If Death Ever Slept

“He had no family,” Trella said. “I guess we were his closest friends. Shouldn’t you do something, Otis?”

“You don’t need me,” I said. “I’m sorry I had to break up your game.” To Jarrell: “I’ll be with Mr. Wolfe, in case.”

“No.” He was emphatic. “I want you here.”

“You’ll soon be too busy here to bother with me. First your former secretary, and now your friend Brigham. I’m afraid that calls for officious prying, and I’d rather not be in the way.”

I moved, and I didn’t mosey. I was surprised that someone hadn’t already come, since they had got sufficiently interested in the Jarrells to collect miscellaneous facts and the collection must have included the name of Corey Brigham. The one who came might be Lieutenant Rowcliff-it was his kind of errand; and while I liked nothing better than twisting Rowcliff’s ear, I wasn’t in the humor for it at the moment. I wanted a word with Wolfe before twisting anybody’s ear, even Rowcliff’s. So I didn’t mosey, leaving the premises, crossing the avenue, and getting a taxi headed downtown.

When I entered the office Wolfe was there alone, no Orrie on Sunday, and one glance at him was enough. He had a book in his hand, with a finger inserted to keep his place, but he wasn’t reading, and a good caption for a picture of the face he turned to me would have been The Gathering Storm.

“So,” I said, crossing to his desk, “I see I don’t bring news. You’ve already heard it.”

“I have,” he growled. “Where were you?”

“Watching television with Susan. We heard it together. I notified Jarrell and his wife and Wyman and Nora Kent. Lois and Roger Foote weren’t here. Nobody screamed. Then I beat it to come and get instructions. If I had stayed I wouldn’t have known whether the time has come to let the cat out or not. Do you?”

“No.”

“Do you mean you don’t know or the time hasn’t come?”

“Both.”

I swiveled my chair around and sat. “That’s impossible. If I said a thing like that you’d say I had a screw loose, only you never use that expression. I’ll put it in its simplest terms. Do you wish to speak to Cramer?”

“No. I’ll speak to Mr. Cramer only when it is requisite.” The gathering storm had cleared some. “Archie. I’m glad you came. I confess I needed you, to say no to. Now that I have said it, I can read.” He opened the book. “I will speak to no one on the phone, and no one will enter my door, until I have more facts.” His eyes went to the book and he was reading.