Before Midnight

Two sounds came almost simultaneously from the rear of the room--first from a throat, part gurgle and part scream, and then a bang as something hit the floor. Everybody jerked around by reflex, so we all saw Vernon Assa stagger toward us with the fingers of both hands clutching at his mouth, and then he went down. By the time he touched the floor I was there, but Purley Stebbins was right behind me, and Cramer behind him, so I dived back to my desk for the phone and dialed Doc Vollmer's number. At the second buzz he answered and I told him to come on the jump. As I hung up Cramer called to me to get a doctor and I told him I had one. He stood up, saw Susan Tescher and Hibbard crossing the sill into the hall, and sang out, "Get back in here!" He came to me. "I'll call downtown. Put 'em all in the dining room and stay there with 'em. Understand? No gags." He was at the phone.

I looked around. They were behaving pretty well, except Susan Tescher and her silent partner, who had apparently had the notion of fading. There had been no shrieks. Wolfe was sitting straight, his lips pressed tight, his eyes narrowed to slits. He didn't meet my glance. O'Garro and Heery and Hansen had gone to the prostrate Assa, but Purley, kneeling there, had ordered them back. I went to the doorway to the hall and turned.

"Everybody this way," I said. No one moved. "I'd rather not yell," I said, "because the inspector's phoning. He wants you out of this room, and four of the men will please bring chairs."

That helped, giving them something to do. Philip Younger picked up a chair and came, and the others after him. I opened the door to the dining room, and they filed across and in. Fritz was at my elbow, and I told him there would be lots of company and he might as well leave the bolt off. The doorbell rang, and he went and admitted Doc Vollmer, and I waved Doc to the office.

Leaving the door from the dining room to the hall wide open and standing just inside, I surveyed my herd. Mrs. Wheelock had flopped onto a chair, and so had Philip Younger. I hoped Younger wasn't having a paroxysm. Most of the others were standing, and I told them they might as well sit down.

The only one who put up a squawk was Rudolph Hansen. He confronted me. "Vernon Assa is my client and my friend, and I have a right to see that he gets proper--"

"He's already got. A doctor's here, and a good one." I raised my voice. "Just take it easy, everybody, and it would be better if you'd shut up."