rs.toomanywomen-第30部分

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ly　have　felt　murderous　about　either　one　or　the　other；　there　was　plenty　of　territory　to　move　around　in。　It　would　have　been　a　good　training　school；　Purley　told　me；　for　any　rookie　wanting　to　learn　how　to　trace　movements　and　check　alibis；　there　were　so　many　different　kinds。
　　That　operation　was　not　confined　to　the　thirty…fourth　floor。　Up　on　the　thirty…sixth；　on　the　executive　and　directorial　level；　the　approach　was　of　course　somewhat　different；　since　vice…presidents　and　directors　are　more　sensitive　and　bleed　easier　than　typists　or　heads　of　sections；　but　the　job　was　actually　just　as　thorough；　especially　when　the　days　and　nights　stretched　into　a　week　without　even　one　measly　little　lead。　The　police　elite　who　worked　on　it　found　the　normal　tangle　of　jealousies　and　rivalries；　and　inclinations　to　trip　and　shove；　but　it　all　added　up　to　nothing　really　helpful；　including　the　movement…tracing　and　alibi…checking。　The　most　promising　angle；　on　the　face　of　it；　was　Kerr　Naylor's　attempt　to　have　Jasper　Pine　booted　out　and　himself　made　president；　but　that　too　produced　no　bacon　because；　first；　Naylor　had　been　after　the　president's　job　for　years　and　was　getting　nowhere；　and　second；　Pine　had　been　in　bed　asleep　the　night　Naylor　was　killed；　as　Wolfe　and　Cramer　and　I　had　learned　from　Cecily。
　　Not　satisfied　with　all　the　wonderful　raw　material　at　Naylor…Kerr；　the　cops　had　tried　other　places　too。　They　had　broadened　out　to　include　everybody　either　Moore　or　Naylor　had　been　known　to　associate　with；　getting　the　same　amount　of　nothing　that　they　got　on　William　Street。　On　Wolfe's　hint　that　there　might　be　something　phony　about　Sumner　Hoff's　account　of　his　movements　from　six　to　eight　o'clock；　they　had　questioned　both　Hoff　and　Hester　several　times；　and　had　also　tried　other　lines　of　inquiry；　with　no　result。　By　Saturday　afternoon；　eight　days　after　Naylor's　death；　they　had　got　so　desperate　that　Lieutenant　Rowcliff　himself　invited　me　to　go　along　for　their　third　examination　of　Naylor's　papers　and　effects；　but　I　found　them　just　as　uninteresting　as　the　cops　had；　except　for　a　document　of　forty…six　handwritten　pages　in　which　Naylor　had　set　down　his　program　for　the　firm　of　Naylor…Kerr；　Inc。；　if　and　when　he　became　president。　His　list　of　executives　and　directors　that　he　intended　to　get　rid　of　might　have　been　helpful　if　the　list　hadn't　been　so　damn　long。
　　Meanwhile　all　Wolfe　was　doing　was　getting　upset。　True；　he　was　paying　five　operatives　besides　me…Panzer；　Gore；　Durkin；　Keems；　and　Gather…but　that　wasn't　costing　him　anything　since　it　would　all　go　on　the　client's　bill。　And　what　do　you　suppose　the　last　four　were　doing？　It　might　be　supposed；　naturally；　that　they　were　developing　some　subtle　and　intricate　plan　which　Wolfe　had　cooked　up　with　his　celebrated　finesse　and　imagination。　Haha。　They　were　tailing　Hester　and　Sumner；　which　was　exactly　what　they　would　have　been　doing　if　Naylor…Kerr；　wanting　to　hire　an　investigator；　had　picked　an　agency　at　random　from　the　Red　Book。　That　was　how　far　Wolfe's　genius　had　got　him　on　this　case。　As　for　Saul　Panzer；　I　had　not　heard　his　instructions；　but　I　knew　he　had　the　photograph　which　Hester　Livsey　had　sent　us　at　Wolfe's　request；　and　I　suspected　he　was　going　around　town　asking　people　to　guess　who　it　was。
　　The　reports　covering　Hester's　and　Sumner's　movements　from　Gore；　Durkin；　Keems；　and　Gather　weren't　even　worth　filing。　But　our　four　men　were　having　fun；　because　the　subjects　were　also　being　tailed　by　the　cops　and　that　made　it　more　sociable。
