and I had arranged on the table over by the big globe. Annabel was in the most comfortable of the yellow chairs, to Archer's left; then, working towards me at my desk, Leeds and Lina Darrow; and Hammond and Pierce closest to me.
Wolfe's eyes swept the arc.
This, he said, “is a little awkward for me. I have met none of you before except Mr Leeds. I must be sure I have you straight. His eyes went along the line again. “I think I have. Now if you'll tell me what you want- you, Mrs Frey, it was you who phoned me.
Annabel looked at the D.A. “Shouldn't you, Mr Archer?
He shook his head. “No, you tell him.
She concentrated, at Wolfe. “Well, as I said, there are two problems. One is that it seems to be supposed that Barry Rackham killed his wife, but it hasn't been proved, and now that he is dead how can it be proved so that everyone will know it and the rest of us will be entirely free of any suspicion? Mr Archer says there is no official suspicion of us, but that isn't enough/
“It is gratifying, though, Wolfe murmured.
“Yes, but it isn't gratifying to have some of the people who say they are your friends looking at you as they do. Annabel was earnest about it. “Then the second problem is this. The law will not allow a man who commits a murder to profit by it. If Barry Rackham killed his wife he can't inherit property from her, no matter what her will said. But it has to be legally proved that he killed her, and unless that is done her will stands, and what she left to him will go to his heirs.
She made a gesture. “It isn't that we want it-the rest of us. It can go to the state or to charity-we don't care. But we think it's wrong and a shame for it to go to his people, whoever will inherit from him. It's not only immoral, it's illegal. It can't be stopped by convicting him of murder, because he's dead and can't be tried. My lawyer and Mr Archer both say we can bring action and get it before a court, but then we'll have to have evidence that he killed her, and Mr
Archer says he hasn't been able to get it from you, and he hasn't got it. But surely you can get it, or anyhow you can try. You see, that would solve both problems, to have a court rule that his heirs can't inherit because he murdered her.
“You have stated it admirably, Archer declared.
“We don't want any of it, Lina blurted.
“My interest, Pierce put in, “is only to have the truth fully and universally known and acknowledged.
That, Wolfe said, “will take more than me. I am by no means up to that. And not only my capacities, but the circumstances themselves, restrict me to a much more modest ambition. I can get you one of the things you want, removal of all suspicion from the innocent, but the other, having Mrs Rackham's bequest to her husband set aside, is beyond me.
They all frowned at him, in their various fashions. Hammond, the banker, protested, “That doesn't seem to make sense. What accomplishes one accomplishes the other. If you prove that Rackham killed his wife-
“But I can't prove that. Wolfe shook his head. “I'm sorry, but it can't be done. It is true that Rackham deserved to die, and as a murderer. He killed a woman here in New York three years ago, a woman named Delia Montrose-one of Mr
Cramer's unsolved cases; Rackham ran his car over her. That was how Zeck originally got a noose on Rackham, by threatening to expose him for the murder he did commit. As you know, Mr Archer, I penetrated some distance-not very far, but far enough-into Zeck's confidence, and I learned a good deal about his methods. I doubt if he ever had conclusive evidence that Rackham had killed
Delia Montrose, but Rackham, conscious of his guilt, hadn't the spine to demand a showdown. Murderers seldom have. Then Rackham got a spine, suddenly and fortuitously, by becoming a millionaire; he thought then he could fight it; he defied Zeck; and Zeck, taking his time, retorted by threatening to expose
Rackham for the murder of his wife. The threat was dangerous and effective even without authentic evidence to support it; there could of course be no authentic evidence that Rackham killed his wife, because he didn't.
They all froze, still wearing the frowns. Knowing Wolfe as I did, I had suspected that was coming, so I was taking them all in to get the impact, but there wasn't much to choose. After the first shock they all began to make noises, then words came, and then, as the full beauty of it hit them, the words petered out.
All but Archer's. “You have signed a statement, he told Wolfe, “to the effect that Zeck told Rackham he could produce evidence that would convict him of murder, and that Rackham thereupon shot Zeck. Now you say, in contradiction-
There is no contradiction, Wolfe declared. “The fact of Rackham's innocence would have been no defence against evidence manufactured by Zeck, and Rackham knew it. Innocent as he was-of this murder, that is-he knew what Zeck was capable of.
“You have said that you think Rackham killed his wife, but that you have no proof.
“I have not, Wolfe snapped. “Read your transcripts.
“I shall. And you now say that you think Rackham did not kill his wife?
“Not that I think he didn't. I know he didn't, because I know who did. Wolfe flipped a hand. “I've known that from the beginning. That night in April, when
Mr Goodwin phoned me that Mrs Rackham had been murdered, I knew who had murdered her. But I also knew that the interests of Arnold Zeck were involved and I dared not move openly. So I-but you know all about that. Wolfe turned to me. “Archie.
Precautions may not be required, but you might as well take them.
I opened a desk drawer and got out the Grisson.38. My favourite Colt, taken from me in Zeck's
