Her eyes met mine. They didn't waver, but she was having trouble with her chin. She shook her head. 'What can I tell him?'
'I don't know. What can you?'
'Nothing.'
'Not enough. Under the circumstances. Did your friend Carla do it?'
'I don't know.'
'Did you?'
'You know I didn't!'
'I do not. Is there a lot of stuff around here about Bosnian forests and Barrett & De Russy and secret codes-'
'No, nothing. I am very careful.'
'Yeah, this looks like it. All I'm saying, if you try telling Cramer that you know nothing about Faber and you can't imagine why in the world he came here to get killed, you'll find yourself out on a limb. If you tell the truth, that won't be it, and if you decide on lies, you'll have to do a lot better than that. One little fact is that whoever killed Faber deprived you of your alibi for the murder of Ludlow. I'm not trying to scare you, I'm only trying to make you grab hold-'
The phone rang and I went and got it.
'This is Hammond 3-45-'
'Archie. Mr Cramer will be there shortly.'
'Goody!'
'How is Miss Tormic?'
'She's all right. She says her mind's a blank.'
'Shock?'
'No, just ignorance.'
'When she is questioned about anything except her movements since ten o'clock this morning-which is the time Mr Faber left this house alive-she will decline to reply except in the presence of her attorney. That is amply justified in the circumstances.'
'I'll tell her that.'
'Do so. I'll arrange for Mr Parker to represent her. What does she say about Miss Lovchen?'
'More ignorance. The first thing she did when she entered the room and looked at the floor was let out a yell for Carla.'
'I see. That's too bad. By the way, where did you put those germination records on the oncidium hybrids? I want to check them over.'
'Christalmighty,' I said bitterly. 'Here's your daughter sizzling on a spot, and here am I with blood on my fingers off of Faber's shirt, and you prate-why don't you try doing a little work for a change-?'
'I can't work with nothing to work on. Get away as soon as you can. Where did you put those records?'
I told him. He thanked me and rang off. I looked at Neya, sitting there with her jaw clamped and her fingers twisted, and observed grimly, 'You certainly picked a lulu for an adopted daddy. Do you know what he's doing? Checking up on orchid seeds he planted a year ago! Incidentally, he says you are to answer any questions the cops ask about your movements since ten o'clock this morning. All other questions, refuse to answer until you see a lawyer. He's getting one.'
'A lawyer for me?'
'Yes.'
A police siren sounded through the window I had left open.
Chapter Fourteen
At five minutes past two Wolfe sipped the last drop of his luncheon coffee, put down his cup, and made two distinct and separate oral noises. The first was meant to express his pleasure and satisfaction in the immediate past, the hour spent at the table; the second was a grunt of resigned dismay at the prospect of the immediate future, which was embodied in the bulky figure of Inspector Cramer, planted in a chair in the office. He had arrived on the stroke of two and was waiting.
Wolfe and I went in and sat down. The end of the unlighted cigar in Cramer's mouth described a figure-eight.
'I hate to hurry your meal,' he said sarcastically.
Wolfe eructed.
