Plot It Yourself

It was nearly eleven when I finished reporting to Wolfe. Actually I knew very little more than I had when Mrs Ogilvy had left the cloister and I had dialed SP 7-3100, but Wolfe was now trying to find a straw to grab at. He wanted everything I had, every sight and sound of my twelve-hour day, even including the session at the Bronx DA’s office, though Halloran had known nothing of the background. He had me repeat my conversation with Mrs Ogilvy three times. He almost never asks me to repeat anything even once, but of course he was desperate. When there was nothing left to ask me he still had a question; he wanted to know what conclusions I had drawn.

I shook my head. “You draw the conclusions. I only make guesses. I guess we might as well quit. I guess this bird is too fast and too slick. I guess he hasn’t left one little crumb for the cops, either with Simon Jacobs or Jane Ogilvy, and as for us, I guess he’s a step ahead and intends to stay ahead. I guess we had better consider how to approach Alice Porter so we can get to her a little sooner than we have the others-say when she’s been dead only an hour or two.”

Wolfe grunted. “I have already considered her.”

“Good. Then she may still be warm.”

“I have also acted. Saul and Fred and Orrie have her under surveillance. Also Miss Bonner and that operative in Miss Bonner’s employ. Miss Corbett.”

My brows went up. “You don’t say. Since when?”

“Shortly after you called this morning. Orrie is there now. Since four o’clock he has been there in concealment with the house in view. His car is nearby, also in concealment. Miss Corbett, with a rented car, is posted near the junction of the dirt road and the surfaced road. Saul will relieve Orrie at midnight, and Miss Corbett will leave. Fred and Miss Bonner will take over at eight in the morning. Miss Corbett phoned at seven-thirty that Alice Porter was at home and had had no visitors.”

My brows were still up. “I must say that when you consider, you consider. At that rate Oshin’s ten grand won’t last long. I don’t say it’s being wasted, but you may remember that when he asked me which one of the four we should go for I said that Alice Porter has just made her claim on Amy Wynn and is expecting to collect, so she probably wouldn’t be open for a deal. Also you know how she reacted to my approach.”