Thinking it would help to know whether they really | were smooks or merely a couple of rummies on thej payroll of some fly-specked agency, I decided to tryj something. Not letting my eyes know what my was about to do, I suddenly reached inside my coat
Curtains for Three 209
holster, and then they had something more inter ag than my face to look at: Saul's clean shiny auto
|The wrestler-jockey put his hands up high and
Skinny looked irritated. |'For why?' he demanded.
;'I thought we might all go for a walk down to my .Then to the Fourteenth Precinct, which is the closn
IfWhat do we do then?' lere he had me.
ifou either want to see this guy or you don't,' ay explained patiently. 'Seeing how you got that @out, I guess he must know you. I don't blame him tig your hands arranged for.' He turned his up. 'Make up your mind.' put the gun back in the holster, took off my hat |raincoat and hung them on a hook on the Vail, one of the straight chairs so the light wouldn't n my eyes, and sat.
)kay,' I told them, 'but by God don't overdo it. I my way around and I can find you if I care
don't think I can't.'
liey unrolled the cord, cutting pieces off, and went rk. W-J tied my left wrist to the rear left leg of while Skinny did the right. They were both *h, but to my surprise Skinny was rougher. I it was too tight, and he gave a stingy thirty of an inch. They wanted to do my ankles the ray, to the bottoms of the front legs of the chair, $ claimed I would get cramps sitting like that, and already fastened to the chair, and it would be i good to tie my ankles together. They discussed I had my way. Skinny made a final inspection of lots and then went over me. He took the gun
210 Rex Stout
from my shoulder holster and tossed it on the bed, made sure I didn't have another one, and left the room.
W-J picked up the gun and scowled at it. 'These goddam things,' he muttered. 'They make more trouble.' He went to the table and put the gun down on it, tenderly, as if it were something that might break. Then he crossed to the bed and stretched out on it.
'How long do we have to wait?' I asked.
'Not long. I wasn't to bed last night.' He closed his eyes.
He got no nap. His barrel chest couldn't have gone up and down more than a dozen times before the door opened and Skinny came in. With him was a man in a gray pin-stripe suit and a dark gray Homburg, with a gray topcoat over his arm. He had gloves on. W-J got off the bed and onto his toothpick legs. Skinny stood by the open door. The man put his hat and coat on the bed, came and took a look at my fastenings, and told Skinny, 'All right, I'll come for you.' The two rummies departed, shutting the door. The man stood facing me, looking down at me, and I looked back.
He smiled. 'Would you have known me?'
'Not from Adam,' I said, both to humor him and because it was true.
IX
I wouldn't want to exaggerate how brave I am. It wasn't that I was too damn fearless to be impressed by the fact that I was thoroughly tied up and the strangler was standing there smiling at me: I was simply astounded. It was an amazing disguise. The two main changes were the eyebrows and eyelashes; these eyes had bushy brows and long thick lashes, whereas yes Curtains for Three 211
Jterday's guest hadn't had much of either one. The real fchange was from the inside. I had seen no smile on the mace of yesterday's guest, but if I had it wouldn't have P>een like this one. The hair made a difference too, of aurse, parted on the side and slicked down. He pulled the other straight chair around and sat. I the way he moved. That in itself could have a dead giveaway, but the movements fitted the etup to a T. Finding the light straight in his eyes, he
the chair a little.
'So she told you about me?' he said, making it a nestion.
It was the voice he had used on the phone. It was tually different, pitched lower for one thing, but with , as with the face and movements, the big change was i?m the inside. The voice was stretched tight, and the of his gloved hands were pressed against his
with the fingers straight out. I said, 'Yes,' and added conversationally, 'When saw her go in the office why didn't you follow her ' Why did you wait?' 'That isn't--' he said, and stopped. I waited politely. He spoke. 'I had seen you leave, upstairs, and I
you were in there.' 'Why didn't she scream or fight?' | 'I talked to her. I talked a little first.' His head s a quick jerk, as if a fly were bothering him and his i were too occupied to attend to it. 'What did she | you?'
'About that day at Doris Hatten's apartment--you in and her going out. And of course her recogttg you there yesterday.' She is dead. There is no evidence. You can't prove
212 Rex Stout
I grinned. 'Then you're wasting a lot of time and energy and the best disguise I ever saw. Why didn't you just toss my note in the wastebasket? Let me answer. You didn't dare. In getting evidence, knowing exactly what and who to look for makes all the difference. And you knew I knew.'
'And you haven't told the police?'
'No.'
'Nor Nero Wolfe?'
