If Death Ever Slept

“Good God no. My mind wasn’t working.” He leaned forward at me. “Look, Goodwin. The other thing I was going to ask, I was going to ask you to say nothing about what happened Wednesday-about my gun being taken. I’m not afraid that gun was used to shoot Eber, that’s not it, it may not have been that caliber, but when they come here on a murder investigation you know how it will be if they find out that my gun was stolen just the day before. And if it was that caliber it will be a hundred times worse. So I was going to ask you not to mention it. Nobody else knows about it. Horland’s man doesn’t. He left before I found it was gone.”

“I told you I told Mr. Wolfe.”

“They don’t have to get to Wolfe.”

“Maybe they don’t have to but they will, as soon as they see me. I’ll tell you, Mr. Jarrell, it seems to me you’re still jolted. You’re not thinking straight. The way you feel about your daughter-in-law, this may be right in your lap. You want to sink her so bad you can taste it. You hired Mr. Wolfe and gave him ten thousand dollars for a retainer, and then offered me another sixty thousand. If you tell Inspector Cramer all about it-only Cramer, not Stebbins or Rowcliff or any of his gang, and not some squirt of an assistant district attorney-and tell him about the gun, and he starts digging at it and comes up with proof that Susan shot Eber, what better could you ask? You said you knew Susan took the gun, and if so she wanted to use it on someone, and why not Eber? And if you’re afraid Cramer might botch it, keep Mr. Wolfe on the job. He loves to see to it that Cramer doesn’t botch something.”

“No,” he said positively.

“Why not? You’ll soon know if Eber was shot with a thirty-eight. I can find out about that for you within an hour, as soon as I get some breakfast. Why not?”

“I won’t have them- I won’t do it. No. You know damn well I won’t. I won’t tell the police about my personal affairs and have them spread all over. I don’t want you or Wolfe telling them, either. I see now that my idea wouldn’t work, that if they find out you’re here in Eber’s place there’ll be hell to pay. So they won’t find out. You won’t be here, and you’d better leave right now because they might come any minute. If they want to know where my new secretary is I’ll take care of that. He has only been here four days and knew nothing about Eber. You’d better leave now.”

“And go where?”