The League Of Frightened Men Part 11

"Yeah. You and Wolfe won't talk. Do you want me to talk?"

"I'd love it."

He filled his pipe again. "You know about the Dreyer thing. Do you know who bought the nitroglycerin tablets? Dreyer did. Sure. A week before he died, the day after Elkus phoned him that the pictures were phony and he wanted his money back. Maybe he had ideas about suicide and maybe he didn't; I think he didn't; there's several things people take nitroglycerin for in small doses."

He took a drag at the pipe, pulled it in until I expected to see it squirt out at his belly-b.u.t.ton, and went on leaving it to find its way by instinct. "Now, how did Chapin get the tablets out of the bottle that day? Easy. He didn't. Dreyer had had them for a week, and Chapin was in and out of the gallery pretty often. He had been there a couple of hours Monday afternoon, probably for a talk about Elkus's pictures. He could have got them then and saved them for an opening. The opening came Wednesday afternoon. Wait a minute. I know what Elkus says.

That Thursday morning a detective questioned Santini too, the Italian expert, and it checked, but of course at that time it looked like nothing but routine. Since then I've sent a request to Italy, and they found Santini in Florence and had a good long talk with him. He says it was like he told the detective in the first place, but he forgot to mention that after they all left the office Elkus went back for something and was in the office alone for maybe half a minute. What if Dreyer's gla.s.s was there maybe half full, and Elkus, having got the tablets from Chapin, fixed it up for him?" ^ "What for? Just for a prank?"

"I'm not saying what for. That's one thing we're working on now. For instance, what if the pictures Dreyer sold Elkus were the real thing it was six years ago and Elkus put them away and subst.i.tuted phonies for them, and then demanded his money back? We're looking into that. The minute I get any evidence what for, I'll arrange for some free board and room for Elkus and Chapin."

"You haven't got any yet."

"No." *: '

I grinned. "Anyway, you're working in a lot of nice complications. I'll have to tell Wolfe about it; I hope to G.o.d it don't bore him. Why don't you just decide to believe it was suicide after all, and let it go at that?"

"Nothing doing. Especially since Hibbard disappeared. And even if I wanted to, George Pratt and that bunch wouldn't let me. They got those warnings.

I don't blame them. Those things sound like business to me, even if they are dolled up. I suppose you've read them."

I nodded. He stuck his paw in his breast pocket and pulled out some papers and began looking through them. He said, "I'm a d.a.m.n fool. I carry copies of them around with me, because I can't get rid of a hunch that there's a clue in them somewhere, some kind of a clue, if I could find it. Listen to this one, the one he sent last Friday, three days after Hibbard disappeared: T.

One. Two. Three.

Ye cannot see what I see: His b.l.o.o.d.y head, his misery, his eyes Dead but for terror and the wretched hope That this last blow, this finis, will not fall.

One. Two. Three.

Ye cannot hear what I hear: His moan for pity, now his ^desperate breath To suck the air in through the bubbling blood. *A i * * And I hear, too, in me the happy rhythm, The happy boastful strutting of my soul.

Yes! Hear! It boasts: One. Two. Three.

Ye should have killed me. (I ask you, does that sound like business?" Cramer folded it up again.

"Did you ever see a guy that had been beaten around the head enough so that things were busted inside? Did you ever notice one? All right, get this: to suck the air in through the bubbling blood. Does that describe it? I'll say it does. The man that wrote that was looking at it, I'm telling you he was looking right at it.

That's why, as far as Andrew Hibbard is concerned, all I'm interested in is stiffs.

Chapin got Hibbard as sure as h.e.l.l, and the only question is where did he put the leavings. Also, he got Dreyer, only with that one Elkus helped him."

The inspector stopped for a couple of Pulls at his pipe. When that had been attended to he screwed his nose up at me and demanded, "Why, do you think it was suicide?"

"h.e.l.l no. I think Chapin killed him.

And maybe Harrison, and maybe Hibbard. I'm just waiting to see you and Nero Wolfe and the Epworth League prove it on him. Also I'm annoyed about Elkus. If you get Elkus wrong you may gum it." "Uh-huh." Cramer screwed his nose again. "You don't like me after Elkus? I wonder if Nero Wolfe will like it. I hope not to gum it, I really do. I suppose you know Elkus has got a shadow on Paul Chapin? What's he suspicious about?"

I lifted my brows a little, and hoped that was all I did. "No. I didn't know that."

"The h.e.l.l you didn't."

"No. Of course you have one, and we * have..." I remembered that I never had* got hold of Del Bascom to ask him about the d.i.c.k in the brown cap and pink necktie. "I thought that runt keeping the boys company down there was one of Bascom's experts."

