Champagne for One

I got the collar of his coat as he shed it. "This is an honour, since you must be calling on me. Why not invite me down-Cramer!"

He had headed for the office. My calling him "Cramer" instead of "Inspector" was so unexpected that he stopped and about-faced. "Why," I demanded, "don’t you ever learn? You know damn well he hates to have anyone march in on him, even you, or especially you, and you only make it harder. Isn’t it me you want?"

"Yes, but I want him to hear it."

"That’s obvious, or you would have sent for me instead of coming. If you will kindly-"

Wolfe’s bellow came out to us. "Confound it, come in here!"

Cramer wheeled and went, and I followed. Wolfe’s only greeting was a scowl. "I cannot," he said coldly, "read my mail in an uproar."

Cramer took his usual seat, the red leather chair near the end of Wolfe’s desk. "I came," he said, "to see Goodwin, but I-"

"I heard you in the hall. You would enlighten me? That’s why you want me present?"

Cramer took a breath. "The day I try to enlighten you they can send me to the loony house. It’s just that I know Goodwin is your man and I want you to understand the situation. I thought the best way would be to discuss it with him with you present. Is that sensible?"

"It may be. I’ll know when I hear the discussion."

Cramer aimed his sharp grey eyes at me. "I don’t intend to go all over it again, Goodwin. I’ve questioned you twice myself, and I’ve read your statement. I’m only after one point, the big point. To begin with, I’ll tell you something that is not to be repeated. There is not a thing, not a word, in what any of the others have said that rules out suicide. Not a single damn thing. And there’s a lot that makes suicide plausible, even probable. I’m saying that if it wasn’t for you suicide would be a reasonable assumption, and it seems likely, I only say likely, that that would be the final verdict. You see what that means."

I nodded. "Yeah. I’m the fly in the soup. I don’t like it any better than you do. Flies don’t like being swamped in soup, especially when it’s hot."