Barrow did not kill Wade Eisler. He is not easily gulled. Drop the gun.'
I had stayed put, but it wasn't easy. Of course tingles were chasing up and down my spine, but worse than that I felt so damned silly, sitting there with my back to her while Wolfe made his speech. When he stopped it was too much. I swiveled. Her hand with the gun was resting on her knee, and she was staring at it, apparently wondering how it got there. I got up and took it, an old snub-nosed Graber, and flipped the cylinder. Fully loaded.
As I jiggled the cartridges out Wolfe entered from the hall. As he approached he spoke. 'Archie. Does Mr. Barrow cherish this woman?'
'Sure he does. This could even key him up to mentioning it.'
'Heaven help him.' He glared down at her. 'Madam, you are the most dangerous of living creatures. However, here you are, and
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I may need you.' He turned his head and roared, 'Fritz!' Fritz must have been in the hall; he appeared immediately. 'This is Miss Laura Jay,' Wolfe told him. 'Show her to the south room, and when lunch is ready take her a tray.'
'I'm going,' Laura said. 'I'm going to--I'm going.'
'No. You'd be up to some mischief within the hour. I am going to expose a murderer, and I have accepted Mr. Goodwin's conclusion that it will not be Mr. Barrow, and you will probably be needed. This is Mr. Fritz Brenner. Go with him.'
'But I must-'
'Confound it, will you go? Mr. Cramer would like to know why you came to see Mr. Goodwin. Do you want me to ring him and tell him?'
She went. I got her jacket from the couch and handed it to Fritz, and he convoyed her out and to the elevator. Wolfe commanded me, 'Get Mr. Dunning,' and went to his desk and sat. I put the Graber and the cartridges in a drawer, looked in the book for the number of the Paragon Hotel, got at the phone, and dialed. The girl said Dunning's room didn't answer, and I asked her to have him paged. When he couldn't be found I left a message, and tried Madison Square Garden, and finally got him.
Wolfe took his phone. I stayed on mine. 'Mr. Dunning? This is Nero Wolfe. We met yesterday at the home of Miss Lily Rowan. Miss Rowan has hired me to investigate what she calls an abuse of her hospitality--the death by violence of one of her guests--and I would like to see you. If you will please come to my office, say at a quarter past two?'
'I can't,' Dunning said. 'Impossible. Anyway, I've told the police everything I know. I suppose Miss Rowan has a right to hire you if she wants to, but I don't see why . . . anyhow, I can't. It's a nightmare, this is, a nightmare, but we're going to have a performance tonight if I live that long.'
'Murder hatches nightmares. Did you tell the police about Miss Karlin's visit to Mr. Eisler's apartment Sunday night?'
Silence. Five seconds.
'Did you?'
'I don't know what you're talking about.'
i6o
3 at Wolfe's Door
'That won't do, Mr. Dunning. I can ask the police that question if I must, but I would rather not. I would prefer to discuss it with you, and with Miss Karlin and Mr. Fox. If you will please be here with them at a quarter past two? A yes or no will be sufficient. It might be unwise to discuss it on the phone.'
Another silence. Six seconds.
'I'll be there.'
'With Miss Karlin and Mr. Fox?'
'Yes.'
'Good. I'll expect you.' He hung up and looked at me. 'Archie. Will that woman try climbing out a window?'
'No. She's hooked.'
'Very well.' He looked up at the wall clock. 'Lunch in forty minutes. Report.'
rv
When the company arrived I wasn't there to let them in. They came five minutes early, at ten after two, and I was upstairs with Laura Jay. The south room is two flights up, on the same floor as my room, in the rear, above Wolfe's room. I left the lunch table before Wolfe finished his coffee, and mounted the two flights, partly to make sure she was still there, partly to see if she had eaten anything from the tray Fritz had taken up, and partly to tell her that Nan and Mel and Roger Dunning were expected and if Wolfe wanted her to join the party later I would either come and get her or send Fritz for her. All three purposes were served. She was there, standing at a window, the sun setting fire to her honey colored hair. There was only one Creole fritter left on the plate and no salad in the bowl. I had expected her to insist on going down with me instead of waiting for a summons, but she didn't. Just for curiosity I asked her if she had intended to pull the trigger as soon as I hung up or wait until I turned around, and she said I ought to know she wouldn't shoot a man in the back.
When I descended to the office they were there--Roger Dunning
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in the red leather chair, and Nan Karlin and Mel Fox in two of the yellow ones facing Wolfe's desk. When I entered and circled around them I got no glances; they were too intent on Wolfe, who was speaking.
