Death of a Doxy (Crime Line)

I had approached. "I'm afraid you'll have to wait a while on the eating. Inspector Cramer is here. He probably thinks you're here, since that cop saw you leave with me, but it's possible that we're not going to concede it. If we do, and if he insists on seeing you, we can say he'll have to postpone it because you're in a state of shock after last night, or I'll bring him up and you can get it over with. As you prefer. I thought I'd better ask you."

She took a swipe at the hair. "An inspector, huh?"

"Yeah. An old pal of ours. In reverse."

"I like to get things over with."

"Okay. He'll probably want to see you alone, and not in the office because he knows we have a hole to see and hear through. What do you want to keep you until breakfast? Will orange juice and coffee do?"

"Not if you have grapefruit juice."

"Certainly. Fritz will bring it up, and I'll bring Cramer up later. He may -"

"Here?"

"Sure. This room is bugged, he doesn't know that, and we'll be listening in. He may invite you down to the District Attorney's office, but you're not going. To take you with law he'd have to have a warrant, and he hasn't got one. Now the -"

"How do you know he hasn't?"

"I know everything except how to bodyguard a girl right. Now the main question. Do you remember the script? What we said last night?"

"What you said. Yes."

"Should we check it?"

"No. ZYXWVU -"

"Of course. I keep forgetting. Fritz will be up with the juice and coffee. Bolt the door. There's just a chance Mr. Wolfe will decide you're not here, to gain time, and Cramer will come hopping up to barge in. Once a cop's inside, he can move around and you don't touch him, but he can't bust doors in, or he'd better not. Don't answer knocks."

"Damn it," she said, "I ought to be sound asleep."

I said she could sleep all afternoon, and left.