The Doorbell Rang (The Rex Stout Library)

"Damn you," Cramer said. "Both of you."

Wolfe looked at the clock. "It's past my dinner hour, gentlemen. I've said all I have to say, and I have disposed of my obligation. Do you want to settle it, or mulishly fail to, elsewhere?"

Wragg looked at Cramer. "Do you see anything wrong with it?"

The eyes of the cop and the G-man met and held. "No," Cramer said. "Do you?"

"No. You have the gun?"

"Yes." Cramer turned to Wolfe. "You said I might not ask Goodwin after we finished with Wragg. I won't. I may later if we hit a snag. I would only get a runaround, and to hell with it." He went back to Wragg. "It's up to you.

Wragg's hand went to a pocket and came out with a little plastic vial. He rose and took a step. "This bullet," he said, "was found on the floor of Morris Althaus's apartment, in the living room, around eleven o'clock in the evening on Friday, November twentieth. Now it's yours. I have never seen it."

Cramer stood up to take it. He removed the lid of the vial, let the bullet drop into his palm, inspected it, and returned it to the vial.

"You're damned right it's mine," he said.

15

Three evenings later, Monday around half past six, Wolfe and I were in the office, debating a point about the itemization of expenses to go with the bill to Mrs Bruner. I admit it was a minor point, but it was a matter of principle. He was maintaining that it was just and proper to include the lunch at Rusterman's, on the ground that the meals we got there were in consideration of services he had rendered and was still rendering to the restaurant and so were not actually gratis. My position was that the past services had already been rendered, and the present ones would be rendered, even if she and I had gone to the Automat for lunch.

"I realize," I said, "that you're up against it. Even if you push the fee to the limit, say another hundred grand, it still might not be enough to last the whole year, and around Labor Day, or at least Thanksgiving, you might have to take on a job, so you need to squeeze out every nickel you can. But she has been a marvelous client, and you should have some consideration for her, and indirectly for me too in case I decide to marry her. She has a lot of other expenses besides you, and now she'll have another one, now that she's going to supply a high-priced lawyer to defend Sarah Dacos. Have a heart."

"As you know, Miss Dacos has confessed."