Black Orchids

"Nonsense," Wolf said sharply. "You know quite well. you are an intelligent woman. You've been living in that house two years. It is likely that ill feeling or fear, any motion whatever, was born in one of these people and extended to the enormity of homicide, and you were totally unaware of it? I don't believe it. I want you to tell me the things that I would drag out of you if I kept you here all afternoon firing questions at you."

Maryella shook her head. "You couldn't drag anything out of me that's not in me."

"You won't talk?"

"I can't talk." Maryella did not look happy. "When I've got nothing to say."

Wolfe's eyes left her. "Miss Nichols?"

Janet shook her head.

"I won't repeat it. I'm saying to you what I said to Miss Timms."

"I know you are." Janet swallowed and went on in a thin voice, "I can't tell you anything, honestly I can't."

"Not even who tried to kill you? You have no idea who tried to kill you this morning?"

"No-I haven't. That's what frightened me so much. I don't know who it was."

Wolfe grunted, and turned to Larry. "Mr. Huddleston?"

"I don't know a damn thing," Larry said gruffly.

"You don't. Dr. Brady?"

"It seems to me," Brady said coolly, "that you stopped before you were through. You said you know who murdered Miss Huddleston. If-"

"I prefer to do it this way, doctor. Have you anything to tell me?"

"No."

"Nothing with any bearing on any aspect of this business?"

"No."

Wolfe's eyes went to Daniel "Mr. Huddleston, you have already talked, to me and to the police. Have you anything new to say?"

"I don't think I have," Daniel said slowly. He looked more miserable than anyone else. "I agree with Dr. Brady that if you-"

"I would expect you to," Wolfe snapped. His glance swept the arc. "I warn all you, with of course one exception, that the police will worm it out of you and it will be a distressing experience. They will make no distinction between relevancies and irrelevancies. They will, for example, impute significance to the fact that Miss Timms has been trying to captivate Mr. Larry Huddleston with her charms-"

"I have not!" Maryella cried indignantly. "Whatever-"

"Yes, you have. At least you did on Tuesday, August 19th. Mr. Goodwin is a good reporter. Sitting on the arm of his chair. Ogling him-"

"I wasn't! I wasn't trying to captivate him-"

"Do you love him? Desire him? Fancy him?"

"I certainly don't!"