"Sure you did. You didn't know I Bascom's been off the case since yesterday * morning. Try having a talk with the runt. I did, last night, for two hours. He says he's got a G.o.ddam legal right to keep his G.o.ddam mouth shut. That's the way he talks, he's genteel. Finally I just shooed him away, and I'm going to find out who he's reporting to." ^ "I thought you said, Elkus."

"That's my idea. Who else could it be?

Do you know?"

I shook my head. "Hope to die." r "All right, if you do don't tell me, I j want to guess. Of course you realize that I'm not exactly a b.o.o.b. If you don't, Nero Wolfe does. I arrested a man once and he turned out to be guilty, that's why I was made an inspector. I know Wolfe expects to open up this Mr. Chapin and get well paid for it, and therefore if I expected him to pa.s.s me any cards out of his hand I would be a b.o.o.b. But I'll be frank with you, in the past six weeks I've made so many grabs at this cripple without getting anything that I don't like him at all and in fact I'd like to rip out his guts. Also, they're giving me such a riding that I'm beginning to get saddlesores.

I would like to know two things.

First, how far has Wolfe got? Sure, I know he's a genius. Okay. But has he got enough of it to stop that cripple?"

I said, and I meant it, "He's got enough to stop any guy that ever started."

"When? I won't lose any sleep if he nicks Pratt for four grand. Can you say when, and can I help?"

I shook my head. "No twice. But he'll do it."

"All right. I'll go on poking around myself.

The other thing, you might tell me this, and I swear to G.o.d you won't regret it. When Dora Chapin was here this . morning did she tell Wolfe she saw nitroglycerin tablets in her husband's pocket any time between September eleventh and September nineteenth?"

I grinned at him. "There are two ways I I could answer that, inspector. One way would be if she had said it, in which case I would try to answer it so you couldn't tell whether she had or not. The other way is the one you're hearing: she wasn't asked about it, and she said nothing about it.

She just came here to get her throat cut."

"Uh-huh." Cramer got up from his chair. "And Wolfe started working on her from behind. He would. He's the d.a.m.nedest guy at getting in the back door .. well. So-long. I'll say much obliged some other day. Give Wolfe a Bronx cheer for me, and tell him that as far as I'm concerned he can have the money and the applause of the citizens in this Chapin case, and the sooner the better. I'd like to get my mind on something else."

"I'll tell him. Like to have a gla.s.s of beer?"

He said no, and went. Since he was an inspector, I went to the hall and helped him on with his coat and opened the door for him. At the curb was a police car, one of the big Cadillacs, with a chauffeur.

Now, I thought, that's what I call being a detective.

I went back to the office. It looked dismal and gloomy; it was nearly six o'clock and the dark had come over half an hour ago and I had only turned on one ^ght. Wolfe was still upstairs monkeying ^th the plants; he wasn't due down for seven minutes. I didn't feel like sitting watching him drink beer, and had no reason to expect anything more pertinent out of him, and I decided to go out and find a stone somewhere and turn it up to see what was under it. I opened a couple of windows to let Cramer's pipe-smoke out, got my Colt from the drawer and put it in my pocket from force of habit, went to the hall for my hat and coat, and beat it.

13.

I didn't know Perry Street much, and was surprised when I walked up in front of number 203, across the street, having left the roadster half a block away. It was quite a joint, stucco to look like Spanish, with black iron entrance lamps and no fire escapes. On both sides were old brick houses. A few cars were parked along the block, and a couple of taxis. On my side of the street was a string of dingy stores: stationery, laundry, delicatessen, cigar store and so on. I moved along and looked in. At the delicatessen I stopped and went inside. There were two or three customers, and Fred Durkin was leaning against the end of the counter with a cheese sandwich and a bottle of beer. I (turned around and went out, and walked back down to where the roadster was and reason to expect anything more pertinent out of him, and I decided to go out and find a stone somewhere and turn it up to see what was under it. I opened a couple of windows to let Cramer^s pipe-smoke out, got my Colt from the drawer and put it in my pocket from force of habit, went to the hall for my hat and coat, and beat it. 4 ,4*: ^

13.

I didn't know Perry Street much, and was surprised when I walked up in front of number 203, across the street, having left the roadster half a block away. It was quite a joint, stucco to look like Spanish, with black iron entrance lamps and no fire escapes. On both sides were old brick houses. A few cars were parked along the block, and a couple of taxis. On my side of the street was a string of dingy stores: stationery, laundry, delicatessen, cigar store and so on. I moved along and looked in. At the delicatessen I stopped and went inside. There were two or three customers, and Fred Durkin was leaning against the end of the counter with a cheese sandwich and a bottle of beer. I [turned around and went out, and walked back down to where the roadster was and got inside. In a couple of minutes Fred came along and climbed in beside me. He was still chewing and working his tongue in the corners. He asked me what was up.

