in the morning. I want to ask whether any of you has anything to say to me now, anything that shouldn't wait until then. His eyes went over them. “Anyone?
No sound and no movement from any quarter. They sure were a chatty bunch. They just stood and stared at him, including me. I would have liked to relieve the tension with a remark or question, but didn't want to remind him that I was present.
However, he didn't need a reminder. After all the others, including the servants, had cleared out, Leeds and I were moving towards the door when Ben
Dykes' voice came. “Goodwin!
Leeds kept going. I turned.
Dykes came to me. “We want to ask you something.
“Shoot.
District Attorney Archer joined us, saying, “In there with Noonan, Ben.
“Him and Noonan bring sparks, Dykes objected. “Remember last year at
Sperling's?
Til do the talking, Archer stated, and led the way to the hall and along to the smaller room where Noonan was still seated at the table, conferring with a colleague-the one who had brought me from Hillside Kennels. The colleague moved to stand against the wall. Noonan arose, but sat down again when Archer and
Dykes and I had pulled chairs up.
Archer, slightly plumper than he had been a year ago, with his round red face saggy and careworn by the stress of an extremely bad night for him, put his forearms on the table and leaned at me.
“Goodwin, he said earnestly but not offensively, “I want to put something up to you.
“Suits me, Mr Archer, I assured him. “I've never been ignored more.
“We've been busy. Lieutenant Noonan has of course reported what you told him.
Frankly, I find it hard to believe. Almost impossible to believe. It is well known that Nero Wolfe refuses dozens of jobs every month, that he confines himself to cases that interest him, and that the easiest and quickest way to interest him is to offer him a large fee. Now I-
“Not the only way, I objected.
“I didn't say it was. I know he has standards-even scruples. Now I can't believe that he found anything interesting in the poisoning of a dog-certainly not interesting enough for him to send you up here over a week-end. And I doubt very much if Calvin Leeds, from what I know of him, is in a position to offer Wolfe a fee that would attract him. His cousin, Mrs Rackham, might have, but she did not have the reputation of throwing money around carelessly-rather the contrary.
We're going to ask Wolfe about this, naturally, but I thought I might save time by putting it up to you. I appeal to you to co-operate with us in solving this dastardly and cowardly murder. As you know, I have a right to insist on it; knowing you and Wolfe as I do, I prefer to appeal to you as to a responsible citizen and a man who carries a licence to work in this state as a private detective. I simply do not believe that you were sent up here merely to investigate the poisoning of a dog. They were all glaring at me. “I wasn't, I said mildly. “Ha, you weren't!
“Hell no. As you say, Mr Wolfe wouldn't be interested. “So you lied, you punk,
Noonan gloated. “Wrong, as usual. I grinned at him. “You didn't ask me what I was sent here for or even hint that you would like to know. You asked if I was investigating the dog poisoning, and I told you I spent an hour at it, which I did. You asked if I had made any progress, and I told you nothing remarkable.
Then you wanted to know what I had seen and heard here, and I told you, in full.
It was one of the bummest and dumbest jobs of questioning I have ever run across, but you may learn in time. The first-
Noonan blurted, “Why, you goddam- Til handle it, Archer snapped at him. Back to me: “You might have supplied it, Goodwin.
“Not to him, I said firmly. “I tried supplying him once and he was displeased.
Anyway, I doubt if he would have understood it.
“See if I can understand it.
“Yes, sir. Mrs Rackham phoned Thursday afternoon and made an appointment to see
Mr Wolfe. She came yesterday morning-Friday-at eleven o'clock, and had Leeds with her. She said that it had been her custom, since marrying Rackham three years and seven months ago, to give him money for his personal use when he asked for it, but that he kept asking for bigger amounts, and she began giving him less than he asked for, and last October second he wanted fifteen grand, and she refused. Gave him zero. Since then, the past seven months, he had asked for none and got none, but in spite of that he had gone on spending plenty, and that was what was biting her. She hired Mr Wolfe to find out where and how he was getting dough, and I was sent up here to look him over and possibly get hold of an idea.
I needed an excuse for coming here, and the dog poisoning was better than average. I fluttered a hand. “That's all.
“You say Leeds was with her? Noonan demanded.
“That's partly what I mean, I told Ben Dykes, “about Noonan's notion of how to ask questions. He must have heard me say she had Leeds along.
“Yeah, Dykes said dryly. “But don't be so damn' cute. This is not exactly a picnic. He spoke to Noonan. “Leeds didn't make any mention of this?
