minutes or more to get his er hand and his feet free. Have you any objection to t?'
; 'Hell no. He's got nothing on us.' | 'Will you do it that way?' | 'Right. Ten-thirty on the nose.' | The strangler took a roll of bills from his pocket, ag a little difficulty on account of his gloves, peeled twenties, went to the table with them, and i them a good rub on both sides with his handker
?
fee held the bills out to Skinny. 'I've paid the
216 Rex Stout
agreed amount, as you know. This extra is so you won't get impatient and leave before half-past ten.'
'Don't take it!' I called sharply.
Skinny, the bills in his hand, turned. 'What's the matter, they got germs?'
'No, but they're peanuts, you sap! He's worth ten grand to you! As is! Ten grand!'
'Nonsense,' the strangler said scornfully and started for the bed to get his hat and coat.
'Gimme my twenty,' W-J demanded.
Skinny stood with his head cocked, regarding me. He looked faintly interested but skeptical, and I saw it would take more than words. As the strangler picked up his hat and coat and turned, I jerked my body violently to the left and over I went, chair and all. I have no idea how I got across the floor to the door. I couldn't simply roll on-account of the chair, I couldn't crawl without hands, and I didn't even try to jump. But I made it, and not slow, and was there, down on my right side, the chair against the door and me against the chair, before any of them snapped out of it enough to reach me.
'You think,' I yapped at Skinny, 'it's just a job? Let him go and you'll find out! Do you want his name? Mrs. Carlisle--Mrs. Homer N. Carlisle. Do you want her address?'
The strangler, on his way to me, stopped and froze. He--or I should say she--stood stiff as a bar of steel, the long-lashed eyes aimed at me.
'Missus?' Skinny demanded incredulously. 'Did you say Missus?'
'Yes. She's a woman. I'm tied up, but you've got her. I'm helpless, so you can have her. You might give me a cut of the ten grand.' The strangler made a movement. 'Watch her!'
Curtains for Three 217
W-J, who had started for me and stopped, turned to face her. I had banged my head and it hurt. Skinny stepped to her, jerked both sides of her double breasted coat open, released them, and backed up a step. 'It could be a woman,' he said judiciously.
'Hell, we can find that out easy enough.' WJ moved. 'Dumb as I am, I can tell that.'
'Go ahead,' I urged. 'That will check her and me both. Go ahead!'
She made a noise in her throat. W-J got to her and put out a hand. She shrank away and screamed, 'Don't touch me!'
'I'll be goddamned,' W-J said wonderingly.
'What's this gag,' Skinny demanded, 'about ten grand?'
'It's a long story,' I told him, 'but it's there if you want it. If you'll cut me in for a third it's a cinch. If she gets out of here and gets safe home we can't touch her. All we have to do is connect her as she is--here now, disguised--with Mrs. Homer N. Carlisle, which is what she'll be when she gets home. If we do that we've got her shirt. As she is here now, she's red hot. As she is at home, you couldn't even get in.'
I had to play it that way. I just didn't dare say call a cop, because if he felt about cops the way some rummies do he might have dragged me away from the door and let her go.
'So what?' Skinny asked. 'I didn't bring my camera.'
'I've got something better. Get me loose and I'll show you.'
Skinny didn't like that. He eyed me a moment and turned for a look at the others. Mrs. Carlisle was backed against the bed, and W-J stood studying her
218 Eex Stout
with his fists on his hips. Skinny returned to me. 'I'll do it. Maybe. What is it?'
'Damn it,' I snapped, 'at least put me right side up. These cords are eating my wrists.'
He came and got the back of the chair with one hand and my arm with the other, and I clamped my feet to the floor to give us leverage. He was stronger than he looked. Upright on the chair again, I was still blocking the door.
'Get a bottle,' I told him, 'out of my right-hand coat pocket--no, here, the coat I've got on. I hope to God it didn't break.'
He fished it out. It was intact. He held it to the light to read the label.
'What is it?'
'Silver nitrate. It makes a black indelible mark on most things, including skin. Pull up her pants leg and mark her with it.'
'Then what?'
'Let her go. We'll have her. With the three of us able to explain how and when she got marked, she's sunk.'
