The Doorbell Rang (The Rex Stout Library)

"You will be a sap if you don't." Wolfe made a face. There are a few slang words he likes and uses, but "sap" isn't one of them, and he had uttered it. He straightened his face. "I concern myself with this because I have an obligation-to the person from whom I learned that your men were there that night-and I don't like obligations. Exposing the murderer will cancel that debt and, incidentally, relieve your mind. Wouldn't you like it to be established that Althaus was not killed by one of your men? Bring me that bullet, and it will be. I make another offer: bring me that bullet, and if your men are not cleared within a month by disclosure of the murderer I'll give you those credentials. It shouldn't take a month, probably not even a week."

Wragg's eyes were open. "You'll return the credentials?"

"Yes."

"You say 'disclosure.' Disclosed to whom?"

"To you. Disclosed sufficiently to convince you that your men are innocent-of murder, that is."

"You make an offer. What guarantee would I have?"

"My word."

"How good is your word?"

"Better than yours. Much better, if that book is to be believed. No man alive can say that I have ever dishonored my word."

Wragg ignored the dig. "When would you want the bullet-if I had it?"

"I don't know. Possibly later today. Or tomorrow. I would want to receive it from your hands."

"If I had it." Wragg stood up. "I have some thinking to do. I'm promising nothing. I'll-"

"But you are. You have. No surveillance of my client or me."

"That, yes. I mean-you know what I mean." He moved, then stopped and turned. "You'll be here all day?"

"Yes. But if you telephone, my line is tapped." He didn't think that was funny. I doubt if he would have thought anything whatever was funny. As I followed him to the hall and held his coat and handed him his hat, he didn't even know I was there. When I turned from shutting the door behind him I saw the client entering the office, Saul at her heels, and I decided not to marry her. She should have waited for me to come and escort her. When I reached the office there was a tableau. Mrs Bruner and Saul were standing side by side at Wolfe's desk, looking down at him, and he was leaning back with his eyes closed. It was a nice picture, and I stopped at the door to enjoy it. Half a minute. A full minute. That was enough, since she had appointments, and as I crossed to them I asked, "Could you hear all right?"