Death of a Doxy (Crime Line)

"The Milton is interesting too. Thales of Miletus, the sixth and seventh centuries B.C., was the chief of the seven 'wise men' of ancient Greece. He preceded Euclid by three centuries. He founded the geometry of lines. He made the first prediction of an eclipse of the sun, to the day. His was the first great name in the history of mathematics. Thales of Miletus."

"I'll be damned." I sat and looked at it for a full minute. "I will be damned. He had a hell of a nerve. Ballou went to college. He might have liked mathematics. He might have known all about Thales of Miletus."

"But did he know that Miss Kerr's brother-in-law is a teacher of mathematics?"

"Probably not. Who would ever expect a goddam blackmailer to have a sense of humor? Did you tell Ballou?"

"No. It can wait. I would like some beer."

"And I would like some milk." I rose. "This is more like it, something to chew on." I went to the kitchen. Fritz was below in his room, and I didn't need any help. As I poured the milk and put the beer and glass on the tray, and took them to the office, my mind was on the newer and hotter riddle, going back to Monday afternoon and remembering how Barry Fleming had looked and acted and what he had said. After a couple of sips of milk, recollecting that we had a guest, I went to the front room to ask if he would like a drink.

He was stretched out on the sofa with his arm curled over his eyes. He didn't want anything. In the short time I was gone Wolfe had been to the shelves and got a book, a volume of the Britannica, and had it open. As I picked up my glass he said, "Thales perfected the theory of the scalene triangle and the theory of lines. He discovered the theorem that the sides of equiangular triangles are proportional. He discovered that when two straight lines intersect the vertically opposite angles are equal, and that the circle is bisected by its diameter."

I said, "Golly."