“That’s smart, Van! Hold it. Here they come.”
Ellery turned the dictograph receiver off. “Finis.”
Pink snarled: “The bastards!”
“Pink, did you know about that five million?”
“Found the bankbook in Rhys’s golf-bag Monday morning, while I was packin’ up. Hey!”
“What’s the matter?” asked Ellery innocently.
“You ask too damn’ many questions!”
“I’m on your side, Pink,” said Ellery in a soothing voice. “What did Rhys say?”
“Well... Late Monday night he swore he didn’t know a thing about it. And I believe him, too!”
“Of course, Pink. Of course.”
“He reminded me that last Wednesday, when the deposit was made, he and I were away all day tryin’ to sell the yacht to a guy down in Long Beach. The bankbook was a plant.”
“Spaeth,” said Ellery thoughtfully.
“That’s what Rhys says, too.”
“Uh... Pink, have you any idea what the Jardins and Spaeth have been talking about in there?”
“They didn’t tell me anything, so it’s none of my business. Or,” said Pink, eying him stonily, “yours.”
“But I want to help them, Pink.”
Pink grabbed Ellery’s red-and-blue necktie with his freckled left fist. “Listen, mugg. Lay off or I’ll cripple you!”
“My, my, such muscles,” murmured Ellery. “Well, let’s see what the conferees have decided.”
In Inspector Glücke’s office the two Jardins and Walter were standing close together, like people threatened with a common peril and united in a common defense.
The Inspector was saying incredulously: “What?”
“You heard me,” said Walter.
Glücke was speechless. District Attorney Van Every rose and said sternly: “Look here, Spaeth, you can’t pull a stunt like this and hope to get away with it. You said—”
“I know what I said. I was lying.”
“Why?”
Walter put his right arm about Val. “Rhys Jardin happens to be my fiancée’s father.”
“You don’t expect me to believe that you’d deliberately say you were on the scene of a murder when you weren’t — just for sentimental reasons! That happens in books.”
“I’m an incurable romantic,” sighed Walter.
“Well, you’re not getting away with it!” shouted Glücke.
“Please,” smiled Rhys. “Walter’s a quixotic young fool. Naturally I can’t let him sacrifice himself for me—”
“Then you admit you murdered Spaeth?” snapped the District Attorney.
“Nothing of the sort, Van Every,” said Rhys coolly. “I’m not saying anything, as I’ve told you before. But I won’t allow Walter to get himself in trouble on my account. My troubles are my own.”
Van Every tapped his mouth pettishly. The Jardins, Walter, stood very still.
Then Glücke stamped to the main door. “Take Jardin back to his cell. As for you,” he went on, eying Walter malevolently, “if you ever pull a stunt like this again I’ll send you up for obstructing justice. Now beat it.”
The two detectives closed in on Rhys and took him away. Walter and Val, who wore a demure expression, sauntered after. Pink glared from the Inspector to the retreating figures, jammed on his hat, and ran after them.
Ellery sighed and closed the door.
“What’s on your mind, King?” snapped the Inspector. “Let’s have that phony information of yours and then scram.”
“Don’t you think we ought to discuss this new development first?”
“Who’s we? Say, you’re one fresh jigger!”
“You won’t lose anything by letting me coöperate with you,” murmured Ellery.
“I’ll be damned,” said Glücke in amazement.
“Let the man talk,” said the thin man with a smile. “I rather like the cut of his jib. How does this retraction of Spaeth’s strike you, King?”
Ellery made a face.
“Oh, he lied all right,” said the Inspector disgustedly.
“On the contrary,” said Ellery, “he told the exact truth. He lied when he took the admission back. If you ask me, boys, you’re further from a solution of this case now than you were Monday night.”
“Go on,” said the District Attorney, intent.
“There aren’t enough facts to play with, but I’m convinced Walter Spaeth was the man in Jardin’s camel’s-hair coat and furthermore that he knows enough about what went on in his father’s study Monday afternoon to settle this grimy business in five minutes.”
“It’s all balled up,” muttered the Inspector. “Jardin’s attitude, how Spaeth figures, that closed corporation of theirs. By God, could they be accomplices?”
“Tell me something,” said Ellery suddenly. “Did your crew search Sans Souci thoroughly, Inspector?”
“Sure.”
“Then how is it,” said Ellery, taking the handkerchief-wrapped binoculars out of his pocket, “that they missed this?”
He unfolded the handkerchief. Glücke licked his lips. “Where?” he asked hoarsely.
Ellery told him. Glücke turned a deep scarlet.
“Some one,” said Ellery, lighting a cigaret, “was on the Jardin terrace Monday afternoon watching Spaeth’s study through these glasses. Whoever it was, he left the imprint of a thumb and a little finger on that iron table. You might have that table examined.”
“Yeah. Sure,” said Glücke with a stricken look.
“And the binoculars.”
“And the binoculars.”
“I’m beginning to fill up with notions,” Ellery continued. “I snooped about the grounds yesterday and tried to locate the spot where Walter Spaeth parked his car and was slugged. Wasn’t it on the south side, near a sewer?”
“Yeah.”
“Was the sewer searched?”
“Was the sewer searched? Well, now—”
“If I were you — of course I’m not,” murmured Ellery, “but if I were, mind you, I’d open that sewer and give it the twice-over.”
“Open it,” said the Inspector. “Yeah.”
Ellery yawned. “Goodbye,” he said, and strolled out.
Glücke sat at his desk, crushed.
“Let that,” said District Attorney Van Every dryly, rising, “be a lesson to you.”
XV
Earthly Discourse
Val came into Fitzgerald’s office Thursday morning waving the front page of a late Wednesday night edition of the Los Angeles Independent.
“Who’s responsible for this story?” she raged, pointing to the scarehead.
“If it’s you, King,” said Walter from the doorway, “you’re a damned busybody!”
“Isn’t anything sacred to you?” cried Val.
“Stand up and take it,” growled Pink, pushing Walter aside.
“Desist,” said Ellery.
“Shut the door,” said Fitz.
“What are you sore about?” said Ellery.
“This story — Walter’s admission, retraction...”
“Is it true?” said Ellery.
“Did it happen?” said Fitz.
“I resign!” cried Val.
“Put up your mitts, lug,” said Pink.
“Oh, pipe down, the lot of you,” said Ellery. “You’re all too damned self-righteous for your own good.”
Val looked at Walter, and Walter looked at Val, and Pink looked at both of them for a clue to his attitude. Finally the three of them sat down.
Ellery uncoiled himself from Fitz’s desk and began to stride up and down, smoking furiously.