'Yes,sir.'
'Sturgeon?'
'Yes, sir.'
'Lateiy probably. For the guests in the front room, but not the police. Are you through with them, Mr Cramer?'
^o.'VCramer went back to ?auL 'You checked the guestsin?'
'Yes.' ' .-' '- .. . ' .. - : '.''. ' 'How?r '...;,. ;' ' / ';. ...' ,. ''.
'I had a list of the members of the Manhattan Flower Club. They had to show their membership cards. I checked on the list those who came. If they brought a wife or husband, or any other guest, I took
'^Mil*f$?'~,: '
:^NnNfe? you have a record of everybody?'
^^*5BB*&,.:/.r;-- . . : 'How cdnpete is it?' 'It^seo^lete and it's accurate.'
**About how many names?' 'Two hundred and nineteen.' 'This place wouldn't hold that many.' Saul nodded. They came arid went. There wasn't . marexthan a hundred or so at any one time.'
That's a help.' Cramer was getting more and more disgusted, and I didn't blame him. 'Goodwin says he was there at the door with you when that woman screamed and came running out of the office, but that you hadn't seen her enter the office. Why not?'
*We had our backs turned. We were watching a man who had just left go down the steps. Archie had asked him for his name and he had said that was ridiculous. If you want it, his name is Malcolm Vedder.'
Curtains for Three 1?9
s ten it i& How do you know?' 1 checked him in along with the rest'
stared. 'Are you telling me that you could many names to that many faces after seeing ;onee?'
shoulders went slightly up and down, i more to people than faces. I might go wrong , but not many. I was at that door to do a job lit' ' -..-.. .< '. should know by this time,' Wolfe rumbled, r. Panzer is an exceptional man.'
spoke to a dick standing by the door. 'You name, Levy-*-Malcomi Vedder. 3teflSteb ; it on that list and send a man to bring him
-dick went. Crsmer returned to Saul. Tut ft y. Say I sit you here with that list, and a man or l is brought in, and I point to a name on the list you if that person came this afternoon under Could you tell me positively?' 1 tell you positively whether the person had I or not, especially if he was wearing the same land hadn't been disguised. On fitting him to his t might go wrong in a few cases, but I doubt it.' i*'t believe you.' Wolfe does,' Saul said complacently. 'Archie | have developed my faculties.' tsure have. All right, that's all for now. Stick
' - . : : '>' -. .. :- .; -;- '
I and Fritz went. Wolfe, in his own chair at the sdining table, where ordinarily, at this hour,
for a quite different purpose than the one at (red a deep sigh and closed his eyes. I, seated t Cramer at the side of the table that put us fac
; door to the hall, was beginning to appreciate
;-Iflfc-: Rex Stout ...'....'
the kind of problem we were up against. The look on drainer's face indicated that he was appreciating it too. The look was crossing my bow, direct at Wolfe.
'Goodwin's story,' Gramer growled. 'I mean her story. What do you think?'
Wolfe's eyes cane open a little. 'What followed seems to support it. I doubt if she would have arranged for that'--he flipped a hand in the direction of the office across the hall--'just to corroborate a tale. I accept it. I credit it.'
'Yeah. I don't heed to remind you that I know you well and I know Goodwin well. So I wonder how much chance there is that in a day or so you'll suddenly remember that she had been here before today, or one or more of the others had, and you've got a client, and there was something leading up to this.'
*?osto^ IToJfe said dryly. 'Even if it were like that, and it isn't, yon would be wasting tame. Since you know us, you know we wouldn't remember until we got *eady:to.'''' /,. :. - '-. : .
CJramer glowered. Two scientists came in from across the hall to report. Stebbins came to announce the arrival of an .assistant district attorney. A dick came to relay a phone call from a deputy commissioner. Another dick came hi to say that Homer Carlisle was raising hell in the front room. Meanwhile Wolfe sat with his eyes shut, but I got an idea of his state of mind from the fact that intermittently his forefinger was making little circles on the polished top of the table.
Cramer looked at him* 'What da youknow,' he asked abruptly, 'about the killing of that Doris Hat ten?'.- : <: :-. . -- ' '.;. . . ; ,
'Newspaper accounts,' Wolfe muttered. 'And what Mr. Stebbins has told Mr. Goodwin, casually.' 'Casual is right.' Cramer got out a cigar, conveyed
Cm-tains for Three 171
mouth, and sank his teeth in it. He never Et hose damn houses with self-service elevators than walk-ups for a checking job. No one '.sees anyone coming or going. If you're not inter, I'm talking to hear mysetfi' Nm interested.' Wolfe's eyes stayed shut.
1.1 appreciate it. Even so, self-service eleva not, the man who paid the rent for that apart, was lucky. He may have been clever and careful, i he was lucky. Never to have anybody see him i to give a description of him--that took hick.'