　　I　am　not　being　snooty。　I　can't　afford　it；　because　during　that　long　dry　spell　I　was　being　as　futile　as　everybody　else。　I　performed　occasional　and　miscellaneous　errands　which　aren't　worth　telling　about；　but　most　of　the　time　I　was　at　William　Street；　in　the　stock　department；　trying　to　kid　somebody。　The　only　meal　I　ate　at　home　was　breakfast　because　I　worked　overtime。　Monday　evening　I　took　Rosa　to　dine　and　dance。　Tuesday　I　took　Gwynne　Ferris。　Wednesday　I　made　a　try　for　Hester。　First　she　said　she　would　go　and　then　a　couple　of　hours　later　reneged；　stating　that　she　had　tried　to　cancel　another　engagement　and　couldn't。　My　guess　was　that　Sumner　Hoff　was　handling　things　and　that　if　I　tried　for　the　next　evening　or　the　next　I　would　only　get　humiliated　and　perhaps　a　start　on　an　inferiority　plex；　so　I　passed　it　up　and　made　a　stab　at　a　possible　fresh　source　of　gossip　which　weighed　around　a　hundred　and　fifty　and　went　by　the　name　of　Elise　Grimes。　She　proved　to　be　unprofitable　no　matter　what　I　was　after；　and　Thursday　I　repeated　with　Rosa　and　Friday　with　Gwynne。　I　won't　go　so　far　as　to　say　the　time　and　effort　were　wasted；　but　I　had　to　be　stern　with　myself　to　persuade　me　that　it　was　entirely　proper；　nothing　but　routine　really；　to　put　it　on　the　client's　expense　account。
　　Wolfe　and　I；　during　that　week；　had　three　hot　arguments　about　Hester　Livsey　and　Sumner　Hoff。　I　lost　the　first　one；　when　I　took　the　stand　that　we　should　let　the　cops　have　a　try　at　them。　Wolfe　was　dead　against　it。　He　said；　first；　that　Cramer　would　be　sore　and　suspicious　because　we　had　held　it　back　so　long；　second；　that　Cramer　wouldn't　do　a　real　job　on　them　because　he　wouldn't　be　sure　we　weren't　trying　to　put　something　over　and　Saul　was　lying；　and　third；　that　even　if　he　took　Saul　for　gospel；　it　would　be　two　against　one　and　Hester　and　Hoff　would　probably　hold　fast。　I　hated　to　agree　with　him　but　had　to。
　　The　other　two　arguments　ended　in　a　tie。　I　insisted　that　Hester　and　Hoff　should　be　got　to　the　office　one　at　a　time；　offering　to　do　the　getting　myself　no　matter　how　they　felt　about　it；　and　Wolfe　should　give　them　the　works。　He　maintained　it　was　hopeless。　He　would　have　nothing　to　go　on；　he　said；　but　one　little　fact　regarding　which　they　had　agreed　to　lie；　and　they　knew　we　knew　they　were　lying。　It　was　stalemate；　and　he　would　have　nowhere　to　start　from。　I　said　it　was　the　only　crack　we　had　found　anywhere　and　he　ought　to　try　to　get　a　wedge　in　it　anyhow。　He　flatly　refused。　I　thought　at　the　time　he　was　just　being　contrary；　but　it　may　be　that　he　was　already　considering　the　experiment　that　he　finally　decided　to　try　on　Sunday　evening　and　didn't　want　to　run　any　risk　of　spoiling　it。
　　At　least　it　wasn't　laziness。　He　was　really　working。　With　a　minimum　of　pestering　from　me　he　agreed　that　the　executives　and　directors　required　some　attention；　and　even　took　my　advice　where　to　begin；　so　I　had　the　satisfaction；　Thursday　morning；　of　putting　the　bee　on　Emmet　Ferguson。　At　first　he　was　going　to　sneer　me　right　off　the　phone；　but　a　few　well…chosen　dirty　insinuations　put　him　where　he　belonged；　and　at　two　o'clock　he　came　tearing　into　Wolfe's　office　with　his　ten…dollar　Sulka　tie　off　center；　full　of　words　and　ready　for　war。　Wolfe　spent　two　hours　on　him；　and　when　he　finally　tore　out　again　two　things　were　perfectly　plain：　one；　Ferguson　would　always　vote　against　hiring　Wolfe　or　me　by　anyone　for　anything；　at　any　time；　and　two；　if　Wolfe　and　I　should　run　short　on　morals　and　resort　to　a　frame　for　the　murders；　we　would　heartily　agree　on　who　to　pick　for　the　victim。
