Archer had some questions, and Dykes one or two. At the end Archer asked me,
“Will you swear to that, Goodwin?
“Sure, glad to. If you'll pay the notary fee.
“Go and type it, Cheney.
The skinny guy got up, with his notebook, and left. After the door was closed
Archer spoke.
“You might as well know it, Goodwin; you've been contradicted. Mr Rackham says you're lying about his wife's conversation with Wolfe.
“Yeah? How does he know? He wasn't there.
“He says that she couldn't possibly have said what you report because it wasn't true. He says that there was no question or misunderstanding about money between them. He also says that she told him that she suspected her financial affairs were being mishandled by Mr Hammond of the Metropolitan Trust Company, and that she was going to consult Nero Wolfe about it.
“Well. I yawned. “That's interesting. Leeds is on my side. Who's on his?
“No one so far.
“Have you tried it out on Leeds?
“Yes. As you say, he's on your side. He has signed a statement. So has Mr
Rackham.
“What does Hammond say?
“I haven't- Archer paused, regarding me. “Perhaps I shouldn't have told you that. You will keep it to yourself. It's a delicate matter, to approach a responsible officer of a reputable bank on a thing like that.
“Right, I agreed. “It's also a delicate matter to call a millionaire a damn' liar-that is, delicate for you. Not for me. I hereby call him a damn' liar. I suppose he is a millionaire? Now?
Archer and Dykes exchanged glances. “Save it if you want to, I said understandingly. “Leeds will tell me. If he knows. Does he?
“Yes. The will was read to the family to-day. I was present. There are a number of bequests to servants and distant relatives. Mrs Frey gets this place and a million dollars. Leeds gets half a million. Lina Darrow gets two hundred thousand. The rest goes to Mr Rackham.
“I see. Then he's a millionaire, so it's delicate. Even so, he's a damn' liar and it's two to one. I'll sign that statement in triplicate if you want it.
Beyond that what can I say?
“I want to make it three to one. Archer leaned to me. “Listen, Goodwin. I have great respect for Nero Wolfe's talents. I have reason to, as you know. But I do not intend to let his whims interfere with the functions of my office. I want a statement from him supporting yours and Leeds', and I mean to have it without delay. I sent a man to get it. This morning at eleven o'clock he was told that
Wolfe wasn't available and that you weren't there and your whereabouts were not known. That was when an alarm was spread for you. I had a phone call from my man an hour ago. He had gone back to Wolfe's house and had been told that Wolfe was out of the city, and that was all he could get.
Archer made a hand into a fist, resting on the table. “I won't stand for it,
Goodwin. This is the toughest one I've had in my county since I took office, and
I won't stand for it. Whatever else he is, he's a fat conceited peacock and it's time somebody called him. There's a phone you can use. Two hours from now, unless he's here and talking to me, there'll be a warrant for his arrest as a material witness. There's the phone.
“I doubt if you could paste material witness on him. He hasn't been anywhere near here.
“Nuts, Ben Dykes growled. “Don't be a sap. She takes troubles to him Friday and gets murdered Saturday.
I decided to take the plunge. The way I felt, it would have been a pleasure to let them go ahead with a warrant, but if I tried to stall I would need a very fancy excuse to-morrow when they saw the ad in the Gazette. So I thought what the hell, now is as good a time as any, and told them.
“I can't phone him because I don't know where he is.
“Ha ha, Dykes said. “Ha ha ha.
“Yes, I admitted, “it could be a gag. But it isn't. I don't know whether he's out of the city or not. All I know is that he left the house last night, while I was up here, and he hasn't come back-no, that isn't true. I also know that he called on a friend of his named Vukcic and arranged for his plants to be moved out and his cook to take another job. And he gave Vukcic a power of attorney.
And he sent an ad to the Gazette announcing his retirement from the detective business.
Dykes did not ha-ha again. He merely sat and frowned at me. Archer, his lips puckered, had his eyes focused on me, but as if he was trying to see not me but through me.
That went on for seconds, and I got uncomfortable. I can meet a pair of eyes all right, but not two pairs at once, one in front and one off to the left.
