'What did you expect to accomplish by that?'
'Nothing, I suppose. I'm sorry if I've offended again. But I didn't… I was discreet. I suppose I shouldn't be here, I should have left this morning, but with this terrible…with Clyde dead, and.I'm the only one of his New York friends here… it seemed…'
'It doesn't matter,' said Osgood roughly. 'Stay. I said so.'
'I know you did, but frankly… I feel very much de trop… I'll leave now if you prefer it…'
'Excuse me.' It was Wolfe's quiet murmur. 'You had bet- ter stay, Mr. Bronson. Much better. We may need you.'
The clever eyes flickered at him. 'Oh. If Nero Wolfe says stay…' He lifted his shoulders and let them down. 'But I don't need to stay here. I can go to a Crowfield hotel-'
'Nonsense.' Osgood scowled at him. 'Stay here. You were Clyde's guest, weren't you? Stay here. But if you want to walk in the fields, there's plenty of directions besides the one leading to Pratt's.'
Abruptly he started off, and we followed, as Bronson again lifted his handkerchief to his sweaty brow.
A few minutes later we were seated in a large room with French windows, lined with books and furnished for com- fort, and were being waited on by a lassie with a pug nose who had manners far superior to Bert's but was way beneath him in speed and spirit as a drink-slinger. Nancy had disap- peared but was understood to be on call. Osgood was scowl- ing at a highball, Wolfe was gulping beer which, judging from his expression, was too warm, and I had plain water.
Wolfe was saying testily, 'My own method is the only one available to me. I either use that or none at all. I may be only clearing away rubbish, but that's my affair. The plain fact is, sir, that last night, in Mr. Goodwin's presence, you be- haved in an astonishing manner to him and Mr. Pratt. You were rude, arrogant and unreasonable. I need to know whether that was due to the emotional shock you had had, or to your belief that Mr. Pratt was somehow involved in the death of your son, or was merely your normal conduct.'
'I was under a strain, of course,' Osgood snapped. 'I sup- pose I'm inclined to arrogance, if you want to call it that. I wouldn't like to think I'm habitually rude, but I would be rude to Pratt on sight if the circumstances were such that I couldn't ignore him. Last night I couldn't ignore him. Call it normal conduct and forget it.'
'Why do you dislike and despise Mr. Pratt?' 'Damn it, I tell you that has nothing to do with it! It's an old story. It had no bearing-'
'It wouldn't account for a reciprocal hatred from Mr. Pratt that might have led him to murder?'
'No.' Osgood stirred impatiently and put down his high- ball. 'No.'
'Can you suggest any other motive Mr. Pratt might have had for murdering your son? Make it plausible.'
'I can't make it plausible or implausible. Pratt's vindictive and tricky, and in his youth he had fits of violence. His father worked for my father as a stablehand. In a fit of temper he might have murdered, yes.'
Wolfe shook his head. 'That won't do. The murder was carefully planned and executed. The plan may have been rapid and extempore, but it was cold and thorough. Besides, your son was not discovered in an effort to molest the bull, remember that You insisted on that point yourself before you had my demonstration of it. What could have got Mr. Pratt into a murderous temper toward your son if he didn't find him trying to molest the bull?'
'I don't know. Nothing that I know of.'
'I ask the same question regarding Jimmy Pratt.'
'I don't know him. I've never seen him.'
'Actually never seen him?' 'Well… seen him perhaps. I don't know him.'
'Did Clyde know him?'
'I believe they were acquainted. They met in New York.'
'Do you know of any motive Jimmy Pratt might have had for killing your son?'
'No.' 'I ask the same question regarding Caroline Pratt.'
'The same answer. They too met in New York, but the acquaintance was slight.'
'Excuse me, boss,' I put in. 'Do I release cats in public?'
'Certainly.' Wolfe shot me a glance. 'We're talking of Mr. Osgood's son, who is dead.'
'Okay. Clyde and Caroline Pratt were engaged to be mar- ried, but the clutch slipped.'
'Indeed,' Wolfe murmured. Osgood glared at me and said, 'Ridiculous. Who the devil told you that?'
I disregarded him and told Wolfe, 'Guaranteed. They were engaged for quite a while, only apparently Clyde didn't want his father to know that he had been hooked by a female Pratt who was also an athlete. Then Clyde saw something else and made a dive for it, and the Osgood-Pratt axis got multiple fracture. The something else was the young lady who was outdoors with me last night, named Lily Rowan. Later… we're up to last spring now… she skidded again and Clyde fell off. Since then he has been hanging around New York trying to get back on. One guess is that he came up here be- cause he knew she would be here, but that's not in the guar- antee. I haven't had a chance-'
Osgood was boiling. 'This is insufferable! Preposterous gossipl If this is your idea-'
I growled at Wolfe, 'Ask him why he wants to wring Lily Rowan's neck.'
