She said, “You sent a policeman to bring me here. I don’t understand that.”
“Inspector Cramer sent him.”
“But you must have permitted it.” There was a swift movement of her head; a characteristic arrested toss that I had observed that afternoon. “Or suggested it.”
“Yes, Miss Tormic. I arranged it. A certain fact was exposed which required immediate action in order to save Mr. Goodwin from arrest. He is my confidential assistant, and I wouldn’t welcome the ignominy of bailing him out of jail. Or perhaps instead of a fact, it’s a lie. We’ll find out. I thought it better to do so in the presence of Inspector Cramer, and besides, I want to see how you behave under pressure.”
“I can stand pressure.”
“Good. We’ll see.”
She smiled at him. When her mouth was composed the don’t-touch-me was in command, but when she smiled it was all come-hither. “Have you told him that I am your adopted daughter?”
Wolfe frowned and turned to me. “Is the man who brought them in the kitchen?”
“Yes, sir. It’s Stebbins. You know Sergeant Stebbins.”
He nodded. “Nevertheless, Miss Tormic, I think we’ll discuss that later. I haven’t told the police that you are my daughter. For the present, it is desirable that I should not be suspected of so intimate a prejudice. Do you agree to that?”
“I should think …” She hesitated. The smile had gone. “Of course I’ll do whatever you say, but …” She smiled again. “I’d like to have that paper back, the record of adoption which you signed. I want to hang onto that. I admit it’s pure selfishness, because I know what it might mean to be the daughter of Nero Wolfe. I proved that by sending for you when I got into trouble. Of course, since I’ve never seen you since I was three years old, I can’t be expected to show violent affection and throw my arms around you and kiss you –”
“No indeed,” Wolfe agreed hastily. “There’s no question of … it’s a matter of responsibility and that’s all. My responsibility. I was sane, in the legal sense, when I assumed it. As for the record of adoption, I would prefer, if you don’t mind – but that’s probably Mr. Cramer. Unless it’s Madame Zorka.”
“Zorka!” exclaimed Carla Lovchen in surprise.
But it was Cramer, ushered in by Fritz. He glanced sharply around, offered a curt collective greeting, and, finding his usual chair occupied by Neya Tormic, took one at the left of Carla Lovchen.
“Where’s the Zorka woman?” he demanded.
“Not here yet,” I told him.
“Where’s Stebbins?”
“In the kitchen eating our food.”
He grunted and looked at Carla, “I told him to bring Miss Tormic.”
Carla said, “I came along” in a tone that indicated an intention to stay.
“I see you did. Well, Mr. Wolfe?”
“We’ll wait for Madame Zorka. In the meantime, what did the commissioner learn from the consul general?”
Cramer glowered at him.
“Oh, come,” Wolfe said testily, “don’t degrade discretion into secretiveness. If either of these girls killed Mr. Ludlow, they certainly knew who he was. The fact that you have found that out might frighten them into betraying something. If they didn’t kill him, what’s the difference?”
Cramer growled, “Tomorrow’s papers will have it anyway. I suppose. They always do. Ludlow was a confidential agent of the British government.”
“Indeed. What was he doing at the fencing studio? Working or playing?”
“The consul doesn’t know. Ludlow reported direct to London. They’re trying to get someone in London now. It’s five o’clock in the morning there. I told you before that this looks –”
He stopped to let me answer the phone. It was a call for him, and I made room for him to take it at my desk.
After he had listened a while he used profanity again. That made it evident he had got more than a minor irritation, since he had old-fashioned ideas about swearing in front of ladies, and he had strong principles to which he steadfastly adhered when they didn’t interfere with his work. Finally he cut the connection, banging the thing into the cradle, went back and sat down, and sighed clear to his belt.
He glared at Wolfe and demanded, “What was the big idea of getting this Zorka down here? Spill it!”
Wolfe shook his head. “Wait till she gets here. Was that her on the phone? Isn’t she coming?”
“Coming hell. She’s skipped!”
