of them came back for a second one, and it's also hard to believe that Felix doesn't know who served Pyle.'
'It is indeed,' Wolfe agreed. 'They are highly trained men. But they have been questioned.'
'They sure have. It's also hard to believe that Goodwin didn't see who served Pyle. He sees everything.'
'Mr. Goodwin is present. Discuss it with him.'
'I have. Now I want to ask your opinion of a theory. I know yours, and I don't reject it, but there are alternatives. First a fact. In a metal trash container in the kitchen--not a garbage pail--we found a roll of paper, ordinary white paper that had been rolled into a tube, held with tape, smaller at one end. The laboratory has found particles of arsenic inside. The only two fingerprints on it that are any good are Zoltan's. He says he saw it on the kitchen floor under a table some time after the meal had started, he can't say exactly when, and he picked it up and dropped it in the container, and his prints are on it because he pinched it to see if there was anything in it.'
Wolfe nodded. 'As I surmised. A paper spill.'
'Yeah. I don't say it kills your theory. She could have shaken it into the cream without leaving prints, and she certainly wouldn't have dropped it on the floor if there was any chance it had her prints. But it has got Zoltan's. What's wrong with the theory that Zoltan poisoned one of the portions and saw that it was taken by a certain one? I'll answer that myself. There are two things wrong with it. First, Zoltan claims he didn't know which guest any of the girls were assigned to. But Felix knew, and they could have been in collusion. Second, the girls all deny that Zoltan indicated which plate they were to take, but you know how that is. He could have done it without her knowing it. What else is wrong with it?'
'It's not only untenable, it's egregious,' Wolfe declared. 'Why, in that case, did one of them come back for another plate?'
'She was confused. Nervous. Dumb.'
'Bosh. Why doesn't she admit it?'
'Scared.'
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27
f Jon't believe it. I questioned them before you did.' Wolfe kit away. 'Tommyrot, and you know it. My theory is not a ; it is a reasoned conviction. I hope it is being acted on. I [to Mr. Stebbins that he examine their garments to see if ?iind of pocket had been made in one of them. She had to sit readily available.'
: did. They all had pockets. The laboratory has found no ?of arsenic.' Cramer uncrossed his legs. 'We're following up r theory all right; we might even have hit on it ourselves in a It or two. But I wanted to ask you about those men. You know
i.'
; de, yes. But I do not answer for them. They may have a i murders on their souls, but they had nothing to do with the t of Mr. Pyle. If you are following up my theory--my con, rather--I suppose you have learned the order in which the took the plates.'
: shook his head. 'We have not, and I doubt if we will. : have is a bunch of contradictions. You had them good and . before we got to them. We do have the last five, starting iJPeggy Choate, who found that Pyle had been served and gave (you, and then--but you know them. You got that yourself.' I got those five, but not that they were the last. There : have been others in between.'
t weren't. It's pretty well settled that those five were the j After Peggy Choate the last four plates were taken by Helen Nora Jaret, Carol Annis, and Lucy Morgan. Then that f Faber, who had been in the can, but there was no plate for -& the order in which they took them before that, the first that we can't pry out of them--except the first one, that Quinn. You couldn't either.' turned a palm up. 'I was interrupted.' p*n were not You left them there in a huddle, scared stiff, and fc to the dining room to start in on the men. Your own private ' investigation, and to hell with the law. I was surprised to i here when I rang the bell just now. I supposed you'd i$nn out running errands like calling at the agency they got ; from. Or getting a line on Pyle to find a connection be 28
3 at Wolfe's Door
tween him and one of them. Unless you're no longer interested?' 'I'm interested willy-nilly,' Wolfe declared. 'As I told the assistant district attorney, it is on my score that a man was poisoned in food prepared by Fritz Brenner. But I do not send Mr. Goodwin on fruitless errands. He is one and you have dozens, and if anything is to be learned at the agency or by inquiry into Mr. Pyle's associations your army will dig it up. They're already at it, of course, but if they had started a trail you wouldn't be here. If I send Mr. Goodwin--'
The doorbell rang and I got up and went to the hall. At the rear the door to the kitchen swung open part way and Fritz poked his head through, saw me, and withdrew. Turning to the front for a look through the panel, I saw that I had exaggerated when I told Wolfe that all twelve of them would be otherwise engaged. At least one wasn't. There on the stoop was Helen lacono.
rv
It had sounded to me as if Cramer had about said his say and would soon be moving along, and if he bumped into Helen lacono in the hall she might be too embarrassed to give me her phone number, if that was what she had come for, so as I opened the door I pressed a finger to my lips and ssfefeed at her, and then crooked the finger to motion her in. Her deep dark eyes looked a little startled, but she stepped across the sill, and I shut the door, turned, opened the first door on the left, to the front room, motioned to her to enter, followed, and closed the door.
'What's the matter?' she whispered.
'Nothing now,' I told her. 'This is soundproofed. There's a police inspector in the office with Mr. Wolfe and I thought you might have had enough of cops for a while. Of course if you want to meet him--'
'I don't. I want to see Nero Wolfe.'
'Okay, 111 tell him as soon as the cop goes. Have a seat. It shouldn't be long.'
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