ARCHIE GOODWIN
Private Detective
Not bad at all, I thought, unlocking the door and entering. I had considered having the painter put beneath it “By Appointment Only, to keep the crowd down, but decided to save the extra three bucks. I put my package on the desk, unwrapped it, and inspected my new letterheads and envelopes. The type of my name was a little too bold, maybe, but otherwise it was pretty neat. I uncovered the typewriter, a rebuilt Underwood that had set me back $62.75, inserted one of the letterheads, and wrote:
Dear Mrs Frey:
If you still feel as you did when you phoned me on Wednesday, I would be glad to call on you to discuss the situation, with the understanding that I shall be representing no one but myself.
My new business address and phone number are above. Ring me or write if you wish me to come.
Sincerely,
A.G.: hs
I read it over and signed it. It looked businesslike, I thought, with the regulation initialling at the bottom, the 'hs' being for 'himself. When I left, after putting the stationery in a drawer and getting things in order for the rush of business on Monday morning, I dropped the envelope in the mail chute. I was doing it that way, instead of phoning her, for three reasons: if she had changed her mind she could just ignore it; I had a date, purely personal, for the week-end; and I had drawn myself a salary cheque, the last one, for that week. On my way home I made a detour to Fifty-fourth Street, to tell Marko
Vukcic what I had done, because I thought he should be the first to know.
He made it not only plain but emphatic that he disapproved. I told him,
“Experience tells me that pants wear out quicker sitting down than moving around. Intelligence tells me that it's better to wait till you die to start to rot. I would appreciate it if you will convey that to him next time you write him or phone him.
“You know perfectly good, Archie, that-
“Not perfectly good. Perfectly well.
“You know that I have said nothing, but nothing, that might make you think I can write him or phone him.
“You didn't need to. I know it's not your fault, but where does it leave me? Let me know any time you get a buyer for the house, and I'll move out.
I left him still wanting to argue.
I was not kidding myself that I had really cut loose, since I hadn't moved my bed out, but the way I figured it a caretaker who is drawing no pay has a right to a room; and besides, Fritz was still sleeping there and we were splitting on the groceries for breakfast, and I didn't want to insult either him or my stomach by breaking that up.
I shall now have to specify when I say office-or, better, I'll say office when I mean Wolfe's office, and when I mean my Madison Avenue suite I'll say 1019.
Monday morning, arriving at 1019 a little after ten, I rang the phone-answering service and was told that there had been no calls, and then dug into the morning mail, which consisted of a folder from a window- cleaning outfit. After giving it full consideration, I typed notes on my new stationery to some personal friends, and an official letter to the City of New York giving notice of my change of address as a licensed detective. I was sitting trying to think who else I might write to when the phone rang-my first incoming call.
I picked it up and told the transmitter plainly, “Archie Goodwin's office.
“May I speak to Mr Goodwin, please?
Til see if he's in. Who is calling, please?
“Mrs Frey.
“Yes, he's in. This is me. You got my note?
“It came this morning. I don't know what you mean about representing no one but yourself.
“I guess I didn't make it very clear. I only meant I wouldn't be acting as Nero
Wolfe's assistant. I'm just myself now.
“Oh. Well-naturally, if you don't even know where he is. Can you come this evening?
To Birchvale?
“Yes.
“What time?
“Say eight-thirty.
“I'll be there.
You can't beat that, I thought to myself as I hung up, for the first incoming call to a new office- making a deal with a client who has just inherited a country estate and a million monetary units. Then, fearing that if it kept up like that I might get swamped, I closed the office for the day and headed for