I said, nothing, I had just come down to gossip. I asked him: "Where's the other club members?"

He grinned. "Oh, they're around. The city feller is probably in the laundry, I think he likes the smell. I suppose Pinkie is down at the next corner, in the Coffee Pot. He usually deserts his post around this time to put on the nose bag."

"You call him Pinkie?"

"Oh, I can call him anything. That's for his necktie. What do you want me to call him?"

I looked at him. "You've had one or ten drinks. What's the big idea?"

"I swear to G.o.d I haven't, Archie. I'm just glad to see you. It's lonesome as h.e.l.l around here."

"You chinned any with this Pinkie?"

"No. He's reticent. He hides somewhere and thinks." * Dif "Okay. Go on back to your pickle emporium. If you see any kids scratching J their initials on my car, pat 'em on the head."

Fred climbed out and went. In a minute I got out too, and walked down to the next corner, where if you was blind the smell would have told you Coffee Pot. I went in. There were three little tables along the wall, and half a dozen customers at the counter. Pinkie was there all right, along at one of the little tables, working on a bowl of soup, trying to get the spoon out of his mouth. He had his brown cap on, over one ear. I went over alongside his table and said to him, keeping my voice low:, ^, ^ "Oh, here you are." ^ He looked up. I said, "The boss wants to see you right away. I'll sit on the lid here a while. Make it snappy."

He stared at me a couple of seconds, and then squeaked so that I nearly Jumped. "You're a G.o.ddam filthy liar."

The little runt! I could have reached down and jerked his gold teeth out. I slid the other chair back with my toe and sat down and put my elbows on the table and looked at him. I said, the boss wants to see you."

"Oh, yeah?" He sneered at me with his mouth open, showing his gilded incisors.

"You wouldn't string a guy, would you, mister? By G.o.d, I'll tell the G.o.ddam world you wouldn't. Who was I talking to a i while ago on the G.o.ddam telephone?"

I grinned. 'That was me. Listen here a minute. I can see you're tough. Do you want a good job?"

"Yeah. That's why I've got one. If you'd just move your G.o.ddam carca.s.s away from my table..."

"All right, I will. Go on and eat your soup, and don't try to scare me with your bad manners. I might decide to remove your right ear and put it where the left one is, and hang the left one on your belt * for a spare. Go on and eat." I He dropped his spoon in the soup-bowl and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "What the h.e.l.l do you want, anyway?"

"Well," I said, "I was having tea with my friend, Inspector Cramer, this afternoon, and he was telling me how ^^ much he enjoyed his talk with you last ^H night, and I thought I'd like to meet you.

That's one story. Then another story might be that a certain guy whose name I needn't mention has got the idea that you're selling him out, and I'm supposed to find out, and I thought the quickest way was to ask you. How many people are you working for?"

"Of all the G.o.ddam curiosity!" He sucked something from between his teeth with his tongue. "Last night the G.o.ddam Inspector, and now you. h.e.l.l, my soup's getting cold."

He got up from his chair and picked up the bowl and carried it ten feet to the table at the end. Then he came back for the bread and b.u.t.ter and gla.s.s of water and took them. I waited till he was through moving, then I got up and went to the end table and sat down across from him. I was sore because my nifty opening had gone wild. The counterman and the customers were watching us, but only to Pa.s.s the time. I reached in my pocket and got out my roll and peeled off a pair of twenties, xi "Look here," I said, "I could spot you in a day or two, but it would cost both money and time, and I'd just as soon you'd get it. Here's forty bucks. Half now if you tell me who's paying you, and the other half as soon as I check it. I'll find out, anyhow, this'll just save time."

I'll be d.a.m.ned if he didn't get up and pick up his soup again and start back for the first table. A couple of the customers began to laugh, and the counterman called out, "Hey, let the guy eat his soup, maybe he just don't like you." I felt myself getting sore enough to push in somebody's nose, but I knew there was no profit in that, so I swallowed it and put on a grin. I picked up the runt's bread and b.u.t.ter and water and took it down and set it in front of him. Then I went and tossed a dime on the counter and said, "Give him some hot soup and put poison in it." Then I left.

