Sulka's to buy a tie.
Chapter Eleven
On my previous visit to Birchvale I had got the impression that Annabel Frey had her head on right side up, and her conduct that Monday evening strengthened it.
For one thing, she had had sense enough not to gather that bunch around a dining table but invite them for half-past eight. With the kind of attitudes and emotions that were criss-crossing among those six people, an attempt to feed them at the same trough would have resulted in an acidosis epidemic.
In her first phone call, Wednesday, she had indicated that it was not a tete-a-tete she had in mind, so I was expecting to find company, probably the widower and the cousin, but to my surprise it was a full house. They were all there when I was shown into the big living-room. Annabel Frey, as hostess there now, came to meet me and gave me her hand. The other five gave me nothing but dirty looks. I saw right off that my popularity index was way down, so I merely stood, gave them a cool collective greeting, and lifted a brow at my hostess.
“It's not you, Goodwin, the politician Pierce assured me, but in a raspy tone.
“It's simply the strain of this unbearable situation. We haven't been all together like this since that terrible night. He glared at Annabel. “It was a mistake to get us here.
“Then why did you come? Barry Rackham demanded, really nasty. “Because you were afraid not to, like the rest of us. We all hated to come, but we were all afraid to stay away. A bunch of cowards-except one, of course. You can't blame that one for coming.
“Nonsense, said Dana Hammond, the banker. The look he was giving Rackham was just the opposite of the kind of look a banker is supposed to give a millionaire. “It has nothing to do with cowardice. Not with me. By circumstances beyond my control I am forced into an association that is hateful to me.
“Have they, Lina Darrow asked him sweetly, “finished with the audit of your department?
“They haven't finished anything, Calvin Leeds growled, and I didn't know he was aiming at her until he went on. “Not even with wondering what you see in Barry
Rackham all of a sudden-if it is sudden.
Rackham was out of his chair, moving towards Leeds, snarling, “You can eat that,
Cal, or-
“Oh, stop it! Annabel stepped to head Rackham off. She whirled, taking them in.
“My God, isn't it bad enough without this? She appealed to me. “I didn't know this was how it would be! To Rackham, “Sit down, Barry!
Rackham backed away and sat. Lina Darrow, who had been standing, went and stretched out on a couch, detaching herself. The others stayed put, with Annabel and me on our feet. I have had plenty of contacts with groups of people, all kinds, who have suddenly had a murder explode among them, but I don't think I have ever seen a bunch blown quite so high.
Annabel said, “I didn't want to have Mr Goodwin come and discuss it just with me. I didn't want any of you to think-I mean, all I wanted was to find out, for all of us. I thought it would be best for all of us to be here.
“All of us? Pierce asked pointedly. “Or all but one?
“It was a mistake, Annabel, Hammond told herv“You can see it was.
“Exactly what, Rackham inquired, “was your idea in sending for Goodwin?
“I want him to work for us. We can't let it go on this way, you all know we can't. I'll pay him, but he'll be working for all of us.
“All but one, Pierce insisted.
“Very well, all but one! As it is now, it isn't all but one, it's all of us!
Lina Darrow sang out from the couch, “Is Mr Goodwin giving a guarantee?
I had taken a chair. Annabel dropped into one facing me and put it to me. “What about it? Can you do anything?
“I can't give a guarantee, I told her.
“Of course not. Can you do anything?
“I don't know. I don't know how it stands. Shall I try sketching it?
“Yes.
“Stop me if I go wrong. It's true I was here when it happened, but that's no help except what I actually saw and heard. Does everyone know what I was here for?
“Yes.
“Then they understand why I wasn't much interested in anyone but Rackham. And you and Miss Darrow, of course, but that interest wasn't professional. It looks to me like a case that will probably never be solved by exhibits or testimony on facts. The cops have had plenty of good men on it, and if they had got anything
