Death of a Doxy (Crime Line)

"Pfui." He dropped it and resumed with the transcript.

Business is taboo at the dinner table, but crime and criminals aren't, and the Rosenberg case hogged the conversation all through the anchovy fritters, partridge in casserole with no olives in the sauce, cucumber mousse, and Creole curds and cream. Of course it was academic, since the Rosenbergs had been dead for years, but the young princes had been dead for five centuries, and Wolfe had once spent a week investigating that case, after which he removed More's Utopia from his bookshelves because More had framed Richard III.

He let up only when we were back in the office and had finished with coffee. He pushed the tray aside and asked if it had to be verbatim, and I said yes and proceeded. When I told about the deal with William he pursed his lips, not objecting, merely reacting to the fact that the fifteen bucks was down the drain, since we couldn't expect to bill Orrie. Then he leaned back and closed his eyes and quit reacting, as usual, until I had finished.

He opened his eyes and demanded, "You had no lunch? None at all?"

I shook my head. "If I had gone out it might have cost a C to get back up. William is a mooch."

He straightened up. "Never do that."

"It's good for me. I was nine ounces overweight. Do you comment or do I?"

"You."

I took a minute. "First, did Stella kill her sister? Two to one she didn't. She -"

"Only two?"

"That's the best I'll give. The most important thing in the world, she said. If it's still that important when she's dead, what was it when she was alive? She left the rails twice in my presence. She just can't stand it. If she went there Saturday morning and – do I need to spell it?"

"No. Why two to one? Why not even or less?"

"Because, on the record, a woman kills her sister only if she hates her or is afraid of her. Stella didn't. She loved her and wanted to – well, save her. Make it three to one. Anyway, even if she did it, she's hopeless. Try and prove it. Even if we got enough to satisfy us, Cramer and the DA would never buy it, let alone a jury. So forget her. As for him, no bet. He could have had an elegant motive, anybody could, but as of now the only one visible is that he killed her to stop his wife worrying about her, which is a little farfetched. One thing, though, why did he let me in?"

"So she wouldn't encounter you in the hall."