I frowned at him. “Now I guess I'll have to do some talking. You comfortable?
“No.
“Listen anyway. I'm taking Zeck's money and I'm crossing him. How do you know I won't cross you?
“I don't. But I'll top him.
That's the point exactly; you don't. Who is Zeck and who are you? You know the answer to that. You were taking his money too, up to five months ago, and you know for what. When your wife hired Nero Wolfe to take the lid off of you for a look, you yapped to Zeck and he took aim at Wolfe, and when your wife got it with that steak knife Wolfe took a powder, and for all I know he is now in
Egypt, where he owns a house, talking it over with the Sphinx. It was Zeck and you, between you, that broke up our happy home on Thirty-fifth Street, and you can have three guesses how I feel about it. I may like it fine this way, with my own office and my time my own. I may figure to work close to Zeck and get in the big dough, which would mean I'm poison to you, or I may be loving a chance to stick one between Zeck's ribs and incidentally get a nice helping from your pile, or I may even be kidding both of you along with the loony idea of trying to earn the ten grand your wife paid Nero Wolfe. Zeck can guess and you can guess. Do I make myself clear?
“I don't know. Are you just warning me not to trust you? Is that it?
“Well, yes.
“Then save your breath. I've never trusted anybody since I started shaving. As for a nice helping from my pile, that depends, How do you earn it?
I shrugged. “Maybe I don't want it. Guess. I got the impression that I have something you want.
“I think you have. Who hired you and what were you told to do?
“I told you, Zeck.
“Zeck himself?
“I would be risking my neck and you know it. Five grand now, and beyond that we can decide as we go along.
It was a mistake, though not fatal. He was surprised. I should have made it ten.
He said, “I haven't got that much here.
“Tut. Send downstairs for it.
He hesitated a moment, regarding me, then got up and went to a phone on a side table. It occurred to me that it would be of no advantage for a clerk or assistant manager to see whose presence in Rackham's suite required the delivery of so much cash, so I asked where the bathroom was and went there. After a sufficient interval I returned, and the delivery had been made.
“I said I don't trust anybody, Rackham told me, handing me the engravings. “But
I don't like to be gypped.
It was used bills this time, C.s and five-hundreds, which didn't seem up to the
Churchill's standard of elegance. To show Rackham how vulgar it was not to trust people, I stowed it away without counting it.
“What do you want? I asked, sitting. “Words and pictures?
“I can ask questions, can't I?
“Sure, that's included. I have not yet seen Zeck himself, but expect to. I was first approached by Max Christy, He-
“That son of a bitch.
“Yeah? Of course you're prejudiced now. He was merely scouting. He didn't name
Zeck and he didn't name you, but offered good pay for an expert tailing job. I was interested enough to make a date to get picked up on the street that night by a man in a car. He gave-
“Not Zeck. He wouldn't show like that.
“I said I haven't seen Zeck. He gave me the layout. He said his name was
Roeder-around fifty-
“Roeder? Rackham frowned.
“So he said. He spelled it-R-oe-d-e-r. Around fifty, brown hair slicked back, face wrinkled and folded, sharp dark eyes, brown pointed beard with grey in it.
“I don't know him.
“He may be in a different department from the one you were in. He did name Zeck.
He said-
“He actually named Zeck?
“Yes.
“To you? That's remarkable. Why?
“I don't know, but I can guess. I had previously been tapped by Max Christy, some time ago, and I
