'But you are. You have. No surveillance of my client or me.'
'That, yes. I mean-you know what I mean.' He moved, then stopped and turned. 'You'll be here all day?'
'Yes. But if you telephone, my line is tapped.' He didn't think that was funny. I doubt if he would have thought anything whatever was funny. As I followed him to the hall and held his coat and handed him his hat, he didn't even know I was there. When I turned from shutting the door behind him I saw the client entering the office, Saul at her heels, and I decided not to marry her. She should have waited for me to come and escort her. When I reached the office there was a tableau. Mrs Bruner and Saul were standing side by side at Wolfe's desk, looking down at him, and he was leaning back with his eyes closed. It was a nice picture, and I stopped at the door to enjoy it. Half a minute. A full minute. That was enough, since she had appointments, and as I crossed to them I asked, 'Could you hear all right?'
Wolfe's eyes opened. Not answering me, she told him, 'You're an incredible man. Utterly incredible. I didn't really think you could do it. Incredible. Is there anything you couldn't do?'
He straightened up. 'Yes, madam,' he said, 'there is. I couldn't put sense in a fool's brain. I have tried. I could mention others. You understand why it was desirable for you to come. The letter you signed says 'if you get the result I desire.' Are you satisfied?'
'Of course I am. Incredible.'
'I find it a little hard to believe, myself. Please sit down. There is something I must tell you.'
'There certainly is.' She went to the red leather chair. Saul went to a yellow one and I to mine. She asked, 'What was the trap you set?'
Wolfe shook his head. 'Not that. That can wait. Mr Goodwin will give you all the details at your and his convenience. I must tell you not what has been done but what should now be done. You are my client and I must protect you from embarrassment. How discreet are you?'
She frowned. 'Why do you ask that?'
'Please answer it. How discreet are you? Can you be trusted with a secret?'
'Yes.'
His head turned. 'Archie?'
Damn him anyway. It was all right to embarrass me. What if I changed my mind again and decided to marry her?
'Yes,' I said, 'if I know where you're headed, and I think I do.'
'Of course you do.' To her: 'I wish to save you the embarrassment of having your secretary taken from your office by the police, perhaps in your presence, to be questioned regarding a murder which she probably committed.'
He had only fazed Wragg, but that staggered the client. Her mouth didn't drop open; she just stared, speechless.
'I say probably,' Wolfe said, 'but it is barely short of certainty. The victim was Morris Althaus. Mr Goodwin will give you the details of this too, but not now, not until the situation has been resolved. I would have preferred not to give you even the bare fact now, but as my client you merit my protection. I wish to make a suggestion.'
'I don't believe it,' she said. 'I want the details now.'
'You won't get them.' He was curt. 'I have had a trying week, and night, and day. If you make this difficult too I'll leave the room and you'll leave the house, and probably question Miss Dacos. That will alarm her and she'll skedaddle, and after the police find her and bring her back they will have questions for you-civil questions, but many of them. Do you want that?'
'No.'
'Do you think I would make so grave an accusation idly?'
'No.'
'Then I have a suggestion.' He looked at the wall clock. Five minutes past noon. 'What time does Miss Dacos go to lunch?'
'It varies. She eats there, in the breakfast room, usually around one o'clock.'
'Then Mr Panzer will go with you now. Tell her you are going to have the office redecorated-painted, plastered, whatever suits-and you won't need her the remainder of this week. Mr Panzer will start the preparations immediately. She, your secretary, is going to be taken, but at least she won't be taken from your house. I do not want a murderer taken into custody in the house of my client. Do you?'
'No.'
'Nor would you have wanted the disagreeable surprise of sitting in your office with your secretary and having the police suddenly appear and drag her out.'
'No.'
'Then you may thank me at your convenience for preventing it. You're not in a humor to thank anyone for anything at the moment. Shall Mr Panzer go in your car with you, or separately? You could discuss it with him on the way. He is not a fool.'
She looked at me and back at Wolfe. 'Can Mr Goodwin go?'
Saul has not yet heard the last of that. It didn't change my decision about marriage because I prefer to do the courting myself, but it gave me one on Saul. Wolfe told her no, Mr Goodwin had work to do, and the poor woman had to settle for Saul. He brought her coat from the front room and held it for her, and I admit I had a pang. By the time they got to Seventy-fourth Street she would be appreciating him. Not wanting to intrude, I didn't go to the hall with them.
