'You seem to remember your brother’s all right.'
'Yes.' Her eyes were level at me. 'This is not an inquisition, I believe, Mr. Goodwin.'
'Pardon.' I grinned at her. 'Excuse it please, I’m upset. Maybe I’m even sore. There’s nothing in Westchester County I’d rather look at than that golf bag, especially the driver.'
'I’m sorry.'
'Oh no, you’re not. It raises a lot of questions. Who took the bag out of the car? If it was a servant, which one, and how loyal and incorruptible is he? Five days later, when it became known that one of the clubs had performed the murder it had been designed for, who got the bag and hid it or destroyed it? You or your brother or Dr. Bradford? You see the questions I’m up against. And where is it hid or how was it destroyed? It isn’t easy to get rid of a thing as big as that.'
She had got up while I was talking and stood very composed and dignified. Her voice was composed too. 'That will do. It wasn’t in the agreement that I was to listen to idiotic insinuations.
'Bravo, Miss Barstow.' I stood up too. 'You’re absolutely right, but I meant no offense, I’m just upset. Now, if I could see your mother for a moment. I’ll not get upset any more.
'No. You can’t see her.'
'That was in the agreement.'
'You have broken it.'
'Rubbish.' I grinned. 'It’s the agreement that makes it safe for you to let me take liberties with it. I’ll take no liberties with your mother. While I may be a roughneck, I know when to keep my gloves on.'
She looked at me. 'Will five minutes be enough?'
'I don’t know. I’ll make it as short as possible.'
She turned and started for the path that led toward the house, and I followed her. On the way I saw a lot of pebbles I wanted to kick. The missing golf bag was a hot one. Of course I hadn’t expected to have the satisfaction of taking that driver back to Wolfe that evening, since Anderson would certainly have copped it. I gave him credit for being able to put two and two together after they have been set down for him ready to add; and I had counted on a request from Sarah Barstow to persuade him to let me give it the once over. But now-the whole damn bag was gone! Whoever had done it, it not only gave me a pain, it struck me as pretty dumb. If it had been just the driver it would have made sense, but why the whole bag?
The house inside was swell. I mean, it was the kind of a house most people never see except in the movies. While there were plenty of windows, the light didn’t glare anywhere, it came in soft, and the rugs and furniture looked very clean and careful and expensive. There were flowers around and it smelled good and seemed cool and pleasant, for outdoors the sun was getting hot. Sarah Barstow took me through a big hall and a big room through to another hall, and on the other side of that through a door. Then we were in a sort of sun- room, with one side all glazed, though most of the blinds were pulled down nearly to the floor so there wasn’t much sunshine coming in. There were some plants, and a lot of wicker chairs and lounges. In one chair a woman sat by a table sorting out the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. Miss Barstow went over to her.
'Mother. This is Mr. Goodwin. I told you he was coming.' She turned to me and indicated a chair. I took it. Mrs. Barstow let the jigsaw pieces drop from her fingers and turned to look at me.
She was very handsome. She was fifty-six, her daughter had told me, but she looked over sixty. Her eyes were gray, deep-set and far apart, her hair was nearly white, and while her face with its fine features was quite composed, I got the impression that there was nothing easy or natural about that, it came from the force of a strong personal will. She kept looking at me without saying anything until I was guessing that I didn’t look very composed myself. Sarah Barstow had taken a chair some distance away. I was about ready to open up from my end when Mrs. Barstow suddenly spoke: 'I know your business, Mr. Goodwin.'
I nodded. 'It really isn’t my business, it is that of my employer, Mr. Nero Wolfe. He asked me to thank you for permitting me to come.'
'He is welcome.' The deep-set gray eyes never left me. 'Indeed, I am grateful that someone-even a stranger whom I shall never see-should acknowledge my authority over the doors of my house.'
'Mother!'
'Yes, Sarah. Don’t be offended, dear; I know-and it is of no importance whether this Mr. Goodwin does or not-that the authority has not been usurped. It was not you who forced me to resign, it was not even your father. According to Than, it was God; probably His hands were idle and Satan furnished the mischief.'
'Mother, please.' Sarah Barstow had got up and approached us. 'If you have anything to ask, Mr. Goodwin…'
I said, 'I have two questions. May I ask you two questions, Mrs. Barstow?'
'Certainly. That is your business.'
'Good. The first one is easy to ask, but may be hard to answer. That is, it may require thought and a long memory. Of all people, you are the one probably have wanted to kill Peter Oliver Barstow? Who had a grievance against him, a new one or maybe a very old one? What enemies did he have? Who hated him?'
'That isn’t a question. It is four questions.'
'Well-maybe I can hitch them together.'
'It isn’t necessary.' The composure did not escape from the will. 'They can all be answered at once. Myself.'
I stared at her. Her daughter was beside her with a hand on her shoulder.
'Mother! You promised me-'
'There, Sarah.' Mrs. Barstow reached up and patted her daughter’s hand. 'You have not permitted
