WOLFE: 'I wouldn't advise you to. If in addition to scattering dust you were gratifying an animus you'll have to try again. It wasn't Mr. Jett. It was Mr. Hey- decker.'
Heydecker couldn't have caused any commotion even if he wanted to, with Fred at one side of him and Orrie at the other. The only commotion came from Lamont Otis, who moved and made a choking noise, and Ann Paige grabbed his hand.
MRS. SORELL: 'That's interesting. Mr. Goodwin said I would find it interesting and I do. So I sat in a booth with a man and didn't know who he was? Really, Mr. Wolfe!'
WOLFE: 'No, madam. I assure you it won't do. I'll expound it. I assumed that one of three men-Edey, Heydecker, or Jett-had killed Bertha Aaron. In view of what she told Mr. Goodwin it was more than an assumption, it was a conclusion. But three hours ago I had to abandon it, when I learned that those three were in conference together in Mr. Edey's office at 5:45. It was 5:39 when Mr. Goodwin left Miss Aaron to come up to me. That they were lying, that they were in a joint conspiracy, was most unlikely, especially since others on the premises could probably impeach them. But though none of them could have killed her, one of them could have provoked her doom, wittingly or not. Of the three, only Mr. Heydecker was known to have left around the same time as Miss Aaron-he had said on a personal errand, but his movements could not be checked. My new assumption, not yet a conclusion, was that he had followed her to this address and seen her enter my house, had sought a phone and called you to warn you that your joint intrigue might soon be ex-
Eosed, and then, no doubt in desperation, had scurried ack to his office, fifteen minutes late at the confer- ence.'
It was Edey's turn to make a commotion and he obliged. He left his chair, moved to the couch, and stood staring down at Heydecker. Saul and I were there, but apparently he had no brilliant idea beyond the stare.
WOLFE: 'Now, however, that assumption is a conclu- sion, and I don't expect to abandon it. Mr. Heydecker does not believe, and neither do I, that upon receiving his phone call you came here determined to murder. Indeed, you couldn't have, since you could have no expectation of finding her alone. Mr. Heydecker be- lieves that you merely intended to salvage what you could-at best to prevent the disclosure, at worst to leam where you stood. You called this number and she answered and agreed to admit you and hear you. Mr. Heydecker believes that when you entered and found that she was alone and that she had not seen me, it was on sudden impulse that you seized the paperweight and struck her. He believes that when you saw her sink to the floor, unconscious, and saw the necktie on this desk, the impulse carried you on. He believes that you-'
MRS. SORELL: 'How do you know what he believes?'
That would have been my cue if I were needed. I had been instructed to use my judgment. If Heydecker's reaction made it doubtful I was to get to the office with a signal before Wolfe had gone too far to hedge. It was no strain at all on my judgment. Heydecker was hunched forward, his elbows on his knees and his face covered by his hands.
WOLFE: 'A good question. I am not in his skull. I should have said, he says he believes. You might have known, madam, that he couldn't possibly stand the pressure. Disclosure of his treachery to his firm will end his professional career, but concealment of guilty knowledge of a murder might have ended his life. You might have known-'
MRS. SORELL: 'If he says he believes I killed that woman he's lying. He killed her. He's a rat and a liar. He phoned me twice yesterday, first to tell me that we had been seen in the lunchroom, to warn me, and again about an hour later to say that he had dealt with it, that our plan was safe. So he had killed her. When Goodwin told me there had been developments I knew what it was, I knew he would lose his nerve, I knew he would lie. He's a rat. That's why I came. I admit I concealed guilty knowledge of a murder, and I know that was wrong, but it's not too late. Is it too late?'
WOLFE: 'No. A purge can both clean your conscience and save your skin. What time did he phone you the second time?'
MRS. SORELL: 'I don't know exactly. It was between five and six. Around half past five.'
WOLFE: 'What was the plan he had made safe?'
MRS. SORELL: 'Of course he has lied about that too. It was his plan. He came to me about a month ago and said he could give me information about my husband that I could use to make-that I could use to get my rights. He wanted-'
Heydecker jerked his head up and yapped, 'That's a lie! I didn't go to her, she came to me!' That added to my knowledge of human nature. He hadn't uttered a peep when she accused him of murder. Edey, who was still there staring down at him, said something I didn't catch.
Mrs. Sorell was going on: 'He wanted me to agree to pay him a million dollars for it, but I couldn't because I didn't know how much I would get, and I finally said I would pay him one-tenth of what I got. That was that evening at the lunchroom.'
WOLFE: 'Has he given you the information?'
MRS. SORELL: 'No. He wanted too much in advance. Of course that was the difficulty. We couldn't put it in writing and sign it.'
WOLFE: 'No indeed. A signed document is of little value when neither party would dare to produce it. I presume you realize, Mrs. Sorell, that your purge will have to include your appearance on the stand at a murder trial. Are you prepared to testify under oath?'
MRS. SORELL: 'I suppose I'll have to. I knew I would have to when I decided to come to see you.'
Wolfe (in a new tone, the snap of a whip): 'Then you're a dunce, madam.'
Again that would have been my cue if I were needed. The whole point of the set-up, having the four members of the firm in the front room listening in, was to get Heydecker committed before witnesses. If his nerve had held it would have been risky for Wolfe to crack the whip. But he was done for. He hadn't written out a confession and signed it, but he might as well have.
MRS. SORELL: 'Oh, no, Mr. Wolfe. I'm not a dunce.'
WOLFE: 'But you are. One detail alone would sink you. After you rang this number yesterday
