grand to fix a game are just the babies to be ready with that kind of help. In helping with Lila and me they would probably also settle Uncle Clan, since they like to do things right, but that was his lookout, not mine. Either he was loony or that was it. Doping that was a cinch, but then what? They might come any second; he couldn't be expected to stand and dangle the damn bottle all night; they might be entering the drugstore right now. At a knock on the door he would reach behind him and push the bolt-- and here they are. Any second . . . He was talking. '. . .1 didn't think you would, Lila, after all I've done for you. You promised me you wouldn't. Now, of course, you've told Goodwin and it can't be helped. If I just tip this bottle a little, not much--' 'Nuts,' I said emphatically, but not rais- 263 ing my voice. 'You haven't got it staged right.' I had my eyes straight at his specs. 'Maybe you don't want to see her face, but the way you've got her, with her back to you, it's no good. What if she suddenly ducked and dived forward? You might get some on her clothes or her feet, but the chair would be in your way. Have you considered that? Better still, what if she suddenly darted sideways in between those cartons? The instant she moved I would be moving too, and that would take her out of my path, and before you could get at her with that stuff I'd be there. She'd be taking a chance, but what the hell, that would be better than sitting there waiting for the next act. Unquestionably it would be better for her to go sideways, with her head down and her arms out. You see how bum your arrangement is? But if you make her turn around facing you--' She moved. She went sideways, to her left, her head down and her arms out, diving for the cartons. I lost a tenth of a second because I hadn't dared to pull my feet back ready for the spring, but that was all I lost. I didn't leap, I just went, with all the force my leg muscles could give it. My target was the bottom 264 of the left front leg of the chair, and I went in flat, face down, and had the leg before he could get under way. The impact of the chair knocked him back against the door, and I kept going and grabbed his ankle and jerked. Of course the bottle could have landed right on me, but I had to get him off his feet. As I yanked his ankle I kept my face down, and as he tumbled I felt nothing hit me. The next thing I knew I was on top of him, pinning him, with a grip on his throat, looking around for the bottle. It had never reached the floor. It had landed on a carton six feet to my right and was there on its side, the stuff gurgling out. The floor slanted toward the wall, and no flood threatened me. 'Okay, Lila,' I said. 'I need help.' She was scrambling to her feet. 'Did he-- did it--' She giggled. 'No. If you have hysterics I'll tell Bill. Slap yourself, I can't. It's there on a carton, and don't go near it.' 'But he--my God, he--' 'Shut up. Company's coming, and we've got to get out of here. I want some adhesive tape, quick. Find some.' She moved and started looking on shelves and in drawers. I kept talking, thinking it would help. 'A 265 drugstore is a handy place?sulphuric acid, adhesive tape, everything you might need. Watch your step; it's spreading on the floor. When I said I was good with uncles I didn't mean uncles like him. He's a lulu. He may have been?' 'Here it is.' 'Good girl. Tear off a piece six inches long?that's it. No, you'll have to do it; if I turn loose of his throat he'll squawk. Across his mouth, good and tight?not that way, diagonal. That's right. Now one the other way. That ought to do it, thank you, nurse. Now find some nice sterile bandage ...' She found that too and held his arms while I sat on his knees and tied his ankles. Then I fastened his wrists behind him and anchored the strip of bandage to the handle of a locked drawer. I squatted for a look at the tape on his mouth, gave it a rub, stood up, went to the door and pushed the bolt, and told her, 'Come on.' 'But we ought to make?' 'Come on, damn it! If company is on its way, and I think it is, it won't be bottledanglers. If you like this place you can stay, but I'm going. Well?' I opened the door, and she passed through. I followed and pulled the door to. 266 There were customers on the fountain stools, though not the same ones, and Henry was selling a man a pack of cigarettes. I paused on my way to the street door to tell him that Mr. Gale would be out soon, then opened the door for Lila. On the sidewalk I told Lila to go wait in the car while I made a phone call. Then I saw she was trembling all over, so I escorted her and got her safely on the front seat. Up twenty paces was a bar and grill, and I walked to it, entered, found a phone booth^ dialed WA 9-8241, asked for Sergeant Purley Stebbins, and got him. He wanted to know if I was up at the Polo Grounds. I told him no. 'Where I am,' I said, 'is top secret. I'm giving you a hot one. Put this down; Gale's Pharmacy, nine-two-threetwo Eighth Avenue. Get a prowl car there fast, and plenty of reinforcements. Gale, the owner, on information received, was the gobetween for the gamblers who fixed the ball game. He is in the back room of his store, gagged and tied. The reason?' 'Is this a gag?' 'No. The reas?' 'Where are you?' 'Quit interrupting or I'll ring off. The reason for the hurry is that I think Gale sent 267 for a rescue squad to deal with certain parties who are no longer there, and it would be nice to get there in time to welcome them. So PD cars should not park in front. Be sure to tell them not to step in the stuff on the floor that looks like water, because its sulphuric acid. That's all. Got the address?' 