Before Midnight

Wolfe lifted a hand and ran a finger tip along the side of his nose a few times. He was being patient. "I may say, Miss Tescher, that my contact with the other contestants, mine and Mr. Goodwin's, has been a little broader. Several courses have been suggested. One was that all five of you agree that the first five prizes be pooled, and that each of you accept one-fifth of the total as your share. The suggestion was not made by my clients or by me; I am merely asking you, without prejudice, would you consider such a proposal?"

She didn't need guidance on that one. "Of course I wouldn't. Why should I?"

"So you don't concede that the manner of Mr. Dahlmann's death, and the circumstances, call for reconsideration of anything whatever connected with the contest?"

She pushed her head forward, and it reminded me of something, I couldn't remember what. She said slowly and distinctly and positively, "I don't concede anything at all, Mr. Wolfe."

She pulled her head back, and I remembered. A vulture I had seen at the zoo-exactly the same movement. Aside from the movement there was no resemblance; certainly the vulture hadn't looked anything like as smart as she did, and had no lipstick, no earrings, and no hair on its head.

"All the same," Wolfe persisted, "there are the other egos and other viewpoints. I accept the validity of yours, but theirs cannot be brushed aside. Each of you has made a huge investment of time and energy and ingenuity. How much time have you spent on it since the beginning?"

"I don't know. Hundreds and hundreds of hours."

"The rules didn't forbid help. Have you had any?"

"No. A friend of mine with a large library let me use it nights and early mornings before I went to work, but she didn't help. I'm very expert at researching. When they gave me five to do in one week, to break the tie--that was on March twenty-eighth--I took a week off without pay."

Wolfe nodded. "And of course the others made similar sacrifices and endured similar strains. Look at them now. They are detained here willy-nilly, far from their base of operations, by no fault of their own--except possibly for one of them, but that's moot. Whereas you're at home and can proceed as usual. You have an overwhelming advantage and it is fortuitous. Can you pursue it without a qualm? Can you justify it?"