'Okay,' I said, 'let's go see Uncle Clan.' The engine was running. She released the handbrake, fed gas, and we rolled. Three minutes got us to Eighth Avenue, where we turned downtown. The dash clock said five past eleven, and my wristwatch agreed. The traffic was heavy in both directions, 253 and she got in the right lane and crawled along. Two blocks down she pulled in at the curb, where there was plenty of space, set the brake, turned off the lights, killed the engine, and removed the key and put it in her bag. 'There it is.' She pointed. 'Gale's Pharmacy.'
It was ten paces down. There were neons in the window, but otherwise it looked drab. 'We'll probably get a ticket for parking,' I told her. She said she didn't care. I got out and held the door, and she joined me on the sidewalk. She put a hand on my arm. 'You're staying right with me,' she stated. 'Absolutely,' I assured her. 'I'm good, with uncles.' As we crossed to the entrance and went inside I was feeling not fully dressed. I have a routine habit of wearing a gun when I'm on a case involving people who may go to extremes, but, as I said, I do not go armed to ball games. However, at first sight of Daniel Gale I did not put him in that category. His drugstore was so narrow that a fat man would have had to squeeze to make the passage between the soda fountain stools and 254 the central showcases, and that made it look long, but it wasn't. Five or six customers were on the stools, and the jerk was busy. A chorus boy was inspecting himself in the mirror of the weight machine. At the cosmetics counter on the other side, the left, a woman was being waited on by a little guy with a pale tight-skinned face and rimless specs who needed a shave. 'That's him,' Lila whispered to me. We stood. Uncle Clan, concentrating on the customer, hadn't seen us. Finally she made her choice and, as he tore off paper to wrap the purchase, his eyes lifted and got Lila. Also he got me, beside her. He froze. He held it, rigid, for four seconds, then came to, went on with the little wrapping job, and was handed a bill by the customer. While he was at the cash register Lila and I crossed to the counter. As he handed the woman her change Lila spoke. 'Uncle Clan, I've got to tell you--' She stopped because he was gone. Without speaking, he turned and made for the rear and disappeared behind a partition, and a door closed. I didn't like it, but didn't want to start a commotion by hurdling the counter, so I stepped to the end and circled, and on to the door that had closed, and 255 turned the knob. It was locked. There I was, out at first, unless I was prepared to smash the door in. The soda jerk called, 'Hey, Mac, come out of that!' 'It's all right,' Lila told him. 'I'm his niece. He's my Uncle Dan--I mean Mr. Gale is.' 'I never saw you before, lady.' 'I never saw you either. How long have you been here?' 'I been here two months, and long enough. Leave me be your uncle, huh? You, Mac, come out here where you belong! Whose uncle are you?' A couple of the fountain customers gave him his laugh. A man coming in from the street in a hurry approached and called to me, 'Gimme some aspirin!' The door I was standing by popped open, and Uncle Clan was there, against me in the close quarters. 'Aspirin!' the man demanded. 'Henry!' Gale called. 'Right here!' the soda jerk called back. 'Wait on the gentleman. Take over for a while; I'll be busy. Come here, Lila, will you?' Lila moved, circled the end of the counter into the narrow aisle, and approached us. 256 There wasn't room enough to be gallant and let her pass, and I followed Gale through the door into the back room ahead of her. It was small, and the stacks of shipping cartons and other objects took most of what space there was. The rows of shelves were crammed with packaged merchandise, except those along the right wall, which held labeled bottles. Gale stopped near the door, and I went on by, and so did Lila. 'We don't want to be disturbed,' Gale said, and bolted the door. 'Why not?' I inquired. He faced me, and from a distance of five arms' length, with Lila between us, I had my first good view of the eyes behind the specs. I had never seen a pair like them. They not only had no pupils, they had no irises. For a second I thought they were glassies, but obviously he could see, so evidently he had merely been shortchanged. Whoever had assembled him had forgotten to color his irises. It didn't make him look any handsomer. 'Because,' he was telling me, 'this is a private matter. You see, I recognized you, Mr. Goodwin. Your face is not as well known as your employer's, but it has been in the papers on several occasions, and you 257 were in my mind on account of the news. The radio bulletins have included the detail that Nero Wolfe and his assistant were present and engaged by Mr. Chisholm. So when I saw you with my niece I recognized you and realized we should talk privately. But you're an impulsive young man, and for fear you may not like what I say, I make conditions. I shall stay here near the door. You will move to that packing case back of you and sit on it, with your hands in sight and making no unnecessary movements. My niece will put the chair here in front of me and sit on it, facing you, between you and me. That way I will feel free to talk.' I thought he was batty. As a setup against one of my impulses, including a gun if I had had one, it made no sense at all. I backed up to the packing case and lowered myself, resting my hands on my knees to humor him. When Lila saw me complying she moved the chair, the only one there, as directed, and sat with her back to him. He, it appeared, was going to make a phone call. He did touch the phone, which was on a narrow counter at his right under the shelves of bottles, but only to push it aside. Then he picked up a large bottle of colorless liq- 258 uid, removed the glass stopper, held it to his nose, and sniffed. 