I walked the block back to the roadster, not in a hurry. Fred Durkin was in the cigar store as I pa.s.sed by. I had a notion to see him and tell him to keep an eye on his friend Pinkie and maybe catch him on a phone call or something, but knowing how his mind worked I thought it would be better to let it stay on his main job. I got in the roadster and headed uptown.

I couldn't figure the runt at all. Was it possible that a d.i.c.k that looked like that was as honest as that? Who was paying him enough to make him look at forty dollars like it was soap wrappers? Who was so particular about its not being known that he was having Paul Chapin tailed?

The inspector's idea didn't seem to me to make sense, even if Leopold Elkus had helped out that day with Dreyer's highball. Why would he put a shadow on Chapin? Of course it was possible, but my practice was to let the brain off easy on an idea until it got a little better than possible. If it wasn't Elkus, who was it? It might have been any one of the bunch who was too scared for Wolfe's memorandum to quiet him down and thought he needed his own reports of the cripple's activities, but in that case why all the mystery? Driving uptown, I went over the list in my mind, without any results.

I put the roadster in the garage and walked home. It was nearly dinner time when I got there. Wolfe was in the office, at his desk. He was doing something. His beer tray had been pushed to one side, and he was leaning over a piece of paper, inspecting it with a magnifying gla.s.s, with the strong light turned on. He looked up to nod at me, and then resumed. There was a little pile of similar papers under a weight. The typewriting on the paper began, Ye should have killed me, watched the last mean sigh. It was the first warning.

Pretty soon he looked up again, and blinked. He put the magnifying gla.s.s on the table. I asked, "These are FarrelPs samples?"

"Yes. Mr.^Farrell brought them ten minutes ago. He decided to get a specimen from each machine in Mr. Oglethorpe's office. I have examined two, and discarded them those marked with red pencil." He sighed. "You know, Archie, it is remarkable how the shortening of the days at this time of year, the early darkness, seems to lengthen the period between luncheon and dinner. I suppose I have made that comment before."

"Not very often, sir. Not more than nce or twice a day." r "Indeed. It deserves more. You haven't washed."

"No, sir."

"There are two pheasants which should not be kept waiting."

I went upstairs.

After dinner we worked together at Farr ell's samples; there were sixteen of them. He wasn^t so good at the typewriter; he had exed out a good deal, but for our purpose that didn't matter. I brought a gla.s.s down from the plant-rooms and Wolfe went on with his. It didn't matter which of the originals we used, so long as it wasn't one of the carbons, since it had been definitely determined that they had all been written on the same machine. We did a thorough job of it, not finally eliminating one until we had both examined it. Wolfe loved that kind of work, every minute of it; when he had gone through a sample and made sure that the a wasn't off the line and the n wasn't c.o.c.keyed, he grunted with satisfaction.

I liked it only when it got results. As We neared the bottom of the pile with ^the red pencil unanimous, I wasn't getting any gayer.

Around ten o9 clock I got up and handed the last one across to him, and then went to the kitchen and got a pitcher of milk.

Fritz, sitting there reading the French paper, giggled at me: "You drink milk looking like that, you curdle it." I stuck my tongue out at him and went back to the office. Wolfe had fastened the sheets together with a clip and was putting the originals back in the envelope.

I said, "Well. This has been a fine pregnant evening. Huh?" I drank some milk and licked my lips.

Wolfe leaned back and got his fingers twined. He kept his eyes nearly open. He finally remarked, "We have sacrificed it to Mr. Chapin's adroitness, a tribute to him. And established a fact: that he did not type the warnings in his publisher's office. But he did type them, and doubtless holds himself in readiness to type another; so the machine exists and can be found. I have already another i suggestion ready for Mr. Farrell a little * complicated, but worth the experiment."

"Maybe I could offer one. Tell him to get samples from the machines in Leopold Elkus's office."

Wolfe's brows went up. "Why particularly Elkus?"

"Well, for one thing Inspector Cramer got the idea of having someone in Italy get in touch with Mr. Santini. Dumb idea, of course, but he got it. Santini says that he has remembered that after they all left the office that day Elkus went back for something and was in there alone for maybe half a minute. Plenty of time to drop some tablets into a highball."

"But hardly enough to filch the bottle from Mr. Dreyer's pocket and return it again, not to mention the dexterity required."

"That's all right. Chapin did that himself some time previously, maybe the week before, and gave them to Elkus."

B' 'Indeed. This was in the news reels?"It's in Cramer's bean. But it may also be in his bag one of these days. We would have to get a mirror and see how we look in it, if it turns out to be the dope and he bags it first. Another item is that Elkus has got a shadow on Chapin."

"That likewise is in Mr. Cramer's bean?"

"Yeah, likewise. But one of those d.i.c.ks -"