　　I　would　say　that　probably　nobody　engaged　with　the　investigation　of　Naylor's　death　got　a　single　thing　out　of　that　whole　week；　except　me。　Not　only　were　there　those　opportunities　to　study　women；　which　any　detective　under　eighty　should　be　glad　to　have；　at　the　client's　expense；　but　also　I　got　season　tickets　for　both　the　Giants　and　the　Yankees。　And　not　by　mail　or　messenger；　Cecily　brought　them　herself。　When　I　got　home　Thursday　after　midnight　I　found　Wolfe　still　up；　reading　apparently　only　one　book；　at　his　desk　in　the　office。
　　He　grunted　at　me。　〃Where　have　you　been？〃
　　〃I　told　you　where　I　was　going。　With　Rosa。　At　one　time；　months　ago　it　seems；　I　thought　she　thought　her　husband　killed　Moore；　but　I'm　beginning　to　think　she　did　it　herself。　She　has　a　great　deal　of　vitality。〃
　　He　shuddered。　〃The　plant　records　are　getting　badly　behind　and　Theodore　needs　them。〃
　　〃They　sure　are；〃　I　agreed。　〃I　can't　help　it　if　this　case　is　so　tough　that　I　have　to　work　days　and　nights　both。〃　I　yawned。　〃You　got　me　that　job　down　there。　You　told　me　to　use　my　organs　as　the　occasion　suggests　and　my　capacities　permit。〃　I　yawned。　〃I　guess　I'll　go　to　bed。〃
　　〃No。　Mrs。　Pine　is　ing。　She　telephoned　that　she　wants　to　give　you　your　baseball　tickets　and　I　told　her　you　would　be　home　shortly。〃
　　〃My　God。　Shouldn't　you…let　us　be　alone？〃
　　〃No。　I　want　to　see　her。　Anyhow；　that's　what　she　really　wants。　Why　the　devil　should　she　want　to　give　you　baseball　tickets？〃
　　That；　it　seemed　to　me；　called　for　an　argument；　and　I　sat　down　to　give　it　my　attention；　but　before　I　got　a　word　out　I　had　to　get　up　again　because　the　doorbell　rang。　I　went　down　the　hall；　glanced　through　the　one…way　panel；　opened　the　door；　and　invited　her　in。
　　She　put　out　a　hand　and　exchanged　a　firm　friendly　clasp　with　me；　gave　me　a　warm　wholesome　smile；　looked　searchingly　at　my　face　and　nodded…to　herself；　not　to　me…and　said　cheerfully：
　　〃I　could　see　you　would　be　like　that　even　when　you　were　all　red　and　bruised。　Is　that　fat　man　in　there？　I'd　like　to　see　him。〃
　　Without　waiting　for　clearance　she　was　on　her　way；　and　I　followed　her　down　the　hall　and　into　the　office。　She　offered　no　hand　to　Wolfe；　only　a　polite　nod　with　a　good　evening；　and　took　the　straight…backed　chair　she　had　used　before；　after　I　had　moved　it　up　for　her。
　　〃I　surmised；　madam；〃　Wolfe　said　peevishly；　〃that　you　wished　to　see　me　as　well　as　Mr。　Goodwin。〃
　　〃Not　particularly；〃　she　declared。　〃Except　that　it　is　always　a　satisfaction　to　remind　a　man…especially　a　conceited　one　like　you　…that　I　was　right。　If　you　had　done　what　I　asked　you　to　my　brother　would　not　have　been　killed。〃
　　〃Pah。　He　wouldn't？〃
　　〃Certainly　not。〃　Mrs。　Pine　looked　at　me。　〃You　know　perfectly　well；　Archie；　that　you　are　responsible；　spreading　it　around　that　he　told　you　he　knew　who　killed　Waldo　Moore。　If　you　had　stayed　away　from　there　as　I　wanted　you　to　it　wouldn't　have　happened。　Not　that　you're　to　blame；　since　you　work　for　this　Mr。　Wolfe　and　have　to　do　what　he　tells　you　to。〃　She　smiled　at　me。　〃Oh；　here　are　those　tickets。〃　She　opened　her　bag；　a　medium…sized　embroidered　thing　with　a　gold　frame；　fingered　in　it；　and　produced　an　envelope。　I　crossed　to　get　it；　and　thanked　her；　trying　to　speak　like　a　pet。　She　asked　if　I　would　dispose　of　her　wrap；　and　I　took　it…this　time　it