'I do not have fainting spells,' he said apologetically, 'but at the moment I am a little unstrung. Seeing my niece here with you was a real shock for me. I came back here to consider what it might mean, but reached no conclusion. Perhaps you'll explain?' 'Your niece will. Tell him, Lila.' She started to twist around in the chair, but he commanded her, 'No, my dear, stay as you were. Face Mr. Goodwin.' He took another sniff at the bottle, keeping it in his hand. She obeyed. 'It's Bill,' she said. 'They're going to arrest him for murder, and they mustn't. They won't, if we tell them how you offered to pay him for fixing the game and he wouldn't do it. He won't tell them on account of me, so we have to. I know I promised you I wouldn't, but now I've got to. You see how it is. Uncle Clan, I've got to. I told Mr. Goodwin, to get him to come along. The best way--' 'You haven't told the police, Lila dear?' 'No. I thought the best way was to come and get you to go with me, and I was afraid to come alone, because I know how bad it 259 will be for you--but it will be worse for Bill if we don't. Don't you see. Uncle--' 'Keep your back turned, Lila. I insist on it. That's right, stay that way.' He had been talking in an even low tone, but now it became thin and strained, as though his throat had tightened. 'I'll tell why I want your back to me, so I can't see your face. Remember, Goodwin, don't move. This is a bottle of pure sulphuric acid. I was smelling it just to explain why I had it; of course it has no smell. I suppose you know what it will do. This bottle is nearly full, and I'm holding it carefully, because one drop on your skin will scar you for life. That's why I want your back to me, Lila. I'm very fond of you--sit still! And I don't want to see your face if I have to use this acid. If you move, Lila dear, I'll use it. Or you, Goodwin-- especially you. I hope you both understand?' Lila was stiff, white, pop-eyed, gazing at me. I may have been stiff too; anyhow, I didn't move. His hand holding the bottle was raised, hovering six inches above her head. She looked as if she might keel over, and I urged her, 'Sit tight, Lila, and for God's sake don't scream.' 'Yes,' Uncle Clan said approvingly, 'I 260 should have mentioned that. Screaming would be as bad as moving. I had to tell you about the acid before I discussed matters. I'm not surprised at your fantastic suggestion, Lila, because I know how foolish you can be, but I'm surprised at you, Goodwin. How would you expect me to take a suggestion that I consent to my complete ruin? When I saw her and recognized you I knew she must have told you. Of course you couldn't know what kind of man you had to deal with, but you know now. Did Lila persuade you that I am an utter fool, a jellyfish?' 'I guess she must have,' I admitted. 'What kind of a man are you?' He proceeded to tell me, and I proceeded to pretend I was listening. I also tried to keep my eyes on his pale tight-skinned face, but that wasn't easy because they were fascinated by the damn bottle he was holding. Meanwhile my brain was buzzing. Unless he was plain loony the only practical purpose of the bottle must be to gain time, and for what? '... and I will,' he was saying. 'This won't kill you, Lila dear, but it will be horrible, and I don't want to do it unless I have to. Only you mustn't think I won't. 261 You don't really know me very well, because to you I'm just Uncle Clan. You didn't know that I once had a million dollars and I was an important man and a dangerous man. There were people who knew me and feared me, but I was unlucky. I have gambled and made fortunes, and lost them. That affects a man's nerves. It changes a man's outlook on life. I borrowed enough money to buy this place, and for years I worked hard and did well--well enough to pay it all back, but that was my ruin. I owed nothing and had a little cash and decided to celebrate by losing a hundred dollars to some old friends--just a hundred dollars--but I didn't lose, I won several thousand. So I went on and lost what I had won, and I lost this place. I don't own this place, my friends do. They are very old friends, and they gave me a chance to get this place back. I'm telling you about this, Lila dear, because I want you to understand. I came to you and Bill with that offer because I had to, and you promised me, you swore you would tell no one. I have been an unlucky man, and sometimes a weak one, but I am never going to be weak again--don't move!' Lila, who had lifted her head a little, stiffened. I sat gazing at Gale. Obviously he 262 was stalling for time, but what could he expect to happen? It could be only one thing: he expected somebody to come. He expected help. Then he had asked for it, and it was no trick to guess when. As soon as he had seen us he had scooted back here to phone somebody. Help was on the way, and it had to be the kind of help that would deal with Lila and me efficiently and finally; and bigtime gamblers who can provide ten
