Eosed, and then, no doubt in desperation, had scurried ack to his office, fifteen minutes late at the confer- ence."
It was Edey's turn to make a commotion and he obliged. He left his chair, moved to the couch, and stood staring down at Heydecker. Saul and I were there, but apparently he had no brilliant idea beyond the stare.
WOLFE: "Now, however, that assumption is a conclu- sion, and I don't expect to abandon it. Mr. Heydecker does not believe, and neither do I, that upon receiving his phone call you came here determined to murder. Indeed, you couldn't have, since you could have no expectation of finding her alone. Mr. Heydecker be- lieves that you merely intended to salvage what you could-at best to prevent the disclosure, at worst to leam where you stood. You called this number and she answered and agreed to admit you and hear you. Mr. Heydecker believes that when you entered and found that she was alone and that she had not seen me, it was on sudden impulse that you seized the paperweight and struck her. He believes that when you saw her sink to the floor, unconscious, and saw the necktie on this desk, the impulse carried you on. He believes that you-"
MRS. SORELL: "How do you know what he believes?"
That would have been my cue if I were needed. I had been instructed to use my judgment. If Heydecker's reaction made it doubtful I was to get to the office with a signal before Wolfe had gone too far to hedge. It was no strain at all on my judgment. Heydecker was hunched forward, his elbows on his knees and his face covered by his hands.
WOLFE: "A good question. I am not in his skull. I should have said, he says he believes. You might have known, madam, that he couldn't possibly stand the pressure. Disclosure of his treachery to his firm will end his professional career, but concealment of guilty knowledge of a murder might have ended his life. You might have known-"
MRS. SORELL: "If he says he believes I killed that woman he's lying. He killed her. He's a rat and a liar. He phoned me twice yesterday, first to tell me that we had been seen in the lunchroom, to warn me, and again about an hour later to say that he had dealt with it, that our plan was safe. So he had killed her. When Goodwin told me there had been developments I knew what it was, I knew he would lose his nerve, I knew he would lie. He's a rat. That's why I came. I admit I concealed guilty knowledge of a murder, and I know that was wrong, but it's not too late. Is it too late?"
WOLFE: "No. A purge can both clean your conscience and save your skin. What time did he phone you the second time?"
MRS. SORELL: "I don't know exactly. It was between five and six. Around half past five."
WOLFE: "What was the plan he had made safe?"
MRS. SORELL: "Of course he has lied about that too. It was his plan. He came to me about a month ago and said he could give me information about my husband that I could use to make-that I could use to get my rights. He wanted-"
Heydecker jerked his head up and yapped, "That's a lie! I didn't go to her, she came to me!" That added to my knowledge of human nature. He hadn't uttered a peep when she accused him of murder. Edey, who was still there staring down at him, said something I didn't catch.
Mrs. Sorell was going on: "He wanted me to agree to pay him a million dollars for it, but I couldn't because I didn't know how much I would get, and I finally said I would pay him one-tenth of what I got. That was that evening at the lunchroom."
WOLFE: "Has he given you the information?"
MRS. SORELL: "No. He wanted too much in advance. Of course that was the difficulty. We couldn't put it in writing and sign it."
WOLFE: "No indeed. A signed document is of little value when neither party would dare to produce it. I presume you realize, Mrs. Sorell, that your purge will have to include your appearance on the stand at a murder trial. Are you prepared to testify under oath?"
MRS. SORELL: "I suppose I'll have to. I knew I would have to when I decided to come to see you."
Wolfe (in a new tone, the snap of a whip): "Then you're a dunce, madam."
Again that would have been my cue if I were needed. The whole point of the set-up, having the four members of the firm in the front room listening in, was to get Heydecker committed before witnesses. If his nerve had held it would have been risky for Wolfe to crack the whip. But he was done for. He hadn't written out a confession and signed it, but he might as well have.
MRS. SORELL: "Oh, no, Mr. Wolfe. I'm not a dunce."
WOLFE: "But you are. One detail alone would sink you. After you rang this number yesterday afternoon, and Miss Aaron answered, and you spoke with her, you got here as quickly as possible. Since you were not then contemplating murder, there was no reason for you to use caution. I don't know if you have a car and chauf- feur, but even if you have, to send for it would have meant delay, and minutes were precious. There is no crosstown subway. Buses, one downtown and one crosstown, would have been far too slow. Unquestion- ably you took a cab. In spite of the traffic that would have been much faster than walking. The doorman at the Churchill probably summoned one for you, but even if he didn't, it will be a simple matter to find it. I need only telephone Mr. Cramer, the police inspector who was here this afternoon, and suggest that he locate the cab driver who picked you up at or near the Churchill yesterday afternoon and drove you to this address. In fact, that is what I intend to do, and that will be enough."
Ann Paige stood up. She was in a fix. She wanted to go to Gregory Jett, where her eyes already were, but she didn't want to leave Lamont Otis, who was slumped in his chair, his head sagging and his eyes shut. Luckily Jett saw her difficulty and went to her and put an arm around her. It scored a point for romance that he could have a thought for personal matters at the very mo- ment his firm was getting a clout on the jaw.
WOLFE: "I shall also suggest that he send a man here to take you in hand until the cab driver is found. If you ask why I don't proceed to do this, why I first announce it to you, I confess a weakness. I am savoring a satis- faction. I am getting even with you. Twenty-five hours ago, in this room, you subjected me to the severest humiliation I have suffered for many years. I will not say it gives me pleasure, but I confess it-"
There was a combination of sounds from the speaker:
a kind of cry or squeal, presumably from Mrs. Sorell, a sort of scrape or flutter, and what might have been a grunt from Wolfe. I dived for the connecting door and went with it as I swung it open, and kept going, but two paces short ofWolfe's desk I halted to take in a sight I had never seen before and never expect to see again:
Nero Wolfe with his arms tight around a beautiful young woman in his lap, pinning her arms, hugging her close to him. I stood paralyzed.
"Archie!" he roared. "Confound it, get her!"
I obeyed.