Death of a Doxy (Crime Line)

"Easily." Wolfe's brows were up. "Both the intention and the deed, but it's the deed you challenge. Mrs. Fleming's state of strain was partly from the shock of her sister's death, but mostly from the fear that her way of life would be exposed. Mr. Goodwin rendered her a service by making it clear that the exposure is inevitable unless certain steps are taken. That should propel her not to collapse, but to action, if she is -"

"What kind of action?"

"The only kind that could be effective. Did she tell you all that Mr. Goodwin said?"

"Her husband did. That if the man they have arrested, Orrie Cather, is tried, everything about Isabel will come out. That Cather is innocent, and the only hope is to get enough evidence to make them release him. You call that a service, to tell her that?"

"If it's valid, yes. It's obvious. Do you question it?"

"Yes. I think it was a cheap trick. Why do you say Cather is innocent? Can you prove it?"

"No, but I intend to."

"I don't believe it. I think you're merely trying to raise enough dust to make it hard to convict him. There is no reason why you should want to do Mrs. Fleming a service, but if you did want to you could. You could persuade Cather and his lawyer to make it unnecessary for certain facts to be brought out at his trial. I know you won't, but you could."

"You would like me to?"

"Certainly. For Mrs. Fleming that – it might save her life."

"But you know I won't?"

"Yes."

"Then why did you bother to come?"

"She asked me to. They both did. They think it was just a trick, your sending him with that hogwash, and so do I. Why do you say Cather is innocent?"

Wolfe squinted at him. "You should arrange your mind better, Doctor. As Mr. Goodwin explained to Mrs. Fleming, it will serve her interest if Mr. Cather is innocent, but you don't like that. You contend. Is it possible that you are less concerned about your patient's health than about your own? Did you kill Isabel Kerr?"

Gamm goggled. "Why, you -" He swallowed. "Damn your impertinence!"