who had stayed over by the door, an arm's reach from Saul and Orrie. And she said, 'Ask him what he wants.' It was a sugges- Please Pass the Guilt 151 tion, not a command, but even so, from a secretary to a vice-president soon to be a president? Women's Lib, or what? Whatever it was, it worked fine. He turned back to Wolfe and asked, 'What do you want?' 'I like eyes at a level,' Wolfe said. 'Please sit down.' Helen Lugos came back to the yellow chair, and sat. At least she left the red leather chair for him, and he took it, or some of it--about the front eight inches of the seat, barely enough to keep his rump on--and asked again, 'What do you want?' 'From you, not much,' Wolfe said. 'I am not Jupiter Fidius. I want only to do the job I was hired to do. I think I know the present state of Kenneth Meer's mind. His mood, his spirit. I think he's pregnable. I want to get him on the telephone, tell him you and Miss Lugos are here, and ask him to join us for a discussion. K he refuses or demurs, I want you to speak to him and tell him to come. I don't know how things stand between you and him; of course during these six weeks you would have liked to turn him out, but didn't dare. Will he come if you tell him to?' 'Yes. Then what?' 'We'll see. One possibility, he may acknowledge that he put the bomb in the drawer, but claim that it was intended for Peter Odell--that he knew that Odell intended to come and open the drawer. There are other possibilities, and it may be that his real motive need not be divulged. That would please you and Miss Lugos, and I have no animus against you, but I make no commitment. This is your one chance to get out of it with minor bruises. I know too much now that the police should know.' Would he ask her for another suggestion? No. He looked at her, but only for a second, and then said, 'All right. If you think -all right.' Wolfe turned to me: 'Get him.' That was one of the possible snags. What if he wasn't there? What if he had got a toothache or twisted an ankle and left for the day? But he hadn't. I got him and Wolfe got on. I stayed on. / Please Pass the Guilt /Good afternoon, Mr. Meer. I'm calling from :niy ^ffigg at suggestion of Mr. Browning. He and Miss Luges ^. j^g have talked at some length, and have come to ai po^( where need your help. Can you come at once?' ^Why-they're there?' ,/Yes. Since half past two.' /Mr. Browning told you to call me?' /Yes. He's right here. Do you want to speak to him?' /I don't--no. No. All right. I'll leave in five minutes.' Je hung up. Wolfe told Browning, 'He'll leave in ^g ^m, ' You and Miss Lugos may wish to speak privacy ji^ ute^ is soundproofed.' He stood. 'Would you like s^^g '^mnk?' to /<rowning looked at her and she shook her head, an<^ ig ^., ' Saul and Fred left by the hall door, closing i't aft. ^ '^Wolfe and Orrie and I left by the door to (he fro^ ^og^' any moment Saul and Fred joined us. Wolfe said, 'I g^g ms kitchen. I'm thirsty. Any questions? Any eomrnen^m to ^rrie said, 'It's all set. It's up to him.' -/olfe went by the hall door. Fred said, 'If anyone ^3^ a J'm giving two to one that he'll have it.' ^^ul said, 'I'd rather have your end.' '^aid, 'I don't want either end.' Aisy debated it. At a time like that, it only makes it ^,aer to - looking at your watch, but that's what I did. 3:2 ^ 3^4 ~?^. At that time of day there should be taxis header) down^ ~'' a on Ninth Avenue in the Fifties, and it was only ^eteen ^s' At half past three I went to the hall, leaving ^j. a, and stood with my nose against the one-way glaA) q( ^g 'P^ door. Me and my watch. 3:32, 3:34, 3:36. He ^ ^^ (net by a truck or something. He was on his w?-^ ^ ^g ''^rt. At 3:37 a taxi rolled up in front and stopped B^ggye alr^a^ked cars, and the door opened, and he climbed '^ ^ ule ^d the brief case. I called through the open door to <^L front 116 'a, 'Okay, he has it!' and they came. Orrie went d'y,, ^ tOOv Please Pass the Guilt 153 hall to the door to the office and stood. Fred stood at my left by the rack; he would be behind the door when I opened it. Saul stood in the doorway to the front room. Kenneth Meer mounted the stoop with the brief case tucked under his left arm. He pushed the button, and I counted a slow ten and opened the door, and he stepped in. With the brief case under his arm, that hand was pressed against his left hip, and his right hand was hanging loose. I don't think I have ever made a faster or surer move. Facing him, I got his two wrists, and I got them good, and Saul, from behind him, got the brief case. His mouth popped open but no sound came, and he went stiff top to bottom, absolutely stiff. Then he tried to turn around, but I had his wrists, and only his head could turn. Saul had backed away, holding the brief case against his belly with both hands. I said, 'Go ahead and don't drop it,' and he started down the hall to the rear, where the stair to the basement was, and at the door to the office Orrie joined him. I let go of Meer's wrists, and he stood, still stiff, and stared down the hall at Saul going. He still hadn't made a sound. Then suddenly he started to slump. He made it over to the bench, flopped down on it, bent over with his face in his hands, and started to shake all over. Still no sound, absolutely none. I told Fred, 'Keep him company,' and headed for the kitchen. Wolfe was on his stool at the center table with a beer glass in his hand. 'You win,' I said. 'He had it and we got it.' 'Where is he?' 'In the hall.' You wouldn't believe how easy and smooth he can remove his seventh of a ton off of a stool. I followed him down the hall. Meer was still huddled on the bench and still shaking. Wolfe stood and looked down at him for a good ten seconds, told Fred, 'Stay here,' went back down the hall and opened the office door and entered, and I followed. Browning, in the red leather chair, asked, 'Did he come? The doorbell rang five min' 154 Please Pass the Guilt 'Shut up,' Wolfe snapped, and crossed to his desk and sat and glared at them. 'Yes,' he said, 'he came. When he came Saturday, day before yesterday, he was in his own car, but he didn't leave his brief case in it. He kept it with him, and he kept it in his lap as he sat where you are now. When I decided today to ask him to come, later, I thought it likely that he would bring the brief case, and if so there would be a bomb in it, since he would know you two were here. It was only a conjecture, but well-grounded, and it has been verified. He came, and he had the brief case, and it is now in my basement under a pile of mattresses. On your way out, you will pass him in the hallprostrated, wretched, defeated. Pass him, just pass him. He is no longer yours. I am now?' 'But my god, what-' 'Shut up! I am now going to call Mr. Cramer and ask him to come and bring with him men who know how to deal with bombs. If you don't want to encounter him, leave at once. Go.' He turned to me. 'Get him, Archie.' I swiveled and dialed.
