We had spent a solid hour with him on the party before Wolfe went up to the plant rooms. Wolfe took him through every minute of it, trying to get some faint glimmer of a hint. Laidlaw was sure that neither he nor Faith Usher had said or done anything that could have made anyone suspect they had ever met before, except her refusing to dance with him, and no one had heard that but me. He had asked her to dance because he thought it would be noticed if he didnt.
Of course the main point was when Cecil Grantham came to the bar to get the champagne. Laidlaw had been standing there with Helen Yarmis, with whom he had just been dancing, and Mr and Mrs Robilotti. As he and Helen Yarmis approached the bar, Beverly Kent and Celia Grantham were moving away, and Mr and Mrs Robilotti were there, and of course Hackett. Laidlaw thought he and Helen Yarmis had been there more than a minute, but not more than two, when Cecil Grantham came; that was what he had told the police. He couldnt say whether, when he had taken two glasses of champagne for Helen Yarmis and himself, there had been other glasses on the bar with champagne in them; he simply hadnt noticed. The police had got him to try to recall the picture, but he couldnt. All he was sure of was that he hadnt poisoned any champagne, but he was almost as sure that Helen Yarmis hadnt either. She had been right at his elbow.
There was more, a lot more, but thats enough for here. You can see why I said that most of it was a waste of time and paper. I might mention that Wolfe had dictated the memorandum, and I had typed it, and Laidlaw had signed it. Also, as instructed by Wolfe, as soon as Laidlaw had gone I phoned Saul Panzer, Fred Durkin, and Orrie Gather, and asked them to drop in at nine oclock.
At six, on the dot as always, Wolfe entered and crossed to his desk. I collated the originals of the four finished pages, took them to him, and went back to the typewriter. I was rolling out the fifth page when he spoke.
Archie.
I twisted my neck. Yes, sir?
Your attention, please.
I swivelled. Yes, sir.
You will agree that this is a devil of a problem, with monstrous difficulties in a disagreeable context.
Yes, sir.
I have asked you three times regarding your contention that Miss Usher did not commit suicide. The first time it was merely civil curiosity. The second time, in the presence of Mr Cramer, it was merely rhetorical, to give you an opportunity to voice your resolution. The third time, in the presence of Mr Laidlaw, it was merely by the way, since I knew you wouldnt pull back with him here. Now I ask you again. You know how it stands. If I undertake this job, on the assumption that she was murdered, an assumption based solely on your testimony, you know what it will entail in time, energy, wit, and vexation. The expense will be on Mr Laidlaw, but the rest will be on me. I dont care to risk, in addition, the chance that I am burrowing in an empty hole. So I ask you again.
I nodded. I knew this would come. Naturally. I stand pat. I can make a speech if you want one.
No. You have already explained your ground. I will only remind you that the circumstances as described by Mr Cramer indicate that it would have been impossible for anyone to poison that glass of champagne with any assurance that it would get to Miss Usher.
I heard him.
Yes. There is the same objection to supposing that it was intended for any other particular person, and its getting to Miss Usher was a mishap.
Right.
There is also the fact that she was the most likely target, since the poison was in her bag, making it highly probable that the conclusion would be that she had killed herself. But for you, that would be the conclusion. Therefore it was almost certainly intended for her.
Right.
But, for the reasons given by Mr Cramer, it couldnt possibly have been intended for her.
I grinned at him. What the hell, I said. I know its a lulu. I admit I wouldnt know where to start, but Im not supposed to. Thats your part. Speaking of starting, Saul and Fred and Orrie will be here at nine oclock.
He made a face. He had to cook up chores for them, nine oclock was less than three hours away, for one of the hours he would be dining, and he would not work his brain at the table.
I have, he growled, only this moment committed myself, after consulting you. Mr Laidlaws cheque could have been returned. He flattened his palms on the chair arms. Then Im in for it, and so are you. You will go tomorrow morning to that institution, Grantham House, and learn about Faith Usher. How she got there, when she came and when she left, what happened to her infanteverything. Cover it.
I will if I can get in. I mention as a fact, not an objection, that that place has certainly had a lot of visitors today. At least a dozen assorted journalists, not to mention cops. Have you any suggestions?
Yes. You told me yesterday morning that a man you know named Austin Byne had phoned to ask you to take his place at that gathering. Today Mr Laidlaw said that a man named Austin Byne, Mrs Robilottis nephew, had once gone to Grantham House on an errand for his aunt. I suppose the same man?
You suppose. I crossed my legs. It wouldnt hurt you any, and would be good for my morale, if you let me take a trick now and then. Austin Byne had already occurred to me, and I asked for suggestions only to be polite. I already know what your powers of observation and memory are and you didnt have to demonstrate them by remembering that I had mentioned his name on the fly andWhy the snort?
At the notion that your morale needs any encouragement. Do you know where to reach Mr Byne?
I said I did and, before resuming at the typewriter, dialled his number. No answer. During the next hour and a half I interrupted my typing four times to dial the number, and still no answer. By then it was dinner-time. For himself, Wolfe will permit nothing and no one to interfere with the course of a meal, and, since we dine together in the dining-room, my leaving the table is a sort of interference and he doesnt like it, but that time I had to. Three times during dinner I went to the office to dial Bynes number, with no luck, and I tried again when, having finished the baked pears, we transferred to the office and Fritz brought coffee. I accept a no answer verdict only after counting thirteen rings, and had got nine when the doorbell rang and Fritz announced Saul Panzer. The other two came a minute later.
That trio, the three that Wolfe always called on when we needed more eyes and ears and legs, were as good as you could get in the metropolitan area. In fact, Saul Panzer, a little guy with a big nose who never wore a hat, compromising on a cap when the weather was rough, was better. With an office and a staff he could have cleaned up, but that wouldnt have left him enough time for playing the piano or playing pinochle or keeping up with his reading, so he preferred to freelance at seventy bucks a day. Fred Durkin, bulky and bald-headed, had his weak points, but he was worth at least half as much as Saul, which was his price, if you gave him the right kind of errands. If Orrie Gather had been as smart as he was brave and handsome he would have been hiring people instead of being hired, and Wolfe would have had to find someone else, which wouldnt have been easy because good operatives are scarce.
They were on yellow chairs in a row facing Wolfes desk. We hadnt seen any of them for two months, and civilities had been exchanged, including handshakes. They are three of the nine or ten people to whom Wolfe willingly offers a hand. Saul and Orrie had accepted offers of coffee; Fred had preferred beer.
Wolfe sipped coffee, put his cup down, and surveyed them. I have undertaken, he said, to find an explanation for something that cant possibly be explained.