They didn't perk up even when Wolfe showed them the statement with Clara James' name signed to it. They read it together, with her in the red leather chair and him perched on the arm.
They looked up together, at Wolfe.
'So what?' Fred demanded.
'My dear sir.' Wolfe pushed his cup and saucer back. 'My dear madam. Why did you come to me? Because the fact that the gun was not on, the floor when
66 Rex Stout
you two entered the studio convinced you that Mion had not killed himself but had been murdered. If the circumstances had permitted you to believe that he had killed himself, you would be married by now and never have needed me. Very well. That is now precisely what the circumstances are. What more do you want? You wanted your minds cleared. I have cleared them.'
Fred twisted his lips, tight.
'I don't believe it,' Peggy said glumly.
'You don't believe this statement?' Wolfe reached for the document and put it in his desk drawer, which struck me as a wise precaution, since it was getting close to nine o'clock. 'Do you think Miss James would sign a thing like that if it weren't true? Why would--'
'I don't mean that,' Peggy said. 'I mean I don't believe my husband killed himself, no matter where the gun was. I knew him too well. He would never have killed himself--never.' She twisted her head to look up at her fellow client. 'Would he, Fred?'
'It's hard to believe,' Fred admitted grudgingly.
'I see.' Wolfe was caustic. 'Then the job you hired me for was not as you described it. At least, you must concede that I have satisfied you about the gun; you can't wiggle out of that. So that job's done, but now you want more. You want a murder disclosed, which means, of necessity, a. murderer caught. You want--'
'I only mean,' Peggy insisted forlornly, 'that I don't believe he killed himself, and nothing would make me believe it. I see now what I really--'
The doorbell sounded, and I went to answer it.
Curtains for Three 67
IX
So the clients stayed for the party.
There were ten guests altogether: the six who had been there Monday evening, the two clients, Inspector Cramer, and my old friend and enemy, Sergeant Purley Stebbins. What made it unusual was that the dumbest one of the lot, Clara James, was the only one who had a notion of what was up, unless she had told her father, which I doubted. She had the advantage of the lead I had given her at the Churchill bar. Adele Bosley, Dr. Lloyd, Rupert Grove, Judge Arnold, and Gifford James had had no reason to suppose there was anything on the agenda but the damage claim against James, until they got there and were made acquainted with Inspector Cramer and Sergeant Stebbins. God only knew what they thought then; one glance at their faces was enough to show they didn't know. As for Cramer and Stebbins, they had had enough experience of Nero Wolfe to be aware that almost certainly fur was going to fly, but whose and how and when? And as for Fred and Peggy, even after the arrival of the law, they probably thought that Wolfe was going to get Mion's suicide pegged down by producing Clara's statement and disclosing what Fred had told us about moving the gun from the bust to the floor, which accounted for the desperate and cornered look on then faces. But now they were stuck.
Wolfe focused on the inspector, who was seated in the rear over by the big globe, with Purley nearby. 'If you don't mind, Mr. Cramer, first 111 clear up a little matter that is outside your interest.'
Cramer nodded and shifted the cigar in his mouth to a new angle. He was keeping his watchful eyes on the move.
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Wolfe changed his focus. 'I'm sure you'll all be glad to hear this. Not that I formed my opinion so as to please you; I considered only the merits Of the case. Without prejudice to her legal position, I feel that morally Mrs. Mion has no claim on Mr. James. As I said she would, she accepts my judgment. She makes no claim and will ask no payment for damages. You verify that before these witnesses, Mrs. Mion?'
'Certainly.' Peggy was going to add something, but stopped it on the way out.
'This is wonderful!' Adele Bosley was out of her chair. 'May I use a phone?'
'Later,' Wolfe snapped at her. 'Sit down, please.'
'It seems to me,' Judge Arnold observed, 'that this could have, been told us on the. phone. I had to cancel an important engagement.' Lawyers are never satisfied.
'Quite true,' Wolfe agreed mildly, 'if that were all. But there's the matter of Mion's death. When I--'
'What has that got to do with it?'
'I'm about to tell you. Surely it isn't extraneous, since his death resulted, though indirectly, from the assault by Mr. James. But my interest goes beyond that. Mrs. Mion hired me not only to decide about the claim of her husband's estate against Mr. James--that is now closed--but also to investigate her husband's death. She was convinced he had not killed himself. She could not believe it was in his character to commit suicide. I have investigated and I am prepared to report to her.'
'You don't need us here for that,' Rupert the Fat said in a high squeak.
'I need one of you. I need the murderer.'
'You still don't need us,' Arnold said harshly.
Curtains for Three 69
