking.'

'Oh! I – This is Archie Goodwin?'

'Right.'

'The Archie Goodwin who works for Nero Wolfe?'

'I must be, since you called Nero Wolfe's number.'

'Of course. My name is Jill Hardy. You probably – you may have heard it.' Her voice was what Lily Rowan calls mezzotinto, good and full but with sharp edges.

'Yes, I believe I have.'

'From Orrie Cather.'

'Right.'

'Then you know who I am. I'm calling – I have just seen the morning paper. Is it true about Orrie? He has been arrested?'

'You can call it that, yes. He is being held as a material witness. That means that the police think he knows things he hasn't told them, and they want him to.'

'About a murder?'

'Apparently.'

'They must be crazy!'

'That's quite possible. Are you at home, Miss Hardy?'

'Yes, at my apartment. Do you know -'

'Hold it, please. Since you say you just saw it in the paper, I assume the police haven't paid you a call yet. But they will. At least, they may. I need to ask a question. I sort of gathered from things Orrie said that you and he are planning to get married. I might have misunderstood…'

'You didn't. We're going to be married in May.'

'Is it known? Have you told people?'

'I have told a few people – friends. I'm going to go on working for a while, and an airline stewardess is not allowed -'

'I know. But if Orrie has told his friends, and he told me, you'll have callers before long. If you want to have -'

'I want to know why he was arrested! I want to know – was he working for Nero Wolfe?'

'No. He hasn't been on a job for Mr. Wolfe for more than two months. If you -'

'Why should I have callers?'

'I'd rather not tell you on the phone. It's complicated. If you want to know about it before the police come to ask questions, why don't you come and ask me questions? Nero Wolfe's office, Nine-thirty-eight West Thirty-fifth Street. I'll be -'

'I can't. I'm due for a Rio flight at ten-thirty.'

'Then I'll come and pick you up and we can talk on the way to the airport. I'm a good driver. What's the address?'

'I don't think -' Silence. 'What if Orrie -' More silence. 'I'll see.' She hung up.

I had room for another brioche and slice of ham, and I didn't dawdle. It might take her only a couple of minutes. When Fritz brought coffee I told him that when you wanted to see someone and didn't know where she was all you had to do was send out waves, and he asked if we had a client.

'Yes and no,' I said. 'A job for someone, yes. A customer who can be properly billed, no. You heard me mention Orrie's name, so you might as well know that he's in a hole and we're going to pull him out. How do you say in French 'the brotherhood of man'?'

'There is no such thing in French. So that's what your personal errand was Saturday. I'm glad it's Orrie instead of Saul or Fred, but all the same -'

The phone rang. I got it. 'Nero Wolfe's office -'