Before Midnight

"And the lawyer fixing it so that what he told you was privileged-wouldn't that fit in?"

"Yes," Wolfe conceded. "But it is a fact, not an opinion, that if it did happen that way I am not privy to it. I have been told that none of Mr. Dahlmann's associates went to his apartment last night, and have had no reason to suspect that they were gulling me. If they were they're a pack of fools."

"You state that as a fact."

"I do."

"Well," Cramer allowed, "it's not your kind of a lie." He was suddenly flustered, realizing that wasn't the way to keep it clean. He blurted, "You know what I mean." He stuck the cigar between his teeth and chewed on it. If he couldn't chew Wolfe the cigar would have to do. I've never seen him light one.

"Yes," Wolfe said indulgently, "I know what you mean."

Cramer took the cigar from his mouth. "You asked me a while ago if I assumed that whoever killed him took the wallet, and I said yes, but I should have said maybe. This other angle has got a bite. If I got some grounds to believe that one or more of Dahlmann's associates went to his place last night that would make it a different story entirely, because that would account for the missing wallet, and I could stop concentrating on the contestants. I tell you frankly I have no such grounds. None of them- Buff, O'Garro, Assa, Heery, Hansen the lawyer--no one of that bunch can prove he didn't go down to Perry Street some time last night, but I haven't got anything to back up a claim that one of them did. You understand I'm not itching to slap a murder charge on him; as I said, he could have found Dahlmann dead and took the wallet. In that case he would be the one you're interested in, and I'd have an open field to find the murderer."

"Satisfactory all around," Wolfe said drily.

"Yeah. You say if one of them went there last night you know nothing about it, and I believe you, but what if they held that out on you? Wouldn't they? Naturally?"