'Yes, and I want--' 'Sorry, I've got a date. This could make you a lieutenant. Step on it.' I went out and back to the car. Lila was on the driver's side, gripping the steering wheel with both hands. As I opened the door her head turned to me. 'Move over,' I said. 'I'll do the driving this time.' She slid across, and I got in and pulled the door to. I sat. Half a minute went by. 'Where are we going?' she asked. Her voice was so low and weak I barely got it. 'Polo Grounds. Where Bill is.' Maybe he was. 'Why don't we start?' 'I phoned for cops. If others come before the cops do I want to get a look at them. In case I forget it later, I want to mention that that was a beautiful dive you made, and the timing couldn't have been better. I'm for 268 you?only spiritual, of course, since you're happily married.' 'I want to get away from here. I want to see Bill.' 'You will. Relax.' We sat, but not for long. It couldn't have been more than four minutes before a pair of cops swung around the corner, headed for the entrance to Gale's Pharmacy, and entered. Glancing at Lila and seeing that her eyes were closed, I pushed the starter button. 7 It was only half an hour short of midnight when I stopped the Curtis at the curb across the street from the main entrance to the Polo Grounds. The mob had dwindled to a few small knots, and of the long line of police cars only three were left. Two cops were having a tete-a-tete in front of the entrance, and another one was leaning against a wall. Lila was a quick mover. She had got out and circled the car to my side by the time I hit the pavement and shut the door. I gave her the ignition key, and we were crossing 269 the street when suddenly she let out a squawk and gripped my arm, and then let go and started to run. I took another step and stopped. Bill Moyse was there, emerging from the entrance, with a dick on either side of him and one behind. Lila ended her run in a flying leap and was on him. The startled dicks were on her, or anyway at her. They were vocalizing, and so were Bill and Lila. The two uniformed cops started toward them. I would have liked to deliver Lila to Wolfe, or at least to Hennessy, but there was a fat chance of tearing her loose from her second-string catcher. Also I did not care to get hung up explaining to a bunch of underlings how I happened to be chauffeuring for Mrs. Moyse, so I detoured around the cluster, made it inside the entrance, and headed for the stairs to the clubhouse. Hearing heavy footsteps above, starting down, and voices, one of them Hennessy's, I slipped quietly to the rear and got behind a pillar. Surely Stebbins had informed the uptown contingent of my phone call about the situation at Gale's Pharmacy, and if so, surely Hennessy would be inquisitive enough to want to take me along wherever he was going. I didn't risk peeking around the pil- 270 lar, but, judging from the footsteps, there were four or five of them. As soon as they had faded out I returned to the stairs and mounted. I was not chipper. I did not have Lila. I had been gone more than two hours. Wolfe might have gone home. They might all be gone. But they weren't. Wolfe was in the clubroom, still--or possibly again--on the leather couch, and Chisholm was standing there. As I entered, their heads turned to me. As I crossed to them Wolfe spoke. 'The police are looking for you,' he said coldly. 'Uh- huh.' I was indifferent. 'I just dodged a squad.' 'What did you go to that drugstore for?' I raised the brows. 'Oh, you've heard about it?' 'Yes. Mr. Hennessy did, and he was kind enough to tell me.' He was dripping sarcasm. 'It is a novel experience, learning of your movements through the courtesy of a policeman.' 'I was too busy to phone.' I glanced at Chisholm. 'Maybe I should report privately.'
'This is getting to be a goddam farce,' Chisholm growled. His tie was crooked, his 271 eyes were bloodshot, and he had a smear of mustard at the side of his mouth. 'No,' Wolfe said--to me, not to Chisholm. 'Go ahead. But be brief.' I obeyed. With the training and experience I have had, I can report a day of dialogue practically verbatim, but he had said to be brief, so I condensed it, but included all the essentials. When I finished he was scowling at me. 'Then you don't know whether Gale was actually involved or not. When he failed with Mr. and Mrs. Moyse he may have quit trying.' 'I doubt it.' 'You could have resolved the doubt. You were sitting on him. Or you could have brought him here.' I might have made three or four cutting remarks if an outsider hadn't been present. I stayed calm. 'Maybe I didn't make it clear,' I conceded generously. 'It was ten to one he had phoned for help--the kind of help that would leave no doubts to resolve-- and it might come any second. Not that I was scared, I was too busy, but I wanted to see you once more so I could resign. I resign.' 'Bosh.' Wolfe put his hands on the 272 leather seat for leverage and raised himself to his feet. 'Very well. I'll have to try it.' He moved. Chisholm put in, 'Inspector Hennessy said to notify him immediately if Goodwin showed up.' Wolfe wheeled on him, snarling. 'Am I working for you? Yes! By heaven, I am! Notify Mr. Hennessy? Hah!' He turned and strode through the door that led to Art Kinney's office. 'It's a farce,' Chisholm muttered and followed him. I fell in behind. They were all in there. The four
