deduction?'
'Fine.' Cramer threw his cigar at the trash basket, missed, went and picked it up and dropped it in, and returned to the stool. 'Don't think I'm going to blow up, because I'm not. I'm beyond that. Ten minutes after you left I told Wolfe that Carla Lovchen was trailed to the Maidstone Building this morning and was holed up there, but that was after you left, as I say. All I'm going to do is ask a simple question: Why did you go to the Maidstone Building?'
I grinned at him. 'Here's the first answer that occurs to me: There was a phone call here at noon from a certain party, and it was traced to a public phone at that building. All right?'
'No.'
I shrugged. 'Get Mr Wolfe to tell you one.'
Wolfe, going on with his work, paid no attention. Cramer said, 'I still am not going to blow up. I have planted myself here on two assumptions: The first is that Wolfe has got something on this case that I stand damn little chance of getting unless and until the break comes and he loosens up. The second is, inasmuch as I have never yet found him picking up pieces for a murderer, that he's not doing that now. If my first assumption is wrong, I'm just out of luck. If my second one is, you are. Both of you. That's all. Now you can take the Maidstone Building and stick it up your chimney. But in case you don't already know it, Carla Lovchen went in that place on 38th Street at eleven o'clock this morning and came out again in ten minutes. I want her, and I want her plenty. I'm telling you. So if it turns out that she has actually pulled a getaway and you helped her do it…'
'The man's mad,' I declared.
'Shut up. That's all.'
I continued to admire my feet.
At five minutes to six Wolfe put the magnifying glass away in the drawer, gave Theodore a few instructions regarding the sprouts, and announced that it was time to descend. Never having felt full confidence in the capacity of the elevator as posted on its wall, I left it to him and took to the stairs and Cramer joined me. Two flights down we saw that the elevator had stopped there and Wolfe was emerging. We halted as he approached us.
'I'll go to my room and clean up a little. Archie, will you come with me? We'll be with you in the office shortly, Mr Cramer. Miss Tormic is there, you know.'
Cramer hesitated, looked at him suspiciously, and then tramped to the stairs and started down. We waited till we heard the office door close behind him and then went to the door of Wolfe's room and entered. Carla was in a straight-backed chair by the wall, her shoulders hunched over, her hands clenched in her lap, her chin down; but she was wearing her own clothes. The bellboy's outfit, neatly folded, was on the table.
Wolfe stopped in front of her and said, 'How do you do, Miss Lovchen.'
She looked up at him for an instant, then let her head fall again and made no reply.
Wolfe said, 'I have no time now because I am expected downstairs. Mr Goodwin told me he brought a goose. He did. Whether you killed Mr Ludlow and Mr Faber or not, you are pure imbecile. Most people are, under great stress, but that merely gives you company. I don't know how or where Mr Goodwin found you, but you must have been making an awful fool of yourself or he wouldn't have found you at all. Even though he is fairly good at finding things. If you think I am severe, it is because I have no sympathy to waste on people who come and ask my help and tell me nothing but lies. For the present you will stay in this room. I'll come back pretty soon and ask you some questions.'
Carla raised her head again, moved it once from side to side and said, 'I won't answer any questions. I've decided that. I won't say anything. Not to you or anybody.'
'Oh. You won't?'
'No. Nothing. No matter what happens. If I don't say anything, what can anybody do? What can they prove if I don't say anything? Maybe you think I haven't enough will-power for it, but I have.'
'You might have, for a while. Try it, by all means. It would be an improvement on your conduct so far.' Wolfe turned to go. 'I'll be back to see you, anyway, or send for you. Come, Archie.'
With his hand on the knob he asked, 'Are you hungry? Could you eat something?'
'No, thank you.'
We went.
The trio in the office was now four: with us, six. The dick was still bored. Fred, the bum, had reoccupied my chair against my express orders, but as I entered he moved to another one. Cramer stood over by the big globe, twirling it. Neya Tormic's eyes fastened on Wolfe as he appeared in the door and followed him as he crossed to his desk, sat, and reached for the button. I realized that he was in about as bad a humour as I could remember, because he issued no invitation for anyone to have beer. Neya Tormic said, with her eyes boring holes through him:
'I want to see you alone-to ask you something.'
Wolfe nodded. 'I know what you want. That will have to wait. You didn't get to finish your errand. Isn't that it?'
'I-' She stopped and wet her lips. 'You promised.'
'No, Miss Tormic, I didn't. I know you've had a hard afternoon, but surely you remember why you and Mr Goodwin were looking for Miss Lovchen. And you didn't find her.'
'She's gone.'
'How do you know that?'
'This-Inspector Cramer just told me they can't find her.'
'Where has she gone to?'
