Death of a Doxy (Crime Line)

I took five seconds, not to figure it, but to realize that I had never looked at it from that angle. I told Julie, "Stella. I told you Saturday how she reacted. Remember? She doesn't want a trial even if they get the right man. Of course, X's name would come out only in connection with Isabel." I looked at Wolfe. "Yeah. I'll be damned. But how?"

"That's what we need Miss Jaquette for." His eyes were narrowed at her. "Don't you want coffee? It's getting cold."

She picked up the glass and finished the juice, put it down, poured coffee, picked up the cup, and took a sip. She looked at Wolfe and shook her head. "I don't get it. What's so great about that fact?"

"The possibilities it presents. Suppose that Mrs. Fleming knows, or even strongly suspects, that her husband killed her sister, and knows why, and also knows that he may be arrested and charged at any moment, and later brought to trial. What would she do?"

"I don't know. I don't know her."

"What would she do, Archie?"

"I don't know either," I said, "what she would do. But I know she would do anything, no holds barred, to keep him or anyone else from telling the world about Isabel and X. She certainly wouldn't want it to get to a trial. I don't know how much she cares about him. If she cares enough, in spite of the fact that he killed Isabel, she might blow with him, or if she thinks he can stand the gaff and keep his trap shut, she might stick and fight. If she doesn't care enough about him, she might ship him off to China, or she might even bump him off. The one certain thing is that she would do whatever she thought she had to, to make sure, for instance, that Orrie wouldn't go on the stand as a witness for the prosecution and answer questions about Isabel. Or that X wouldn't testify about the blackmail. Of course she has to be told about the blackmail too. To make sure of that she would blow up the courthouse if she could get her hands on a bomb." I was looking at Julie. "So there you are. You tell her what you told him in that letter. It made him snipe at you with a gun. She won't do that, but she'll certainly do something."

She was frowning. "Why can't you tell her?"

"She wouldn't believe me. You can tell her things Isabel told you, but I can't. As you told him in the letter."

"That was a lie, that letter."

"The only lie was that Isabel told you. What you said she told you was true, and he proved it. Do you know that Barry blackmailed X?"

"Certainly."

"Do you think there's any doubt that he shot at you?"

"No."