“Skipped?”
“Gone! Left! Departed! And you knew she was going to! You had me send a man up there on a run-around! Damn you, Wolfe, I’ve told you twenty times that some day –”
“Please, Mr. Cramer.” Wolfe was frowning in distaste. “I beg you, sir. I don’t make a game of run sheep run out of a murder. I hadn’t the faintest notion that Madame Zorka intended to skip. She telephoned here – what time, Archie?”
I glanced at my pad. “11:21.”
“Thank you. And told us something. Archie told her he would get Miss Tormic and call on her at her apartment, from where she was talking. Then we made a brief investigation and decided it would be better to have the matter discussed with you present. As you know, I never go out on business, so we asked you to bring them here. Since her phoning here was by her own volition, and since she expected Archie and Miss Tormic to call, it is odd that she should leave her apartment.”
“Yeah. Especially with a bag and a suitcase.”
Wolfe’s brows went up. “But I presume you were having her followed?”
“No! Why should we? Have I got a million men on the squad to tail everybody on the premises every time there’s a homicide? Nuts! I sent a man to get her and bring her here. She wasn’t there. Downstairs they told him that she went out with a bag and suitcase ten minutes before he arrived.”
“Any trail?”
“They’re after it.”
“Pfui.” Wolfe looked around at us. “Well. Here we are. Under the circumstances, the best thing we can do is to proceed without her.”
“Go ahead,” Cramer said grimly.
Wolfe leaned back and half closed his eyes and Miss Tormic was possibly unaware that he was watching her like a hawk. “As I say, Madame Zorka phoned here at 11:21. She stated that shortly after the murder was discovered, when everyone was together up there in the office, she saw Miss Tormic put something into the pocket of Mr. Goodwin’s coat, which was hanging on a rack. She hadn’t mentioned the incident to the police and her conscience was bothering her because she thinks murder is terrible. So she had decided to phone Mr. Goodwin and tell him that she intended to inform the police at once –”
Cramer barked at Neya, “What did you put in Goodwin’s pocket?”
She kept her eyes leveled at Wolfe and paid no attention to him.
Wolfe said in his tone of authority, “Just a moment. I arranged this meeting and I’m handling it. Archie told Madame Zorka he would get Miss Tormic and go to see her. Of course he was stalling. He went to the hall to investigate, and there was something in the pocket of his overcoat which he had not put there. He didn’t take it out. He left it there undisturbed, and it was decided to phone you and get Miss Tormic and Madame Zorka down here. That’s all so far. Archie, go get the coat.”
I went to the hall and removed it from the hanger and took it back and laid it on Wolfe’s desk, with the guilty pocket uppermost.
Wolfe said, “Please, Mr. Cramer. It seemed preferable that you should have the first look at it.”
Even when he said that he didn’t look at Cramer, but kept watching Neya. Cramer advanced and stuck his hand in the pocket and pulled the thing out. I was right at his elbow, beside myself with curiosity as to what it might be. He stared at the rolled-up bunch of canvas clenched in his fist, then put it down on the desk and unrolled it. The stains were now the color of dark mahogany. As the little metal doodad was disclosed to our gaze I permitted myself an ejaculation of astonishment.
Wolfe said, “I suspected that. Your two missing objects, Mr. Cramer. Aren’t they?”
Cramer said to me through his teeth, “So that’s why you took a powder.”
I gave him a cold hard eye. “Guess again. You heard what Mr. Wolfe said –”
He wheeled on Neya. “You!” he said with his jaw still clamped. “Let’s have it.” He grabbed the glove, with the col de mort nested in the palm, and stuck it under her nose. “Did you put that in Goodwin’s pocket?”
She nodded her head. “Yes, I did.”
That unclamped his jaw. He goggled at her and I guess I joined him. She was all right. Her hands were clasped tight on her lap and she sat stiff, but she certainly showed no signs of hysteria. Cramer opened his mouth to speak, then shut it again, tramped to the door and pulled it open and bellowed: