'But I don't-'
'Shut up!'
He sat regarding me, not warmly.
Wolfe opened his eyes and straightened. 'Mr. Irving.' He was curt. 'You will get what you came here for, but not forthwith. Possibly within the hour, probably somewhat later. Tell me where I can reach you, or you may--'
'Damn it, no! I want--'
'If you please. Confound it, I've been yelped at enough today. Or you may wait here. That room has comfortable chairs--or one at least. Mr. Goodwin and I have work to do.'
Method Three for Murder 109
'I don't intend-'
'Tour intentions have no interest or point. Where can we reach you?'
Irving looked at me and saw nothing hopeful. He arose. Til wait here,' he said, and headed for the front room.
rx
Having turned my head to see that Irving shut the door, I turned it hack again. 'Fine,' I said. 'We're going to work.'
'I'm a dunce,' he said. 'So are you.'
'It's possible,' I conceded. 'Can you prove it?'
'It's manifest. Why did that policeman stop his car to look inside that cah?'
'Cops do. That's what a prowl car is for. They saw it parked with the hackie gone, and while that's nothing strange they thought it was worth a look. Also it was parked in front of your house. He knew it was your house. He said so.'
'Nevertheless, we are dunces not to have questioned it. I want to know if that policeman had been prompted. At once.'
'It's a point,' I admitted. 'The papers haven't mentioned it. I doubt if Cramer would--'
'No.'
'I could try Lon Cohen.'
'Do so.'
I swiveled and dialed the Gazette number, and got Lon. Wolfe lifted his receiver to listen in. I told Lon I wanted something for nothing. He said I always did and usually got it, but if what I was after this time was an ad under 'Situations Wanted' I would have to pay.
'That was just a dirty rumor,' I said. 'I am permanently in Mr. Wolfe's employ--permanently, that is, in the sense that I may still be here tomorrow. On our present job we're shy a detail. If you'll supply it I'll give you something for the front page if and when. We don't know whether the cop who stopped to uncover Phoebe
no
3 at Wolfe's Door
Arden's body in the taxi had been steered or was just nosy. Do you?'
'Yes, but I'm not supposed to. The DA is saving it. He may release it this afternoon. If he does I'll call you.'
'We need it now. Not for publication, and we wouldn't dream of quoting you. We're just curious.'
'I'll bet you are. I wish I got paid as much for being curious as Wolfe does. Okay. It was a dialed phone call to Canal six, two thousand. Probably a man, but it could have been a woman trying to sound like a man or the reverse. It said there was a taxi standing in front of nine-eighteen West Thirty-fifth Street with a dead woman in it. As you know, that address has been heard from before. The sergeant radioed a prowl car.'
'Has the call been traced?'
'How? Modern improvements. But you'd better ask the DA.'
'A good idea. I will. Many thanks and I won't forget the front page.' I hung up and swiveled. 'I'll be damned. Where can we buy dunce caps? For a passerby to see it he would have had to open the door and lift the canvas.'
Wolfe's lips were tight. 'We should have done that hours ago.'
'Lon may not have known hours ago.'
'True. Even so. Get Mr. Cramer.'
I swiveled and dialed. It wasn't as simple as getting Lon Cohen had been. Cramer was in conference and couldn't be disturbed. I was hacking away at it when Wolfe took his phone and said, 'This is Nero Wolfe. I have something that will not wait. Ask Mr. Cramer if he prefers that I deal with the District Attorney.'
In two minutes there was a bark. 'What do you want?'
'Mr. Cramer?' He knew darned well it was.
'Yes. I'm busy.'
'So am I. Is it true that Miss Holt refuses to talk without advice from Mr. Goodwin or me?'
