in the trunk of her blue sedan, and Tuesday evening drive to Fowler's Inn on Route Thirty-three, arriving at ten o'clock. She did so. At Fowler's Inn she was called to the phone and was told, probably the same voice, to look in the phone book where Z begins. There was a note there giving instructions. I haven't-'
'Beautiful,' Lon said. His pencil was moving fast.
'Not bad. Don't interrupt, I'm in a hurry. I haven't got a picture of that note, but I have the text, taken from the original by me. The notes were typewritten. Following the instructions, she drove around a while and got to The Fatted Calf around eleven o'clock. There she got another phone call and was told to look in the phone book where U begins. Another note, same typewriting-I have the text. More instructions. Following them, she took Route Seven to Route Thirty-five, Route Thirty-five to Route One Twenty-three, and Route One Twenty-three to Iron Mine Road, which is all rock and a yard wide. She turned into it. When a car-'
'Dinah Utley,' Lon said. 'The secretary. Her body was found on Iron Mine Road.'
'Don't interrupt. When a car behind her blinked its lights she stopped and got out and got the suitcase from the trunk. A man with only his eyes uncovered came from the other car, took the suitcase, and told her to go straight home, stop nowhere, and say nothing, which she did. Around seven-thirty yesterday morning her husband phoned her from their place in the country and said the kidnapers had let him go in one piece and he would come to town as soon as he cleaned up and ate. He also said they had told him to keep the lid on for forty-eight hours or he would regret it, and he was going to and expected her to. I don't know exactly when he arrived at the house on Fifth Avenue, but it must have been around ten o'clock.'
I stood up. 'Okay, that's it. I've got to go. If your sheet prints even a hint of it before I give the word, I'll write a letter to the editor and feed your eyes to the cat. If and when I give the word, there is to be no mention of Nero Wolfe or me. If it breaks, about the kidnaping, before I give the word, you'll still be out in front with a lot of facts the others won't have. I'll be seeing you.'
'Wait a minute!' Lon was up. 'You know how hot this is. It could burn my ass to cinders.'
'It sure could. Then you couldn't help me mark a deck.'
'How solid is it?'
'It isn't. There's an alternative. Either it's good as gold, every word, or Mrs Jimmy Vail is unquestionably a double-breasted liar and almost certainly a murderer. If the latter, she'll be in no position to burn even your ears, let alone your ass. If she killed Dinah Utley, who killed Jimmy? Benjamin Franklin?' I turned to go.
'Damn it, listen!' He had my arm. 'Was Dinah Utley with Mrs Vail Tuesday night in the blue sedan?'
'No. For either alternative, that's positive. Dinah's own car was there at Iron Mine Road. That's the crop for now, Lon. I just wanted to burn a bridge. You could ask questions for an hour, but I haven't got an hour.'
I went. Out to the elevator, down to the lobby, out to the sidewalk; and I started walking again. A taxi wouldn't have been much quicker, and I preferred to be on my feet. Down Lexington Avenue to 35th Street, and crosstown to the old brownstone. I mounted the stoop, let myself in with my key, put my coat on a hanger, and went to the office. Wolfe was at his desk, pouring beer.
'Good afternoon,' I said. 'Did you turn on the radio for the twelve o'clock news?'
'Yes.'
'Did it mention Jimmy Vail?'
'Yes.'
I went to my desk and sat. 'I dropped in so you could have the satisfaction of firing me face to face. I have disobeyed orders. I am disloyal. I have betrayed your trust. I just told Lon Cohen about the kidnaping of Jimmy Vail. Not for publication; he won't use it until I say he can. I didn't mention Mrs Vail's hiring you. I kept you out of it. I'm not quitting, you're firing me, so I'm entitled to two months' severance pay.'
He lifted the glass and drank. The idea is to drink when there is still an inch of foam so it will get on his lips and he can lick it off. He licked it off and put the glass down. 'Is this flummery?' he demanded.
'No, sir. It's straight. If you want me to tell you why I did it, I will, but not as an excuse, just as information. Do you want it?'
'Yes.'
'It was getting too hot. I knew too much that you didn't know. You wouldn't take what I had got at White Plains, and you knew darned well I had seen Mrs Vail on my way back, and you wouldn't take what I had got there either. From what-'
'I did not refuse to listen to you.'
'Nuts. You know as well as I do how it stood. You had said we didn't care what had happened to Dinah Utley and we were not concerned. Will it help to chew at that?'
'No.'
'Okay. What I had got had made me decide that Jimmy had probably kidnaped himself, and he had killed Dinah Utley, and he was making monkeys of us. So I was stuck. I had to give in and say, please, Mr Wolfe, put your book down for a while and kindly permit me to tell you what happened yesterday so you can decide what to do. When you came down at eleven o'clock. You know how I liked that. I wasn't going to sit here on my rump all morning looking forward to it, so I went for a walk, and at eighteen minutes past eleven I heard a man tell another man that Jimmy Vail had been found dead on the floor of the library, where I had been yesterday afternoon.'
I paused for dramatic effect. 'So where was I? If Homicide hadn't already learned that I had been there yesterday in conference with the whole damn family, they soon would. Cramer himself might already be here ringing the bell. When he asked me what I was doing there, if I told him, I would be ditching our commitment to Mrs Vail, and if I didn't tell him, I would be in for a picnic and the least I could expect would be losing my license. It wouldn't help any to come and say, please, Mr Wolfe, even if you're not concerned kindly permit me to tell you what has happened because I'm in a jam. What could you do? I had to handle it myself, and I did. I went and did something you had told me not to do. I told Lon Cohen about the kidnaping. Then I came and saw that Cramer or Stebbins wasn't here, since there was no police car out front, and entered. Now you fire me and I go. Fast. One will get you a thousand that no one will find me before eleven o'clock tomorrow morning, the deadline.' I arose.
'Sit down,' he growled.
